Need Help Cleaning Wah Pedal

[isher1992]

Well, yesterday I acquired a 1992 Morley Pro Series II Bass Wah in exchange for my no-longer-needed Boss EQ.

The previous owner told me it needed deep cleaning, which I bought some Contact Cleaner and Lubricant from Radio Shack. I sprayed the cleaner inside of the Level pot, and I also sprayed inside both the 1/4" jacks and in the opening in the expression part of the wah pedal. Upon letting it dry out, I hooked the device up in my rig, and it seems to be even more so noisy than befor when I played it through my rig.

Did I just not clean it properly?

[Kevin Wilson]

if the cleaner is also a lube and it got somewhere it can conduct between parts I'd say it could be bridging through the gunk so to speak. Your best bet is to get some q tips or something similar that you could thoroughly clen the parts aside from the pots with. Try just using a cleaner with no lube for the parts other than the pots.

[isher1992]

Originally Posted by Kevin Wilson

if the cleaner is also a lube and it got somewhere it can conduct between parts I'd say it could be bridging through the gunk so to speak. Your best bet is to get some q tips or something similar that you could thoroughly clen the parts aside from the pots with. Try just using a cleaner with no lube for the parts other than the pots.

After doing some examination, I found part of the problem. I think my Big Muff was dirty inside the jacks as welll, because before I ran it at the beginning of my signal chain, with nothing before it and now I thorughly cleaned all my pedals and I'm about to go at it again and clean out all the jacks on my pedalboard as well to ensure It gets a full, deep cleaning.

[Jim C]

IMO the only electronic cleaner to use on older equipment is Cramolin

[Bongolation]

Count me among the many techs who don't have much faith in cleaner spray stuff in getting rid of gritty contact noise. Sometimes it works, but usually not for long.

I recently found a long-lost c.1968 Italian Crybaby that had been accidentally stored in incredibly awful circumstances. I plugged it in and the pot noise sounded like the end of the world.

I removed the pot and very carefully disassembled it and cleaned the wafer and wiper, figuring I had nothing to lose. Upon reassembly and reinstallation, the pot worked perfectly and totally noise-free. In the case of unusual or expensive pots that are make replacement too difficult or pricey, a judicious disassembly and cleaning may save the day.