Fixing a scratchy wah pedal

A number of years ago, I bought a Dunlop Crybaby Wah pedal second hand. It was a good deal, but the sound was never as good as I wanted it to be. Since I got it, there was a scratchy sound that I could never totally get rid of. I cleaned out the potentiometer (pot) with electronics cleaner a few times, and that definitely improved things, but it was never perfect.

Lately, I’ve been getting back into playing guitar, and I wanted to put this wah to use. I figured I would just replace the pot and everything would be fine. At first, I assumed I could just go to Radio Shack or whatever they’re called these days and get a replacement, but after doing some research online, I found that the potentiometer used in a wah-wah is not a simple linear pot, but is logarithmic.

Without wanting to figure all this stuff out on my own, I began looking for a simple drop-in replacement. Many companies sell replacement pots, often with the little gear already attached, which means installation is as simple as tightening a nut and soldering three wires. I got my Dunlop Hot Potz-II replacement from my local Long & McQuade music store. It cost me $30.50, which isn’t too bad considering a new pedal would cost me over $100. I could have ordered online, but most of the places were charging at least $20, plus shipping, so I avoided the hassle and bought locally.

Here’s some pictures:

These things are easy to open up by simply unscrewing the four feet on the bottom. No screwdriver required.

Here’s the replacement potentiometer. It even has decent instructions printed on the back:

You need a wrench to unscrew the old pot and then you just disconnect the wires. Drop the replacement into position, make sure the gear is engaged and then tighten the nut. Then just get out the trusty soldering iron and solder the three wires back into place.

And that’s it. It was pretty easy to do, and took less than 20 minutes. No more dirty scratchy sounds. The wah wah is good as new and sounds great.

A pleasant craigslist experience

A week before my birthday, I decided I would spend a bit of money on myself and buy an acoustic guitar. I’ve wanted one for a long time, and I figured this would be a good opportunity to finally get one.

I wasn’t too concerned with getting the best guitar money can buy, so I figured I would get a decent guitar in the $250 to $300 range. I checked out a few local stores and saw a few possible guitars that would fit the bill. Then I decided to check out craigslist. My friend Spencer recently bought his electric Tokai from a guy on craigslist, so I decided to have a look and see what I could find.

Right away I found an almost new Yamaha for $200 with a case. It’s the F-310, which retails for about $200-$300 in stores. I contacted the guy, and we arranged to meet at a Starbucks in Toronto. I drove out on a Friday afternoon after work and met the nice guy with the crazy accent. The guitar is in excellent condition and still had that new guitar smell. He said he bought it about three months ago, played it a little bit and then decided guitar wasn’t for him. Now he plays piano. I paid $200 for it, which included a nice hard shell case and a tuner and went on my way.

I’ve had the guitar for about a month now, and I’m very happy with my purchase. The F-310 sounds great, stays in tune really well and is pretty solidly made. It was a great deal and a great first experience with craigslist.

Check it out: