If we could design our own wah casing, what would we design in?

[iaresee]

I like the way the string feels, but hate the fact that it breaks and is almost impossible to fix.

I like the feeling of rocking an EV VP Jr so much I'm willing to tolerate it. I keep a spare on hand.

[juse]

Holy crap, that is cool! I didn't know Mr. Marshall built anything like that. Is this yours?

......

[MicFarlow77]

Hi All,

I have another issue that I do not have an immediate cure for... and that is providing a non-slip surface on the foot paddle. There are many ways to go here but I have been leaning towards that 60 grit safety tape in something like 3/4 inch strips.... either a couple across the paddle or a couple of strips along it.... The reason I am leaning more this way than covering the whole pedal is for decorative reasons. Or, I can most likely grain the finish of the top of the paddle and leave it be.. or at the very least, the top of the paddle will be sanded so it would be able to take paint well.

What are some thoughts along this line?

Also Jason, great work on your volume pedal. To help with keeping it calibrated you might try cutting the string length so that it only wraps around the spool once maybe twice at the most. If you find that it still slips, wrap the spool in some fine grade sand paper. You might also want to see if you can verify which part is actually slipping, the spool on the pot or the string around the spool. Great work all around though!

Thanks all,

Mick

[nelson]

Hi All,

I have another issue that I do not have an immediate cure for... and that is providing a non-slip surface on the foot paddle. There are many ways to go here but I have been leaning towards that 60 grit safety tape in something like 3/4 inch strips.... either a couple across the paddle or a couple of strips along it.... The reason I am leaning more this way than covering the whole pedal is for decorative reasons. Or, I can most likely grain the finish of the top of the paddle and leave it be.. or at the very least, the top of the paddle will be sanded so it would be able to take paint well.

What are some thoughts along this line?

Also Jason, great work on your volume pedal. To help with keeping it calibrated you might try cutting the string length so that it only wraps around the spool once maybe twice at the most. If you find that it still slips, wrap the spool in some fine grade sand paper. You might also want to see if you can verify which part is actually slipping, the spool on the pot or the string around the spool. Great work all around though!

Thanks all,

Mick

I would just provide a self adhesive rubber tread along with the enclosure. That way people can paint/decorate it how they want and stick the rubber on afterwards. You could have additional options as extras. Maybe people will want to use their own ideas? This is DIY after all!

[Dragonfly]

I would just provide a self adhesive rubber tread along with the enclosure. That way people can paint/decorate it how they want and stick the rubber on afterwards. You could have additional options as extras. Maybe people will want to use their own ideas? This is DIY after all!

+1

[jasonsmusicgear]

Also Jason, great work on your volume pedal. To help with keeping it calibrated you might try cutting the string length so that it only wraps around the spool once maybe twice at the most. If you find that it still slips, wrap the spool in some fine grade sand paper. You might also want to see if you can verify which part is actually slipping, the spool on the pot or the string around the spool. Great work all around though!

Thanks for the advice Mic, I know the spool is not slipping because I put a screw through it which holds the pot securely in place.  I will try the sand paper.  I also noticed the post by Paul Marossy saying he used waxed string as a replacement for his Ernie Ball pedal, I'll try to find some.

Also, thanks to Paul Marossy for his wah tutorials at www.diyguitarist.com.  Most of my ideas came from him.

Back to your original topic, I like all the ideas so far but it would also be cool if you could make a bare bones wah enclosure for the price sensitive builders, I think you could sell a ton of those.

Jason

[MovingInSloMo]

Whatever design, work through prototypes, some of the best designs are "design as you go". Also record yours or someone else's foot playing a wah and study how it moves up and down.

[MicFarlow77]

WOW Yaw,

I have been looking high and low for technical info on the rack and pinion system that Dunlop uses and I have not found anything. As a last ditch effort, I actually thought maybe the Dunlop website might have some answers, so I was looking around it, but alas, there was no info there.

