Dunlop CBJ95 Cry Baby Junior Wah review

Full-sized wah pedals such as an original Cry Baby can take up a lot of space on your ’board, but then again some compact versions are sometimes a bit too small. 

Somewhere between those two extremes sits this new pedal from Dunlop, designed in collaboration with Pedaltrain and crafted to fit perfectly with its Metro and other popular ranges of pedalboards, but also totally suited to anyone who wishes to optimise their underfoot space. 

At just 20cm (eight inches) in length, the Dunlop CBJ95 Cry Baby Junior Wah is indeed compact, and while they it still have a similar width to a standard Cry Baby, the implementation of front- rather than side-mounted socketry saves on that crucial left/right space.

Let's take a look at this compact little wah.

This dinky version of the popular wah will save you about 5cm (two inches) in its footprint, but it still feels right as there remains plenty of space to plant your size nines and you really won’t miss that extra length. The front end of the treadle moves vertically the same distance as its larger sibling, so the nuances of controlling the sweep are still intact. Switching/bypass is by the tried-and-tested switch under the toe, and a bright white LED at the rear end lets you know when the pedal is active.

Tonally, you get three voicing options courtesy of a three-way switch on the side of the pedal. The H setting offers the sound of a modern Cry Baby such as the GCB95. It has a wide frequency range with more top-end at the toe-down position than the others. 

The M setting is more in keeping with a vintage wah sound, focusing on the midrange with a less of that aggressive treble bite. The L setting delivers a darker experience with coverage slightly lower down the frequency range, with an expressive vocal quality. The three add a real versatility to what was always going to be a practical package anyway.

Specs

• PRICE: $129 / £119
• ORIGIN: USA
• TYPE: Wah pedal
• FEATURES: True hardwire bypass, LED, flat rubber base, plastic hinged battery access panel on the base, 3 voicing options, adjustable torque clutch 
• CONTROLS: Treadle, Bypass (toe down), 3-position voice switch
• CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output
• POWER: 9V battery or 9V DC adaptor (not supplied) 3 mA
• DIMENSIONS: 100 (w) x 202 (d) x 68mm (h)
• CONTACT: Dunlop