The Dunlop Wylde Audio Cry Baby Wah (WA45) is a Zakk Wylde signature wah pedal made by Dunlop. Dunlop's manual describes it as "finely tuned to Zakk's specs," and the product page positions it as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Dunlop and Zakk Wylde collaboration12. Like other Cry Baby wahs, it is a rocking pedal that sweeps a bandpass filter across the guitar's frequency spectrum, shaping the vowel-like wah sound as you move the treadle from heel to toe.
Dunlop's own description of what it delivers: "this Cry Baby Wah delivers a thick, cutting kick to the pants every time you hit the switch"2. The company also says it is "built from the ground up with great tone and rugged durability in mind" and can stand up to heavy use on stage2. It carries a list price of $209.99 USD3.
A Zakk Wylde wah tuned to his specs
The WA45 belongs to Dunlop's Wylde Audio Series, the line of effects carrying Zakk Wylde's branding that grew out of the long-running Dunlop and Wylde partnership. Dunlop's artist page lists it as the "WYLDE AUDIO CRY BABY® WAH" guitar effects pedal3, and the product page frames it as a 20th-anniversary release for the collaboration2.
The Wylde Audio Series is broader than this one wah. When the anniversary pedals were announced, Guitar World reported that two more Wylde Audio Series pedals were on the way: the MXR Wylde Audio Rotovibe and Zakk's custom Cry Baby Wah4. Dunlop's site also carries the MXR Wylde Audio Phase in the same family5.
For players comparing Zakk Wylde wahs, this is not the first one Dunlop has built. The earlier ZW-45 Wylde Wah was a prior Wylde signature Cry Baby; the WA45 is the anniversary-era model, tuned to his specs per the manual1.
How it works and what it does to your sound
A Cry Baby wah is a bandpass filter whose center frequency is tied to the treadle position. Heel down, the filter sits low; toe down, it sits high. Rocking the pedal shifts the emphasized band up and down, which is what produces the wah effect.
Dunlop's manual gives the WA45's measured sweep and signal figures1:
| Condition | Filter center frequency | Gain | Noise floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heel down | 250 Hz (350 Hz) | +17 dBV | -100 dBV |
| Toe down | 400 Hz (2.4 kHz) | +17 dBV | -90 dBV |
The manual notes the noise figures are measured with VREF=1VRMS, A-weighted1. Other signal specifications from the manual: input level of -9 dBV and output of +6 dBV at center frequency, input impedance of 1 MΩ (>17 kΩ), and output impedance of 10 MΩ (<2.5 kΩ)1.
Setting up is a two-cable affair, per the manual1:
- Run an instrument cable from your guitar to the WA45's INSTRUMENT jack.
- Run another instrument cable from the AMPLIFIER jack to your amplifier input.
Power and connections
The WA45 runs on 9 volts DC with a current draw of 900 uA1. Powering options from the manual1:
- One 9-volt battery, accessed via the underside of the pedal
- A 9-volt AC adapter such as the Dunlop ECB003
- An MXR Brick Series power supply
The manual lists the bypass as hardware bypass, not true bypass1. Players building a pedalboard around true-bypass switching throughout should note this before adding the WA45.
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Questions
What is the frequency range of the Wylde Audio Cry Baby?
According to Dunlop's manual, the filter's center frequency sweeps from 250 Hz (350 Hz in the alternate figure listed) with the heel down to 400 Hz (2.4 kHz in the alternate figure) with the toe down. Rocking the pedal moves a bandpass filter across that range, which is what creates the wah effect.
Is the Wylde Audio Cry Baby true bypass?
Dunlop's manual lists the bypass as hardware bypass. The manual does not describe it as true bypass, so players who need that switching arrangement should treat this as a hardware bypass pedal rather than assuming true bypass.
Does the Wylde Audio Cry Baby take a battery?
Yes. The manual specifies one 9-volt battery, accessed through the underside of the pedal. It can also run on a 9-volt AC adapter such as the Dunlop ECB003 or an MXR Brick Series power supply.
What is the difference between the WA45 and the older Zakk Wylde Cry Baby?
The WA45 Wylde Audio Cry Baby Wah marks the 20th anniversary of the Dunlop and Zakk Wylde collaboration and is, per the manual, finely tuned to Zakk's specs. It sits in the Wylde Audio Series alongside other Wylde-branded Dunlop effects, where the earlier ZW-45 Wylde Wah was a prior Zakk Wylde signature Cry Baby.
Sources (5)
- WA45.pdf, Jim Dunlop, 2024
- WYLDE AUDIO CRY BABY® WAH, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- Artists - Zakk Wylde - Dunlop, Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- “All the ingredients I needed to make the soup”: MXR celebrates 20 years of partnership with Zakk Wylde with 5 pedals that promise his Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society and Pantera tones, Guitar World, 2023-10-02
- MXR® WYLDE AUDIO PHASE, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
