Woolly M and or Clone THAT Temperamental

[dharmashawn]

I just noticed that my WM clone does not even like my Boss TU-2 in front of it!! Does this sound right? I play passive and run this thing first anyway, but since flipping my B3 I needed to put this tuner back on.

Now plugging in and out I can definitely hear some unhappiness when the tuner is before it. Obviously I will take it out of the chain; I am just wondering if anybody else has had a similar situation??

 

[MSUsousaphone]

Are they in a daisy chain? Just wondering if adding the tuner to the line put you over mA. Otherwise, I have no clue.

 

[karter2000]

WM's, clones or otherwise do not like to be fed a buffered or low impedance signal, which is what most Boss pedals have as they use an output buffer. WMs only work well with a high impedance signal as from a passive bass. My WM clone has a small transformer on the input to mimic a pickup so that I can run buffered pedals before it.

 

[dharmashawn]

Are they in a daisy chain? Just wondering if adding the tuner to the line put you over mA. Otherwise, I have no clue.

Nope. PP2+

But, You can really hear the WM react all unhappy like. Strange.


side note: Ddyna Thinman is pretty FUN

 

[bongomania]

Absolutely the Boss tuner WILL affect the WM, placed between the bass and the WM. Any active device, including a buffered bypass, will make your bass "not passive anymore" as far as the WM is concerned.

 

[MSUsousaphone]

Ha. The WM is like the lovable but racist grandma of the pedal family.

 

[bongomania]

...So go bass --> WM --> tuner, problem solved.

 

[dharmashawn]

WM's, clones or otherwise do not like to be fed a buffered or low impedance signal, which is what most Boss pedals have as they use an output buffer. WMs only work well with a high impedance signal as from a passive bass. My WM clone has a small transformer on the input to mimic a pickup so that I can run buffered pedals before it.

That's kind of what I figured, but never thought a bypassed tuner could have such horrible consequences

 

[DeltaPhoenix]

Ha. The WM is like the lovable but racist grandma of the pedal family.

Lulz

 

[karter2000]

It's actually an easy thing to fix, if you want to do some DIYing. I used this article from Jack Orman on mine: Guitar Pickups Simulation. I didn't go as complicated as Jack's, I just used a small transformer similar to the one used in the article. I used the primary side, and one lead went to the input jack, and the outermost lead (not the middle) went to the input of the circuit. Seems to work great on my WM clone.

 

[Kormak]

It's actually an easy thing to fix, if you want to do some DIYing. I used this article from Jack Orman on mine: Guitar Pickups Simulation. I didn't go as complicated as Jack's, I just used a small transformer similar to the one used in the article. I used the primary side, and one lead went to the input jack, and the outermost lead (not the middle) went to the input of the circuit. Seems to work great on my WM clone.

Thanks a lot for sharing this information. It's really helpful to know that adding the transformer does fix these problems.

 

[G3Mitch]

Wow, did not know any of this. Probably why I absolutley HATED my WM clone.
Is there a significant difference in sound? I've loaned mine out at the moment, but when I get it back, will give it another go.

 

[bigchiefbc]

The WM is not the only pedal like that. The Fuzz Face and all of its millions clones hate buffers and active basses, too.

 

[G3Mitch]

My bass is passive, but I use 3 Boss pedals

 

[karter2000]

bigchiefbc is correct, the WM shares the same technology as the Fuzz Face, in where the first transistor is sensitive to input loading and impedance.

 

[dharmashawn]

Wow, did not know any of this. Probably why I absolutley HATED my WM clone.
Is there a significant difference in sound? I've loaned mine out at the moment, but when I get it back, will give it another go.

HELL YES!!!! Put her First and have fun:

WM>Octamizer>Thinman OD>Frequency Centeral>Grinder>Xerograph>BDPG

 

[G3Mitch]

I've never even considered putting my tuner at the end of my chain......
might this be an idea?? I always assumed the cleanest signal would get the most accurate tuning. A little off-topic...but sorta not....

 

[dharmashawn]

Sh*t, find a way to be in tune as long as the WM is first.

Having it at the end shouldn't change much as long as all the pedals in the mix are off.

It's not like yr throwing a Fuzzed out Octave signal into the Tuner. You know?

 

[G3Mitch]

true that!

 

[Derek Balonek]

The mastotron, while it doesn't fully meet the mammoth sound, gets close without any impedance troubles.

Or, get a true bypass tuner. It can be in front without bothering the WM.