Wah switch height question

[xnfx]

What's up guys.
On the wah wah switches, there is a little play before the switch is actually engaged and the wah is turned on or off. Say you're wah switch is set at a height where the wah is easily engaged on and off because it's easy to step. But, when you rock it to the toe down position you can now depress the switch easily since it's easy to step, but it won't turn on or off until you put a little more effort into it. Is it alright for the switch to be depressed over and over but not engaged, when you rock it in the toe down portion of the sweep?

I checked this on two wahs. One of them you really have to step it hard to engage since the switch is not set as high as the other. But, it still depresses the switch a little bit when toe down.

Is it even possible to have the switch not depress at all when toe down? At that height, even if you step it with all your weight the rocker probably would'nt hit the switch enough to engage it right? Just something I was thinking about.

Thanks! :wink:

P.s. Out of curiosity, where is your personal sweet spot to have the switch height set? Do you prefer to have to step on it hard, or barely step it at all?

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Wah switch height question

It's best to have the switch to where you have to push down hard on it...This keeps you from accidentally turning the wah off....I didn't really understand your questions and ideas,but I guess if I read through it a few times,I would? ;o)

 

[xnfx]

Re: Wah switch height question

Hi Stratdeluxer97.
I had a feeling you would reply, and thank you for doing so. Yeah the questions were a little confusing. I know because I was confusing myself typing them out.

You know how the switch has some play in the travel before clicking on/off at the very bottom of the travel? So whenever the rocker is toe down the very top of the switch/travel is depressed a little without having the switch click unless you step it hard enough. I was just wondering if there was a way around that by setting the switch height low, but I don't think there is after thinking about it. Also just wondering if the constant depressing without clicking on/off is a problem, or causes problems for some switches.

Hope that is a little easier to understand.

Thanks!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Wah switch height question

Hi Stratdeluxer97.
I had a feeling you would reply, and thank you for doing so. Yeah the questions were a little confusing. I know because I was confusing myself typing them out.

You know how the switch has some play in the travel before clicking on/off at the very bottom of the travel? So whenever the rocker is toe down the very top of the switch/travel is depressed a little without having the switch click unless you step it hard enough. I was just wondering if there was a way around that by setting the switch height low, but I don't think there is after thinking about it. Also just wondering if the constant depressing without clicking on/off is a problem, or causes problems for some switches.

Hope that is a little easier to understand.

Thanks!

Thanks for reposting and now I understand....
Basically,you can only keep adjusting the switch until it won't click on and off anymore...Just gradually adjust the switch "away" from the treadle by loosening the nut on the inside of the housing until you you get as low as possible and are still able to work the switch....Some switches are more forgiving to the adjustments also...If you get the switch too low,you run into intermittent problems where the wah won't work at all because the switch doesn't engage at all or sometimes the wah will click off but not click back on again....Anytime your wah does intermittent stuff,9 times out of 10,it's the switch that causes the problems..There are some crappy quality switches out there today and it's a pretty common problem with alot of DPDT stomp switches...I Like the Fulltone 3DPT and the Carlings the best currently...

 

[xnfx]

Re: Wah switch height question

Thanks a lot for the info!
How did you get into wah and other pedal modding? Are most wah mods, like switches, cap/resistor swaps, etc. doable for most people handy with a soldering iron? I've been doing guitar electronics for a little while, but never messed with a wah, or other fx pedals.

Thanks!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Wah switch height question

Thanks a lot for the info!
How did you get into wah and other pedal modding? Are most wah mods, like switches, cap/resistor swaps, etc. doable for most people handy with a soldering iron? I've been doing guitar electronics for a little while, but never messed with a wah, or other fx pedals.

Thanks!

The actual mods are easy...It's learning and then knowing what to change that becomes the science....It's like adding icing to the cake,or messing with the spices when you cook something...I've been messing with electronics since about age 12....I started out on my gear tweaks early on...Once I got my hands on schematics and started experimenting,it became a disease for me! :laugh2:

It all started first with guitar cable repairs and then amps,guitar electronics,pickups etc...Later it was pedals and magnet changes and more advanced guitar electronics with switches etc...I'm always learning,especially from alot of the other members on the forum....I always keep my ears and eyes open while I continue to learn things..

I've spent hours and hours on trying things in different parts of a circuit(Mostly overdrive/fuzz/distortion effects...I had my own ideas on the wah mods and I've learned alot from the Fulltone,Teese,and studying early Crybaby and Vox circuits....I now have my own ideas on what makes a wah sound great and it's working for me... :wink:

You do need a good strong foundation about the whys and hows of caps,diodes,resistors,ICs related to pedals etc..,switches,inductors,and know how to interpret a schematic....Most of the time I don't have a schematic,but most of the circuits are so alike,that I just trace the input to the output and alot of times I Learn as I go....I've got a pretty good grip these days on what makes a distortion or overdrive pedal sound good and I also know right where to make the changes....Everything seems to be a Tube Screamer as far as overdrives and a rat or other early style distortion device..Everyone is recycling the common circuits that work and then the circuits are tweaked further and or other things are added...

Alot of the pedal mods were from forum members asking me if I'd mod a certain pedal for them...One pedal that comes to mind that I recently did was the Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive..I'd never played through one,let alone mod one until recently...I went from modding a few select pedals,to doing almost 15 different ones now including wahs....I keep pictures and notations of each pedal I learn on and mod for future reference for myself...I'm pretty serious with this stuff and want it not only done right,but tone is the goal always....Just a hobby "For now" though and while the forum is around....

The only pedal I'll honestly say I've taken some ideas from,are the wahs...Every single other pedal I've modded has been my ideas and trusting my own ears from years of listening to music through highend audio gear,messing with circuits and from many years of playing and fixing my own gear...I don't buy other modder's pedals and copy their mods...

 

[xnfx]

Re: Wah switch height question

Thanks a lot for all the help, and info! Very inspiring post. I want to be able to mess around with some old pedals laying around for fun, eventually. First things first though, I need to get an old v847 so I can try out your wah mods. You have too much good reviews on here for it to go unnoticed.

Thanks!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Wah switch height question

Thanks a lot for all the help, and info! Very inspiring post. I want to be able to mess around with some old pedals laying around for fun, eventually. First things first though, I need to get an old v847 so I can try out your wah mods. You have too much good reviews on here for it to go unnoticed.

Thanks!

Thanks.....I add some hypnotic juice inside every pedal mod and I have people thinking the pedals are "really something".....LOL :laugh2:

Sarcastic moment...Sorry! :smack: