Dunlop Dimebag Cry Baby Wah

The Dunlop Dimebag Cry Baby Wah is a signature wah pedal from Dunlop, designed in conjunction with Dimebag Darrell, the Pantera guitarist and longtime Cry Baby user¹. It is a hot-rodded take on the standard Cry Baby: Dunlop describes it as giving you "everything you need to do serious wah damage," with an extended sweep that reaches further into the lows and highs than a stock wah¹.

Dunlop now lists the pedal as a legacy product, no longer in production¹. The related Dimebag Cry Baby From Hell Wah, covered below, remains the Dimebag signature wah in Dunlop's current lineup.

What it does

Like every Cry Baby, the pedal is a foot-rocked filter: pushing the treadle down sweeps a resonant peak through the frequency range, producing the vocal wah effect. Where the Dimebag model differs from a basic Cry Baby is its sweep. Dunlop says it features an extended sweep for more lows and highs, so the filter travels further at both ends of its range than the standard pedal's¹.

That wider sweep suits the way Dimebag Darrell used a wah, cutting through a high-gain rhythm and lead tone. The pedal was designed in conjunction with him, which is reflected in the extra tuning controls rather than any cosmetic treatment¹.

The controls

Beyond the treadle itself, the pedal gives you two ways to shape the sweep¹:

The 6-way selector is the bigger deal for a player comparing wahs: instead of one fixed voicing, you get six, which lets you move the wah's character from a low, throaty growl toward a sharper, more vocal peak. The fine-tune knob then trims the sweep within that setting. These are the same kinds of options Dunlop built into its 535Q Multi-Wah line, which is the circuit the From Hell version below starts from².

Power comes from a 9-volt battery, a Dunlop ECB003 9-volt adapter, or the DC Brick, Iso-Brick and Mini Iso-Brick power supplies, none of which are included with the pedal¹.

The From Hell version with switchable boost

The Dimebag Cry Baby From Hell Wah (DB01B) is the more feature-laden of the two Dimebag signature wahs, and the one still in Dunlop's lineup at a list price of $209.99 USD³. Dunlop's own description calls it "the most versatile wah in our line up," designed for players who need options on stage².

Its circuit starts from the Cry Baby 535Q Multi-Wah. Dunlop carried over the 535Q's Q control, 6-way range selector, and adjustable kick-in boost, and the From Hell version adds an extended sweep range and LEDs to indicate wah and boost status²⁴. Dimebag Darrell, a long-time user of the 535Q, worked with Dunlop on his own version of the pedal².

Guitar.com's reviewer Richard Purvis examined the From Hell in a 2019 review, noting its kick-button on the side to engage a gain boost, its buffered bypass with a switchable wet/dry second output, and its "camo black" finish. On the boost, he was clear about what it is and is not⁵:

Richard Purvis, Guitar.com⁵

That distinction matters if you are buying the pedal for its boost: it lifts your whole signal for solos rather than adding its own distortion, so it stacks with whatever gain you already run⁵.

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