scratchy wah

milkshape · March 15th, 2008, 05:57 PM

I have a Dunlop Wah with the Fasel inductor that is scratchy, it is exactly 1 month old. Is this expected? Do I need to clean the pot already? Should I take it back?

jefrs · March 15th, 2008, 06:18 PM

One month old? - take it back, it cost enough.

The original wah types have a pot operated by a cam and the pots do get scratchy, after a few years. The cure is to replace the pot with one of best quality available. There again, the wah is not the quietest pedal on the board: moving parts.

milkshape · March 15th, 2008, 08:48 PM

I'm running it off a 9V, I thought that may have been the problem. Fresh battery has no effect on the scratch. It does have a pot, but it looks fairly heavy duty to me. Maybe the grease from the rack got in there?

neocaster · March 15th, 2008, 08:59 PM

I'd say hit it with some tuner cleaner before you go replacing the pot. Radio Shack has it in spray cans, but you'll have to buy it in-store, they won't ship it. Link to product

jefrs · March 18th, 2008, 04:15 PM

Yes, you can get stuff to clean pots. But a pot should not go bad in just one month. My Color-Sound has had just three pots since I bought it in 1974. Grease does not get into a pot by itself even on the rack, it's a duff pot.

Dunlops are expensive, they are supposed to be kicked about a stage, they should last many years, they should not be scratchy - take it back

bo · March 19th, 2008, 03:46 PM

They all get scratchy. If you can't hear it when you're playing don't worry about it. I used to use the hiss (when the distortion was on...) and scratch of my old Cry Baby to simulate wind (with a little reverb to add "space").

klasaine · March 20th, 2008, 02:42 AM

Unfortunately, these days, pots are fairly inconsistent in their quality. I had a 'brand new' CTS get scratchy within a month. For what it's worth I "believe" CTS recommends WD-40. I used it and that pot in question has been 'scratch' free for at least two years now(?).
Caig 'De-Oxit" and "Pro-Gold" are also excellent.

Vizcaster · March 25th, 2008, 12:06 AM

Unfortunately it's a recurring problem but you should get it replaced under warranty. Where the warranty has expired, then check and see if it is an old-style pot that's a giant version of your volume and tone controls, with a thin metal shell clamped onto the body of the pot. If so then you can pry off the cover, drill a hole in it and replace it - then close the hole with a piece of electrical tape and use it for access with a spray tube with tuner shower/contact cleaner periodically. By the way, that stuff needs to soak in for a little while before it actually works. But it isn't perfect and will eventually need to be replaced.

If it's the new style "Hot Potz II" pot with a cylindrical black plastic body without a metal shell? Those things are supposed to be good for something like a million cycles so if it's scratchy you have a bad one.

robrohdeszudy · March 27th, 2008, 04:34 PM

Uh, don't go spraying DeOXIT in a pot. Use tuner cleaner. They're very different things. DeOXIT removes oxidation and leaves no residue. Tuner cleaner leaves a lubricant. It matters.
--Rob

Quote:

Originally Posted by klasaine

Unfortunately, these days, pots are fairly inconsistent in their quality. I had a 'brand new' CTS get scratchy within a month. For what it's worth I "believe" CTS recommends WD-40. I used it and that pot in question has been 'scratch' free for at least two years now(?).
Caig 'De-Oxit" and "Pro-Gold" are also excellent.

robrohdeszudy · March 27th, 2008, 04:37 PM

And if you wanna get fancy, there's a wah mod that puts in an opto-isolator. Then your pot can get bad enough to have completley dead spots before you can hear it replace it. I haven't done it, but it is supposed to have almost no effect on the tone. A web search should turn up the details if you want to go that way. Or PM me.
--Rob

CIM · March 30th, 2008, 02:58 PM

Just caught up with this thread - there's a lot of suggestions regarding spray cleaner but AFAIK Dunlop use Hot Potz potentiometers which are sealed for long life dust free operation so you probably can't get any spray in a sealed pot.

If it makes a pot scratch type noise after a month it is faulty and should be returned IMHO.

Vizcaster · April 1st, 2008, 03:46 PM

I'm not sure the Hot Potz sealed potentiometers are standard for all the new models, they might just be replacement/upgrades?

klasaine · April 2nd, 2008, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robrohdeszudy

Uh, don't go spraying DeOXIT in a pot. Use tuner cleaner. They're very different things. DeOXIT removes oxidation and leaves no residue. Tuner cleaner leaves a lubricant. It matters.
--Rob

+1 on that. My faux pau regarding specifically the "DeOxit".

jefrs · April 2nd, 2008, 05:57 PM

Milkshape, have you taken that wah back yet?

Dunlop wahs are not supposed to be scratchy at 6 weeks old. It won't get better by itself.

If you monkey with it, it will invalidate warranty.

Ask to exchange it for a good one not repair under warranty because it's been poxed from new.

What are you waiting for?

Smokin' Joe Picante · April 2nd, 2008, 07:04 PM

Dunlop is actually pretty good for replacing these things. Seems pretty much ALL the regular GCB-95's will (at some point) develop a faulty on/off switch and / or pot problem. If it's only a month old, the retailer or Dunlop directly should replace the pot no problem if you've got the receipt.