So I hit the tech support link and there was a number to call. So I called it.

I got the guitar department but he readily transferred me to the Electronics dept.

I spoke with Abraham. What a super cool doode!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first words out of my mouth were: "I've got a question for you I bet you have never heard"

He said "Well, I'm sitting down, hit me!"

So I asked "How many teeth per inch on the Rack and pinion system for the wah"

He said "You know what, I have never had that question, but I'll get my calipers and measure it for ya!"

So in the few minutes we talked I got several key measurements from him so that I can start really investigating the technical side of getting these mechanical issues worked out.

So, in short, the Jim Dunlop Support guy's are super helpful and I would not hesitate to call them again!

Get this as well, I never talked to a machine! What a novel concept!

More news to come as I get some drawings worked up!

Thanks all,

Mick

[mnordbye]

Praise the humans! 

[R.G.]

The best looking wah enclosure I ever saw (Visual Volume excepted!) was a Shin-Ei. It had the low rectangular bottom, but the rocker was trapezoidal, wide at the toe and narrow at the heel. That left room for one footswitch and one knob on each side of the heel, and the heel of the rocker kept you from squashing the knob and footswitch when you didn't want to.

Another useful, if more ungainly one, had a rocker like the letter "H" rotated 90 degrees and stretched. The wide parts were at the toe and heel, connected with the skinny crossbar. That left the space in the middle beside the actual pivot point for controls.

[Dragonfly]

WOW Yaw,

I have been looking high and low for technical info on the rack and pinion system that Dunlop uses and I have not found anything. As a last ditch effort, I actually thought maybe the Dunlop website might have some answers, so I was looking around it, but alas, there was no info there.

So I hit the tech support link and there was a number to call. So I called it.

I got the guitar department but he readily transferred me to the Electronics dept.

I spoke with Abraham. What a super cool doode!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first words out of my mouth were: "I've got a question for you I bet you have never heard"

He said "Well, I'm sitting down, hit me!"

So I asked "How many teeth per inch on the Rack and pinion system for the wah"

He said "You know what, I have never had that question, but I'll get my calipers and measure it for ya!"

So in the few minutes we talked I got several key measurements from him so that I can start really investigating the technical side of getting these mechanical issues worked out.

So, in short, the Jim Dunlop Support guy's are super helpful and I would not hesitate to call them again!

Get this as well, I never talked to a machine! What a novel concept!

More news to come as I get some drawings worked up!

Thanks all,

Mick

Things like that restore my faith in humanity.

[Dragonfly]

The best looking wah enclosure I ever saw (Visual Volume excepted!) was a Shin-Ei. It had the low rectangular bottom, but the rocker was trapezoidal, wide at the toe and narrow at the heel. That left room for one footswitch and one knob on each side of the heel, and the heel of the rocker kept you from squashing the knob and footswitch when you didn't want to.

Kinda like this ?

Another useful, if more ungainly one, had a rocker like the letter "H" rotated 90 degrees and stretched. The wide parts were at the toe and heel, connected with the skinny crossbar. That left the space in the middle beside the actual pivot point for controls.

[iaresee]

I have another issue that I do not have an immediate cure for... and that is providing a non-slip surface on the foot paddle. <snip> What are some thoughts along this line?

I'd leave it as bare metal. Then people can decide if they want to go rubber or (my preference) skateboard grip tape.

[Fuzzy-Train]

I'd be worried about fitting bigger, more complex circuits into the elk design. Cause it would be really awesome if we could fit the neovide, or something similar in size in there.

The mega wah loks cool, but would this be easy(ier) to make? It's very space efficient (for pots) for sure though.

[John Lyons]

Some others that look neat:

[WaxDragon]

I've been thinking about this since the thread started, and since I need to start posting...

My ideal "wah casing" would be a minimal, serviceable "expression" pedal.  I did some searching, but didn't find any reason that a wah pcb could not be put into a regular enclosure, and just have an another jack for an expression pedal or similar controller.  Please correct me if I overlooked a thread.

