Friday, 12 February 2016

Dunlop's "Crybaby Wah" Expression Pedal

Ever since I started playing the electric guitar, I have wanted a wah pedal. After all, the wah pedal has been instrumental in shaping the way rock and roll has sounded since Vox introduced the first version in 1965. Used wonderfully by many players and bands, from The Stooge's 1969 to the second half of the incredible solo on Living Color's Cult of Personality, to The Steve Miller Band's The Joker. Well, I recently got my hands on one, and I love it.

I've been playing it with my Epiphone Les Paul, which, with its mahogany neck and body, as well as dual ceramic humbuckers, has its own very rich, warm tone. I amplify this guitar with the Epiphone "Snake-pit 15" 15 watt open-back amplifier, A perfect match for the guitar in my opinion. One of may favorite thing about this pedal is that unlike many filter and expression pedals, the tone that comes out of the amplifier is a modified version of what went in to the pedal. Many pieces of equipment in this class change the entire tone of the guitar, instead of just bending and modifying it.

When the pedal is not in full swing, it still has a nice sound. In fact, running the pedal completely turned down through a distorted channel gives it a sound reminiscent of Cream's Sunshine of Your Love. Turned all the way up without movement produces a high, almost screaming tone, perfect for punk rock solos. The actual intended modulation sounds wonderful, and played slowly sort of reminds of the sound of water dropping into a pool.

The biggest setback of this pedal is that it makes subtlety rather difficult. IT fits perfectly into big sweeping movements and crazy 80's hard rock solos, but the Crybaby misses the mark on the subtle movement and funky barks its counter parts are well known for, Overall, however, for a rock lover, this pedal is a must-have for a developed kit.

Guitar World Magazine's view on wah pedals: http://www.guitarworld.com/say-wah-five-essential-signature-wah-pedals
The Crybaby Wah in question
Picture source: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/dunlop-original-cry-baby-wah-pedal February 12th, 2016

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