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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: slackhammer on March 31, 2004, 11:47:32 AM

Title: Wah wah wah
Post by: slackhammer on March 31, 2004, 11:47:32 AM
Where are some good schematics for a wah?  I have  shot dunlop that I would like to breathe some new (true bypass) life into.

also, would this be a suitable project for a beginner?
Title: Wah wah wah
Post by: Transmogrifox on March 31, 2004, 11:59:59 AM
This is a fine project for a beginner if you don't try to get too terribly complicated.

Go to Morley's web page, and they have schematics of all of their pedals.  any of the Pro-series wahs would be easy to build.  If you are interested in building this kind of wah, email me at transmogrifox@yahoo.com, and I'll send a simple plan for using a crybaby pot to control the LED/LDR set-up on the Morley.  I suspect the wah's travel will not feel quite right if you just use the pot directly, so it's necessary to use the LDR and control the LED with the pot and transistor.

I also have a wah design that has a wide adjustable resonance range so you can get some "synth-wah" sounds.  It also has high pass, low pass and bandpass outputs, which produce a good number of different shades of wah/filtering.  It is a simple circuit if you don't add any pots and switches to control Q, and switch between outputs, and so on.  I have a design to use it as a totally tricked out device, though.
Title: Wah wah wah
Post by: zener on March 31, 2004, 12:04:56 PM
Lots of wah in this site, most look pretty similar.

http://fuzzcentral.tripod.com/

I recommend reading this first, among others.

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/wahpedl/wahped.htm

If you would like to pursue this DIY, check this out

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/wahrocker/wahrocker.pdf

I think RG Keen posted something that aimed to improve the design of the pedal. Just find it here //www.geofex.com

I just have my own custom-built aluminum wah pedal (the casing) that looks pretty similar to that of RG's design. I'll post it soon as I get the pics.
Title: Wah wah wah
Post by: slackhammer on March 31, 2004, 12:07:26 PM
Interesting.  Does this wah have the capability to get that traditional sound?  I would be more intersted in an old voxy sound than the more moder morley wahs.  What about the McCoy or Teese?  Are they fairly simple?
Title: Wah wah wah
Post by: zener on March 31, 2004, 12:15:20 PM
Quote from: TransmogrifoxThis is a fine project for a beginner if you don't try to get too terribly complicated.

I suspect the wah's travel will not feel quite right if you just use the pot directly, so it's necessary to use the LDR and control the LED with the pot and transistor.

So, it's the pot that controls the LED the illuminates the LDR. How about the transistors? I'm interested :) . I've just receive my custom-built aluminum wah pedal casing. It looks like the one that RG Keen have in his site. What I'm actually planning is to use a slide potentiometer instead of the turning one.

//zener@antihotmail.com
Title: Wah wah wah
Post by: zener on March 31, 2004, 12:24:03 PM
Quote from: slackhammerInteresting.  Does this wah have the capability to get that traditional sound?  I would be more intersted in an old voxy sound than the more moder morley wahs.  What about the McCoy or Teese?  Are they fairly simple?

What are you looking for are the classic wah that has a inductor in its circuit. Morley wahs are based on op amps, known as Twin-T circuit. Most guitarist prefer those classic wahs with inductors in it.

The circuit for an inductor-based wah is pretty simple except for the inductor itself. Just read the Technology of Wah Pedals as I told you earlier.
Title: Wah wah wah
Post by: Fret Wire on April 01, 2004, 01:38:42 AM
Here's some useful links for wah wah's:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/s.castledine/greenfuz/wah.html

http://www.runoffgroove.com/wahmods.html

http://www.happybob.com/marc/pot_adjustment_procedure.htm

http://www.realmccoycustom.com/ADJUSTMENTHELP.htm

http://www.wah-wah.co.uk/

http://www.musicianshotline.com/archive/monthly/pedal_power/1103.htm