Kevin W. Lee

Cry Me A River
Rocker wahDunlop Cry Baby GCB95 · Pedal Zines № 10

Issue10
CRY BABY (n.) Dunlop's classic rocker wah. Heel = dark, toe = bright, click = on. My off-board fun pedal.
§ 01 · What it isRead me first

No knobs. Rock the treadle to sweep, push the toe down to the click to turn it on or off.

Toe down to the click = on
§ 02Where everything lives

The Map

No knobs, no LED. Your foot is the control: rock the treadle to sweep, push the toe down past the click to switch it on or off.

Stylized top view of the Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95 wah Black rocker pedal seen from above, toe at the top. Ribbed black treadle (1) on a black die-cast base. Toe-down switch under the front of the treadle (2). White-on-black "cry baby" plate on the front of the base (3). One jack on the left side (4, Amplifier/output) and a jack plus the DC jack on the right side (5, Instrument/input and 9 V). Battery door on the bottom (6). cry baby OUT IN9V HEELTOE ROCK 1 2 3 4 5 6
Drawn from Dunlop's product photos · top view, toe at the top · jack labels per the usual Cry Baby layout
  1. 1TreadleRock it. Heel down = dark, bassy (resonance around 350 to 450 Hz). Toe down = bright, cutting (1.5 to 2.5 kHz).
  2. 2Toe-down switchPush the toe all the way down until you feel a click to turn it on; click again for off.
  3. 3Logo plateWhite-on-black cry baby plate on the front of the base.
  4. 4Amplifier jackOutput: cable to the next pedal or amp. One jack on the left side.
  5. 5Instrument jack + DCInput from the guitar, plus the 9 V DC jack, on the right side.
  6. 6BatteryOne 9 V battery, reached from the bottom of the pedal.
✓ First sessionTap each one when done · saves on this device

First Session

0 / 5 done WAH WAH.
§ 03Starting points, not gospel

Quick Recipes

Starting points, not rules. Think in treadle positions: heel down, halfway, toe down, and how fast you rock between them. Play, then adjust by ear: guitar, pickups and drive all change the answer.

Rhythm

CLASSIC SWEEP

  • Click on
  • Rock heel to toe in time with the strum
  • Toe on the upbeat, heel on the downbeat

The funk-chop starting point. Clean or light drive.

Solo

CRY LEAD

  • NotaKlon or RAT on
  • Toe down as you pick
  • Ease back to heel as the note sustains

Makes single notes talk. Slow sweeps sound vocal.

Fixed filter

PARKED WAH

  • Click on
  • Set the treadle about halfway
  • Leave it there

A honky, nasal tone with no movement. Find your spot by ear.

§ 04Juice and jacks

Power & Specs

POWER
  • One 9 V battery (via the bottom) or a Dunlop ECB003 9 V adapter (ECB003E in Europe).
  • Dunlop also lists the DC Brick, Iso-Brick and Mini Iso-Brick supplies.
  • Draw: 900 µA (under 1 mA), so a battery lasts a long time.
THE BOX
  • Treadle, toe-down on/off switch, Instrument and Amplifier jacks, DC jack.
  • Red Fasel inductor; Hot Potz pot tested to one million cycles; heavy die-cast housing.
  • Specs (manual): input 800 kΩ, output 10 kΩ, max gain +19.5 dB heel / +19 dB toe.
No light

There is no on/off LED. If you are not sure it is on, rock the treadle: no sweep means click the toe again.

§ 05Off-board fun

In My Rig

The Cry Baby usually isn't on my board. It comes out when I want to goof around. When it does, the usual home for a wah is first, right after the guitar and before the NotaKlon.

StratguitarCry BabyhereNotaKlon№ 09SD-1RAT№ 07
Phase 90Caverns№ 05IR-2№ 02 · ampMix12FXmixer
TIP 1

Wah first

Before the drives, the wah shapes the guitar and the NotaKlon, SD-1 and RAT distort that: the classic sound. Easiest place to start.

TIP 2

Or after the dirt

Try it after the RAT for a sharper, more synth-like sweep. Not the usual spot, but worth one listen; trust your ears.

TIP 3

Drive brings it out

Wah into the RAT or NotaKlon gets dramatic fast. Back the drive off a little if the toe-down end gets shrill through the IR-2.