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Topic: Boowah button questions |
John Bushouse
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Posted 10 Mar 2011 10:03 pm |
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Brad, feel free to move if electronics is a better place for this.
For those of you with boowah buttons, do you know what the innards look like? I'm assuming it's a momentary switch that engages a capacitor, but I'm not sure how it works. I have friends that are very knowledgeable about electronics, but the concept of a boowah button is beyond their comprehension. "Now, it does what? And steel guitars sometimes have them? How do they work?" They can theorize, but I figure it would be best if I talk to someone with some knowledge and experience. |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2011 1:17 am
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The "boo wah" effect is achieved by quickly turning the tone knob on the guitar (or on a volume/tone pedal)from low to high.
The vintage Fender steels came with a 1 meg pot (a very quick taper) that sounds almost all the way open when set to about where three would be on a numbered volume knob. This quick taper makes it easier to get those violently fast wah wah sounds, ala Speedy West.
Jerry Byrd prefered the more gradual taper of a 500k pot. The capacitor for this effect is traditionally a .05.
You're reference to a momentary switch makes me think you might be referring to the "cut off" or "stutter switch" used by some players for the machine gun like "ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka" sound. This was often a doorbell like button with a spring in it, so that when you pushed it in, the signal of the guitar was interrupted, and when it was released, the spring would reconnect the signal of the guitar. Thus, all you have to do is tap it wildly to get that sound. |
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Ian Miller
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2011 1:58 am
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First of all, it's an honor to follow Chris with a post, such a fine player.....
Anyhoo, I have a doorbell/stutter button installed on my Magnatone, but instead of wiring it as a cut to the vol. pot, my buddy took it off of the tone and it makes a RIGHTEOUS "Boo-WAP!", great attention-getter and just a little addictive! |
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Blake Hawkins
From:
Florida
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Posted 11 Mar 2011 5:24 am
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Actually the button was done both ways. The later Gibson Console Grande came with both a "stutter" and
a booh-wah.
A button with a .05 cap could be added across the
signal line. The alternate way is to wire the
button across the tone control so that it shorted
out the tone pot when pressed. That used the regular
tone cap.
I believe most players rolled the tone control
as Chirs described it. because it gave them better control of the effect.
Chris, I admire your work. Especially the times
you've been on the "Marty Stuart Show."
Blake |
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Rune Alm
From:
Sweden
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Posted 11 Mar 2011 9:14 am Taper Types
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Hi,
How do you recognize a potentiometer with a more "aggressive" curve?
I looked a the Beginner's Guide to Potentiometers on this page: http://sound.westhost.com/pots.htm
The page mentions different curvtures for increasing/decreasing by degrees of rotaion:
Do any of you have experience with using other curves than the standard? |
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Chris Byars
From:
Denver, CO
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Posted 17 Mar 2011 12:48 pm
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Does anyone know the best place to get the 1 meg pot and the .05 cap? Especially for a Fender Dual Pro/Custom Pro?
Is there any tonal difference in the old paper in oil capacitor (looks like a waxy paper barrel) that I see in my Dual Pro versus the Ceramic Disc kind?
Kinda like this?
http://www.300guitars.com/2008/08/new-glendale-paper-in-oil-capacitors/ |
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Brian Hunter
From:
Indianapolis
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Dave Bader
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 17 Mar 2011 3:38 pm
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| Chris Byars wrote: |
Does anyone know the best place to get the 1 meg pot and the .05 cap? Especially for a Fender Dual Pro/Custom Pro?
Is there any tonal difference in the old paper in oil capacitor (looks like a waxy paper barrel) that I see in my Dual Pro versus the Ceramic Disc kind?
Kinda like this?
http://www.300guitars.com/2008/08/new-glendale-paper-in-oil-capacitors/ |
Mojo Tone has standard size 1 Meg pots. They might even have the cap your looking for. |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 18 Mar 2011 12:01 am
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It's the tone control knob. Bigsby used 100K pots, can't remeber the cap value right now.  |
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Brian Hunter
From:
Indianapolis
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Posted 18 Mar 2011 3:45 am
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Okay. I get it now as far as the placement. Seemed odd.
_________________
Brian |
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Brian Hunter
From:
Indianapolis
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Posted 20 Mar 2011 7:08 am
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I installed a cts audio taper i meg tone pot last night and an orange drop rated at .068. Not only did this totally open up the junk pup in this Artisan lap steel of mine but I can get a righteous BOOWAH now. Really happy I did this.
_________________
Brian |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Brian Hunter
From:
Indianapolis
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Posted 20 Mar 2011 10:46 am
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Yep. It makes for getting a really nice QUACK going on.
I highly advise people to experiment with this sort of combination.
_________________
Brian |
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John Bushouse
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Posted 20 Mar 2011 11:31 am
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| Thanks for all of the responses - this gives me something to think about (even pot/knob placement). |
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Brian Hunter
From:
Indianapolis
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Posted 20 Mar 2011 11:37 am
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| John Bushouse wrote: |
| (even pot/knob placement). |
This was a big issue for me. I ended up moving the jack to the other side of the guitar and switching placement of the volume and tone knobs. I don't use the volume control at all so I took the knob off of it and put a larger sized knurled knob on the tone pot. Now there is nothing in the way and it's super easy to grab a hold of and yank on.
_________________
Brian |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 21 Mar 2011 7:31 am why not a switch.
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This thread got me to thinking... "Why not a Do-wah switch?". Just for fun and for something different... I'm thinking of taking an old A/B foot pedal, change the foot switch to a temporary on switch and putting a tone cap into it. When you tap the button down, it would engage the tone cap and sound really bass-ey. When you lift your foot up, it would go back to normal. A very quick change. Anybody try this? Can this be done without a footswitch "pop" sound happening?
_________________
To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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John Bushouse
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Posted 21 Mar 2011 9:50 am Re: why not a switch.
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| Tom Wolverton wrote: |
| This thread got me to thinking... "Why not a Do-wah switch?". Just for fun and for something different... I'm thinking of taking an old A/B foot pedal, change the foot switch to a temporary on switch and putting a tone cap into it. When you tap the button down, it would engage the tone cap and sound really bass-ey. When you lift your foot up, it would go back to normal. A very quick change. Anybody try this? Can this be done without a footswitch "pop" sound happening? |
Interesting idea... I was just thinking about this very idea last night. |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 21 Mar 2011 10:09 am
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I'll give it a try. I ordered a "Stutter Bomb" from Loop-Master. I'll solder a tone cap into in and see how it works. I'll report back when I've got it running. Prob take about 6 weeks at the rate Loop-Master delivers.
_________________
To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Lee Jeffriess
From:
Vallejo California
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Posted 21 Mar 2011 10:06 pm
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Tom you can totally do that, I have wired up stutter buttons on my guitar and have done it both ways( on and off, and treble cut with a cap).
It was about 15 years ago when I was messing with this stuff and don't remember the cap values.
However if you do the straight stutter button, put a non polarised electrolytic to ground on the switch.
Sorry like I said I cant remember the value, but this will absorb the pop.
The other way is to short the switch through a cap (regular) try anywhere from .047 to .1, I'm pretty sure you can also add the electrolytic to ground, but if that doesn't work out, hold down the switch before you use it.
This will discharge any unwanted noise.
Brian,that's a good value I use .069, you may like a linear taper for what your doing. |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 22 Mar 2011 9:10 am
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Thanks, Lee for the tip. It carries a ton-o-weight coming from you. : )
_________________
To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Lee Jeffriess
From:
Vallejo California
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Posted 22 Mar 2011 6:44 pm
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Your welcome Tom, I don't know if what I told you carries a ton of weight, but it sure was a lot of messing around.
It wasn't until I got a good look at Vance Terry's T8, then I had that AH HA moment.
That Bigsby had a honkin film and foil cap to ground soaking up the pop. |
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Chris Byars
From:
Denver, CO
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Posted 23 Mar 2011 8:42 am
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Lee/Tom/Brian,
Where are you guys getting your parts? Thanks! |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 23 Mar 2011 9:51 am elec. parts
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I've got a dark and dusty old electronics store here in San Diego that has old NOS stuff like caps and resistors. Otherwise, it's Radio Shack. The stutter switch I'm getting from Loop-Master. I'm sure there are better sources on-line for parts. Jim Palenscar has a lot of this stuff, too.
Your avatar is great. That boy is us guys at that age. He's about to get into trouble....he's gonna get "grounded" (as Tim Allen says). : )
_________________
To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Brian Hunter
From:
Indianapolis
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Posted 23 Mar 2011 2:04 pm
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| Chris Byars wrote: |
Lee/Tom/Brian,
Where are you guys getting your parts? Thanks! |
I get mine from ebay.
_________________
Brian |
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