The Dunlop EVH95 EVH Wah is an analog wah pedal from Dunlop's Cry Baby line, built as a signature model for Eddie Van Halen. Rather than starting from a stock circuit, Dunlop based it on Eddie's own "Holy Grail" Cry Baby, a standard Cry Baby he had customized in the early Nineties, and the production pedal carries clones of that pedal's worn-in pot and hand-selected inductor12.
Dunlop describes the result as a wah with a custom inductor, custom pot and an extra wide frequency sweep, with "wide sweep with aggressive midrange"3. Visually it stands apart from other Cry Babies: the graphics are based on the black and yellow-striped guitar featured on Van Halen II, and the pedal carries dual bright blue bypass LEDs1.
A Cry Baby built from Eddie Van Halen's Holy Grail wah
The story of the EVH95 starts with the pedal Eddie actually used. Dunlop's account is that early in the development process, Eddie handed over his "Holy Grail" Cry Baby, a standard Cry Baby customized in the early Nineties with a more vocal-like, high-Q inductor and a wider frequency sweep12. Dunlop's manual puts it plainly:
"Our clones of the worn-in pot and hand-selected inductor give the new EVH Wah Wah the same 'Holy Grail' feel and tone."
For a player, that lineage is the point of the pedal. Where a stock Cry Baby uses standard production parts, the EVH95's inductor and pot were chosen to match the feel of a specific, well-worn example. Dunlop's buying guide summarizes the design as "a custom inductor, custom pot, and an extra wide frequency sweep"3.
The pedal sits in a wider family of signature Cry Babies, including the Dunlop 95Q Cry Baby, the Dunlop Kirk Hammett Cry Baby and the Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Cry Baby, each voiced to a named player's setup.
How it sounds and how it differs from a standard Cry Baby
Dunlop's own description of the EVH95's voice is "wide sweep with aggressive midrange"3. The differences from a standard Cry Baby such as the Dunlop GCB95 Original Cry Baby come down to the parts and the sweep:
| Feature | EVH95 | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Inductor | Custom, cloned from the Holy Grail pedal's hand-selected unit | 2 |
| Pot | Custom, cloned from the Holy Grail pedal's worn-in pot | 2 |
| Frequency sweep | Extra wide | 13 |
| Bypass | True hardwire bypass, dual blue LEDs | 1 |
| Graphics | Black and yellow stripes, after the Van Halen II guitar | 1 |
The manual also gives measured filter behavior: the low-pass end of the sweep runs from 300Hz to 380Hz, the high-pass end from 1.9kHz to 2.3kHz, and maximum gain with the heel down is +20dB at 300Hz to 380Hz2. Those adjustable filter parameters are what the rocker sweeps between as you move from heel to toe.
Controls and setup
The EVH95 keeps the classic Cry Baby control scheme: one rocker, no knobs. Setup is a matter of two cables and a stomp2.
- Run a shielded instrument cable from your guitar to the EVH-95's Instrument jack2.
- Run another shielded instrument cable from the EVH-95's Amplifier jack into your amplifier input2.
- Rock the pedal with your foot to sweep the filter.
- To turn the pedal on or off, push the toe of the pedal down until you feel a "click"; an illuminated blue LED indicates on2.
Power: 9V DC, 2mA
The EVH95 runs on 9V DC at 2mA (18mW no load)2, with a center-negative connection4. Dunlop lists three ways to power it:
- A 9-volt battery, accessed via the bottom of the pedal12
- A Dunlop ECB-003 AC adapter (ECB-003E in Europe)12
- Dunlop DC Brick, Iso-Brick and Mini Iso-Brick power supplies, or the Dunlop DCB-10 DC Brick, none included with the pedal12
At 2mA the draw is low enough that it places little demand on a multi-output power supply. Dunlop also sells a Cry Baby EVH95 bottom plate (ECB323) as a replacement part for the enclosure5.
Did Eddie Van Halen design the EVH95?
Dunlop states that "The EVH Wah was developed after intensive design collaboration with the legendary guitarist, Eddie Van Halen"1. The collaboration was practical rather than from-scratch: Eddie supplied his Holy Grail Cry Baby, and Dunlop built the production pedal around clones of its key parts12. The manual notes that EVH is a registered trademark of E.L.V.H., Inc., used under license2.
The EVH95 was not Eddie's first signature pedal with Dunlop. MusicRadar reported in 2008 that it followed his signature Phase 90 and Flanger pedals from Dunlop's MXR stable, making the wah "the latest" addition to that lineup6.
Who plays it
Eddie's son Wolf Van Halen uses the EVH95 on stage. In Premier Guitar's rig rundown of his band Mammoth WVH, the pedal is worked out for the solo of "You'll Be the One," standing in for the talk box heard on the recorded version7.
Videos
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Questions
Is the EVH95 wah analog?
Yes. The Dunlop EVH95 is an analog wah pedal, built around a custom inductor and a custom pot that Dunlop cloned from Eddie Van Halen's worn-in "Holy Grail" Cry Baby. There is no digital modeling in the circuit.
What adapter does the Dunlop EVH95 use?
Dunlop specifies its ECB-003 AC adapter (ECB-003E in Europe) or the Dunlop DCB-10 DC Brick power supply. The pedal runs on 9V DC at 2mA, center negative, and can also run on a 9-volt battery accessed through the bottom plate.
What is the Holy Grail Cry Baby?
It is Eddie Van Halen's own standard Cry Baby, customized in the early Nineties with a more vocal-like, high-Q inductor and a wider frequency sweep. Eddie handed the pedal to Dunlop during development of the EVH95, and Dunlop cloned its worn-in pot and hand-selected inductor.
How is the EVH95 different from a standard Cry Baby?
The EVH95 uses a custom inductor and custom pot cloned from Eddie Van Halen's modified Cry Baby, giving an extra wide frequency sweep and aggressive midrange. It also has true hardwire bypass, dual blue bypass LEDs, and graphics based on the striped guitar from Van Halen II.
Did Eddie Van Halen design the EVH95?
Not alone. Dunlop says the EVH Wah was developed after intensive design collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, and that early in the process he handed over his "Holy Grail" Cry Baby for the company to work from. EVH is a registered trademark of E.L.V.H., Inc., used under license.
What is Eddie Van Halen's Holy Grail wah?
A standard Cry Baby customized in the early Nineties with a more vocal-like, high-Q inductor and a wider frequency sweep. It became the reference for the EVH95, whose clones of its worn-in pot and hand-selected inductor reproduce what Dunlop calls the same feel and tone.
Sources (7)
- Cry Baby EVH Wah product page, Jim Dunlop, 2026-10-25
- EVH-95 Eddie Van Halen Signature Wah Wah manual, Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., 2019
- How to Choose Your Cry Baby Wah, Dunlop (lifestyle.jimdunlop.com), 2021-10-08
- EVH95 EVH Wah PedalPedia entry, RockBoard, 2026
- Cry Baby EVH95 Bottom Plate ECB323, Jim Dunlop, 2026-10-25
- Jim Dunlop EVH signature wah, MusicRadar, 2008-03-04
- Rig Rundown: Mammoth WVH, Premier Guitar, 2023-06-14
Eddie Van Halen
