Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

B

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
Yeah, another tubescreamer thread...Sorry

Ok. First, my story.. Ive redone my pedal board alil while ago and streamlined it. Made it smaller, more efficient and less fluff. I need to get my Wah and TS dialed in to complete it.

I had a bad horsey Wah and couldnt gel with it. So, I bought a Vox 847 (I think thats the model) and its more traditional, but.. First, Ill say that I KNOW most of my wah issues are because I have no clue how to properly use it, so it sounds pretty bad. Im working on that.. hahaha.
One thing I dont like tho is the shrill highs. There are SOOO many new ones out now that intrigue me and sound like they may be more pleasing to me. Unfortunately, I cant play them all back to back and compare, so , Im asking for your input.

The one's the have my attention are:
The Joe Bonamassa : I hear is very good and a very musical pedal
The Jerry Cantrell: supposed to sound great and have a nice low chunk to it.
The Buddy Guy: supposed to sound really good and have a great low mid tone

Any experience with these? Any other recommendations??


Next. Tube screamers..
I have a 90s or early 2000 tubescreamer. like it.. But I want to get one with the chip in it. (name of the chip eludes me now) There are SOOOOO many on the market, so where to begin?

Ibanez makes one with the chip thats like $250.
Maxon makes one that is supposed to be great.
and so do many others.

Matt, I know the FTL drive has a circuit based on the TS, does that have the chip in it? or is it the later tubescreamer circuit??

What do you all recommend? Id rather go with an inexpensive option, but I want a great pedal too, as Im trying to get my board done and gig worthy, and if I have to spend alil more.. Just dont want to if I dont have to.

If I can get the tone with a BYOC pedal, id LOVE to do that! Get the tone AND learn to build. So, if that works, let me know..

Thank you!
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

Here's what I'd recommend for the tube screamer:



And yes, I believe this one has the JRC4558D op amp, which is the classic TS chip.

As for the wah, before you look into new wahs, try this. Take off the bottom plate and move the pot back a notch. Because of the design of the wah enclosure, you don't get the full sweep of the pot, which means you can dial it in to have more or less high end in the sweep.

If you end up tweaking it and don't like it, I'd recommend gutting your Vox and getting this. Picture is a link:
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

The wording of your post makes it a little hard for me to follow but I think you are asking for a TS and a wah suggestion.

So, first if you want a vintage sounding wah then NONE of the wahs you listed are the answer but keep in mind, the vintage Vox wah sound has a LOT of top end...you have to either learn how to work your wah foot or get a different wah.

If you want a true vintage wah tone email Kevin Wilson and order a Wilson Signature drop in for your V847 shell.

If you want a fatter wah with more lows and mids than highs then order the Wilson Rippah wah drop in...it's got so many sounds in it that if you can't find a sound you like then you don't like wahs!

As for the TS...send the TS you have now to AnalogMan order his 808/classic and Brown mods and call it a day...
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

Oh yeah, forget about getting a new TS. Just send it in to Analogman. He does FANTASTIC work.
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

Im sorry if my post was hard to follow. thanks to those who have replied thus far.

What Im saying is that as far as a wah, I dont know what I want, but my wah has too much high end for me.

TGWIF, does the classification of a vintage sounding wah, have less highs?? Or, can you tell me how that would differ from what I have?

If vintage is what I want, how do I email Kevin?
thanks
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

BloodRose said:
Im sorry if my post was hard to follow. thanks to those who have replied thus far.

What Im saying is that as far as a wah, I dont know what I want, but my wah has too much high end for me.

TGWIF, does the classification of a vintage sounding wah, have less highs?? Or, can you tell me how that would differ from what I have?

If vintage is what I want, how do I email Kevin?
thanks
Click to expand...

There are lots of vintage wahs and they all have their own sound but the classic, vintage Vox wah sound...the mid to late 60's Vox wahs...Clyde, 846, etc they are a cutting sound with a lot of top end.

It sounds like you want a different tone all together.

Check out Kevins site: www.wilsoneffects.com

There is a lot of info on his wahs and clips, etc.

He can and will do most if not all of them as drop in kits meaning less money out of pocket if you have a good shell (which you do).
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

thanks again!

Agileguy, good tip! Ill try rolling the pot back.. And thanks for the link! will check it..

have you tried that drop in mod?? looks like it has the Fasel. Isnt that in the slash unit?? cool
 
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Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer


+
http://www.monteallums.com/pedal_mods.html#ibanez
=
:friday:

fwiw....ive done a bunch of mods to TS's and SD1 pedals. There is a lot of talk on the net about the magic chip. Its really not about the chip (the difference is barely noticeable at stage volume), its about getting the right clipping diodes and cap values to get the eq right that make the biggest difference. However, with a mod kit you can try a few chips and see which one you like the best.
If the monte allums TS mods dont work out for you then there is always a fullrive II.
Ive stopped modding and looking for the perfect TS since getting one. Its not cheap, but its got all the tweaks, mods and options all built in. It can sound like my analogman (brown) modded maxon, but it can go way beyond that and sound sweeter, bigger and more natural with the mosfet option. Plus it has the extra boost too when needed. Its all there. It even has the mythical 4558 chip!

Ive had a bunch of wahs over the years too and done various mods and stuff, including the morley and i know what you mean about it and about the vox 847. The CAE/MXR adresses the good points of both, takes away the bad points and gives you more flexibility than both. Its really like having two really nice wahs in one box, both of which you can tweak to taste with q trimmers inside. Killer wah.
 
