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Post new topic Volume Pedal Substitution - Crybaby Wah Mod
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Author Topic:  Volume Pedal Substitution - Crybaby Wah Mod
Mike Heugel


From:
Taylor, Michigan, USA
Post  Posted 19 Jul 2015 3:56 pm    
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After my recent steel purchase left my piggy bank empty, I found myself without a volume pedal. So while I save my nickels and dimes for a new fancy model, I found this mod for an old Crybaby GCB-95 wah pedal I had laying around to get me by.

Simply locate the 4.7uF capacitor (shown in the photo), and disconnect one pin. This cancels out the wah effect, and essentially turns the pedal into a volume control.

Because the stock crybaby doesn't use the full range of the pot, what you end up with is a mid-level volume control that ranges from very quiet to slightly-higher than your dry signal.

So for anyone out there who's a little light in the pocket book, or for someone who's on a gig and forgets their trusty Telonics, this is a quick and dirty fix to get you up and running without much headache.

Cheers,

Mike




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Scott Duckworth


From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
Post  Posted 19 Jul 2015 4:27 pm    
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I gutted an old Dunlop Wah years ago and loved it. I like the rack and gear arraignment better than strings to operate the pot.
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Georg Sørtun


From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
Post  Posted 19 Jul 2015 5:32 pm    
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I still have, and sometimes use, a passive Wah Wah I reconfigured as a VP back in the early 70s. Works fine.
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Joseph Napolitano

 

From:
New Jersey, USA
Post  Posted 19 Jul 2015 6:08 pm    
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I'd like to do this to an old crybaby I have laying around but when I opened it up it didn't look like yours. Model 95-910511. I have trouble loading photos onto the forum
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Scott Duckworth


From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2015 3:01 am    
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Basically all you have to do is gut it leaving the pot and jacks. Then wire it like a standard pot pedal.
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I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus!
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Michael Maddex


From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2015 7:49 am    
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I have a Dunlop Volume Pedal and I think the world of it. I bought it because a lifetime ago I had a Cry-Baby Wah Pedal and that Baby was built like a tank. I hoped the Volume Pedal would be the same and I wasn't disappointed. I also like the gears a lot better than the strings. I don't think I could trash a perfectly good Cry-Baby to make a Volume Pedal though.

Mike H: Why don't put some short leads and a switch (internal or external) on the cap lead that you clipped? Flip the switch for a dual purpose pedal! Cool
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Mike Heugel


From:
Taylor, Michigan, USA
Post  Posted 20 Jul 2015 8:13 pm    
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Michael Maddex wrote:
Mike H: Why don't put some short leads and a switch (internal or external) on the cap lead that you clipped? Flip the switch for a dual purpose pedal! Cool


I may do that when I put it back together. I've seen that mod (and quite a few others) that peaked my interest.
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Scott Duckworth


From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2015 3:06 am    
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OK. I'll probably upset some folks. but here it is... wanna cheap volume pedal? This is how to roll your own... exactly like what we are talking about above, but NEW!

First, you need some parts:

Wah Pedal Enclosure
https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/P-HWAH

Dunlop 470K pot with gear
https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/P-ECB-24A

2 1/4" mono jacks
https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/W-SC-11

Some wire.

A schematic.



Sure, the input jack (or output, your choice) will be on the "wrong" side of the pedal (unless you re-drill it). But, for about $65 or so, you have a 470K ohm pot pedal with rack and gear drive.

NOTE: I am NOT promoting Amplified Parts, just showing an example of a neat cheap project to help someone get a decent pedal.

I plan to do one myself. You can even add buffer circuits to it.
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http://www.qsl.net/na4it

I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus!
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Dick Wood


From:
Springtown Texas, USA
Post  Posted 21 Jul 2015 8:06 am    
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So how are you gonna play Shaft if someone hands y'all a Ben Franklin?
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 22 Jul 2015 9:14 am    
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Dick Wood wrote:
So how are you gonna play Shaft if someone hands y'all a Ben Franklin?


Shut yo' mouth!
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