Finding the Perfect Wah - Ask Zac 151

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I have loved the classic wah sound for years, but have never been able to find one I liked. Years of buying various models, and feeling like they had too wide of a tonal variance finally caused me to quit looking. Recently, a friend told me that old wahs had less travel and that 70s models were available for well under $200. I picked up a Thomas Organ Wah for $120 off reverb.com, and I was so pleasantly surprised to find out how much difference the lesser travel made. It was now more vocal sounding and more in the range of useability for me. Besides my wah journey, we also have Bill Keck modify the unit to be true bypass, and we follow up with our book nook segment.
Schematic to true bypass your old wah
www.wah-wah.co...
The proper switch for True Bypass Wah
www.amplifiedp...
Gibson Amp Book, which is unfortunately out of print:
amzn.to/3XG165R
www.jwpepper.c...
Gear Used:
1957 Fender Esquire with a 1954 neck pickup, and original bridge pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Both pickups were rewound by Ron Ellis. Pickguard design by Jay & Kristi Smith of Juicebox Designs.
Strings:
D'Addario NYXL 10-46
Pick:
Blue Chip TPR 35
Amp:
1959 Fender Harvard
Effects
70s Cry Baby Wah
MXR Looper
#askzac #wah #zacchilds

[@jasonaustin3270]

You can also adjust where the treadle gear contacts the gear on the pot for less treble. And also they used to sell different pots to mod them with. I did one that way from the 80's and had great success.

[@lagooncity39]

The pot taper is the real issue here as far as the sweep goes. The travel of a Vox or Crybaby (both the same pedal made by the same company with different branding) hasn't changed since the 60s, it's the pots that have. ICAR pots are being made again by CTS and you can get them for about $15 from a few different reputable sellers right now. There are plenty of other things that you can do to get a modern Vox/Crybaby wah closer to vintage without having to replace the whole board, but swapping out the pot is a goes a long way and also one of the easiest mods even if you've never soldered before.

[@edsterling5258]

25 years ago, I bought a true bypass switch for my Vox wah. Due only to life's other distractions, the switch was never installed and sits in my parts bin to this day. Watching Tom do his work, I believe I will keep it in my parts box for another 20 years. I don't have his electronics skills; I'd probably botch it! Nice work & another fine video.

[@cmet8280]

Still using my early 70's cry baby which I purchased new, never felt the need to modify it. Fifty years and still going strong, (the wah not me). I'm seventy and still going strong.

[@chefbarona3052]

I bought my Crybaby in '77, when I got a job playing guitar in a "disco" band. I left the band after 1 gig(couldn't deal w/the music), but still have the Wah. I have never used a pedal board(nobody really did then), & I haven't really used it much since. Might be time to break it out again. It's amazing all my old stuff(mostly bought new) is now "vintage collectables", LOL. I wish I could have kept all my guitars/gear, I could pay off my house.

[@babalaughing]

Love how you showed us the mod at full length, without much comment. No, really! Respectful, and I enjoyed watching it. A lot of peeps just can't resist inserting themselves, admirable self restraint.

[@AskZac]

Much appreciated!

[@tomrutledge5621]

Great Video. I have a Vox Clyde McCoy wah, that I got for Christmas in 1968. Always great to use when a woman walks across the dance floor; on her way to the ladies room. Haha.

[@AskZac]

Ha!

[@horsevinyl]

There is a true bypass Pad from Glab made in Poland. It has many advantages but if you wanna leave your Wah in a fixed position it's not the right thing. I recommend checking it. Love your channel

[@Colinjohnmusic]

Thanks for the clip and for not playing,”Voodoo Chile”

[@kevinwilson1124]

I had one of these Thomas Organ Cry Babies. I bought it from a guy in Lebanon TN for $20 about twenty years ago. He had an early eighties Japanese Squier Telecaster, he wouldn’t sell to me 😢. It was a great guitar. Thanks for the cool video Zac.

