Well, I read the article but I'm still a little puzzled. Please don't take this as anything personal against you John. But I think the guy with this web page is trying to hoodwink us. Or maybe he actually believes what he's saying. You never know with people. He seems to be trying to make it seem as though electricity has a "sound" and like the type of material used for a cap or inductor "housing" would somehow effect the "sound" of the electricity going through it. I'd like to ask him, "Exactly what does electricity sound like?"
I really think this guy is just attempting to pull the wool over people's eyes while trying to sell his reproduction pedals. I don't care if electricity passes through ceramic, glass, or an oxide compound, it should have no effect on tone. Either you've got the voltage you want or you don't. That's the only deciding factor of electricity on tone. Electricity doesn't care what its housed in or passed through. You can slow it down, speed it up, multiply it or weaken it, but in the end you've either got the voltage you want or you don't. I'm kind of shocked that he admits this to some degree:
"When talking tone, it should be noted that component tolerances were all over the place. This equates to definite tonal variances, one pedal to another. While I've heard more than my share of "thin-cheesy sounding" Clyde McCoy wahs, I've also come across stock Clydes that have had a deep, warm, and powerful tone! Inductor variances and other component tolerances could indeed make all the difference in the world." Of course they do. When electronic devices age the tolerances of the various components drop. An inductor would be one that changes a lot because its basically just wire wrapped around a magnet (or two). Have you played any old Les Pauls from the 50's lately? Boy, in the late 60's everybody thought the sound of those things was golden. Those strong PAF's were only about a decade old then however, and still had a lot of juice. They sure don't now. People are replacing those "vintage" pickups left and right. What was once a number 5 magnet now has the strength of a number 2. So while I wouldn't put any stock in the type of components used having any effect on the tone, I would say that some types hold up better over the long haul than others and so they'll keep the sound more within the range that it was designed to be. I think that when people say they think one OLD pedal sounds better with one kind of inductor than another that what they're really hearing is one inductor holding up in its tolerances better than the other and that the type of material its made of has nothing to do with the sound when its new. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't see how it logically could.
The article it quotes from Guitar Player says:
"Also at this time (1968), Vox and Thomas Organ introduced a new model designated V846 that used a Japanese inductor made by TDK instead of the Italian made inductor. Most purists agree that this change degraded the sound of these pedals, but in the informal tests we conducted, our favorite (because of its almost human vocal quality and vomiting sounds) was an excellent sounding V 846......" I think that's interesting because this article was written in 1992... 24-years after the change was made. I would submit that after a quarter century, one of those inductors probably held up better than the other. I would venture to guess that if both those pedals had been manufactured on the same day with the two different brands of inductors that we would have heard no difference in sound. But after 24-years of aging... it's a different ballgame.
Geoffrey Teese says here:
"The VOX/USA V846 changed much more than just the inductor. Everything but the very basic resistors were changed, making the V846/KING-VOX WAH/CRYBABY virtually an entirely new pedal (lumped together because they all shared circuitry, layout, and componentry)." He's admitting that the two old pedals he's talking about
"all shared circuitry, layout, and componentry". So the only thing that changed was the "brand" of the components. Again, I don't see how the way a component is made could possibly effect the tone of a pedal unless its an OLD pedal and those components have had time to break down. Again I'd ask him, "What does electricity sound like?"
The web page finishes with:
"I've also reproduced my favorite brown Vox inductor, based on my microfilmed Thomas files and information gleaned from the old Thomas supplier. These inductors can also be found in my RMC3 wahs, as well as my 847 Rev.A RMC-MOD drop-in replacement circuit board for the "reissued" V847.
"My RMC3 wahs, and modified boards, are now being used by recording artist of all musical styles, all over the world." It sure sounds to me like he's just trying to sell you his reproductions. Maybe he means well though. You never know. I've seen a hell of a lot of people convince themselves that they could hear things nobody else could....
Now, assuming my Dunlap Crybaby is made from the same "circuitry, layout, and componentry" as the one I used in the 70's, I see no reason why it should sound any different, providing they were both brand new. If I had my old one to test it against, they might sound a little different today because of the component aging factor in the one from the 70's. But hey, sometimes a component can fall low in tolerance and effect the tone for the better! I might actually like the older pedal better because of that. Again, you just never know about these things. I think the bottom line is that you either like the sound of something or you don't. I wouldn't worry too much about why. And we all have slightly different tastes sometimes in what constitutes a good sound anyway. Some people seem to love Hendrix's wah sound. I thought it was winy and brittle. Actually, the only recording of a wah pedal from the 60's I ever liked was on "White Room". And I can duplicate it perfectly with my 3-year old Dunlap. So I'm happy. That's all I really care about.
I did learn something from all this though. Inductors are used a lot in generators and transformers, but I just looked up something about them that I hadn't thought about: They can be used as caps too. I guess that makes sense if its self inducting. Also, according to what I just read, if you put a cap inline with an inductor (depending on how its made) you'll regulate a maximum voltage at a specific phase. I'm guessing this is what's going on in wah-wah pedals. Who knew?