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Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

Custom Audio Electronics Wah, Way Huge Green Rhino. Christ, people. Pay attention.
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

It's not really that vintage wahs are toppy...In fact each and every wah has it's own character...Small adjustments to just the pot and gear can make a wah too toppy in the toe down position...A wah is just a filter,so when I mod my own wahs,I voice the filter/eq to suit my own tastes...Like everything else in my chain,I Like the wah to cut nice,have a ballsier tone,adjustable gain,and be smooth and cutting,but not ice picky in the toe down positions..I have been using a great sounding original Vox 847 that I bought in 1993 with a nice pot and inductor and tweaks to the caps and circuit...
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

You can word it anyway that makes you feel good about it but vintage Vox wahs compared to modern Crybabys, Dunlop, and even some other vintage wahs (Colorsound for example) have more top and less bottom and you can tweak the pot if you want but it still results in a sound that is thinner overall than most other wah pedals out there. Even the "reissue" Vix 847's and 848's from a few years ago are fatter in the highs than a vintage Vox from the mid 60's.

SD97 you mod yours wahs for more gain and more lows overall so that "corrects" the thin vintage Vox character, that might be why you don't hear them as bright or toppy...you add more to the lows and add more gain so they are not as thin as a vintage Vox Clyde or V846 would be.
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

the guy who invented fire said:
You can word it anyway that makes you feel good about it but vintage Vox wahs compared to modern Crybabys, Dunlop, and even some other vintage wahs (Colorsound for example) have more top and less bottom and you can tweak the pot if you want but it still results in a sound that is thinner overall than most other wah pedals out there. Even the "reissue" Vix 847's and 848's from a few years ago are fatter in the highs than a vintage Vox from the mid 60's.

SD97 you mod yours wahs for more gain and more lows overall so that "corrects" the thin vintage Vox character, that might be why you don't hear them as bright or toppy...you add more to the lows and add more gain so they are not as thin as a vintage Vox Clyde or V846 would be.
Click to expand...

Exactly Christian...You've known me long enough and know I hate thin,toppy tone! I've modded "alot" of Vox wahs,especially the 847 series(which I Love)..Every one of them just sounds a little bit different..Probably just overall component tolerence,or the inductor?

I also don't like the stock MPSA 18 trannies and don't use em...Knowing what combination of trannies,inductor,pot,and good caps and larger values if needed,makes for a better sounding wah....Again..alot learned by changing out parts and hearing the differences.. ;o) I still measure and prefer the BC 108 trannies and they are offered in a B and C version...I measure each trannie and then it goes in either the first or second position..
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

See, as I've developed more as a player I've come to like and use the more vintage wah sound...the thicker, modded/hot rodded wah pedals just don't work for me.

I want my wah to sound like Jimi or Eric...Page or Beck and those high gain fat bottom wahs don't do it plus as soon as you mess with the gain structure you change the way it works with a vintage fuzz box and I can't have that!
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

the guy who invented fire said:
See, as I've developed more as a player I've come to like and use the more vintage wah sound...the thicker, modded/hot rodded wah pedals just don't work for me.

I want my wah to sound like Jimi or Eric...Page or Beck and those high gain fat bottom wahs don't do it plus as soon as you mess with the gain structure you change the way it works with a vintage fuzz box and I can't have that!
Click to expand...

I don't use fuzz and so don't have the wah/fuzz issues...The wah is also going to work and sound differently in our much different setups...Knowing the wah alone isn't the equation...Naturally my modded wah suits my particular setup...I do Jimi,Trower,Cream,etc.and can get the vibe! ;o)

I only use the wah for our small handful of tunes...I hate people that overkill on it...Lol....I Love Trower,but he's one of them.
 
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Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

Christian...forgot to mention...I get the feeling you've maybe been in one of my modded wahs...Lol...

One of the coolest mods and what allows for more versatility,is to have the ability to change the overall gain on that first transistor...As you gain up that first transistor,the wah gets fuller and beefier as a whole,thus pulling some of the highs away while thickening up the mids and the lows..Stuff you already know,but I Like being able to sweep the gain resistance readings up and down,so I can better tweak the wah tone to humbuckers or sc pickups..I sweep from say 270 ohms up to the 510 ohms on later Vox wahs...This adjustment alone makes the sweep and overall tone adjustable..I didn't do this on all of the wahs I Modded,but it's on several and my own wah...
 
Re: Pedal help pls. Wah and Tube screamer

STRATDELUXER97 said:
Christian...forgot to mention...I get the feeling you've maybe been in one of my modded wahs...Lol...

One of the coolest mods and what allows for more versatility,is to have the ability to change the overall gain on that first transistor...As you gain up that first transistor,the wah gets fuller and beefier as a whole,thus pulling some of the highs away while thickening up the mids and the lows..Stuff you already know,but I Like being able to sweep the gain resistance readings up and down,so I can better tweak the wah tone to humbuckers or sc pickups..I sweep from say 270 ohms up to the 510 ohms on later Vox wahs...This adjustment alone makes the sweep and overall tone adjustable..I didn't do this on all of the wahs I Modded,but it's on several and my own wah...
Click to expand...

Been in...no.

I don't mod and have no desire to mod but I have had one of your modded wahs.
 
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