Dunlop Crybaby Jerry Cantrell Wah

The Dunlop Crybaby Jerry Cantrell Wah is a signature wah pedal from Dunlop, built for Jerry Cantrell, guitarist of Alice In Chains. Dunlop says Cantrell favored wah-wahs with a wider, darker response, and that the company "painstakingly replicated that moody sound" to create the pedal¹. Where a stock Cry Baby sweeps through a familiar midrange peak, this signature model is voiced darker and punchier, with a wide sweep and one extra control a standard Cry Baby does not have: a side knob that sets the toe-down frequency¹².

MusicRadar's reviewer called it "a proper Crybaby" and noted that Cantrell joined the ranks of Hendrix, Slash and Hammett in getting his own signature version of the pedal³. The line has run through several editions since the original JC95 appeared in 2010, each keeping the same signature voicing but changing the finish and the lyrics printed on the bottom plate⁴⁵.

What it is and what it does

The pedal is a treadle wah: you rock the pedal with your foot and the sweep moves a frequency peak up and down through the guitar's range, the classic wah-wah effect. Dunlop describes the signature model as having "a dark, punchy voice and a wide sweep with a control on the side for fine-tuning the toe-down"¹. Premier Guitar's wah buying guide says the same thing in plainer terms: the model "complements Jerry Cantrell's sound with a dark, punchy voice, a wide sweep, and a control" for the toe-down frequency⁸.

For a player, that means two things in practice. The darker voicing is part of a sound described as retaining low-end punch, and the wide sweep is part of a dark, punchy voice with a wide sweep, reflecting the wider, darker response Jerry favored, which Dunlop replicated⁹⁸¹.

The side knob

The one control beyond the treadle itself is a knob on the side of the casing. Dunlop's manual calls it the FINE TUNE knob and says it "adjusts tone of toe-down rocker position"⁶. In other words, it sets where the top of the sweep lands when you push the pedal fully forward.

MusicRadar's review explains what that does by ear:

MusicRadar's reviewer concluded that the knob gives a "useful range of wah sounds" and is a reason to buy the pedal over a standard model³. Guitar.com's review of the JC95B edition found the opposite end of the knob's range the most rewarding, saying that with the side-mounted knob at minimum "it's about as 'vocal' as wahs get and that makes it hugely addictive"⁷.

How it differs from a standard Cry Baby

Under the hood, the differences from a stock Cry Baby are small. Builders on the Guitar FX Layouts site, who traced the circuit for a DIY version, describe the JC95 as close to the stock pedal: one commenter asked "Isn't it essentially a standard Crybaby with two or three component swaps and the pot?", and the builder who laid out the project reported doing the sweep knob and a switchable input cap from a modded Cry Baby layout¹⁰¹¹. The builder's verdict on the clone was that it "sounds awesome" and is worth building¹⁰.

Guitar.com's review of the JC95B said that version "has the same innards" as the standard Jerry Cantrell signature Cry Baby, with only the finish changed⁷. So the signature character comes less from a radically different circuit than from the voicing of those few components and the sweep pot, which together give the darker, wider response Dunlop built to match Cantrell's taste¹.

MusicRadar noted the price gap in UK terms: "It may be £60 more than a standard Crybaby but the addition of the frequency control means that you can go from a vintag[e]" sound to more modern ones³. In US pricing, Premier Guitar listed the JC95 at a street price of $159 as of its 2026 review⁵.

Versions and editions

The signature line has appeared in several forms, including the Firefly and I Want Blood editions of the original model. Each keeps the same side-knob control for fine-tuning the toe-down frequency, and the signature voicing; the finish, such as the subdued raw iron finish of the Firefly or the bold black and red finish of the I Want Blood, and the printed lyrics, such as the lyrics to Black Gives Way To Blue on the base plate or the full lyrics of the I Want Blood title track on the bottom plate, change¹²¹³¹.

A few notes on the table. The Firefly edition's launch price was reported as $199.99 by Premier Guitar and $200 by Guitar.com¹⁶¹². The Firefly also came in a cream limited edition with a glow-in-the-dark firefly graphic, which Dunlop marketed as "perfect for nailing Jerry's powerful wah-laden licks"¹⁷. The I Want Blood edition, announced in May 2026, is the current version, available at $249.99 street¹⁵.

Where it came from

Cantrell's wah sound predates the signature pedal. Premier Guitar's 2009 rig rundown of his gear identified "his original Dunlop Crybaby wah used on the epic 'Man in the Box'"¹⁸, the Alice In Chains song whose opening riff is one of the most recognizable wah parts in rock. The signature model followed in 2010, when MusicRadar's first look described the JC95 with its custom Alice In Chains rubber tread, brushed brass coloration and the Black Gives Way To Blue lyrics printed along the underside⁴.

The special editions track Cantrell's later records. The Firefly edition of 2022 was inspired by his solo album Brighten and continued what Guitar World called "the tradition of printing lyrics on the bottom plate, in this case the album's title tra[ck]"²¹³. The I Want Blood edition of 2026 takes its black-and-red look and molded tread from the cover art of his album I Want Blood¹¹.

What reviewers said

Published reviews have been positive across the line. MusicRadar's review of the pedal found the frequency control gave it a useful range of wah sounds and justified the premium over a standard Cry Baby³. Guitar.com's JC95B review praised its vocal quality at the knob's minimum setting and noted it retains low-end punch, a point Dunlop's own buying guide also makes⁷⁹.

Premier Guitar's review of the JC95 was the most personal:

Premier Guitar's reviewer, 2026⁵

The same review carried the $159 street price and credited Dunlop Manufacturing as the maker⁵.

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