# Getting noise with my Wah pedal



## Gilles (Jan 9, 2008)

I have a seldom used 1 year old Vox Wah pedal. Last night, I noticed there was some scratching noise when I pressed the pedal. The noise is louder if I turn up the amp and quieter if I turn it down.

The scratching noise is there even when my guitar isn't plugged in and use just pressing the pedal. 

Anyone have a clue what I could do to fix this?


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## guitaristgibson (Dec 23, 2008)

if you have trouble shot all the wires and maybe the batteries in other pedals of , make sure all your cords are fully plugged in, and check the batteries or power chord. if its the pedal, make sure nothing is scraping the belt that drives it ( the belt that connects the toe of the pedal to the chamber) and if nothing is, bring it in to your local shop or the place you bought it from unless your an electrician of somekind.​
Nick

p.s. sorry for the lettering i felt like being creative


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Wah pots have a well-deserved reputation for getting and being noisy. This is a product of the many repeated movements they undergo in their lifetime.

People may think it is dirt getting inside of the pot, but even sealed pots become noisy like this. Why? Because the resistive strip inside the pot is made up of small particles compressed together. The movable wiper that comes into contact with the strip rubs against the strip each time you move the pot/foot-treadle. Over time, that rubs off some of the resistive strip so that it creates its own internal dirt.

Imagine a piece of beautiful smooth asphalt 10 years after it has been driven on repeatedly. There will be small holes in the pavement, as well as lots of gravel that has broken loose and sits on top of the pavement. If you were to take a new car with perfect shocks and great tires, and record the sound it makes as you drive along the fresh asphalt. Then, store the car for 10 years, and come back to record the sound while driving over the same spot. You'd find the drive was much noisier because of the buildup of imperfections in the road surface. That is exactly what happens to your wah pot over time.

If you are careful, you can pry the tabs up, remove the back of the pot and clean the surface of the resistive strip with a Q-tip and some alcohol. That won't make it perfect, but it will reduce the noise somewhat. The same way that if you were to sweep up all the loose gravel, you would reduce the driving noise, but not as much as if you repaved.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

mhammer...brilliant pot tutorial with a very "convincing" analogy.

It could be used over and over again for: 

"Tone and Volume knobs sound bad...what do I do?" type threads

Cheers

Dave


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