[@markhammer643]

Wahs, like volume pedals, have to dovetail with one's ankle, and feel right. That is, based on the mobility and angle of one's ankle the most expressive parts in the range of the wah have to be at that angle where your ankle/foot has the greatest precision of movement Part of that "match" is about the taper of the wah-pot, but as you note about the advice to get a wah with less travel, part of it also has to do with the mechanical aspect.. Still, small wonder folks are very picky about their brand of wah pot. As an aside, I am a huge flag-waver for a product called Stabilant 22. It is a viscous, nondrying, contact *enhancer* that works miracles on noisy pots and switches, rendering them crackle-free. Bloody expensive, but hot damn it works! The caveat is that, since it does not dry, you can't build up layers. So if you've been playing "White Room", and "Voodoo Child" thrice nightly in a Cream/Hendrix cover band for the last 20 years, chances are that wah pot will have been worn past the point of any possible redemption with this stuff. You'll need a new pot. Probably the best info about wahs to be found is from your fellow Truetone colleague, R.G. Keen. Look for "The Technology of Wahs" on his GEOFEX site. It's over 23 years old, but you'll be smarter for having read it. One of my favorite wahs is the old Schaller wah/yoy pedal. The yoy-yoy setting is very distinctive. I think the best recorded use of it is on the old Manu Dibango tune "Soul Makossa: I was given a couple of wahs by friends. One is a Korg Mr. Multi. It provides foot-operated sweep of a phaser OR wah OR what they refer to as "double wah", which sounds like a distant cousin of yoy-yoy. In "auto" mode, the foot treadle adjusts the rate of an LFO sweeping the wah or phaser function. I was also given an Acetone WH-1 Wah Master. It's a simple circuit, but complex physical design, and is probably the first instance of a "switchless" wah. Bit of a misnomer, though. It uses a microswitch mounted such that when you put your foot on the treadle, it immediately turns the wah on, and switches to bypass when you lift your foot off. I haven't got it working yet - too many projects - but I'm not expecting miracles, since it only uses a single-pole microswitch for bypass. Finally, I built a Crybaby type for myself. A now closed electronics surplus place in town was selling some bigass inductors, More stack-o'-quarters than stack-o'-dimes. But for a buck a pop, I took my chances. The inductor measured 800mh, so I was skeptical of how it would turn out, but once a few component values were adjusted, it sounds great. Very throaty, and the sort of thing Jeff Beck would have liked.

[@MonteD1]

I have no need for a wah pedal. I just like Zac's videos.

[@nicholasrivelli6917]

I literally just got a Sepulveda CA Thomas Organ wah with the TDK inductor exactly like yours about two weeks ago. Did the true bypass mod and installed a Foxrox Wah Retrofit buffer inside. Sounds killer and plays nice into fuzz now

[@cwness4587]

I have been using a Vox Thomas Organ Crybaby since the 60's. Tried many of the new wah's as they showed up but I'll take my Crybaby. In fact the instruction your friend is using are what I used to set mine up for true bypass. My Crybaby is still on the shelf at close reach.

[@MichaelBethke-ni6zb]

I had a friend that was loading his gear into a pickup with a camper cover on it , when he went back in the bar to get more gear, everxthing in his truck was strolen!!

[@bsjeffrey]

you mentioned older wahs had a smaller rock. recently i have been thinking the same thing about my current setup. this pedal rocks way to far. after hearing you i thought about how to get my pedal to pivot less., and i came up with putting socks on the base so the pedal hits the socks before the base. so far so good. just gotta tweek the thickness.

[@michaelshearer3559]

This video is so valuable. Thanks a million!

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

If you want to be able to dial in a wah, the HX stomp with an expression pedal, you can set the frequency range exactly where you need it

[@joemcgraw5529]

I have a Br9 1949 amp and 2 br9 lapsteels I know the age because they were my fathers the amp works but not using it again until I can service it and replace a cap or 2

[@aslinfirmin212]

Zac, I wish I lived in your street, so I could marvel at you on a daily basis !

[@guitareveryone]

Although I don’t use mine much at all, I do own an Xotic wah that a frequency adjustments on the side of the pedal which is really good at dialing in the frequencies that you desire. It’s a little smaller in design. Worth checking out.

[@fredfrederici7562]

xotic wah is awesome

[@guitareveryone]

@@fredfrederici7562 built really solid too!

[@CC-te5zf]

I love the under-the-hood videos. Super cool upgrade to the wah.

[@jaybe813]

THAT SHIRT IS AWESOME!!!

[@AskZac]

Thanks!

[@nazmoking3171]

I started playing in the late 70s in bands during my college days and the crybaby Wah was the one that everyone used including the one in my arsenal at the time. What’s interesting Zac is that my Zoom Multi effects pedal has several wah pedal options built into it and the two that are associated with its expression pedal give me the ability to specify how much travel will be applied when I depress the pedal which I thought was a nice feature.

[@christophervincent8420]

Wow. That true by-pass really gets the tone from the amp and doesn't distort it. That's really cool

[@atonofspiders]

Crybaby Q is a great option as well! A five way switch that acts as different gear/tread spots and a travel range knob.

