Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

The Cry Baby is the wah pedal most guitarists think of first: a floor unit with a rocking treadle that sweeps a filter across the guitar's frequency range, producing the vocal "wah" sound behind countless funk, blues and rock records. It is made by Dunlop, whose own manual for the Kirk Hammett signature model bills the Cry Baby as "THE ORIGINAL SINCE 1967"¹.

The line today runs from the plain Cry Baby Standard Wah (GCB95) through the Cry Baby Classic and the Clyde McCoy reissue, to a long list of artist signature models and downsized Mini and Junior versions. This page covers the family as a whole: what the pedal does, the signature and limited editions, the smaller sizes, and the players documented with them²³⁴.

What a Cry Baby wah does

Rock the treadle forward and back with your foot and the pedal sweeps its filter across the spectrum, from a dark, muted heel-down position to a sharp, vocal toe-down peak. Different models shape that sweep differently. The Cry Baby 95Q adds a Q control to vary the intensity of the effect⁸. The John Petrucci signature model goes further, with Volume, Q and six EQ controls¹¹. The Jerry Cantrell signature has a dark, punchy voice and a wide sweep, with a side control for fine-tuning the toe-down frequency¹².

Dunlop also tunes the circuit for bass. The Cry Baby Bass Wah combines auto-return switching with circuitry optimized to keep the low end full¹³, and the Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah delivers the same sound and functionality as the 105Q at half the size¹⁴.

Signature and limited editions

The signature line is where most of the Cry Baby's personality lives. Each model is voiced to its artist, and Dunlop describes them in its own words¹⁰:

Beyond the standing signature models, Dunlop issues special editions. The Jerry Cantrell I Want Blood Cry Baby Wah is a special edition of the Jerry Cantrell Cry Baby tied to his solo record I Want Blood²⁵. The Jerry Cantrell Firefly Cry Baby Wah in cream is a limited edition with a cream finish and glow-in-the-dark detailing²⁶. Dunlop's buying guide also notes a Jimi Hendrix Mini Cry Baby Wah, the JHM9, based on the personal wah pedal Hendrix used²⁷.

Smaller Cry Baby sizes: Mini and Junior

Not every board has room for a full-size treadle, and Dunlop has answered that in two steps²⁸²⁹⁹.

The Cry Baby Mini Wah (CBM95), released in 2015³⁰, is half the size of a standard Cry Baby²⁷. Dunlop says it "doesn't skimp on tone or usability"⁷, and it packs three internally adjustable voicings, Low, Vintage and GCB95, into the small housing⁷. Since the CBM95's release, the Mini line has been joined by the Cry Baby 105Q Mini Bass Wah and the Jimi Hendrix Cry Baby Mini Wah³⁰, and there is also a Cry Baby Mini 535Q³¹.

The Cry Baby Junior Wah (CBJ95), released in November 2020, sits between the full-size and Mini pedals³². It switches between high, mid and low Cry Baby voices; Dunlop says the M setting "provides the midrange growl of vintage wah pedals"³³.

Players documented with the Cry Baby

Dunlop documents its signature artists on its own artist pages. Joe Bonamassa describes his signature Cry Baby Wah in Dunlop's artist feature³⁴³⁵, and John Petrucci is documented as having collaborated with Dunlop to design picks and a Cry Baby Wah for his trademark sound and playing style³⁴³⁵. Justin Chancellor of Tool has a signature Cry Baby combining three of his favorite ways to explore tones and craft soundscapes²¹. Jerry Cantrell's model was replicated from the wah-wahs he favored, which had a wider, darker response¹², and the Dimebag Cry Baby Wah was designed in conjunction with Dimebag Darrell¹⁹.

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