Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby Wah (Sparkly Red)

The Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby Wah (Sparkly Red) is a limited edition of Dunlop's GCB95 Cry Baby Standard Wah, finished in a striking Sparkly Red paint job. Under the finish it is the same analog wah-wah pedal: the same circuit, the same Fasel inductor, and the same controls as the standard Dunlop Cry Baby Standard¹.

The GCB95 itself is Dunlop's long-running Standard Wah, first introduced in 1982 as the company's first Cry Baby, and Dunlop describes it as a modern interpretation of the original 1966 Cry Baby Wah sound²³. Guitar.com calls it "the modern incarnation of the original Cry Baby Wah, first introduced in 1966"⁴. For a player, it is the straightforward, single-pedal wah most people picture when they think of the effect: rock the treadle to sweep a filter across the frequency range and produce the wah-wah sound.

Is the Sparkly Red different from the standard GCB95?

No. RockBoard's PedalPedia listing describes it as "a limited edition of the popular wah-wah pedal" in a Sparkly Red finish, equipped with the same legendary Fasel inductor that delivers the sound heard on countless songs¹. The finish is the only difference from the standard GCB95; the circuit, controls and power are unchanged.

Dunlop has a history of dressing the GCB95 in special finishes. The Sparkly Red edition sits in that same tradition: a limited edition of the popular wah-wah pedal in a striking Sparkly Red finish, built around the same Fasel inductor circuit as the standard model¹.

Power: 9V DC, 2.5mA

The Sparkly Red GCB95 runs on 9V DC with a center-negative connector and draws only 2.5mA, one of the lowest current draws of any pedal on a typical board¹. That draw means a battery lasts a long time, and it is easy on any power supply.

The GCB95 manual gives two power options¹:

• One 9-volt battery, accessed via the bottom of the pedal
• A Dunlop ECB003 AC adapter (ECB003E in Europe)

Dunlop's product page also lists the DC Brick, Iso-Brick and Mini Iso-Brick power supplies as compatible, though the adapter is not included with the pedal³.

The GCB95 and its versions

The GCB95 line has a longer history than many players realize. Dunlop introduced the GCB95 Cry Baby Wah in 1982 as its first Cry Baby, and the company describes it as "a modern interpretation of the original Cry Baby sound, and it's for players who want a straight-up, no frills wah that cuts through the mix"².

The circuit has changed once in a way that matters. In 2004 Dunlop replaced the pedal's original custom inductor with the classic red Fasel inductor². MusicRadar notes that the GCB95 "now comes fitted with the red fasel inductor found in various vintage wahs for a sweeter sweep"⁶, and Gearnews adds that the pedal carries "the legendary red Fasel inductor and a 100 kOhm Hot Potz potentiometer"⁷.

What the Fasel inductor does

The inductor is a core component of a wah's filter circuit, and the part used shapes the character of the sweep. Dunlop's own product page says the GCB95's Fasel inductor gives "a focused high end, and an aggressive wah sound"³. The red Fasel is the same type of inductor found in vintage wahs, which is why Dunlop's 2004 swap is treated as a return to the classic sound²⁶. Dunlop also sells the red Fasel on its own as the Dunlop FL02R Fasel Inductor - Red for players rebuilding or modding wahs.

GCB95 versus GCB95F

The GCB95F Cry Baby Classic is a separate model, released in 2003². Where the GCB95 is the Standard Wah, the GCB95F is Dunlop's Classic Wah Wah, and its manual bills it as "the original since 1967"⁹. MusicRadar's review of the GCB95F notes it "scores big-time by enabling either the use of batteries or Dunlop's ECB03 AC adaptor"¹⁰⁹, so both models share the same dual power arrangement. See the Dunlop GCB95F page for that model in detail.

Where the GCB95 sits in the Cry Baby range

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