Dunlop John Petrucci Signature Cry Baby Wah review

Making the Dream a reality

  • £187
  • €248
  • $285
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MusicRadar Verdict

A superb pedal that will do the job for Dream Theater fans and non-fans alike.

Pros

  • +

    Nails the Petrucci sound.

Cons

  • -

    Costs £100+ more than regular version.

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Given the simplicity of a wah pedal - basically a tone knob you control with your foot - Dunlop has a huge catalogue of Cry Baby models.

Just in terms of artist collaborations, it offers versions for Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett. Now, Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci gets in on the action with the most tweakable Cry Baby yet.

At first glance, his signature wah is a handsome devil, with its smoke chrome finish and bright blue status LEDs to let you know when the effect is engaged. Yet, it's what's going on inside the pedal that makes it special.

Unscrew the baseplate's four rubber feet and you'll find a bank of mini trim pots that allow you to tweak volume, 'Q', and a six-band EQ.

The Q pot alters the intensity of the wah effect, and the pedal comes preset with Petrucci's favourite setting: a very vocal-sounding sweep that most of us would be satisfied with. Its just the ticket for funky Jimi Hendrix stuff and classic porno soundtrack boom-chika fun.

As with any artist-endorsed kit, Petrucci fans will be all over this thing, yet a regular Cry Baby costs a hundred quid less than John's fancy upgrade, and will provide what most of us need from a wah. That said, the JP signature justifies its price tag by allowing Petrucci's fellow sonic adventurers to nail their own unique wah sound.

Ed Mitchell