Crybaby project

[lowbass68]

Just picked up a clean used GCB-100 real cheap, mainly to use for a project. Overall not the most pleasing sounding pedal and it won’t be replacing my 105Q any time soon (I will replace the 105Q with a Wilson Wah if I ever get my tax refund from the IRS). The flaws are volume drop and thin sound when played clean. The tone is not too bad when running my Fulltone or Hematoma into it, though it still has the volume drop.

Anyway, I am looking at mod’ing the heck out of it as follows:
1. Mod the circuit to true bypass, add LED, remove the buffer section of the effect (6 components), add trim pots, experiment with the cap values, replace the PCB mounted jacks with traditional switchcrafts (for step 2 below) and remove the battery clip as I don’t use batteries. Based on things I have read this will help the wah a lot.

2. If the wah mod’s work, then the fun begins. I want to add an overdrive circuit (GGG ITS8 Tube Screamer clone or GGG Rodent Rat clone) prior to the wah circuit. Plenty of room the shell for this. It will require drilling 3 holes for pots, 1 hole for an OD bypass switch and 1 hole for the diode select switch if I go with the ITS8 circuit.

As I said, even stock it sounds ok with the OD going into it other than the volume drop. Worse case is that the wah mod’s in the first step don’t work well and I use the shell for some project.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[bassman03]

No suggestions, but if it does work and you're able to add the overdrive circuit, would the pedal adjustments effect something in the overdrive as well as the wah? (besides making it wah i mean)

[lowbass68]

Most likely the pedal would only control the wah. I think it would be difficult to control multiple functions with the pedal. If I don't get the wah portion to sound like I want, then the project will focus on being a straigh OD pedal with pedal controled drive or filter. Haven't though much about that as I think the wah will work with the mods.