[@joemcgraw5529]

I have a Morley Bad Horsie 2 contour wah very nice but yes alot of travel ,I repaired a 1972 Morley power wah fuzz pedal for a friend ,it actually works from a tiny lamp and the travel is alot less but once I replaced the Lamp and repaired the cover for the lamp it was amazing I liked it so much I tried to buy it from him but once he played it he loved it and told me it had be broken for 30 years and couldnt part from it

[@michaelvicchiarelli7627]

As always your episodes are terrific as are your Truetone segments and old Vintage Guitar articles (which I've saved!). Especially enjoy your Book Nook segments. Thank you!!

[@AskZac]

Glad you like them!

[@Damaraja]

Zac, check out Joe Gagan’s wahs, i have several and they are excellent. Geoffrey Teese’s wahs were my go-to for years, but now Gagan (aka Joe Sonic) holds the Wah King throne 👑

[@fredfrederici7562]

the geoffrey tease eqwahlizer is the best wah i ever played thru

[@stratjed]

I use a 535q on my big boy board. Really tunable. These days however I have been using a Crybaby Junior as an off the board throw it down in front of the board if I need it. It has 3 settings and is just the right size. I find the minis to be silly. Between the 3 settings I can find something that works for that one tune out of two sets a night I need it. I play in a Grateful dead, Allmans, the Band, classic country, Jam band type band so mostly CLEAN and I don't really notice any tone suck when I run the CBJR. on a battery right into my small 6 pedal board. Strat or tele >CB JR.>Tuner>Tru tone Rt66 (Great Blend able compressor /boost!) >Ts9 > Qtron nano>Phase95 (on 45 vintage with rate high killer faux Leslie!)>DD3T All on a Pedal train flat metro 24 powered by Tru tone! > different amps depending on the gig. Loving the Tone master Fender Twin.

[@glenkepic3208]

Nice here. Zac ! '71, i just start playing and a friend has a Wah. Pretty cool. Can't recall what it was. Later buy a Cry Baby for $25.00 from a co worker. It rocked but sold everythig in '80. Back on the horse in '81 and look for a Cry Baby. this after another stop for family, so '01 or so. :I'll take it" "no, we'll give you a new one" Get it and the dang thing is falling apart. Go back and get another. It's been great. Sure a 'shot' once in a while but all in for Michael Schenker or Thin Lizzy stuff.

[@lagooncity39]

If you like that JJ Cale album definitely check out Hoyt Axton's "Less Than the Song" from 1973. It has a similar mood and production style (by Bob Johnston, who did Blonde on Blonde and a lot of others), and Mac Gayden is all over it. If nothing else, check out the tracks Nothin' To Lose, Sweet Misery, Mary Makes Magic and Sweet Fantasy, but the whole album is very good if you like this sort of thing (and I'm not even very into Hoyt Axton).

[@AskZac]

Listening

[@jutukka]

Very nice video. The wah inductor looks like a TDK 5103 which was used in some quite early ElectroHarmonix BigMuff π Wah ("Crying Tone Pedal") pedals (PC board marked EH 5600) which featured a wah range switch (changing capacitor value) and reverse sweep switch. It used two 2N3565 transistors (which Fairchild started manufacturing in 1968). TDK 5103 is very nice sounding inductor indeed but perhaps doesn't beat coils of legendary Italian Vox wah pedals. The inductor (Q factor, inductance etc.) really makes difference and creates the character of the sound even if the circuit otherwise is the same.

[@andrewstaward6878]

Hi zac. Great video, keep them coming 👍. I have a jim Dunlop cry baby and I love it. Got into using wah effect via listening to very obviously Jimmy. Then soon realised it's versatility...played using various different types of guitars and different pick up configurations and wow. In certain ways what a great effect wah is. Thanks ever so much for your video content. Really made me stop and think, and explore the possibilities. Much respect and gratitude from over the pond 🇬🇧

[@myeyesarewaiting]

An RMC-2 or RMC-3 would probably fit the bill as well. Not made anymore, but let you choke the sound to the more "vocal" portion of the sweep.

[@buddhamus]

Cool video. Now I want a Thomas Organ Wah. I have the Gibson Amp book. A great book to have in my reference library.

[@instant_coffee_is_evil]

Kinda like those with the red square TDK inductor. I rebuilt one recently for myself, they're funky AF

[@producerman10030]

Interesting. I’ve owned a 1967 Vox Clyde McCoy and a 1970s Cry Baby and now have a new Cry Baby and a 1990s 535q and find the travel the same. The trick is positioning the ratchet attached to the pedal to the proper spot on the gear on the pot. That gives you the right range. I’ve also had a Morley, a Digitech and a boomerang. All different all useable. But the trick is setting the range.

