boo-wah pot

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 30 Jan 2001 1:32 am

My old Gibson EH-150 (10 string) needs a new tone pot. The one in it is a bizarre, archaic thing, so I'm not sure what to replace it with to get that boo-wah sound.
Can anyone advise me what value pot to use? Is it anything esoteric or just a standard wah-wah pot?
Thanks - hope I'm making myself clear

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 30 Jan 2001 5:32 am

Iain,

Most tone pots range from 250K to 500K. It is NOT critical. What is critical when you want a "boo-wah" sound is to buy one that has an audio taper. If you put a linear pot in there, the change in tone will be gradual over the entire rotation of the knob.

An audio taper will make most of the change occur at one end. This is what makes the "boo-wah" sound.

So any pot from 250K to 500K will do fine.

Take care and God bless you,

carl

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 30 Jan 2001 7:36 am

Thanks - that's exactly what I needed to know!

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 30 Jan 2001 1:24 pm

Hi Ian,
I our terminology it's a 250K LOG pot.
Baz
AKA "Basil Henriques"

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Basil Henriques
Emmons D-10 1970
and
Emmons D-10 1970 "Anniversary"
1949 "Leilani"
1939 Dickerson
RICKENBACKER "Olde Uglie" Twin 8
"Fender 1000"
"Gibson 3x8 Electraharp"

Steel players do it without fretting

http://homepage.tinet.ie/~basilhenriques/

http://www.stax-a-trax.com/

[This message was edited by basilh on 30 January 2001 at 01:49 PM.]

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 30 Jan 2001 1:46 pm

.[This message was edited by basilh on 30 January 2001 at 01:50 PM.]

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 30 Jan 2001 2:18 pm

In search of classic "boo-wah," I just checked my Bigsby pedal, and its a 100K audio pot hooked up to a .05mfd 200vdc capacitor.

Mine cap is an old paper covered tootsie-roll looking thing, but I think Emmons uses a similar value cap in their current guitar.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 30 Jan 2001 9:04 pm

Speedy West used one and I had Zane Beck custom load one on my 14 string BMI. It works!

Woody
3 Nails + 1 Cross = 4 Given

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 31 Jan 2001 3:36 am

thanks again - yes, it's the (happy belated birthday) Speedy effect I'm after.
The guitar tech working on my steel (it's from the '30's and deserves a wee "tune up") seems besotted with it, by the way.