NAMM 2017: Jim Dunlop unveils 50th anniversary gold-plated Cry Baby
Introduction
NAMM 2017: Effects/accessories firm Jim Dunlop has lifted the lid on a 50th anniversary gold-plated Cry Baby wah and an array of new pedals from its MXR and Way Huge brands, including the MXR Dyna Comp Mini Compressor and Way Huge Conquistador Fuzzstortion.
The most eye-catching is the 24k gold-plated wah, which is a limited edition version of the standard GCB95. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - just cover it in Trumpian gold and we'll definitely still want it.
Elsewhere, we like the look of the MXR Dyna Comp Mini, which rehouses the classic compressor in a footprint half the size of its elder sibling; the Way Huge Conquistador Fuzzstortion, which is being sold as a distinctly unsubtle gated fuzz; and the Carlo Sorasio-designed MXR Il Diavolo overdrive.
Browse the gallery for pictures and press release information on each model.
50th Anniversary Cry Baby® Wah
PRESS RELEASE: The 50th Anniversary Cry Baby® Wah celebrates the 50 years that Cry Baby Wahs have been opening up new worlds of sonic expression for guitar players, ever since the original pedal hit the market in 1967. This masterpiece is a limited edition GCB95, plated in 24k gold.
MXR® Dyna Comp® Mini Compressor
PRESS RELEASE: The MXR® Dyna Comp® Mini Compressor combines classic tone and modern convenience in a housing that’s nearly half the size of the original, featuring an all-new Attack switch to toggle between slow and fast attack times.
Thanks to its rare CA3080 “metal can” integrated circuit (IC), this pedal yields quieter operation, greater transparency, and increased dynamic range.
MXR® Il Diavolo Overdrive
PRESS RELEASE: The MXR® Il Diavolo Overdrive - designed in collaboration with premier Italian pedal designer Carlo Sorasio - delivers a wide range of symmetrical and asymmetrical tones, from a smooth organic boost to sweet, smoky overdrive to full on-grind.
The Il Diavolo Overdrive features a classic circuit that’s been hot-rodded for enhanced midrange and low end frequencies.
MXR® Sub Octave Bass Fuzz
PRESS RELEASE: The MXR® Sub Octave Bass Fuzz combines two different fuzzes with a growling sub octave signal, featuring an array of controls to fine-tune your sound, including a separate Dry volume control to ensure clean low end retention.
The Sub Octave Bass Fuzz dishes out thunderous low end with earth-shaking fuzz. To create this sonic behemoth, MXR’s engineers combined the Growl section of the Bass Octave Deluxe with a long-forgotten fuzz circuit.
With three separate output level controls for the fuzz, sub octave, and dry signals, you can create your own recipe of subterranean tones without sacrificing any of your instrument’s natural sound.
Further versatility comes in the form of the fuzz section’s tone controls and two switchable voices - warm and compressed or bright and aggressive - along with the Mid Level control, which allows you to give your dry signal some more punch in the midrange.
MXR® Six Band EQ
PRESS RELEASE: The MXR® Six Band EQ covers all the essential guitar frequencies and has been upgraded with noise-reduction circuitry, true bypass switching, brighter LEDs for increased visibility, and a lightweight aluminum housing.
It covers all the essential guitar frequencies, with each slider ready to deliver +/-18dB of cut or boost for incredible control over your sound. The Six Band EQ can create scooped-mid rhythm tones with massive low end, add natural sounding warmth to a quacky acoustic pickup, eliminate onstage feed-back, and much more. You can also use the Six Band EQ in the effects loop of your amp for a huge, sculptable lead boost.
MXR® Ten Band EQ
PRESS RELEASE: The MXR® Ten Band EQ lets you tune your bass or guitar rig in seconds, and it’s been upgraded with noise-reduction circuitry, true bypass switching, a lightweight aluminum housing, brighter LEDs, and a second output, so you can run two separate signal chains.
With ten carefully chosen frequencies and both input and output level controls, the Ten Band EQ will let you tune your bass or guitar rig to any room in seconds - create earthshaking low-end; restore punch, level, and treble response to a crowded pedalboard; warm up an amplified acoustic; and much, much more. For ultimate tone-sculpting ability in a bullet-proof enclosure, put the Ten Band EQ on your pedalboard.
Way Huge® Russian-Pickle Fuzz
PRESS RELEASE: The Way Huge® Russian-Pickle Fuzz dishes out smooth, creamy fuzz tones with a clear midrange to cut through the mix and a fat bottom end that keeps your sound thick and full.
With a no-nonsense interface featuring Volume, Tone, and Distortion controls, you can quickly dial in your sound and get to playing. Bass players, take note - this pedal has enough low end to tremble the earth. Whether you’re going for ’90s-era grunge, swinging stoner grooves, or raw two-piece garage rock riffage, the Russian-Pickle Fuzz is the perfect comrade for your pedalboard.
Way Huge® Conquistador™ Fuzzstortion
PRESS RELEASE: The Way Huge® Conquistador™ Fuzzstortion is an aggressive gated fuzz that conquers sonic frontiers with ease and simplicity - just use the classic Volume, Tone, Fuzz control setup to dial in your sound and then play a soundtrack to shred the space-time continuum.
Want to know what the Conquistador Fuzzstortion sounds like? Take a giant Velcro strip and tear it apart with great vigor, and you’ll have your answer. Even at extreme settings, the Conquistador Fuzzstortion remains musically pleasing in its onslaught of destruction.
Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.