The Dunlop SW95 Slash Cry Baby Wah is a signature wah pedal from Dunlop, built for Slash and finished in what Guitar World called "a Slash-approved metallic-red paint job"12. It is not a plain Cry Baby: alongside the wah it carries a switchable high-gain distortion circuit, and Dunlop positions it in its buying guide as "Classic wah tone with switchable high-gain distortion"2. The pedal is listed by Jim Dunlop at $209.99 USD as of October 20263.
Dunlop's manual describes the wah side as delivering "the vocal, expressive tones that the Cry Baby is famous for"4, and the pedal is built on the Fasel-loaded Classic circuit, the same inductor type Dunlop uses in its Cry Baby Classic line2. Guitar World's reviewer, writing in 2007, found the inductor central to the sound:
"THANKS TO THE FASEL inductor, the Slash wah delivers an expressive, vocalike midrange that's thick and creamy."
The controls and jacks
The SW95 keeps the Cry Baby rocker format with a few additions of its own. Pushing down firmly on the toe of the rocker switches the wah on, and blue LEDs on both sides of the pedal light up to show it is active12. On the right side of the pedal sit the gain and volume knobs1, plus the red mushroom-shaped distortion switch near the heel: push it in to kick in the distortion circuit, with red LED indicators glowing when it is engaged1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rocker pedal | Sweeps the wah; push down at the toe to switch the effect on, blue LEDs light up1 |
| FOOTSWITCH | Toggles the pedal on and off4 |
| VOLUME knob | Controls overall effect volume4 |
| Gain and Volume knobs | Dial in each effect2 |
| Red mushroom-shaped knob | Push in near the heel to engage the distortion circuit, red LEDs indicate the state1 |
Hookup is conventional. Run an instrument cable from your guitar to the SW95's INSTRUMENT jack, then another instrument cable from the SW95's AMPLIFIER jack into your amplifier's input4.
Power: 18V DC, 18mA
The SW95 runs on two 9-volt batteries, accessed through a door in the top of the pedal, which Dunlop lists among its features as a "Convenient Top Loading Battery Door"4. Dunlop's buying guide also calls out the topside battery access as a selling point of the model2, and Guitar World's reviewer singled it out as an easy-access compartment sitting on top of the rocker pedal1.
For adapter power, the manual specifies an 18-volt DC supply through the AC adapter jack, naming the Dunlop ECB004/ECB004E or a DC Brick power supply as suitable4. Current draw is 18 mA4.
The SW95 needs 18 volts DC, not the voltage many pedalboards supply by default. A standard daisy chain will not power it; plan for the Dunlop ECB004/ECB004E, a DC Brick, or the two-battery option4.
The circuit it comes from
The wah side of the SW95 is the Fasel-loaded Classic circuit2, and Guitar World reports that the pedal carries a classic Fasel inductor "just like Slash's own custom-built wah pedal"1. The Fasel inductor is the component long associated with the vintage Cry Baby sound, and it is what Dunlop builds into its Cry Baby Classic models.
The distortion half is where the design gets interesting. Guitar World explains the topology:
"The distortion circuit is placed in front of the wah, which delivers a wider range of wah tone than if it were placed after it."
That ordering has a practical consequence the same review flags: the volume drops dramatically at the full heel-down position with the distortion engaged. The reviewer notes this always happens when a distortion is placed in front of a wah and is not unique to the Slash pedal1. There is also a switching limitation worth knowing before you build a board around it: the distortion does not work separately, and you can turn it on only when the wah is also on1.
The measured sweep, from Dunlop's manual:
Maximum gain at the center frequency is 20 dB4. Nominal input level is -8 dBV, maximum output is +7 dBV4, and with the distortion off the noise floor sits below -94 dBV, A-weighted4.
Where it sits in the Cry Baby range
The SW95 is one of several Slash signature wahs in Dunlop's lineup, alongside the Slash Signature Cry Baby and the Slash Cry Baby Classic. What separates it from those models is the built-in distortion section; the others are wah-only pedals. Among wah-plus-gain pedals in the range it sits alongside designs like the Cry Baby DareDevil Fuzz Wah, which pairs the wah with fuzz instead12.
Guitar World closed its 2007 review with a verdict that credited the guitarist himself1:
"Hats off to Slash for designing a wah pedal that's as classic as his riffs."
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Questions
Does the SW95 use batteries or an adapter?
Both. It runs on two 9-volt batteries loaded through a door in the top of the pedal, or on an 18-volt DC adapter through the AC adapter jack, such as the Dunlop ECB004/ECB004E or a DC Brick power supply. The manual lists the power requirement as 18 volts DC with a current draw of 18 mA.
Is the SW95 true bypass?
Yes. Dunlop's manual lists the bypass as True Hardwire, so with the pedal off your signal passes through without the wah circuit loading it. Pushing down on the toe of the rocker turns the wah on, and blue LEDs on both sides of the pedal light up to show the state.
How do you change the battery in the SW95?
Through the top of the pedal. The SW95 has a top-loading battery door, so you swap the two 9-volt batteries without tipping the pedal over or unscrewing the bottom plate. Guitar World's reviewer called it an easy-access, top-loading compartment on top of the rocker pedal.
What is the frequency range of the SW95 wah sweep?
According to Dunlop's manual, the center frequency sweeps from 270 Hz to 370 Hz at the heel-down position to 1.5 kHz to 1.9 kHz at toe down, with a maximum gain of 20 dB at the center frequency. That sweep comes from the Fasel-loaded Classic circuit.
What adapter works with the SW95?
Dunlop's manual specifies an 18-volt DC power supply through the AC adapter jack, naming the Dunlop ECB004/ECB004E or a DC Brick power supply. Current draw is 18 mA. A standard 9V pedal adapter does not meet the 18-volt requirement.
Can the distortion be switched off?
The distortion can be switched off, but it cannot run on its own. Guitar World's review notes the distortion does not work separately; you can turn it on only when the wah is also on. You engage it by pushing in the red mushroom-shaped knob near the heel, with red LED indicators showing the state.
Sources (4)
- Dunlop Cry Baby SW-95 Slash wah review, Guitar World, 2007-07-19
- RANGE OF EXPRESSION: FIND YOUR CRY BABY® WAH, Dunlop (lifestyle.jimdunlop.com), 2021-10-08
- SLASH CRY BABY® WAH, Jim Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
- SW95.pdf, Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., 2019
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