djankle Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 Hi there, long time reader, first time posting. I have about a dozen wah-wah pedals lying around the house that all have died more or less the same death. The pots get super "scratchy" and noisy and they end up as bookends. My pedal of choice is the Dallas Arbiter Wah-Face from the early '70's which has the fasel inductor. They are super hard to come by and super pricey these days as well. But when they are working they are totally worth it. I have never had much success cleaning the pots with contact cleaner, all they do is reduce the noise a little bit, but not enough to use on gigs or for recording. I guess my question basically is if by changing the pots, will I change or compromise the sound of the pedal? Can they be saved? I have a great guitar tech and a great repair guy but neither of them have been able to ressurect my pedals in the past. Is there a repair service somewhere that could revive these things? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks, Mickey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 If the pots are dusty inside (crackly) but still work, they can be taken apart, cleaned and put back. But they can also be replaced, I would have to clause that with it could change the sound, but using the same pot resistance(s) should restore it to (somewhat) original functionality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 (edited) Wah pots are the easiest thing in the world to replace. And you have a choice between a few different replacements - the Fulltone pot, the ProPot and the Dunlop Hot Potz II. The Dunlop is totally sealed and they claim it will last for one million rotations of the pot. The other two will wear out quicker. Cost? Depending on which ones you get, each pot will be somewhere between $15 and $20. Edited January 16, 2006 by Paul Marossy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAArthur Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 If the pot is just scratchy, cleaner will help. However, if the pot has a bump (or would that be a notch) that causes the sound to jump or the effect to seem uneven in spots, then the best solution would be replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 If a pot is really scratchy, it's rarely due to dirt - it's just worn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oatmeal Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 I have about a dozen wah-wah pedals lying around the house that all have died more or less the same death. Hey I have been looking for an old broken down cry baby to buy. I want the case for an effect experiment. Would you sell one? I want to try to build a distortion box where the drive and output are on a blend pot, so as you push the peddle forward the distortion increases but level stays the same. It may sound like crap but the idea seems cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Oatmeal-- If I make the time, I'll post up a sound sample to show you what it'll sound like. Should be easily accomplished with virtual effects and a MIDI expression pedal. What kind of distortion did you have in mind? I'll see if I can pull it off. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Check ebay. I got a "broken" one for $20 the other day. It in fact worked when I got it, it just had a couple of cracked solder joints on the input jack which I just reflowed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAArthur Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 Hey I have been looking for an old broken down cry baby to buy. I want the case for an effect experiment. Would you sell one? I want to try to build a distortion box where the drive and output are on a blend pot, so as you push the peddle forward the distortion increases but level stays the same. It may sound like crap but the idea seems cool. The idea is definitely cool. I had a similar one way too many years ago to mention. The difference was I wanted a "distort" control in an amp that wouldn't change the volume, just the amount of distortion. Unfortunately I could never get it to work... well, exactly right. It was very uneven in terms of level and I tried all sorts of ways in hopes of making it work. It never did - from the clean setting towards more distortion, the volume level would increase more than it should and once the distortion stage started clipping the level decreased more than it should. If you do get it working evenly as far as volume is concerned, I'd be interested in knowing!! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oatmeal Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 Oatmeal-- If I make the time, I'll post up a sound sample to show you what it'll sound like. Should be easily accomplished with virtual effects and a MIDI expression pedal. What kind of distortion did you have in mind? I'll see if I can pull it off. Greg I'd like to get a soldano-like tone, but I want it in a simple stompbox type casing. No big digital boards or emulators. I'm not an analog nazi or anything though. I just like stompboxes live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 Of course! Boxes are cool. I just meant to give you a concrete example of what the end result of your efforts would be. Haven't got around to it yet. I tend to make these 'recording-related' offers and then spend time on forums instead of following up. <chuckle> Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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