Dunlop JC95 Jerry Cantrell Signature Wah

The Dunlop JC95 Jerry Cantrell Signature Wah is a wah pedal Dunlop built with Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, designed to his specifications¹. It is a Cry Baby in the classic treadle format, but voiced differently from the standard model: where a stock Cry Baby sweeps a broader filter, the JC95 is custom-voiced for a tight, punchy heel-down tone with a wider, darker response, plus a side control to fine-tune the toe-down frequency². Premier Guitar's reviewer put the character plainly: "The JC95's filter is decidedly narrow, producing a pronounced wah"¹.

The original JC95 is discontinued; Guitar.com called it "the discontinued original signature model" in 2022³. Dunlop has kept the Cantrell voice alive in later Cry Baby wahs, including the JC95B covered by the maker's manual and the Firefly edition announced in 2022, which Guitar World noted is voiced to nail Cantrell's trademark wah tones like all the JC95 wahs⁴². This page covers the JC95 line as a whole, with the JC95B's maker-published specifications where they apply.

A narrow, pronounced wah voiced for Jerry Cantrell

The JC95 exists because Cantrell sat down with Dunlop to build a wah to his own spec¹. What came out of that is a pedal with a distinct voice among Cry Babies. Premier Guitar's buying guide describes it as complementing Cantrell's sound "with a dark, punchy voice, a wide sweep, and a control on the side for fine-tuning the toe-down frequency"⁶. MusicRadar's first look, from the pedal's introduction in 2010, reported an all-round "moodier" tone⁷.

The darker, wider character is deliberate. Technical analysis on Guitar FX Layouts notes that Cantrell favored wahs with a wider, darker response, and that Dunlop replicated that sound for the signature pedal⁸. For a player, that means the sweep sits lower and thicker than a stock Cry Baby's, with a tight punch at the heel-down end and a ceiling you can place yourself with the side knob.

The pedal also looks the part of a Cantrell signature. Premier Guitar's review notes it "comes in an attractive, copper-colored casing full of rugged components"¹, and Guitar FX Layouts identifies a custom Alice in Chains tread on the footpad⁸. MusicRadar's buying guide also lists an oxidized road-worn brass casing among its features⁹.

The controls: the side knob for toe-down frequency

The JC95's one control beyond the treadle is a side-mounted knob, and it is the heart of what makes this wah different to use⁴⁶⁸.

Premier Guitar's review measured what that knob actually does: "The pedal also has a knob to set the frequency ceiling. At its maximum, this is roughly 2000 Hz, and at its minimum it's" around 1000 Hz¹. In practice, that lets you decide where the sweep peaks when you push the treadle all the way forward: brighter and more vocal at the top of the range, or darker and smoother at the bottom.

Dunlop's own buying guide describes the pedal as "custom-voiced for a tight, punchy heel-down tone with a side-control to fine-tune the toe-down frequency for a darker sound"². Guitar World's coverage of the later Firefly model confirms the same side-mounted knob for dialing in the toe-down frequency carries across the JC95 line⁴.

Inside, the side knob is a 5k potentiometer. According to the builder analysis on Guitar FX Layouts, it is wired as a variable resistor for the sweep, with the second lug on ground and the third lug disconnected, since that third lug does not affect the sweep or resistance in any way⁸.

Power and bypass

The JC95 runs on a 9-volt battery that you can swap without removing the bottom plate, a practical touch for a pedal that lives on the floor. Premier Guitar's review also notes you can run it off an optional AC adaptor or Dunlop's DCB10 Brick power supply¹. The JC95B's maker-published manual lists a current draw of just 1 mA⁵, so on a powered board it is a negligible load.

The pedal is not true bypass. Premier Guitar states it "features hardwired-bypass switching"¹. Players who want a true-bypass conversion can get one: Griffin Effects sells a true bypass modification kit it says will work with the JC95 across all revisions¹⁰.

What circuit is the JC95 based on?

For players who care about what is under the treadle, Guitar FX Layouts' analysis is the clearest published picture. All Dunlop wahs of this generation are based on the GCB-95 circuit, which is essentially the original Thomas Organ wah with an input buffer added, a two-transistor topology overall⁸.

The JC95 is not a radical departure. One builder in the site's comment thread observed that it is "essentially a standard Crybaby with two or three component swaps and the pot"⁸¹. That matches the maker's framing: the voicing changes, not the architecture. The same analysis notes that newer Dunlop wahs built on the Q535 Cry Baby circuit add features around the same overall two-transistor core⁸.

What reviewers and builders said

Published reviewers have been positive. Premier Guitar's review concluded that "you'll likely find this pedal's wide sonic range and beautiful voicing inspire creative playing"¹, and found little to criticize, with "not much at all" to avoid in an overall verdict⁹. MusicRadar's buying guide listed its custom voicing with a darker, wider response and the rugged side control knob among its pluses⁹. The pedal was reviewed in full in Total Guitar issue 201 at its launch⁷.

The DIY community has also built the circuit from scratch. On Guitar FX Layouts, a builder reported in 2021 that the layout "sounds amazing!!", though the sweep pot wiring needed a correction⁸. That thread is also where the pedal's closeness to a standard Cry Baby came up, which cuts both ways: it is a simple, proven circuit, and its character comes from a handful of component choices rather than a new design⁸.

Who uses it

The player behind it is Jerry Cantrell himself. Premier Guitar reports that Cantrell worked with Dunlop to develop the JC95 to his unique specifications¹, and the buying guide frames the model as one that complements his sound⁶. MusicRadar introduced it in 2010 as the signature wah of the Alice in Chains guitarist⁷.

Since the original JC95 was discontinued, Dunlop has continued the line. The JC95B appears in the maker's own documentation⁵, and the Firefly edition, announced in 2022, carries the same voicing and side knob³⁴. Players comparing Cantrell-voiced wahs today are choosing among those successors rather than the original.

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