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Cicatriz ESP
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
 Posted - 01/11/2009 : 01:06:45
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Hey guys!
I have a new question, what components do I need to change to make a GCB 95 Crybaby into a Bass Wah?
I don't need it to be an exact Crybaby Bass Wah, I'm just wondering what components will tune the wah to affect bass frequencies.
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timbo
Silver Member
Australia
252 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2009 : 07:50:52
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| i have the cry baby bass wah (the white one) and i think it only wah's the mid and high frequencies, leaving the lows unaffected. so maybe you have to add components? |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2009 : 11:58:09
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Check out this site:
http://www.wah-wah.co.uk/index.html Then goto DIY resources/circuit mods.
The original GCB-100 crybaby bass wah had 1 different capacitor compared to the GCB-95.
From owning such a pedal I can tell you it sucked bad, it was dull sounding and lowered the volume when the effect was engaged.
So, try the "Gain and Bass response" mod on this site, that works great for bass as well.
Or, you could try one of the Morley wahs, they totally piss over all Crybaby both in construction and sound.  |
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Cicatriz ESP
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2009 : 20:26:55
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Yeah, the thing is, my buddy wants me to mod his existing Crybaby haha.
Thanks so much for the link, I'm checking it out right now! |
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Cicatriz ESP
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2009 : 20:34:16
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Ooh okay!
I have a lot of options now :]
Do you think it's worth it to true-bypass a wah if it is the first pedal in a chain? |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 01/11/2009 : 21:47:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Cicatriz ESP
Ooh okay!
I have a lot of options now :]
Do you think it's worth it to true-bypass a wah if it is the first pedal in a chain?
Especially if its the first in a chain. |
Edited by - DeFrag on 01/11/2009 21:47:17 |
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Cicatriz ESP
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 01/12/2009 : 06:16:23
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Yeah, I actually have a late 70's Thomas transition wah first in my chain, and I do think that it is a bit of a tone-sucker.
I'm thinking of building a little input buffer with perfboard to run before it, any thoughts? |
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ChristoMephisto
Platinum Member
Canada
1288 Posts |
Posted - 01/12/2009 : 11:21:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Cicatriz ESP
Hey guys!
I have a new question, what components do I need to change to make a GCB 95 Crybaby into a Bass Wah?
the difference is the .01uf cap, in a bass wah its .068uf
but play around with some values if you want.
The true bypass mod is a must as well |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 01/12/2009 : 19:00:58
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quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
Especially if its the first in a chain.
Yes, but not if is your ONLY pedal, that way you'd make your guitar cord virtually twice the length in bypass, making the tone loss even worse. Think about it: when you true bypass a pedal, your signal passes through your first cord, over the contacts of the switch in the pedal, through the 2nd cord into your amp.
This way you're actually playing with 40' guitar cord degrading the signal even more than the little the wah pedal does.
Off course, this all doesn't matter as long as you put a buffered pedal (such as a Boss or Ibanez) in front or after it.
Or you could use a small buffer instead.
If you want to convert it to bass, forget about the capacitor, do the bass and gain mod instead, that sounds great and still usable for both instruments. |
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copper
Bronze Member
USA
73 Posts |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2009 : 00:22:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Dirk
quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
Especially if its the first in a chain.
Yes, but not if is your ONLY pedal, that way you'd make your guitar cord virtually twice the length in bypass, making the tone loss even worse. Think about it: when you true bypass a pedal, your signal passes through your first cord, over the contacts of the switch in the pedal, through the 2nd cord into your amp.
This way you're actually playing with 40' guitar cord degrading the signal even more than the little the wah pedal does.
How is your example different than if you run the wah pedal (on & alone) with two 20' cables?
In either case with the wah on or not, the signal runs through both cables.
I'd much rather have my signal jumping through switch contacts than being affected by electronics if at all possible by running a TB wah. You do however make one point; all is naught if you happen to run a buffered pedal before your wah. Most people don't though. |
Edited by - DeFrag on 01/13/2009 00:27:37 |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2009 : 01:17:55
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quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
How is your example different than if you run the wah pedal (on & alone) with two 20' cables?
In either case with the wah on or not, the signal runs through both cables.
The difference is that there are two 20 foot runs... not a "single 40 foot run" (composed of the two 20 foot runs joined mechanically by the true-bypass switch). The guitar will only "see" the first 20 feet and the additional pickup loading from the second 20 feet is avoided. At the cost of the coloration from the electronics in the pedal. It's a tradeoff...
Personally, I just plug the guitar into my FA-1 clone with the shortest lead possible and let the FA-1 drive the chain
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Cicatriz ESP
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2009 : 02:00:14
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Not everyone has THE TIME TO MAKE AN FA-1 LAURIE
JEEZ.
On a side note, I completed the mods, I haven't tried it out on a bass yet, as I don't own one, but hopefully my bassist will like it. I was picking up a lot of radio interference before I cased it though, that was bothersome.
Good thing that was resolved.
I might shoot for a bit lower value with the bass and gain mod, the gain sounded reallllly nice.
Overall though, I just need to make it true-bypass now.
Haha! So yeah, I need to buy some 3PDTs now, I guess I should just buy them online, no stores around here carry them.
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2009 : 02:15:26
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Interesting, I almost understand what you're saying about loading & tradeoff. Its a thinker.
Laurie: If a pedal is not TB, might you explain why the 2nd cable (pedal to amp) isn't "seen" by the pickups? I assume the answer is that most if not all pedals including wahs have a proper high-impedance input & its a wash with low-impedance pickups like actives.
The other part of the great True-Bypass debate deals with the loss of frequencies due to capacitance of the cables. The common school of thought is to keep cable lengths to a minimum & two 20' cables has never been recommended. It doesn't matter if the wah pedal in question is TB or not; its 40' from the guitar to the amp. While I don't fully subscribe to "oxygen-free" copper enough to buy into that type of cable over another while coat-hanger conductor tests seem just as good, capacitance is capacitance nonetheless. True-bypass pedals are not the be-all, fix-all for tone degradation as even the patch cables between a chain of TB pedals have capacitance. Its get even more interesting when folks actually add their cable lengths including patches. Some find their signal path is 60' or more! You have to know how & where to use TB effectively to preserve your tone.
It all boils down to these points:
1. Use high quality cables
2. Keep cables as short as is practical
3. Minimize losses in your chain by incorporating TB loops
4. Utilize a buffered pedal in front of TB pedals
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Edited by - DeFrag on 01/13/2009 02:17:56 |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2009 : 03:15:52
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quote:
Originally posted by DeFrag
It all boils down to these points:
1. Use high quality cables
2. Keep cables as short as is practical
3. Minimize losses in your chain by incorporating TB loops
4. Utilize a buffered pedal in front of TB pedals
Good summary DeFrag!
I might add one thing... #4 is only really necessary if the cable runs are "long".
If a pedal is not TB, might you explain why the 2nd cable (pedal to amp) isn't "seen" by the pickups? The pickups only "see" the input impedance of the input buffer of the pedal - that is the only other thing in the circuit. The second cable is "seen" by the output buffer of the pedal.
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Cicatriz ESP
Bronze Member
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2009 : 04:57:18
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Could explain how single coils and humbuckers differ in the way that they "see" the input impedance of first input buffer?
I'm sure there is a difference. |
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Topic |
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Wah -> Bass Wah?