[@monmixer]

I realize different wah is better for some applications but the old school cry baby is the best straight up wah out there.

[@christianboddum8783]

I had a 60's VOX wah/Fuzz (Sola sound), it was modded to Wah/bypass. best wah I ever heard, very vocal. It was mechanically fragile and I damaged the travel mechanism. I use a VOX 847a these days, but it does not match that old Wah....

[@121212Guitars]

Dimestack inductor 4 lyfe!

[@stevenbeecheymusic]

J.D Simo had a pick taped under his for a while

[@jeffmazzei8520]

Zak with all do respect ! I feel you don’t know enough about wahs to make judgments ! I’ve played many wahs and Dunlop make many ! I’ve settled on the EVH Wah which is hard wired , the Custom Audio and the Joe Bonamassa wah ! I’ve settled on these three. Give them a try ! Plus Teles are not really good to use with wahs ! Jam pedals also makes a great wah ! That one is Steve Lukather s favorite.

[@chrisnash8411]

Very Cool !

[@Vermonster23]

I have found the perfect wha. It is expensive however, in another person has already stated they have one. The exotic wha has been the best Wawa pedal I ever owned.

[@rhp52]

have the same one...bought in the 70's

[@John-cw4no]

You're a good man Zac, I would only lend out an R9 to Jimmy Page...maybe

[@Satchmoeddie]

I am politely going to defer to my old fiddle making mentor's ethos, "Iffen ya all ain't got nuthin nice to say, do say anything at all." . It's just a true bypass mod.

[@roberthdahlquist]

I have no interest in a wah, but enjoyed seeing the process (especially as I haven’t soldered in...a half century! - since shop class...).

[@AskZac]

Great to hear!

[@nicko6710]

Cool stuff should we mention The BBE Benoit "balls" Mason?

[@picksalot1]

I've got an old 1980's Dunlop Cry Baby that I tried modding it so it was true bypass, had an Led indicator light, and ran off an AC adapter, instead of a 9V battery. But, I guess that was a bit too ambitious, as I couldn't find a Schematic that matched my Wah. I'll have to give your source a try. Thanks

[@drno2141]

if u need more information..i can help..i've collect wahs and mod and repair them for ages..anyhow tdk inductor , the big square red block in ur circuit is known to be the mellowest sound u can get from crybabes, ur should be a thomas organ model

[@chrisquinn9104]

A Wah and Strat in Jazz Band? In ‘85 at Garfield High School in Seattle Clarance Acox would not approve. I had to prove my Les Paul as a guitar worthy of Basie. He wanted Freddy Green, never mind that Garfield was where Hendrix went to high school.

[@ER-yq1lc]

I ended up reversing my true bypass, didn't like the drop in volume and tonal change when using the wah. My main wah is a Roger Mayer modded Cry Baby, but my favorite sounding wah that I used forever until it died was a Thomas Organ Cry Baby from the 70's with the "stack of dimes" inductor. I still haven't found one with the taper of the original pot on that one either. I need to fix that old one, plus it has sentimental value because it was passed along through a couple famous players till it ended up with me. I've had a few newer wahs and mod them till they sound better, but always end up selling the new ones because the just don't do the "thing" like the old ones do.

[@patrickniedermeyer2112]

Have you done an episode about maple vs. rosewood fingerboards?

[@AskZac]

Yes, I have done one on woods

[@jongreen2198]

Gibson Maestro Boomerang is my favorite wah by a mile. Pot is on Deoxit 5 life support 😢 though. Some good wahs on the market but nothing better than an old Boomer for me. Can you dig it?

[@tonyshoe3131]

Hey Zac. That T-shirt you're wearing... needs the word " Wah" on it after today's episode.

[@cgavin1]

Wah's are such a personal thing. I remember the first time I heard a wah live (everyone had heard Hendrix prior obviously) was a band called Savage Grace way back in 1971! Song's on KZbin its called "Mother's Son". That was a LOUD gig. Album version really conveys it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXvFcqCqmJeoo6c

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

Zac if your "friend" is JD, I heard him say once that Joe bonamassa turned him on to his signature wah for the same reasons

[@MAP448]

Unbelievable! I have been attempting to make my Wah pedal work for me as well. Thank you once again @Ask Zac. You always do a wonderful job on every subject you cover. I am still in big hopes that you will cover How To Protect Your Own Music As A Singer/Songwriter. Copyright is the biggest problem that I find when talking to others. Most of us aspiring artists have no clue how to do this. We also have no $money$ to invest in an attorney & if we do have the $money$ to do that. How can you trust that person? There has to be at least 1 way to guarantee your own work that is straightforward & that you can do for & by yourself. If anyone can do this for us, it is going to be you!

