The Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone is an Electro-Harmonix wah pedal, currently around $93.50. Close alternatives include the Vox V847A Wah and the Shins Music Shin's Music Delicious Vintage Wah. 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.
Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Electro-Harmonix · pedal
The Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone is a compact wah pedal built with no moving parts, replacing the traditional mechanical potentiometer and rocking treadle mechanism with an angle-sensing design housed in a solid, contoured bottom plate. Rocking the sealed pedal back and forth on the floor produces a wah sweep with more range than a standard CryBaby-style wah, sitting tonally between vintage growl and modern clarity. Because there's no pot or moving treadle to wear out, the sweep stays smooth and consistent over years of use with no scratchy or intermittent contact. Alternate voicings, including cocked-wah and square-wave modes, are accessed via a calibration switch held in different pedal positions, though switching between them mid-performance is slower than a standard mode toggle. It suits blues and rock players who want authentic, wide-range wah sweep in a nearly indestructible, low-maintenance format rather than a traditional treadle-and-pot design.
What stands out
“Rocking the sealed pedal back and forth on the floor produces a wah sweep with more range than a standard CryBaby-style wah, sitting tonally between vintage growl and modern clarity”
— from the listing
“it suits blues and rock players who want authentic”
— from the listing
“Tone: wide-range wah sweep sitting between vintage growl and modern clarity, with more sweep range than a standard CryBaby-style wah”
— from the community notes
“Standout strength: while still delivering genuinely wide-range, vintage-leaning sweep”
— from the community notes
“Signal-chain interaction: sits early in the chain before drive, standard wah placement; the sealed, -free design means”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“s slower than a simple mode toggle”
— from the community notes
- wah
- rock
- modern
- clarity
- vintage
- growl
- electro harmonix crying tone
- consistent
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone is commonly used in
Amps that pair well with the Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head
Revv
20% matchWhat Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head brings here leans toward high gain — that's worth building a pairing around
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
Put Mesa/Boogie JP-2C John Petrucci Signature 60/100-Watt after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Synergy SL2 Module
Synergy
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Synergy SL2 Module goes after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone in the chain
Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H
Marshall
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Marshall Studio JCM900 SN20H after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Friedman BE-Mini Head
Friedman
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Friedman BE-Mini Head goes after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone in the chain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
Hughes & Kettner
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Hughes & Kettner Warp 7 goes after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone in the chain
Egnater Tweaker 88 Head
Egnater
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Egnater Tweaker 88 Head after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Ceriatone 2202H goes after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone in the chain
Pedals that stack with the Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Fjord Fuzz Odin
Fjord Fuzz
22% matchWhat Fjord Fuzz Odin brings here leans toward fuzzy — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes later in the signal chain
JHS Smiley
JHS Pedals
22% matchJHS Smiley leans toward fuzzy, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Strymon BigSky
Strymon
7% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Strymon BigSky after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Malekko Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Delay
Electro-Harmonix
7% 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 Malekko Electro-Harmonix Memory Toy Analog Delay after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone in the signal chain, where it won't crowd Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone — 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
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2 goes after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone in the chain
Warm Audio Jet Phaser
Warm Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Warm Audio Jet Phaser after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone: modulation reads clearest once the core tone is set
Death By Audio Destruction
Death By Audio
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Death By Audio Destruction after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Subdecay F-Bomb
Subdecay
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Subdecay F-Bomb after Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Dunlop Cry Baby Junior CBJ95SB
Dunlop
64% similarityShared character: wah, vintage charm
Dunlop BB535R Cry Baby BB535 Wah Reissue
Dunlop
62% similarityShared character: wah, middle, vintage charm
Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Wah
Real Mccoy
58% similarityShared character: wah, smooth, vintage charm
Friedman Gold-72 Wah
Friedman
55% similarityShared character: wah, vintage charm
Vox V863-CA Wah
Vox
55% similarityShared character: wah, vintage charm
Morley 20/20 Power Wah
Morley
55% similarityShared character: wah, compact, middle
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Vox V847A Wah
pedal
57% similarityShared character: sweep, wah, smooth
Shins Music Shin's Music Delicious Vintage Wah
Shins Music
57% similarityShared character: wah, vintage charm
Rocktron Classic Wah
Rocktron
55% similarityShared character: wah, vintage charm
Jam Pedals Wahcko
Jam Pedals
55% similarityShared character: wah, smooth, vintage charm
Roland PW-3 WAH
Roland
55% similarityShared character: wah, smooth
Cry Baby Mini Wah
Cry Baby
54% similarityShared character: wah
See all alternatives to the Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone?+
The closest matches in character are the Vox V847A Wah, the Shins Music Shin's Music Delicious Vintage Wah, the Rocktron Classic Wah. Budget picks: Electro-Harmonix Wailer Wah, The Next Sound CH-07 Wah Tone, Valeton SURGE-EP2. Boutique upgrades: Dunlop Cry Baby Junior CBJ95SB, Dunlop BB535R Cry Baby BB535 Wah Reissue, Real McCoy Custom RMC4 Wah.
What pairs well with the Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone?+
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, Synergy SL2 Module — What Revv Generator G20 20-Watt 2-Channel Tube Head brings here leans toward high gain — that's worth building a pairing around.
How much does the Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone cost?+
Around $93.50 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).