The Dunlop Cry Baby is a Dunlop wah pedal, currently around $85. Close alternatives include the Vox VRM-1 and the Dunlop Colored Crybaby Tread. It pairs well with the Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head and the Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt.
Dunlop Cry Baby
Dunlop · pedal
The Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95 is the standard-production version of the original Cry Baby wah pedal, built around a Fasel red inductor and a halo-style pot that defines the classic late-1960s wah sweep character. It produces a midrange-focused vocal sweep that sharpens attack on distorted lead tones and adds expressive movement to clean rhythm playing. Heavily associated with the foundational wah sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Slash, and Tom Morello, it is among the best-selling and most widely used wah pedals in production. Genre fit is broad: blues, rock, funk, metal, and psychedelic rock all use this pedal's sweep as a core element.
What stands out
“Heavily associated with the foundational wah sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Slash, and Tom Morello, it is among the best-selling and most widely used wah pedals in production”
— from the listing
“Classic mid-scoop wah sweep with a pronounced vocal character that has defined rock wah tone since the late 1960s”
— from the community notes
“It produces a midrange-focused vocal sweep that sharpens attack on distorted lead tones and adds expressive movement to clean rhythm playing”
— from the listing
“The main criticism is that the buffered bypass adds a slight high-frequency loading effect when disengaged, which some players notice in high-transparency rigs”
— from the community notes
“Genre fit is broad: blues, rock, funk, metal, and psychedelic rock all use this pedal's sweep as a core element”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“Compared to boutique or modded wahs it offers , but its character is precisely what a large portion of players are trying to match”
— from the reviews
- wah
- vocal
- rock
- lead
- expressive
- buffered
- bypass
- attack
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Dunlop Cry Baby is commonly used in
Amps that pair well with the Dunlop Cry Baby
Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head
Revv
33% matchRun mid-forward into Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head for more high gain on top
Comes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H
Marshall
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Hughes & Kettner Coreblade
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hughes & Kettner Coreblade layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run mid-forward into Friedman BE-Mini Head for more high gain on top
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward high gain
Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce Stage II
Mesa Boogie
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Mesa/Boogie Stiletto Deuce Stage II layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Egnater Tourmaster Combo 4212
Egnater
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Egnater Tourmaster Combo 4212 layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Pedals that stack with the Dunlop Cry Baby
EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter
EarthQuaker Devices
36% matchPut EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward fuzzy
Comes later in the signal chain
Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz
Wren And Cuff
35% matchRunning the Cry Baby ahead of the Box of War lets its sweep carve through the fuzz's thick, sustained wall before the gain stage smears it.
Comes later in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix XO Deluxe Memory Man
Electro-Harmonix
13% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run the Memory Man after the wah, not before, so the vocal sweep stays clean and the delay just colors the tail. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Keeley Halo
Keeley
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Dunlop Cry Baby's mid-forward voice out front: Keeley Halo goes after Dunlop Cry Baby in the signal chain so its ambient voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2
Dr Scientist
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run mid-forward into Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2 for more fuzzy on top
Death By Audio Destruction
Death By Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Death By Audio Destruction stacks fuzzy on top of the mid-forward already here
Subdecay F-Bomb
Subdecay
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Subdecay F-Bomb layers fuzzy onto an already mid-forward signal
Warm Audio Jet Phaser
Warm Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Warm Audio Jet Phaser goes after Dunlop Cry Baby — modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Cheaper alternatives
Morley M2 Wah
Morley
67% similarityShared character: blues players, peak, wah
Electro-Harmonix Wailer Wah
Electro-Harmonix
66% similarityShared character: wah, natural resonance, vocal
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix JH-1 Wah Pedal
Dunlop
61% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, classic rock
Boutique & premium upgrades
JAM Pedals Seagull Cocked Wah
Jam Pedals
68% similarityShared character: peak, wah, vocal
JAM Pedals Wahcko Plus
Jam Pedals
65% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, true bypass
Ibanez Twin Peaks
Ibanez
65% similarityShared character: peak, wah, natural resonance
T-Rex Gull Wah
T Rex
65% similarityShared character: peak, durable construction, wah
Vox Real McCoy
Vox
64% similarityShared character: bright, wah, vocal
Morley 20/20 Wah-Lock
Morley
64% similarity“the Morley wah voicing compared to vintage Dunlop character”
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Vox VRM-1
Vox
68% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, classic rock
Dunlop Colored Crybaby Tread
Dunlop
63% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, classic rock
Vox V846 Vintage
Vox
62% similarityShared character: wah
Dunlop 535Q Wah
Dunlop
61% similarityShared character: middle, wah, dark
MXR M109 Six Band EQ
MXR
61% similarityShared character: true bypass, blues players, middle
Vox V846HW Wah
pedal
61% similarity“leans heavily on highs, less pronounced low-end growl than a Cry Baby”
See all alternatives to the Dunlop Cry Baby (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Dunlop Cry Baby?+
The closest matches in character are the Vox VRM-1, the Dunlop Colored Crybaby Tread, the Vox V846 Vintage. Budget picks: Morley M2 Wah, Electro-Harmonix Wailer Wah, Dunlop Jimi Hendrix JH-1 Wah Pedal. Boutique upgrades: JAM Pedals Seagull Cocked Wah, JAM Pedals Wahcko Plus, Ibanez Twin Peaks.
What pairs well with the Dunlop Cry Baby?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head, Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt, Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H — Run mid-forward into Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head for more high gain on top.
How much does the Dunlop Cry Baby cost?+
Around $85 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).