After years of playing a Crybaby, this very thread made me realize that I didn't have to have the "toe forward to depress switch" method.  Yes,  I know there are wahs that have the switches other places, and if the DIY bug hadn't bitten me, I may have just purchased one.

Why worry about making an enclosure "big enough" to fix $foo project in, when you could just separate the controller and brain?

(Obligatory "this forum and it's members are awesome" statement.  This *is* a wonderful community.)

[MicFarlow77]

Thanks guys for all the posts!

I've been thinking about this since the thread started, and since I need to start posting...

First off, Welcome WaxDragon. This is an awesome community!

The pictures are really cool... lot's of idea's to be had....

Progress Report:

I am probably not too far from building the base of the enclosure... actually, I can probably build the base, paddle and pivot parts and get that all mounted. My initial build will have a removeable top, but that is for prototyping purposes.

Also, a request for assistance. Does anyone with a Dunlop rack and pinion  and also possibly have a Gear Pitch Gage. I need to be able to confirm the pitch on the rack and pinion. Based on some preliminary calculations I have arrived at a pitch of 32, but I am not 100% for sure.

If no one has a Gear Pitch Gage to try, then at least a count of the number of teeth on the pinion. I found a pic online and counted 14, but it was not a really clear picture so I am not sure I got the actual number correct.

Also, perhaps more important... can someone measure the amount of travel the pot goes thru for a standard Dunlop system. Abraham at Dunlop thought the pot went thru about 180 degrees of travel, but that was a guess.. can anyone confirm? Also, what is the max possible travel. The Alpha pots have a 300 degree turn radius, is that similar to what the current wah pots use... I would imagine it is, but I am also not sure since I do not have any wah pots handy.

My thinking now is that if the standard wah pots have the same 300 degrees possible, then I want to see if I can get 250 - 260 degrees out of my enclosure.... we will see.. depends on the pitch and what parts can be gotten off the shelf...

Also, I do plan to offer a plain jane build that can be used as an expression pedal.

I plan to make the casing large enough to accompany both the UniVibe and the ADA... yeah baby.....

I also plan to offer just the larger casing with no paddle or it's associated stuff... it will be a little smaller than my 6.5 x 14 build and thus, a little more affordable.

I am also contemplating putting a recess along the right side, kinda like the back side of my current pedals... not set in stone on this, but it has not been done based on any of the pics that have been posted here...

I also have one other trick up my sleeve but am not going to reveal that until I can get a little further down the road.

Again, Many Thanks for all the posts and suggestions!

[Pedro Freitas]

Whatever design, work through prototypes, some of the best designs are "design as you go". Also record yours or someone else's foot playing a wah and study how it moves up and down.

Eh,this ones were really "design as I went"

http://www.geocities.com/stompboxworktop/wahwah2.html

These were along time ago, sorry for the crappy photos!
Pedro

[MicFarlow77]

Whatever design, work through prototypes, some of the best designs are "design as you go". Also record yours or someone else's foot playing a wah and study how it moves up and down.

Eh,this ones were really "design as I went"

http://www.geocities.com/stompboxworktop/wahwah2.html

These were along time ago, sorry for the crappy photos!
Pedro

Now, this post brings up some nice options....

For starters, I can build a mechanisim around slide pots very easily.. it would be easy to calibrate and would utilize all the pot travel. However, will slide pots work for all the possible options that a casing like this can offer... Wah, volume, controller etc.....

Also, doing a slide pot opens up several options for moving the slider that can give a really really smooth feel, I would think much like the feel of the EB stuff.... hhhhhmmmmm

A cursory look thru the trusty  Mouser catalog finds many throws and values of slide pots available and they all seem to be rather economical.... hhhmmmmm

Shall I continue down this road or are there major issues with slide pots that I am not aware of.....

Thanks,

Mick

[Fuzzy-Train]

^^ That's some creative shit right there.