Dunlop Daredevil Fuzz Wah

The Dunlop Cry Baby Daredevil Fuzz Wah (model DD95FW) is a wah pedal with a built-in, switchable fuzz circuit. Dunlop describes it as fusing "the sweet and expressive voice of a modded Cry Baby Wah with a gnarly custom fuzz circuit," a combination aimed at players who want both effects under one foot in one housing¹². A single side switch toggles the fuzz on and off, so the pedal works as a standard Cry Baby wah when you want it and as a fuzz wah when you do not¹²³.

The pedal came out of a collaboration between Dunlop and Daredevil Pedals, whose Johnny Water worked with Dunlop to create the new wah/fuzz pedal⁴¹². A switch on the pedal's side lets players choose between the wah and fuzz effects⁵.

What it does: a Cry Baby wah with a switchable fuzz

The Daredevil Fuzz Wah houses two circuits in one housing: a modded Cry Baby wah and a custom vintage fuzz circuit⁶. The wah side is a Cry Baby, so you get the familiar rocker sweep of a filter pedal, with a resonant frequency that reaches 2.1 kHz at toe down in both wah-only and fuzz-wah modes⁷. The fuzz side is Wator's own design, and Dunlop's copy calls it "downright gnarly"¹.

Premier Guitar's buying guide described the result as combining "the bright, aggressive vocality of a modded Cry Baby Wah with a custom fuzz circuit that's downright gnarly"⁸. The two effects are tied together: with the fuzz engaged, the wah's sweep shapes the fuzzed signal, which is the classic fuzz wah interaction players know from 1960s and 1970s recordings.

The pedal sits in a special housing with a vintage crinkle finish base, a polished aluminum rocker top, and a custom design tread¹.

The controls: one external switch, two internal knobs

The control layout is deliberately minimal. Everything you touch with your foot or hand in normal use is a single switch¹²³.

Dunlop calls the external control "a heavy-duty baseball bat switch to toggle the fuzz on and off," and it is the only control on the outside of the pedal¹. To reach the internal VOLUME and GAIN controls, you remove the bottom plate⁷. Dunlop's framing for the two internal pots is practical: "For instant lead tone, boost both the output and gain, in one step, you're ready to rip"¹. Premier Guitar's press coverage echoed that, calling the internal pots "perfect for instant lead tone"⁹.

Because the gain and output are internal, they are set-and-forget adjustments rather than performance controls. A player who wants fuzz intensity on a knob throughout a gig would need a separate fuzz pedal instead²⁷.

Power and connections

The Daredevil Fuzz Wah runs on 9 VDC and is powered by one 9-volt battery, accessed via the underside of the pedal, or by the Dunlop ECB003 9-volt adapter; Dunlop also lists its DC Brick, Iso-Brick, and Mini Iso-Brick power supplies as compatible¹⁷. Current draw is under 1 mA in both wah-only and fuzz-wah modes, so it places almost no load on a pedalboard power supply⁷.

The bypass is true hardwire, meaning the signal passes straight through when the pedal is off⁷. Dunlop's product page and Daredevil's own listing both describe the pedal as hand built with thru-hole components and true bypass switching¹¹⁰.

The manual's specifications show how the two modes differ electrically:

All figures from the DD95FW manual⁷. The gain figures show the difference between the two modes at both ends of the rocker sweep, which is why Dunlop pairs the internal output control with the fuzz circuit.

History: a collaboration between Dunlop and Daredevil Pedals

The pedal is a collaboration with Daredevil Pedals proprietor and pedal builder Johnny Wator, whose love for classic vintage circuits drove the design¹³. Daredevil Pedals' own page says the result came from "almost 3 years of collaboration with Dunlop" before it became a Dunlop product¹⁰. Gearnews reported that Dunlop worked with Daredevil's Johnny Wator and together they created the new wah/fuzz pedal⁴.

Dunlop worked with Daredevil Pedals's Johnny Water, and together they created this new wah/fuzz pedal⁴. Dunlop describes the result as a pedal that "combines the bright, aggressive vocality of a modded Cry Baby Wah with a custom fuzz circuit that's downright gnarly"¹.

The pedal's housing is part of its identity: a special enclosure with a vintage crinkle finish base, a polished aluminum rocker top, and a custom design tread¹. A switch on the pedal's side lets users choose between the wah and fuzz effects⁵.

Price and what reviewers said

The launch price was $229.99 in May 2023¹¹. Current figures disagree: Dunlop's site lists the DD95FW at $159.99 (October 2026)¹², Daredevil Pedals lists it at $229.00 (October 2026)¹⁰, and Premier Guitar's 2026 product page shows $229¹³. The sources conflict, so both current figures are given as they stand.

Premier Guitar's John Bohlinger took a first look at the pedal when it was announced⁸¹³:

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His point was the pairing the pedal represents: a small-builder fuzz circuit with Dunlop's manufacturing and support behind it, at a price below what a comparable boutique build typically costs¹⁴.

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