March 15th, 2008, 05:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
milkshape Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New England Posts: 380	scratchy wah I have a Dunlop Wah with the Fasel inductor that is scratchy, it is exactly 1 month old. Is this expected? Do I need to clean the pot already? Should I take it back? __________________ No hurries, No worries.

March 15th, 2008, 08:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
milkshape Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New England Posts: 380	I'm running it off a 9V, I thought that may have been the problem. Fresh battery has no effect on the scratch. It does have a pot, but it looks fairly heavy duty to me. Maybe the grease from the rack got in there? __________________ No hurries, No worries.

March 15th, 2008, 08:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
neocaster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chester County, PA Age: 35 Posts: 3,521 11 Photos	I'd say hit it with some tuner cleaner before you go replacing the pot. Radio Shack has it in spray cans, but you'll have to buy it in-store, they won't ship it. Link to product __________________ "...You don't need faith if you know it's gonna work!" "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

March 19th, 2008, 03:46 PM	#6 (permalink)
bo Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 1,774	They all get scratchy. If you can't hear it when you're playing don't worry about it. I used to use the hiss (when the distortion was on...) and scratch of my old Cry Baby to simulate wind (with a little reverb to add "space"). __________________ www.bourbondynasty.com

March 25th, 2008, 12:06 AM	#8 (permalink)
Vizcaster Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Glen Head, NY Posts: 709	Unfortunately it's a recurring problem but you should get it replaced under warranty. Where the warranty has expired, then check and see if it is an old-style pot that's a giant version of your volume and tone controls, with a thin metal shell clamped onto the body of the pot. If so then you can pry off the cover, drill a hole in it and replace it - then close the hole with a piece of electrical tape and use it for access with a spray tube with tuner shower/contact cleaner periodically. By the way, that stuff needs to soak in for a little while before it actually works. But it isn't perfect and will eventually need to be replaced. If it's the new style "Hot Potz II" pot with a cylindrical black plastic body without a metal shell? Those things are supposed to be good for something like a million cycles so if it's scratchy you have a bad one. __________________ "Why don't you just make 10 louder, and make 10 be the top number, and make that a little louder?"

March 15th, 2008, 06:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
jefrs Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newbury, England Age: 53 Posts: 647	One month old? - take it back, it cost enough. The original wah types have a pot operated by a cam and the pots do get scratchy, after a few years. The cure is to replace the pot with one of best quality available. There again, the wah is not the quietest pedal on the board: moving parts.

March 18th, 2008, 04:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
jefrs Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newbury, England Age: 53 Posts: 647	Yes, you can get stuff to clean pots. But a pot should not go bad in just one month. My Color-Sound has had just three pots since I bought it in 1974. Grease does not get into a pot by itself even on the rack, it's a duff pot. Dunlops are expensive, they are supposed to be kicked about a stage, they should last many years, they should not be scratchy - take it back

March 20th, 2008, 02:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
klasaine Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: los angeles, ca Age: 46 Posts: 1,488 11 Photos	Unfortunately, these days, pots are fairly inconsistent in their quality. I had a 'brand new' CTS get scratchy within a month. For what it's worth I "believe" CTS recommends WD-40. I used it and that pot in question has been 'scratch' free for at least two years now(?). Caig 'De-Oxit" and "Pro-Gold" are also excellent.

March 27th, 2008, 04:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
robrohdeszudy Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Madison, Wisconsin, USA Age: 37 Posts: 255	And if you wanna get fancy, there's a wah mod that puts in an opto-isolator. Then your pot can get bad enough to have completley dead spots before you can hear it replace it. I haven't done it, but it is supposed to have almost no effect on the tone. A web search should turn up the details if you want to go that way. Or PM me. --Rob

March 30th, 2008, 02:58 PM	#11 (permalink)
CIM Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: U.K. Posts: 229	Hot Potz Just caught up with this thread - there's a lot of suggestions regarding spray cleaner but AFAIK Dunlop use Hot Potz potentiometers which are sealed for long life dust free operation so you probably can't get any spray in a sealed pot. If it makes a pot scratch type noise after a month it is faulty and should be returned IMHO.

April 1st, 2008, 03:46 PM	#12 (permalink)
Vizcaster Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Glen Head, NY Posts: 709	I'm not sure the Hot Potz sealed potentiometers are standard for all the new models, they might just be replacement/upgrades? __________________ "Why don't you just make 10 louder, and make 10 be the top number, and make that a little louder?"

April 2nd, 2008, 05:57 PM	#14 (permalink)
jefrs Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Newbury, England Age: 53 Posts: 647	Milkshape, have you taken that wah back yet? Dunlop wahs are not supposed to be scratchy at 6 weeks old. It won't get better by itself. If you monkey with it, it will invalidate warranty. Ask to exchange it for a good one not repair under warranty because it's been poxed from new. What are you waiting for?

April 2nd, 2008, 07:04 PM	#15 (permalink)
Smokin' Joe Picante Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 499	Dunlop is actually pretty good for replacing these things. Seems pretty much ALL the regular GCB-95's will (at some point) develop a faulty on/off switch and / or pot problem. If it's only a month old, the retailer or Dunlop directly should replace the pot no problem if you've got the receipt. __________________ http://www.joecurtisband.com/ Overheard at a gig... "The guitar could be louder... I have no idea how, but I'm sure it can be done..." ;)