[@jeffsquires6620]

You know, that is a interesting tone. Don't think I remember anyone who combines wah and Slide. Please be kind, I'm old. I have a wah dated 1968 made in Italy

[@bettermanxx]

Hi Zac great stuff as usual,could you please ask the true tone tech what magnifier/ light make he is using,must be pretty good as he maybe uses it daily ??

[@AskZac]

There are no markings on it anywhere.

[@PoundMountain]

Hey Zac! Have you ever listened to The New Riders of the Purple Sage?

[@johnbodine8381]

Zac I have a 68 Princeton reissue please help me on my settings how would you set it. Thanks for helping me out Oltop

[@AskZac]

Volume 3, bass 4, treble 5, rev 2.5

[@GuitarWithDofka]

Thanks for the video. How can you tell what year the pedal is? I have the Chicago version with the Stack Of Dimes inductor.

[@AskZac]

I would use the date code on the pot if original

[@LPCustom3]

Get rid of that POS TDK inductor. Those TDK’s are junk! They’re muddy sounding! Change the two Caps to .015 & a .1 and change the pot to a 250k as it’ll sound much better overall!! Better clarity!

[@tuffitout2568]

The best "Wah" is "No-Wah" Just one man's opinion.

[@austinskinner]

In the words of The Beach Boys, “Wah Wah Wah Wah wahhhhhh”

[@damianstrochnetter9735]

I subscribe to your channel, I always hit the like button. I did today too but this guy was painful to watch working.

[@jonathangardner1005]

I had my thomas organ wah just like this one modded to be true bypass by my local shop but now it’s super hard to click on and off, so bummed! If anyone has suggestions let me know.

[@AskZac]

Maybe they used the wrong switch? It is a specific Carling switch. Carling 316PP

[@jonathangardner1005]

@@AskZac good to know, I’ll check that

[@tjfulton181]

Could you please tell me about the light/magnifying device used by the cool tech dude.

[@AskZac]

I will ask him

[@UNKUHNOODLES]

Watching that man adjust the inner workings of that lil' machine was quite enjoyable... It reminds one of a segment that would have been featured on Mr. Rogers!!! 🤓🤓🤓🍻

[@kungstu22]

I love wah but I have had several and ALL are microphonic when on AC. Any advice?

[@AskZac]

Old or new?

[@kungstu22]

@@AskZac Right now I have a Dunlop mini crybaby (about 5-6 years old) and a Wilson Effects Ten Spot 2 (about 2-3 years old). So both are "new." THANKS for noticing my question!!! On battery power they are OK, but when on AC they both pick up what sounds like TV or radio news shows.

[@Byrne.Curtis]

New subscriber here, great channel and lots of great info on telecasters! You should do a video on Waylon Jennings playing style and guitar. Thanks.

[@AskZac]

Great suggestion!

[@crazkurtz]

Do you use Vantablack hair dye?

[@AskZac]

Not yet. Just natural so far. You?

[@crazkurtz]

@@AskZac bald, beard grey so I use a bit of brown

[@cameronlesley2428]

It’s funny as a bass player I’ve owned over 5 guitar wahs and I don’t even use them. Go figure?

[@euge1210]

Great mod for cry babies... In addition you should add a led to indicate when it is ON or OFF

[@Gattygoon]

I picked up an affordable Behringer Hellbabe true bypass optical wah. It was under sixty dollars. It's has an optical sweep, not a potentiometer that will eventually wear out. I've had a Crybaby or two, but I never warmed up to them and sold them. The Wah Wah Blues by Earl Hooker inspired me to purchase another Wah pedal. music.kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXSzhaZ_qLKphdU&feature=share

[@guitarsofold100]

If I was this dude I would be pissed having someone hovering over me ,videoing while working ! Just to GET VIEWS for his channel!!

[@AskZac]

You are a hoot!

[@timothythompson6549]

How does one tell the age of a crybaby? I have an old one that I bought used in the 90s, but it's most likely from the 90s.

[@AskZac]

date codes on pots, looks of circuit board, labeling on bottom plate

[@joshgray3581]

I bought it at Corner Music in Nashville😃🇺🇸