The following is a guest post review of the Dunlop DB-01 Dimebag Crybaby From Hell by George DesRoches. If you are interested in guest posting, please contact me!

The Dimebag Darrel signature wah, the “Crybaby From Hell”, is, in my opinion, one of the most versatile wah-wah pedals on the market today. Because I don’t exactly know the terminology for wah, i’m gonna keep it as simple as possible: the wah has just enough “W” and plenty of “AH”, which is great for metal guitarist, rock guitarist, etc. People of varying genres use this pedal because of its range and it’s amazingly customizable tone, including people like Buckethead, Prince, Jeff Hanneman of Slayer, Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dave Mustaine, The guitarists of both Saliva and The Darkness, Dave Keunig of The Killers, Jade Puget of AFI, and many other metal, punk, and pop guitarist (including Ashley Simpson’s guitarist. suprising, huh?).

This wah has several basic features, as well as several that make it, if not unique, then desireable. It has three small knobs: The Variable Q adjustment knob, which adjusts the shape of the filter peak (or, in simpler terms, it makes the “AH” sharper sounding or duller sounding). The lower the setting, the less “vocal” sounding the wah is, so it’s duller and alot more subtle than the piercing, scream-like “AH!” sound u get when it’s turned up. The second knob is a Volume Knob, which controls how loud the guitar signal is when the boost circuit in the wah is activated (more on that later). The last small knob is a Fine Tuning adjustment knob, which “controls the range” of the “AH”, or high end, of the sweep (according to the manual). Basically, the higher the range, the brighter the sound, as apposed to a darker sound if the range is smaller. In essence, it’s works just like a tone knob (why do pedal companies have to overcomplicate things with unessessary terminology?)

The next bit is a “switchable output jack” system. Basically, if it’s more convenient for you, you can have the input and output on the same side of the pedal, or have the output be on a lower jack if it fits better. To explain, on the right side of the pedal there is an output jack. On the left side, there is an input jack, and closer to the heel of the wah is a special input/output jack, which can replace either of the other two jacks. It’s there for your convenience. Personally, I dont use it, but I can see how, in certain situations, it can come in handy.

This pedal also has an adjustable rocker tourque knob located just beneath the pedal’s rocker. This controls the amount of resistance you get when you rock the pedal back and forth. It’s pretty simple to do, and pretty basic, so if you dont like how much resistance you have on your rocker, you have a way to adust it. The issue, it needs an alen wrench to work. Still, once you get the right tension, you shouldn’t have to adjust it any more. It also has a large knob on the side which, if i’m correct, works like a mode switch, selecting one of 6 settings for the wah (ranging from subtle and wide to harsh and piercing). This is what i’ve gathered from fiddling around with it, however there is no mention of it in the instruction manual.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Boost circuit. This adustible boost can be activated by a button on the side of the heel-end of the pedal, which can be activated or deactivated using your foot. The boost is a normal boost, which, if the button is pressed, is active while the wah is on. You cannot have a boost and no wah, but the boost is great for wah solos and such. Because my distortion is very fat and warm, I like to activated the boost, then the wah, keeping the wah in a toe-down position, which gives my solos a high end tone to them, as well as boosting my volume so i can be heard over the mix. It’s also great for a light overdrive with wah, for funk or alternative music. I use it clean for jimi hendrix songs, like Voodoo Child (Slight Return), which this pedal is PERFECT for. In addition to the multitude of fine tuning options, this pedal also has two conveniently placed LED lights, one to signal if the pedal is on, one to signal if the boost is activated (the boost can be “activated” if the pedal itself is off. However, the signal wont be boosted unless the wah function is also activated). These LEDs are easily seen in the dark, the light, and best of all from across the stage, and are color coded (green is power, red is boost), so you know what is active and what isnt.

Again, this pedal really is an amazing sounding wah. No matter what style you play, or what songs you do, you can rest easy knowing that this wah  You can get nearly any sound from it, which is why all kinds of guitarists, from Children Of Bodom to Radiohead to Ashley Simpson to Anthrax, choose this pedal. Besides, if Mr. Dimebag Darrel used it, it HAS to sound good.

About the author:
George DesRoches

My gear: Fender HSS Stratocaster (soon to be HSH within the next week or so), Dunlop Dimebag Darrel Cry Baby From Hell, BOSS MD-2 MegaDistortion, DS-1 Distortion, TR-2 Tremelo, CH-1 SUPERChorus, and DD-20 Giga Delay, with a Raven RG200 amp and a Line 6 Spider III 15 watt when needed.

Check out my band, T.R.B., at
http://www.myspace.com/teearebee
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/The-Random-Band/110510314252?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=67927983941&ref=tsm
http://twitter.com/therandomband

You can follow George on Twitter (@TeeAreBee)

You can purchase the Dunlop DB-01 Dimebag Crybaby From Hell for $149.99 at Musician’s Friend.

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