Wah with boost

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Sunday Mar 16, 2008

Does anybody know of any wahs out there that have a clean boost along with a traditional wah with a toe switch?

The Rocktron Black Cat Moan and Snarling Dogs Blues Bawls come with OD/distortion and the old Morley Power Wah Boost doesn't have a toe switch. I don't know what Rocktron was thinking, but you have to kick the pedal sideways to activate the OD.

I was thinking of designing a wah-boost pedal that has a heel switch for volume (solo) boost and a toe switch for the wah.

Is this a format that you might like to use? Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

The Shadow · Post by **The Shadow** » Sunday Mar 16, 2008

Dunlop 535Q.

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Sunday Mar 16, 2008

Fender has a fuzz/wah that you turn the footpad L-R to vary the fuzz level. I don't know if that would be considered "boost." I'd like to have one of their volume/wah pedals for my lapsteel rig. They made them in the 50's, and they were the shiz. Speedy West used one to excellent effect.---->JMS

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Sunday Mar 16, 2008

The Shadow wrote:Dunlop 535Q.

I was looking at that one, but it looks like the boost only kicks on with the wah. I was hoping to find one that had a separate boost switch for non-wah solos.

I downloaded the (and I do quote) "manual" and it didn't mention a separate boost switch, but then I read a review on MF that mentioned a heel switch for "fuzz". Then I found out that there are 2 versions.

Do you happen to know the details about it?

Thanks in advance.

old Skool · Post by **old Skool** » Sunday Mar 16, 2008

I have a 535 and the boost only kicks in when the wah is engaged. Not what you're looking for but a very good unit.

Killjingle · Post by **Killjingle** » Friday Mar 21, 2008

Im not against trying anything new; but I would be more interested in is finding a wah that would cut thru our mix and work with our dropped Bb detuning. Jason and I cant find anything that works. Nothing seems to be cut at the right frequency; or when it does it does not have enough scoop. If this could be built I would give that a whirl...

orangekick · Post by **orangekick** » Friday Mar 21, 2008

Killjingle wrote:Im not against trying anything new; but I would be more interested in is finding a wah that would cut thru our mix and work with our dropped Bb detuning. Jason and I cant find anything that works. Nothing seems to be cut at the right frequency; or when it does it does not have enough scoop. If this could be built I would give that a whirl...

Have you tried the Ibanez WD-7 Weeping Demon wah? It lets you change the Q of the wah frequency as well as the output level and it has a switch to use it for bass/lower frequencies. It's also switchless. They're pretty cheap. Check one out, it's the only wah that I dig.

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Friday Mar 21, 2008

i've heard it before. i think its the "weeping" setting that's really cool. its sounds like a tortured siren or something...

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Saturday Mar 22, 2008

I have decided to just do the bypass mod on my 1968 Vox CryBaby. Hopefully, that won't devalue it. It is the original version CryBaby that came out just after the Clyde McCoy Wah and has the "Stack of Dimes" inductor and the Icar pot.

Without the bypass mod and when turned off, it is a tone-sucking POS, but kick it on and it screams as only the original CryBabys can.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Sunday Mar 23, 2008

Killjingle wrote:Im not against trying anything new; but I would be more interested in is finding a wah that would cut thru our mix and work with our dropped Bb detuning. Jason and I cant find anything that works. Nothing seems to be cut at the right frequency; or when it does it does not have enough scoop. If this could be built I would give that a whirl...

What model(s) do you have now? Some can be easily modded for not a lot of bucks, especially the Voxes. With most Voxes, its not so much the Q frequency as it is the input coupling of the circuit that cuts the incoming lows. The wah part of the circuit never sees the low frequencies, so it can't act on them.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Tuesday Mar 25, 2008

Killjingle wrote:Im not against trying anything new; but I would be more interested in is finding a wah that would cut thru our mix and work with our dropped Bb detuning. Jason and I cant find anything that works. Nothing seems to be cut at the right frequency; or when it does it does not have enough scoop. If this could be built I would give that a whirl...

I was trying out different parts in modding my Crybaby and thought I would take a plunge. I was trying different Q and input capacitors and came up with a combination that will do Electric Funeral in the key of drop-Bb. Since the Q moved lower, higher notes (above 12th fret E) don't wah very well, so there is a tradeoff. Maybe a wider sweep? That would probably diminish the wah effect, but its only one octave, so I can't be sure till I try it. I just ordered a shitload of parts from Mouser to try all this stuff out.

Bloodsong · Post by **Bloodsong** » Tuesday Mar 25, 2008

Killjingle is using active EMGs and a ton of gain; there's not alot of room for a boost because the pickups and preamp are probably overloaded ... its hard for a wah to cut through something that dense; at least it was in my experience with a Morley Bad Horsie and a Zakk Wylde Dunlop Crybaby...

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Tuesday Mar 25, 2008

I gave up on the integral boost idea for now (need some parts). I'm modding my old Crybaby. These mods are not for boost...they are to give it bass response. I cranked up my Koch Twintone to full gain (not as much gain as a Recto, but more gain than just about everything else), powersoaked the speaker, tuned down to Bb and it came thru as clear as Electric Funeral only much, much lower.