Dunlop Cry Baby
Encyclopedia
The Dunlop Cry Baby is a popular wah-wah pedal
, manufactured by Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. It is the best selling guitar pedal of all time. The name Cry Baby was from the original pedal from which it was copied, the Thomas Organ/Vox Cry Baby wah-wah. Thomas Organ/Vox failed to register the name as a trademark, leaving it open for Dunlop. More recently, Dunlop manufactured the Vox pedals under licence, although this is no longer the case.
The said wah-wah effect was originally intended to imitate the supposed crying tone that a muted trumpet
produced, but became an expressive tool in its own way. It was, and is, utilised when a guitarist is soloing, or being used to create a "wacka-wacka" funk styled rhythm.
With the exception of the GCB95F and most of the artist signature wah's, many of the newer Cry Baby models use a single-pole switch
instead of true-bypass; using single-pole switching instead of true-bypass adds significant impedance, which can affect the tone.
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
, manufactured by Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. It is the best selling guitar pedal of all time. The name Cry Baby was from the original pedal from which it was copied, the Thomas Organ/Vox Cry Baby wah-wah. Thomas Organ/Vox failed to register the name as a trademark, leaving it open for Dunlop. More recently, Dunlop manufactured the Vox pedals under licence, although this is no longer the case.
The said wah-wah effect was originally intended to imitate the supposed crying tone that a muted trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
produced, but became an expressive tool in its own way. It was, and is, utilised when a guitarist is soloing, or being used to create a "wacka-wacka" funk styled rhythm.
Models
There are many different models of the Cry Baby manufactured by Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc, most are listed below:- GCB-95 - Also known as the "Cry Baby Original". Typically the lowest priced model.
- GCB-95F Classic - A Cry Baby with a Fasel (classic Italian-made) inductorInductorAn inductor is a passive two-terminal electrical component used to store energy in a magnetic field. An inductor's ability to store magnetic energy is measured by its inductance, in units of henries...
and a Hot Potz 100K Ohm potentiometer. This model also features true hardwire bypass. - 95Q - A Switchless Cry Baby with a Q control (which varies the intensity of the wah effect), a volume boost, and the auto-return function.
- 535Q - Features tone shifting abilities using the Q control, six different wah ranges, a volume boost, and can also be used as sustainSustainIn music, sustain is a parameter of musical sound over time. As its name implies, it denotes the period of time during which the sound remains before it becomes inaudible, or silent.Additionally, sustain is the third of the four segments in an ADSR envelope...
pedal. - JH-1 Jimi Hendrix Signature - The Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
Signature Cry Baby is an original 1960s design to sound like Hendrix. Its circuitry is nearly identical to the GCB-95. - JH-1FW Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Wah - A combination of the Jimi Hendrix Signature Wah and the Jimi Hendrix Fuzz. It can be used as a Wah Pedal, a Fuzz Pedal, or both at the same time.
- DB-01 Dimebag Signature - Dimebag DarrellDimebag DarrellDarrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
's Signature Cry Baby. Based on the 535Q, as he used one prior. - EW-95V Mister Cry Baby Super Volume - A Cry Baby that doubles as a wah pedal and a volume boosting pedal. It can provide a volume boost of up to 16 decibels.
- ZW-45 Zakk Wylde Signature - Zakk WyldeZakk WyldeZachary Phillip Wylde , best known by the stage name Zakk Wylde, is an American musician, songwriter, and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory,...
's Signature Cry Baby. - 105Q Bass - A Cry Baby for bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s that only affects the mid and high frequencies, and features Q and Volume controls. - SW-95 Slash Signature - SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
's Signature Cry Baby with an added heavy distortion booster. - Limited Edition (1999) Purple, White, Red or Hammertone Gray
- EVH Signature - Eddie Van HalenEddie Van HalenEdward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
's Signature Cry Baby. - KH-95 Kirk Hammett Signature- Kirk HammettKirk HammettKirk Lee Hammett is the lead guitarist and a songwriter in the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stones list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
's new Cry Baby. - JC-95 Jerry Cantrell Signature- Jerry CantrellJerry CantrellJerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
's signature Cry Baby.
With the exception of the GCB95F and most of the artist signature wah's, many of the newer Cry Baby models use a single-pole switch
Switch
In electronics, a switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another....
instead of true-bypass; using single-pole switching instead of true-bypass adds significant impedance, which can affect the tone.