Dunlop Cry Baby Mini 535Q

The Dunlop Cry Baby Mini 535Q is a wah pedal from Dunlop that packs the feature set of the full-size 535Q Multi-Wah into a housing half the size of a standard Cry Baby¹. It keeps the controls players buy a 535Q for: a Range Selector with four sweep ranges, a Q knob for wah intensity, a Volume control and a switchable boost of up to +16dB². MusicRadar's reviewer Rod Brakes found it delivers "classic throaty Cry Baby with little difference from a full size pedal through the treadle travel"³.

The Mini line has been proving the half-size concept since 2015, in Guitar.com reviewer Richard Purvis's words, "that you can operate a half-size wah with a full-size hoof"⁴.

The controls: range selector, Q, volume and boost

The pedal has four controls, all described in Dunlop's manual and product page⁶⁷:

The wah itself turns on and off by pushing the toe of the pedal down until you feel a click². The boost is a separate side switch, not foot-operated in the playing sense: you set its level with the Volume knob and kick the Boost switch to engage it¹. Guitar.com's review flagged this as the pedal's main limitation, noting "it's just a pity there's no way of turning this on and off on the fly"⁴.

The four Range Selector positions, from Dunlop's manual²:

MusicRadar's buying guide describes these as running "from bassier to trebly sweeps"⁷. The full-size 535Q offers six selectable ranges; the Mini cuts those down to four³. The circuit uses the same red Fasel inductor as the full-size 535Q, which MusicRadar's buying guide credits with a more vintage voicing³⁷.

Power and connections

The Mini 535Q runs on DC 9 volts and draws 2.5 mA². Power options, per Dunlop¹²:

• One 9-volt battery (remove the bottom plate to install)
• A Dunlop ECB003 9-volt adapter
• Dunlop DC Brick, Iso-Brick and Mini Iso-Brick power supplies (not included)

Input and output are 6.3mm mono jacks⁶. The bypass is true hardwire, so the signal passes unbuffered when the pedal is off². Input impedance is 1MΩ and output impedance is roughly 1.5K Ohm².

History and versions

The Mini 535Q was released in 2018, designed by Dunlop's Jeorge Tripps, who discussed it in a Guitar.com interview: "Then we did a Cry Baby Mini 535Q Wah"⁸.

In 2020 Dunlop added an auto-return version, the Cry Baby Q Mini 535Q Auto-Return Wah⁹¹⁰. It keeps the same controls and half-size footprint but engages when you push the toe down and disengages when you back off, rather than clicking on and off⁹. Guitar World called it a new version of "the half-sized wonder"¹⁰, and Gearnews described its sweep ranges as going "from warm, vintage-inspired tones all the way through to more modern and aggressive ones"¹¹. The auto-return version lists at $189.99¹² and draws 3 mA, slightly more than the standard Mini's 2.5 mA².

Dunlop's buying guide also positions the Mini 535Q against its other compact wahs: the Cry Baby Mini Wah is the simpler half-size option, and the Cry Baby Junior Wah sits between the Mini and a full-size pedal¹³.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's Rod Brakes found the pedal sounds like a classic Cry Baby with little difference from a full-size pedal through the treadle travel, and praised its versatility, customizable sweeps and small footprint³. Guitar World's buying guide calls it versatile and notes its switchable boost for extra output, while allowing that some players may prefer the full-sized version⁶.

The most common criticism concerns the treadle. MusicRadar's review of the Cry Baby Junior noted that "the treadle size, while respectful of the space you are working in," might not suit players with big feet, who may want something more substantial underfoot¹⁵.

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