250mH inductor?

[HamSandwich]

Hola,

I've read the great vox wah / precursor to the Clyde McCoy was a similar circuit but with a 250mH inductor and the 100k series resistor removed. Any leads on where to find a 250mH inductor? I'm located in CA - USA. Looking mainly for that Zeppelin I kind of wah.

Thanks!

[somnif]

I see one on Ebay, if you dont mind spending 30$ on a component: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Whipple-Wah-Inductor-250mH-Vox-Grey-Clone-Special-Wind-/292411112891


Appears to be produced by the folks at http://dandyjob.com/

[midwayfair]

They're a couple bucks at Mouser

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/JW-Miller/70F251AF-RC?qs=CH%2fW6P%2fLQE9waUgQp4SVmQ%3d%3d

but you have to buy 10.

[HamSandwich]

I see one on Ebay, if you dont mind spending 30$ on a component: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Whipple-Wah-Inductor-250mH-Vox-Grey-Clone-Special-Wind-/292411112891


Appears to be produced by the folks at http://dandyjob.com/

Thanks for posting that. I'm not a wah connosieur so I'm not trying to do an vintage correct etc wah's. That's a bit too pricy haha

They're a couple bucks at Mouser

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/JW-Miller/70F251AF-RC?qs=CH%2fW6P%2fLQE9waUgQp4SVmQ%3d%3d

but you have to buy 10.

That's more in the price range. But even better, it provides specs I can use to look for others. If all else fails I'll get 10. Still cheaper than the $30 for eBay? Thanks

[lars]

Any leads on where to find a 250mH inductor?

Be careful on this one. You can't throw just any 250mH inductor in that circuit and have it sound good. Wah circuits are extremely finicky. I had two, original #44 Thomas Organ 250mH inductors that both measured at 248mH. They looked the same, and measured the same. Did they sound the same? No! They were completely different from each other. What accounted for the difference? Hard to say. This is where the mystic of vintage components comes in. I've had wah inductors that measured around 50mH that sound fantastic, and ones nearly dead on to the "magic" 500mH, that sounded putrid. The truth is, there is absolutely no specific value that sounds "the best". The inductor is only a small part of the equation in a wah. (In fact, it can be left out entirely. Look at how many inductorless wah projects there are. And most Auto-Wah/Filter circuits don't have an inductor in sight. Don't tell the boutique builders that try to sell you on their overpriced hype though.) Sometimes you can stumble onto a great-sounding wah using all the "wrong" parts.

[HamSandwich]

Interesting Lars, thanks. Do you have any recommendations on what components to alter to try and tailor the circuit to the gray wah sound if it sounds odd with a 250mH inductor?

[lars]

The only recommendation I have is try to get an original/NOS/vintage 4uf non-polar capacitor for the cap to ground off the inductor (it's usually a polarized 4.7uf on most wahs). The old black barrel ones that Thomas Organ used are great. This is one of the most critical components of the wah circuit. I've seen some boutique sites that claim that non-polar caps shouldn't be used there "because it causes scratchiness"...ok. I guess all those vintage grey spec wahs and Clyde McCoys that are still working and sound great are "incorrect"?