Dunlop JB95 Joe Bonamassa Signature Cry Baby Wah Guitar Effects Pedal

Gigs /

What I love about this pedal: Great tone! Joe Bonamassa is darned particular about his tone, so the fact that he worked directly with Dunlop to produce a pedal to his specs is not surprising at all. While I am not enough of a wah pedal aficionado to debate all of the nuanced difference between transformers or pots, I am enough of a tone geek to state with authority that this pedal has a great sweep range, good linear transition, and a nicely tuned Q. I read several reviews prior to purchasing this pedal that "it doesn't sound good with clean tones". To this, I say 'Balderdash!' It has a beautiful quirky quack with more than enough tonal range to work a clean tone well - it just takes a little more practice if you are used to a standard Cry Baby or Vox. I will agree with other reviewers that the JB95 really shines with some dirt thrown into the mix! It really makes grabbing crying woman tones, midrange punch, or high end without the unpleasant brittle frequencies easy as can be. Another major plus (for me, at least) is the true bypass feature. As I stated earlier, I am more than a bit of a tone freak and a squeaky clean tone chain is of the utmost importance to since I don't use FX loops. Add to all of this the fact that it looks classy with the black/copper look, and I am sold! What I don't like about this pedal: The price! I realize that this pedal does use some relatively rare parts (the toroid transformer, for one), but come on, Dunlop! I wouldn't mind more for the JB95 than a CryBaby, but twice as much? Really? Fortunately, I found a very gently used one. Overall, I would give the pedal a 6 for tone but 4 for value because of the price.

THIS REVIEW IS FROM AN ANONYMIS PLAYER ON ANOTHER SITE AND I THOUGHT IT WAS USEFUL AND INFORMATIVE. SINCE THERE WERE NO OTHER REVIEWS, I WANTED TO POST IT HERE. My own feelings is that I don't particularly want a "quacky" wah so I plan to buy this one. "A week or so ago, I ordered and received a brand new Joe Bonamassa Crybaby. I had tried one out at a (name omitted) store a few months ago, but him-hawed about getting it until now. (Mainly because of the steep price.) Up until I got the JB95, I used a Crybaby 535Q. While there was nothing wrong with the 535Q, I liked the JB95 because of the deeper, throatier growl it had. First off, you MUST try this wah before you buy it. It's very unique and I can see where a lot of guitar players will not like it. It is voiced more for humbuckers and is more on the dark side tone wise. It will not give you a quacky sound like most wah pedals will. If you are looking for a wah to play funk with, this is not it. As a matter of fact, if you engage the wah on a clean setting on an amp, it is quite lackluster. It doesn't have any snap or quack to it and really seems like a dud. If you are looking for a wah to play clean on, this again is not the wah for you. Now, overdrive on the other hand, is another story entirely. This little puppy absolutely screams when ran through the dirty channel or an amp or with a dirt pedal. The more drive you add, the more depth and tone this thing cranks out. It's quite strange, because there are all kinds of harmonics and tones that just aren't there when this wah is ran through a clean setting. Dunlop claims that this added harmonic content is due to the Halo inductor exclusive to the JB95. (Exclusive at least in Dunlop's current Crybaby range. I know vintage wahs had them.) I'm sure this is mainly a marketing ploy, but I really do think the Halo inductor adds richness to this wah. The JB95 just has a throaty, mid-range growl that neither of my Fasel inductor Crybabies had. The JB95 also has a pretty wide sweep. It goes from a deep bass-y tone in the heel down position to a very nasally slightly sharp tone in the toe down position. What I do love about this wah is while it is very distinct and in your face, it is not shrill or over powering. This wah does not have many features in the tweaker category. The only switch it offers is a small slider inside that switches it from non-true bypass to true bypass. I switched it to true bypass pretty much as soon as I got it, but apparently Joe likes it without it. I didn't hear much of a difference as far as the tone of the pedal goes, but to each his own. There's no "Q" control or volume boost like what's on the 535Q. I didn't use the volume boost on my 535Q, and the "Q" intensity was always maxed with the dial always in the 3rd position, so I don't miss these features at all. If you are used to a wah with these kind of features that you change constantly, this will very much be a one trick pony that you will probably get frustrated with. I absolutely love this wah and it has replaced my 535Q on my pedal board. It is not at all for everyone, but do yourself a favor and try one out to see if you like it."