The Dunlop Cry Baby Q Mini 535Q Auto-Return Wah is a half-size wah pedal from Dunlop, announced in July 2020 as an auto-return version of the company's Cry Baby Mini 535Q12. It packs the feature set of the full-size 535Q Multi-Wah, a variable Q control, a range selector and a switchable boost, into a footprint half the size of a standard Cry Baby, and adds auto-return switching that turns the effect on when you push the toe down and off when you back off31.
Dunlop describes the pedal as combining "the dynamic versatility and space-saving footprint of the Cry Baby Mini 535Q Wah with the ultimate mod for convenient live performances, auto-return switching"2. The wah circuit uses the Red Fasel inductor, which Gearnews called "the legendary Red Fasel Inductor"1.
What auto-return switching does
On a standard wah, a separate footswitch toggles the effect on and off. On this pedal, the rocker itself does the switching: push down on the toe to engage the wah, back off to disengage it3. Dunlop's product page puts it simply: "With auto-return switching, adding some of that magical Cry Baby expression wherever you need it is just a matter of pushing down on the toe of the pedal and backing off"3.
For a live player, that means the effect is under one foot motion with no second stomp to find. GuitarPlayer reported the news as Dunlop adding auto return "to its hugely popular Cry Baby Mini 535Q wah pedal"6, and Guitar World called the Auto-Return "an auto-return version of its feature-packed Cry Baby Mini 535Q wah"7. The same switching had already appeared on Dunlop's CBM105Q Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah, which Guitar.com noted was "kitted out the Mini Wah with auto-return switching"8.
The controls
The pedal carries the 535Q control set in miniature. From the CBM535AR manual9102:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Variable Q knob | Adjusts wah intensity5 |
| Range Selector switch | Selects frequency range5 |
| Boost switch | Increases output as set by the Volume knob5 |
| LED | Indicates whether the boost is engaged3 |
Dunlop's product page describes what each brings to the sound. The Q control "allows you to shape the response of the wah effect from a narrow bandpass that emphasizes higher end harmonics to a wide bandpass that emphasizes lower end harmonics"3, which Dunlop's own buying guide summarizes as shaping the response "from sharp to smooth"2. The Range Selector offers four sweep ranges, "from warm and vintage-inspired to modern and aggressive"3, and Gearnews described these as "going from warm, vintage-inspired tones all the way through to more modern and aggressive ones"1. On the manual's range chart, position 3 spans 360Hz to 1840Hz5.
The Volume knob and Boost switch work together: set the boost level with the knob, then kick the switch to jump the signal forward. Dunlop says they "allow you to bump your Cry Baby signal straight to the front of the mix when it's time for your solo"3, with the LED confirming whether the boost is on3. The manual lists the boost control range as 0.1 dB to 17 dB on the Mini 535Q platform10, and the filter gain with the Q control at maximum clockwise and boost off as 16 dB5.
How it differs from the CBM535Q and other Cry Babies
The Auto-Return is a variant of the Cry Baby Mini 535Q: same half-size enclosure, same controls, same Red Fasel-based 535Q feature set, with auto-return switching in place of the standard pedal's conventional footswitch, which on the CBM535Q "toggles effect on/bypass"10. Dunlop's buying guide frames the choice directly: the CBM535QAR "offers the dynamic versatility and space-saving footprint of the Cry Baby Mini 535Q Wah with the ultimate mod for convenient live performances"2.
The Mini line itself dates to 2015, when, as Guitar.com's reviewer put it, "the four-inch Cry Baby Mini has been proving that you can operate a half-size wah with a full-size hoof"11. MusicRadar's review of the Mini 535Q called it "this iteration of the iconic Cry Baby wah pedal that's half the size of the original"1213.
Against the full-size models, the Auto-Return Mini sits at the top of the 535Q family on price41415:
| Model | Size | List price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Cry Baby Q Mini 535Q Auto-Return | Half size | $189.9934 |
| Cry Baby Mini 535Q | Half size | $179.99915 |
| 535Q Multi-Wah | Full size | $179.9915 |
| 535Q Multi-Wah Chrome | Full size | $245.99154 |
So the auto-return function carries a $10 premium over both the standard Mini and the full-size 535Q at Dunlop's list prices41416.
The pedal runs on one 9-volt battery, installed by removing the bottom plate5. Players who prefer to keep the bottom plate closed should factor that in when planning power for a pedalboard.
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Questions
What does auto-return mean on a wah pedal?
Auto-return switching engages the wah when you push down on the toe of the pedal and disengages it when you back off. You rock the pedal forward to switch the effect on, then let it return to disengage, so there is no separate bypass footswitch to hit mid-phrase. Dunlop added this function to the Cry Baby Mini 535Q in 2020 to make the pedal more convenient for live use.
How big is the Cry Baby Q Mini compared to a standard wah?
The Cry Baby Q Mini 535Q Auto-Return Wah is half the size of a standard Cry Baby wah, the same footprint as the regular Cry Baby Mini 535Q. Dunlop positions it as a balance of wah control and pedalboard efficiency, and the Mini line has been built at this size since 2015.
What does the Q control do on a Cry Baby Mini 535Q?
The Variable Q knob adjusts the intensity of the wah effect. It shapes the response from a narrow bandpass that emphasizes higher-end harmonics to a wide bandpass that emphasizes lower-end harmonics, in Dunlop's words from sharp to smooth. With the Q control at maximum clockwise and the boost off, the filter gain is 16 dB.
What is the difference between the CBM535Q and the CBM535QAR?
Both are half-size 535Q wahs with the same controls, but the CBM535QAR adds auto-return switching: push the toe down to engage the effect, back off to disengage. The standard CBM535Q uses a conventional footswitch to toggle the effect on and off. The Auto-Return version lists at $189.99 against $179.99 for the standard model.
How much does the Dunlop Cry Baby Q Mini 535Q Auto-Return cost?
Dunlop lists the Cry Baby Q Mini 535Q Auto-Return Wah at $189.99 USD. That is $10 more than the standard Cry Baby Mini 535Q at $179.99 and the full-size 535Q Multi-Wah, also $179.99, as listed on Dunlop's product pages.
Sources (16)
- Dunlop adds an auto-return function to the Cry Baby Q Mini 535Q Wah, gearnews.com, 2020-07-14
- RANGE OF EXPRESSION: FIND YOUR CRY BABY® WAH, Dunlop (lifestyle.jimdunlop.com), 2021-10-08
- CRY BABY® Q MINI 535Q AUTO-RETURN WAH, Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
- CRY BABY® 535Q MULTI-WAH, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- CBM535AR.pdf, Jim Dunlop, 2020
- Dunlop Adds Auto Return to Cry Baby Mini 535Q Wah, GuitarPlayer, 2020-07-14
- Dunlop announces auto-return version of its feature-packed Cry Baby Mini 535Q wah, Guitar World, 2020-07-14
- Dunlop CBM105Q Cry Baby Bass Mini Wah Review, Guitar.com, 2017-10-04
- CRY BABY® MINI 535Q WAH, Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
- CBM535Q.pdf, Jim Dunlop, 2019
- Dunlop Cry Baby Mini 535Q Review, Guitar.com, 2018-07-13
- Dunlop CBJ95 Cry Baby Junior and DVP5 Volume (X) review, MusicRadar, 2021-07-28
- Dunlop Cry Baby Mini 535Q review, MusicRadar, 2018-05-21
- CRY BABY® RETURN SPRING, Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
- CRY BABY® 535Q MULTI-WAH CHROME, Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
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