Average-Joe
Hi all.
I have an old Morley wah pedal.
I never use it - and I can barely get R500 for it.
Is it a big deal to convert it into a volume pedal?
Now that would be useful.
Who could do it?
And what would it cost?
Or could i - with an unwieldy soldering iron - do it myself?
Thanks for and feeddback?
Chocklit_Thunda
First off, where are you located? That'll help the forum members nearest to you chime in and offer to help... And another question, do you want a simple passive volume pedal or one that buffered (requiring a battery)
I'd be willing to help out but of someone with more skill offers I guess you should go with them ?
Average-Joe
Thanks for reply.
I'm in Paarl.
Not a guitarist hub, but its close enough to Cape Town.
The wah obviously works on 9v, but to tell the truth i've never tought about whether a volume pedal would need power...
What is the difference?
Definitely would be fascinateing to do it / watch it being done.
peterleroux
Converting a wah to a volume pedal shouldn't be too complicated, am might even be a good first project. I think volume calls can be active or passive I.e. not need a battery,depending on the design you go with.
MikeM
If I remember right, the Morleys are a bit more complex, working with a LED and photoresistor or something.. Not 100% sure about this though.
Average-Joe
Indeed.
As you press the pedal more LED light passes through a gap, and then a photoresistor watsit does something or other.....
Other than that it looks pretty basic to my untrained eye.
A dozen resistor and caps - but i wouldn't know where to start.
I found a schematic diagram - but not sure how to attach it here.
Chocklit_Thunda
MikeM wrote:
If I remember right, the Morleys are a bit more complex, working with a LED and photoresistor or something.. Not 100% sure about this though.
I've actually got a Morley schematic and it runs off a potentiometer ???
Not sure why they have that one... I think the modern stuff is with the photoresistor. So yeah Mike is right it may be a bit more complicated
MikeM
It could be, I know for certain that some Morley's run like that. Either way, worth a bash! Might be as easy as pulling a cap or diverting a trace
Crap, sorry AJ, missed your post. Post a link if you can, I'm sure Thunda will be able to help!
Average-Joe
Yep.
So much more interesting than flogging it for next to nothing to someone i dont know.
MikeM
I mean the schematic. It doesn't function like a true wah, which uses a LCR filter. By the looks of things (I'm not great with solid state), it shifts between 2 different capacitors to simulate the shifting resonant peak.
Can anyone confirm this?
Chocklit_Thunda
I'd go the way of the passive potentiometer route for simplicity but I think it would be a fun DIY project to convert the wah into a vol pedal that runs like a Morley via the photoresistor and stuff
The other schematic is basically a jack into a potentiometer (low resistance like 100k or something) and then to the output jack...
Average-Joe
If i'm going to take a hatchet to this thing i'd like do do it the best way.
Although useless to me, it will still cost 1000 bucks new.
So i only want to do this if i'm confident i'll have a pro standard workin pedal at the end.
Chocklit_Thunda
Ok then instead of ripping out the wah parts (unless that's what you want then send them my way ?) but who don't you just add a passive volume control and then add a 2 way switch to go between wah or volume? Unless that wah is as crappy as it seems then I rate you can just pull it out and replace it with the vol control
MikeM
On the one hand, I think it'd be a fun thing to do. But on the other, it'll eq your tone, maybe for good, maybe for bad but probably quite a bit. And I can't think of a way to tweak this so you get a sweep from full off, to full on (Very, very limited SS knowledge though, so I could be wrong).
They cost R1k new, for a FAR FAR FAR better product. Like I mentioned, no inductors there even. Honestly, looking at the schematic for this, it's worth as much as you think the chassis, jacks, stomp and power plugs are worth. The circuit is not really useful.
You might be able to mangle the circuit, pull out 70% of the resistors and caps, changing the photoresistor and putting it in a different place, putting a true bypass in as well. It'll almost be building the circuit from scratch.
If I'm really, 100%, earnestly honest about this... Give it to some kid that can't afford a wah or something. And buy a proper volume pedal. I picked up a Visual Volume second hand for R800. Stereo, passive or active, built in booster, noise cancelling, the works. You'll spend R100 on components and then use up a couple hours for a pedal that'll probably end up having a really shitty sweep to it...
Average-Joe
Ouch.
Glad your not my doctor ?
What is the simplest mod i can do - but still worthwhile....
Can I rip out the wah including the optical whatsits?
Even if the sweep is not 100, maybe i can at least use it to add a bit of volume for a solo bit.
Or just drop te vplume a bit if i switch from my strat to a humbucker tele.
MikeM
Hypothetically, you would save someone's life if I were your doc ?
Hahahha, honestly man, if I have read this right, I'd say Makepeace. There's no quick fix, there's no handy "One mod that most guitar techs don't want you to know". He might be able to build you a wah into that housing, or maybe even something like a phaser style wah pedal like so
=
He'd probably be able to build a volume pedal into it if you're still settled on that. I still don't think it's ideal, and would rather do something fun and special if I was going to put some money into it.
But no bullshit, there's not much that you can do with that circuit. Compare it to their modern wahs
http://www.morleypedals.com/pwo2009es.pdf
Chocklit_Thunda
Average Joe wrote:
Ouch.
Glad your not my doctor ?
What is the simplest mod i can do - but still worthwhile....
Can I rip out the wah including the optical whatsits?
Even if the sweep is not 100, maybe i can at least use it to add a bit of volume for a solo bit.
Or just drop te vplume a bit if i switch from my strat to a humbucker tele.
Ok. I may have found your solution from right under my nose.... Ernie ball pedals don't just use the regular gear onto the pot for the sweep which only turns the pot about 70% of its full sweep. EB use a string mechanism on a larger wheel (like gearing ratios) which allows you to get the full sweep from the pot.
If you use the regular mechanism you could add volume or drop volume a bit but with the steig method you can go from full volume to completely off.
Here's the plan:
1. Donate the wah guts to me for added karma points ?
2. Find the appropriate ratio pulley wheel and strong enough nylon string and a 250 or 500K pot with a treble bleed mod
3. Assemble passive wah.
4. Relish in how awesome you are on stage when you do super sick volume swells
MikeM
CT, link to EB's mechanism?
