What's with all the Cry babies?

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capnkid

capnkid

Optimus Prime
There is the regular Cry Baby, The Slash, Cry Baby, The Zakk Wilde Cry Baby, The Jimi Hendrix Cry Baby, The Fasel Cry Baby.....

Is there really that much difference? Which one would you get out of those.
 
I would get one that has true bypass. I have an older "original" or "Classic" or whatever they call it. Even if it's off, it sucks highs out of your tone. I still use it because it's nice to have a crutch when I can't think of anything cool to actually play. :D
 
I've owned the original, and the hendrix. The original, like cephus said, is a tone fucker and the hendrix just kind of sucks. The hendrix didn't seem to have much range. Vox makes one that's pretty good (why didn't I buy that one?!). I also owned a Morley that sucked big balls.
 
Buhwah buhwah

I had an original crybaby (maybe from the 70s?) that finally died on me a few years ago and I've been trying to replace it ever since. So over the past few years I've collected about six or seven different wahs. They are all a little different, and it really depends on what you're looking for and how that particular wah works with the rest of your gear.

My friends came over (one with an Ibanez Weeping Demon and one with a Vox wah) a few months ago, and we had a chance to A/B them all. Included in the bunch were "the original", the "classic" the "Hendrix" wah and the "535Q".

The biggest winner of them all - the best sounding to all our ears - was cleary the Fulltone Clyde Wah Standard. This pedal had the clearest tones, the best true bypass, and the most useable sound. Everyone agreed hands down. The pedal did, however, take a little getting used to b/c it has a huge range from lows to highs and is rather sensitive. It also has a weird "Q" in the mids somewhere, but still overall the best sounding - significantly over the rest of the bunch.

The next favorites of the bunch were the Hendrix, the 535Q and Vox, in that order. All the rest were OK, but there was A LOT of tone sucking going on. A Daneletro "Dan-o-wah" (which was somewhat of a fun novelty and retro cool looks too) was the noisiest and thinnest sounding of the bunch.

We tried them all on a few different amps, paired with a few other drive pedals and such. There you have it. Your mileage may vary.
 
I just bid on an old cry baby. One with the old circutry, not the computer chips. I figure If I can get one for around $60, and then buy the Fulltone clyde mod kit for $50, it would be cheaper.

I just have to work on my soldering technique. :D
 
i've got an old crybaby that i bought in the late 80s (early 90s?). all it says on it is "cry baby". i replaced the pot on it about 10 years ago b/c it had gotten all scratchy and whatnot. i haven't used it in years. i picked up an 83 strat a few weeks ago, so i need to bust the wah back out again.

i'll report back in on it.

if you ask me, all of these new crybabies are just capitalizing on the "vintage craze".....much like the digitech clapton and hendrix effects pedals, etc. personally, i'll take one of the old ones.


cheers,
wade
 
I replaced everything inside of my with a design from one of the original `60's (the Clyde Mccoy design, I think his name was?), and it sounds just killer.

Absolutely need the true bypass, though.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
capnkid said:
I just have to work on my soldering technique. :D
Click to expand...

If you haven't already, get a decent solderng iron and some good solder. It makes a pretty big difference.
 
TravisinFlorida said:
If you haven't already, get a decent solderng iron and some good solder. It makes a pretty big difference.
Click to expand...

How do you know a 'decent' soldering iron from one that's not?

And what's 'good' solder?
 
I was going to go for a 535Q

when I got around to it. I figured the adjustability would be useful.
 
notCardio said:
How do you know a 'decent' soldering iron from one that's not?

And what's 'good' solder?
Click to expand...

if it says Radio Shack on it, it's very unlikely to be worth a crap. :D a decent iron should be able to provide steady heat. otherwise, you'll end up with crappy joints and overheated parts. some irons have regulated heat which will help with consistency. the handle of some irons get pretty hot, which is a pain in the ass. the tips on the cheapy irons that i've owned never lasted very long either after light use. i guess you just have to use a few irons to know what to look for and ask around. i'm happy with the last one i bought (hakko 936esd).

i don't know what makes or breaks good solder but last time around i got some kester, i think 63/37, on recommendation and it works great. the stuff solidifies quick and makes nice joints. i remember using the crappy radio shack stuff and having to hold the parts very still for 5 or 6 seconds until the joint solidified............at the same time that crappy soldering iron handle was getting hotter than hell. what a pain in the ass. :p not to mention that half the time the joints ended up crappy any way.
 
capnkid said:
There is the regular Cry Baby, The Slash, Cry Baby, The Zakk Wilde Cry Baby, The Jimi Hendrix Cry Baby, The Fasel Cry Baby.....

Is there really that much difference? Which one would you get out of those.
Click to expand...

Skip all that trash and get a Teese RMC3.

You can thank me later. :)
 
notCardio said:
How do you know a 'decent' soldering iron from one that's not?
Click to expand...

It says "Weller" on the side, and costs at least $30-40. (Mine, well, that's a whole other story, at about $200).


notCardio said:
And what's 'good' solder?
Click to expand...


Any good 60/40 solder will do, but if you want to treat yourself, get some 63/37 solder. It doesn't pass through a gel state as it cools, so it is darn near impossible to get a cold solder joint. Definitely the bees knees for beginners.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I bought a Zakk Wylde one... mainly because my old cry baby crapped out rigtht before a show and all they had in stock at the time was that or the Vox one... (I don't care for the Vox sound) It sounds good... little different than the standard ones... not worth the extra money to put "Zack Wylde" on it though.... makes funny noise when I hit my low F# though...
 
Does anyone have a broken one you're not using or throwing away. I have some fire proof pc board, and some resistors and capacitors. jacks, and other suff.

If I had a steel burnt out shell it would be fun to experiment.
 
While we're on the subject

does anyone know of a good place for wah replacement parts (gear, rack, etc.) and also if those parts are universal? I've got a couple of broken wahs (the plastic stuff, gear & rack), but one's a Dan-o and ones a really old no-name from the early 70's that has sentimental value.
 
notCardio said:
does anyone know of a good place for wah replacement parts (gear, rack, etc.) and also if those parts are universal? I've got a couple of broken wahs (the plastic stuff, gear & rack), but one's a Dan-o and ones a really old no-name from the early 70's that has sentimental value.
Click to expand...



THESE GUYS should have what you need. At least, I know their wholesale division does, but I'm not sure if they carry the same stuff retail. They probably can't help you, though, with any non-crybaby stuff.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Well, I won a "Patent pending" Thomas Organ Cry Baby.

One of the ones you can actually work on.

Now I'm wondering if I should get a fulltone pot, and a fasel inductor (which one the red or the yellow?) The one in the cry baby looks to be square.
 
Fora versitile wah,I use a 535Q,as it is adjustable for tone and Q, for a cool effect, where you find a sweet spot and leave it on as an effect, the Vox is hard to beat.
 
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