my wah has been losing it

[pes_laul]

lately my wah pedal has seem to have lost it;s oomph. by this I mean when you play and then you push the pedal up or down there is hardly a noticeable difference in sound. I've tried putting my pedal chains in different places and I have played without using my power supply and using batteries. my thought it is either my pedal, the cables, or I highly doubt it but my guitar. any suggestions on how to put some life back into my wah?

 

[Spudman]

Sounds like an internal problem. What brand wah is it?

 

[ZMAN]

If possible take the bottom plate off and give it a squirt with contact cleaner.
It is jus a potentiometer, and they sometimes get dirt and dust in them. They usually get scratchy. The Source or any other electronic store will sell this stuff. It is used on volume controls etc in Stereos. Otherwise you might need to take it in for service. But at the price of a new one it might just need replacing.
Don't use anything else on them. I have heard of guys spraying them with WD40 because it was "squeaking". LOL

 

[pes_laul]

Sounds like an internal problem. What brand wah is it?

It's a dunlop crybaby (not sure which kind, bought it off the bay all I know it just says crybaby and nothing else on the front plate.)

 

[Spudman]

If you get sound before AND after you press the switch but you don't get any wah then you might have a broken solder joint somewhere on the inside.

If you click the switch and loose volume and signal then it is a power issue. Could be as simple as a fresh battery or as complex as a solder joint.

If it is noisy and scratchy after you engage the switch then the problem might lie with the pot.

Open it up and make sure that the gear still engages with the track and that the potentiometer spindle is turning.

Then report back here.

 

[pes_laul]

I took the back cover and the gears were turning smoothly and weren't dirty. everything seems intact (to my knowledge) whenever I turn it on it just changes the sound but when I move the pedal up and down there is hardly any difference in sound and tone.

 

[Spudman]

Have you tried guitar>wah>amp only? Nothing else in the chain. Make sure to do this test.

If nothing is changing then it sounds to me like signal is not going through the filtering circuit. A wire came loose or a solder joint is cold or broken.

When you engage the pedal does the volume level of the guitar stays pretty much the same?

And when you sweep the pedal no wah effect happens? Or is it a very faint wah?

The only mechanical part that would wear that could cause any problem is the pot with the gear on it. Those don't generally stop working they just start getting noisy and scratchy.

 

[pes_laul]

I've already tried the Amp/wah/guitar thing and the volume pretty much stays the same. There is a very very slight wah when you push the pedal up and down other than that a bunch of hum and static.

 

[Spudman]

Sounds like there is a cold solder joint or cold wire connection. Check to make sure the pot is firmly anchored in the mount. Tighten that nut.

Best of luck.

 

[ZMAN]

I don't want to say that Spudman is wrong, but my take on the symptoms is a dirty potentiometer. Try the cleaner first, if that fails, then replace the pot.
I had the same symptoms on my original crybaby years ago and the cleaner worked. It comes in a spray can under pressure.
The gears roatate the pot and that is what creates the wah sound.
The scratchy static sound is the prime sysmptom of this.

 

[pes_laul]

this cleaner you speak of what Brand is it and where do I spray it at?

 

[Spudman]

If you want to try cleaner first then Caig Deoxit is real good stuff. Otherwise stop in to an electronics supply store or Radio Shack and get some potentiometer cleaner.

You'll attach the long tube to the spray nozzle and spray just a bit into the holes on the pot. Then work the pedal a bit and spray a bit more and work it one more time.

Except some of those wah pedals have sealed pots so getting cleaner wont do you any good. Look and see if there are holes into the pot before you go spending money on cleaner.

 

[Bloozcat]

Do check the battery also as Spud suggested. And make sure the wiring is intact as well.

There are probably a few things it could be. Here's a good site that'll help you understand how wahs work, and may help your troubleshooting:
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/wahpedl/wahped.htm#whatwah

 

[andyl]

as was said before could be a matter of cleaning the pot, but i'd say its a cold or broken solder...can happen quite easily and is easily fixed.