The Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah is a Dunlop wah pedal, currently around $209.99. Close alternatives include the Wylde Audio Cry Baby Wah and the Dunlop Dimebag Cry Baby Wah. It pairs well with the Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head and the Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head.
Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah
Dunlop · pedal
The Dunlop ZW-45 Zakk Wylde Cry Baby is a signature wah tuned to Zakk Wylde's own specifications for a thicker, more aggressive, throaty tone than a standard Cry Baby, closely matching the wah sound heard on Black Label Society records. Unlike many signature wahs it skips extra tone-tweaking controls in favor of a simple, rugged, stomp-and-go design built to survive heavy live use. Wah has been part of Wylde's rig since his 1988 Ozzy Osbourne debut No Rest for the Wicked and has remained a fixture through his Ozzy and Black Label Society tours since. It suits high-gain metal and hard rock players wanting a durable, aggressive, vocal wah sweep that cuts hard through a distorted mix.
What stands out
“Drawbacks are that its bold, nasty character is overkill for clean or funk applications, but for heavy lead wah it delivers exactly that”
— from the reviews
“Players use it for metal and hard rock lead”
— from the community notes
“An aggressively voiced signature Cry Baby with a wide, throaty sweep and extra bite designed to cut through high-gain distortion”
— from the reviews
“throaty tone than a standard cry baby”
— from the listing
“The community knows the Zakk Wylde wah as an aggressive, wide-sweeping Cry Baby built for high-gain metal, valuing its throaty, biting voice that cuts through heavy distortion”
— from the community notes
- wah
- hard rock
- high gain
- throaty
- lead
- distortion
- metal
- aggressive
Price updated Oct 22, 2026
Genres the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah is commonly used in
- Metal
- Rock
- Funk
- Hard Rock
- Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Death Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah
Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head
Revv
26% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Run Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth
Comes later in the signal chain
Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head
Magnatone
24% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → modulated)
Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head's own modulated character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Orange Little Bass Thing
Orange
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Where this leans bright, Orange Little Bass Thing answers back warm
Fender Dual Showman
amplifier
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Fender Dual Showman goes after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah in the chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 goes after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah in the chain
Hartke LH500 Bass
Hartke
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Run Hartke LH500 Bass after it and the bright edge settles into something more warm
Ampeg V-4
Ampeg
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ampeg V-4 goes after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah in the chain
Gibson GA-50
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gibson GA-50's warm balances out the bright tone
Pedals that stack with the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
24% matchElectro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff leans toward full, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
J. Rockett Clockwork Echo
J Rockett
22% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → modulated)
Keep J. Rockett Clockwork Echo after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Suhr Discovery
Suhr
22% 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 Suhr Discovery after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
ZVEX Fuzz Factory
Zvex
21% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Where this leans bright, ZVEX Fuzz Factory answers back smooth
Comes later in the signal chain
Anarchy Audio Flutterby Tremolo
Anarchy Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Anarchy Audio Flutterby Tremolo after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah: modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4
Jam Pedals
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 goes after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah — modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Walrus Audio Lillian Multi-Stage Analog Phaser
Walrus Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Walrus Audio Lillian Multi-Stage Analog Phaser after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah: modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost
Matthews Effects
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Matthews Effects The Pocket Drive Overdrive Boost goes after Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah in the chain
Cheaper alternatives
Morley 20/20 Lead Wah MTLW
Morley
62% similarityShared character: wah, mix, lead
Morley 20/20 Wah Boost
Morley
57% similarityShared character: wah, metal, hard rock
Morley 20/20 Lead Wah Boost
Morley
57% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, metal
Friedman Gold-72 No More Tears Wah
Friedman
50% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, hard rock
Morley 20/20 Distortion WAH MTPDW Effetto Distorsione E WAH A
Morley
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Dunlop Cry Baby
Dunlop
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Wylde Audio Cry Baby Wah
Wylde Audio
78% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, metal
Dunlop Dimebag Cry Baby Wah
Dunlop
61% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, metal
Dunlop IM95K Iron Maiden Killers Cry Baby
Dunlop
54% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, metal
Vox V847A Wah
pedal
48% similarityShared character: durable construction, wah, vocal
Park Wah
Park
43% similarityShared character: wah, vocal, lead
Dunlop 535Q Wah
Dunlop
93% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah?+
The closest matches in character are the Wylde Audio Cry Baby Wah, the Dunlop Dimebag Cry Baby Wah, the Dunlop IM95K Iron Maiden Killers Cry Baby. Budget picks: Morley 20/20 Lead Wah MTLW, Morley 20/20 Wah Boost, Morley 20/20 Lead Wah Boost.
What pairs well with the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head, Magnatone Twilighter Stereo 22W Head, Orange Little Bass Thing — Run Revv Generator 100R MkIII 3-Channel Head after it and the bright edge settles into something more smooth.
How much does the Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah cost?+
Around $209.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 22, 2026).
Compare
- vs Morley 20/20 Distortion WAH MTPDW Effetto Distorsione E WAH A
- vs Dunlop 535Q Wah
- vs Dunlop Cry Baby