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Stormleader « Great platform for modding, but it's pretty nasty stock. »
Published on 03/22/11 at 08:55Ah, the classic wah pedal, the Dunlop Crybaby. Not much special as far as specs go, buffered bypass, no LED indicator, no knobs or extra switches. Although there is far better wahs out there stock, the Dunlop can be found for cheap, and is a great pedal to mod. I got mine used for only $20.
UTILIZATION
It's not exactly hard to use, stick your foot on the pedal, activate the switch, and then rock said foot back and forth. Ta-da! You too can now be Kirk Hammett!
Seriously though, it can take a little getting use to if you're not great at multitasking. That said, once you get it down, it becomes pretty much second nature. And even if you can't get the hang of it, it is built well enough to chuck at the drummer.
I can't say how well the manual explains how to use it, as I got it used with no manual, but really, it's not rocket science guys.
SOUND QUALITY
This is were a stock Crybaby falls short. Stock it is way too shrill and piercing, and it sounds pretty whimpy all around. That is quite easily fixed though, I spent about $20 to mod mine and it sounds nothing short of amazing now. That being said, this review is for a stock wah, so I have to give it pretty low marks for sound. I'm pretty sure that the newest revision of the Crybaby comes stock with a reissue Red Fasel inductor, which very well may help the general lack of tone.
The buffer is also pretty nasty as well. I know buffers are good for when you have long cable runs, but that kinda goes out the window when the buffer in question sucks. Once again though, modding it for true-bypass just about couldn't be simpler. I'm not entirely sure why Dunlop just doesn't do it straight from the factory. I'm running through a Peavey Ultra all-tube amp pushing a 5150 Straight cab with Celestion V30's and G12T-75's. The guitar I use is a BC Rich Warbeast NJ Deluxe that has EMG's in it. I play mostly Thrash metal and some down-tuned chugga-chugga stuff. I have to have a wah that really cuts through, and that sounds really meaty. Stock, that tone is almost impossible to achieve with this wah.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, I have to say that if you are the kind of person that is not comfortable modding guitar pedals, then stay away from the Dunlop GCB-95. On the other hand, if you love diving into pedals, soldering iron in hand, then this very well may be the Wah pedal for you. It has massive potential to sound awesome, and the mods for it are very simple to do.
I would definitely buy it again for the price I got it for. I mean honestly, I put about $40 into this pedal total ($20 for the pedal, $20 for mods) and it sounds amazing for quite a bit less than one of the more expensive Crybabys, and I had a great time modding it to boot.
UTILIZATION
It's not exactly hard to use, stick your foot on the pedal, activate the switch, and then rock said foot back and forth. Ta-da! You too can now be Kirk Hammett!
Seriously though, it can take a little getting use to if you're not great at multitasking. That said, once you get it down, it becomes pretty much second nature. And even if you can't get the hang of it, it is built well enough to chuck at the drummer.
I can't say how well the manual explains how to use it, as I got it used with no manual, but really, it's not rocket science guys.
SOUND QUALITY
This is were a stock Crybaby falls short. Stock it is way too shrill and piercing, and it sounds pretty whimpy all around. That is quite easily fixed though, I spent about $20 to mod mine and it sounds nothing short of amazing now. That being said, this review is for a stock wah, so I have to give it pretty low marks for sound. I'm pretty sure that the newest revision of the Crybaby comes stock with a reissue Red Fasel inductor, which very well may help the general lack of tone.
The buffer is also pretty nasty as well. I know buffers are good for when you have long cable runs, but that kinda goes out the window when the buffer in question sucks. Once again though, modding it for true-bypass just about couldn't be simpler. I'm not entirely sure why Dunlop just doesn't do it straight from the factory. I'm running through a Peavey Ultra all-tube amp pushing a 5150 Straight cab with Celestion V30's and G12T-75's. The guitar I use is a BC Rich Warbeast NJ Deluxe that has EMG's in it. I play mostly Thrash metal and some down-tuned chugga-chugga stuff. I have to have a wah that really cuts through, and that sounds really meaty. Stock, that tone is almost impossible to achieve with this wah.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, I have to say that if you are the kind of person that is not comfortable modding guitar pedals, then stay away from the Dunlop GCB-95. On the other hand, if you love diving into pedals, soldering iron in hand, then this very well may be the Wah pedal for you. It has massive potential to sound awesome, and the mods for it are very simple to do.
I would definitely buy it again for the price I got it for. I mean honestly, I put about $40 into this pedal total ($20 for the pedal, $20 for mods) and it sounds amazing for quite a bit less than one of the more expensive Crybabys, and I had a great time modding it to boot.