Old CryBaby wah pedal nnot "wah-ing"

[Fred G.]

OK, I finally got back to this task. Replaced the 4.7uf electrolytic and re-soldered the battery lead. The wah has a nice strong signal - when engaged, a tiny bit of volume drop, but I think that's mostly because some of the low end drops off. This thing just WILL NOT WAH. I'm thinking it's the inductor itself. This thing is driving me nuts! I cannot get the circuit board out - there seems to be a nut glued to the bottom of the circuit board, and there is a metal strap apparently across the axle of the treadle that is bolted to the circuit board in front at the glued down nut, and also another bolt and nut at the back. It is impossible to fit any kind of tools in there to loosen these bolts and remove the treadle just to get the damned circuit board out!!!! It doesn't appear to be physically possible! I've tested the pot and it appears to be working OK, I guess. About 130K across the outer lugs, resistance is moving up and down between center lug and each outer lug as the treadle is rocked. WTF?? HELP!!

[mozz]

Ducati caps

I have seen them like that and also seen them with the rubber plug pushed in. Even if that measures ok, i 'm gonna say they have swollen and/or vented. Wah's are known to be made in volume pedals by disconnecting the electrolytic cap, that's why i mentioned it as there ain't too much to go bad in that circuit other than the pot which is often abused.

[Helmholtz]

In order that later not to have a headache when you check the battery connection, replace the existing 9v battery connector. High probability that the contact has oxidized or lost elasticity, so it may occasionally break.

Very good advice!

Just broke one of the leads of my original ~50 years old battery clip.

[vintagekiki]

It doesn't have to mean. Appearance can be deceive.
Thus look Ducati caps from the ’60s.
1)

[mozz]

Electrolytic capacitor could be bad.

[vintagekiki]

In order that later not to have a headache when you check the battery connection, replace the existing 9v battery connector. High probability that the contact has oxidized or lost elasticity, so it may occasionally break.

[Fred G.]

I'll double check the battery connection. I may have disrupted it when I was mucking around with it and took out the "good" battery I replaced the original dead one with. That ecap is definitely deceased, though. As I said earlier, the pedal was working, just not wah-ing. I'm out of town until Sunday, so I can't check it out until then. My friend will be delighted to know his wah is somewhat collectible!

[Helmholtz]

Ultra rare very early original 1968 Crybaby Wah VOX Clyde McCoy

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRA-RARE-VERY-EARLY-ORIGINAL-1968-Crybaby-Wah-VOX-Clyde-McCoy-Guts-REAL-DEAL-/264234091096


Judging by the built-in components (Ducati cap), pedal paint, wah is most likely an early JEN Italian made cry baby wah.

https://reverb.com/item/4244026-vintage-jen-italian-made-cry-baby-wah-pedal-fasel-inductor-made-in-italy

Yes that's mine from the picture, though mine says Vox on housing and seesaw. No Fasel but halo (=cup core) inductor.

Eagle eyes .

The red (+9V) wire needs to connect to the solder pin above the screw.

[vintagekiki]

Ultra rare very early original 1968 Crybaby Wah VOX Clyde McCoy

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRA-RARE-VERY-EARLY-ORIGINAL-1968-Crybaby-Wah-VOX-Clyde-McCoy-Guts-REAL-DEAL-/264234091096


Judging by the built-in components (Ducati cap), pedal paint, wah is most likely an early JEN Italian made cry baby wah.

https://reverb.com/item/4244026-vintage-jen-italian-made-cry-baby-wah-pedal-fasel-inductor-made-in-italy

[vintagekiki]

The wire for 9V is broken.

[Helmholtz]

NIce!
Pot looks like a replacement.

I have (almost) the same. Mine is an Italian made Vox wah, uses the same board with Ducati capacitors but maybe different transistors (mine has BC109B and BC107B). Best wah I ever had.

Try to identify transistors, find base, emitter and collector and measure DCR of inductor.
I will dig out mine and try to post some voltages the next days.

[Fred G.]

Here are some photos. This wah is an old one, pre-AC adapter. I'm not sure if it's a Vox or Dunlop. It merely has the CryBaby logo printed on the front. I see there is an electrolytic cap that's shot.

[Helmholtz]

Dunno what you mean with "phase cancellation".
A wah is an active LC resonant filter that boosts a variable frequency band. The opposite would be a notch filter.

[52 Bill]

It would be helpful to know which version you have there. Does it have two or three transistors?

The crybaby is a very simple circuit, so basic troubleshooting would include testing the transistors, looking for broken wires/bad connections, a bad pot, etc.

There are two basic parts of the circuit, one an inverting and one non-inverting. If the pedal passes signal but does not wah, that would point to a problem in the second section of the circuit, the non-inverting part that feeds back an inverted signal to the first stage. This feedback causes the phase cancellation of frequencies that give the wah sound. If the feedback signal is not getting to the first stage there will be no effect. There is a 0.01uF cap that carries the signal from the second stage to the first. Check that cap and check the second transistor. Also check the pot to see that the signal is passing through it.

If the pot does have some effect on the signal like a slight volume change, then the filter components of the circuit may be bad. In that case, test the choke and the 3.9-4.7 uF cap to see that they are alright.

Hope this helps.

[Helmholtz]

Sorry but I need to ask: Are you sure you didn't mix up pedal input and output jacks?

There are no special troubleshooting techniques for pedals. A wah is just a little amplifier with variable frequency dependent feedback, most using only 2 transistors.
Please identify pedal manufacturer and find appropriate schematic. The rest is routine: Measuring voltages, checking transistors, diodes, ecaps, inductor...

At least provide a good picture of the guts.