Dunlop "Classic" Cry Baby Wah Pedal with Fasel inductor

[Tone2TheBone]

Picked one up finally this weekend and I have to say that I am impressed. The sweeping sound of the Fasel inductor is definately "classic". It sweeps the frequency spectrum perfectly, seemlessly and smoothly. Seems to be built pretty good. It incorporates a DPDT switch which is supposed to be hardwired for true bypass when off. I haven't opened it up to check on this but as far as I can tell it doesn't degrade the signal at all. With it on or off the effect is wonderful. I was reluctant to spend over $100.00 for that type of effect but I'm very pleased with it.

[Nelskie]

Does that Fasel inductor push the "must-have" factor of that pedal well beyond that the "Original" Cry-Baby Pedal MF has for around $69.00? I'm thinking about getting one of these for my pedal arsenal. The touch-wah effects I'm presently using through my Zoom G2 just don't cut it on "Voodoo Child" or "Rocky Mountain Way" - two staples in our setlist.

[Tone2TheBone]

Nelski,

The short answer is yes. I believe that this model far exceeds the standard Cry Baby pedal. You gotta get the Fasel wah pedal if you're going to go with Jim Dunlop...it is a must have item! There are other more expensive wah pedals out there but as far as a medium priced one this unit is great. The box it comes in is nice too. Sweetens the package I think...nothing like cool pictures and product descriptions written all over the place on it to make you "feel" like you've just purchased an awesome product. For $100.00 it's a fantastic wah pedal you won't be sorry.

In addition to what I've mentioned I will tell you that this unit actually sounds like a wah wah. I've had wah pedals before that didn't sweep well enough and they sorta went..."wa-ehhhhhhh instead of "wahhhh wahhhh". They'd cut the frequency sweep abruptly. I think the Fasel inductor creates the desirable sweep of what we expect from a wah wah pedal.

[Nelskie]

Tone - thanks for the insight. The description you gave of the "wrong" tone was especially helpful: "Waaaah-eeehhh". Man, that just ain't right!! And it sure ain't gonna' be my wah-wah pedal doin' the "waaahhh-eeehhh" on "Rocky Mtn. Way", either!!!

"Robin, to the Batcave! We're going to test this Fasel Inductor on the Bat-Computer, and see just what that madman, Jim Dunlop, is up to!!" ZOWIE! KAPOW!

[Tone2TheBone]

hahahaha Like I said, wait till you get a load of the box it comes in. I was going to snap some digi pics of it to show you. You'll like it if you get it. It will sound like magic with your Les Paul.

[Bloozcat]

Hmmmm.....

I wonder how a standard Crybaby would sound with a Fasel inductor upgrade...

[Tone2TheBone]

I'm sure there are websites that have Fasel upgrades out there somewhere. Also bypass switching too.

[ZoSo65]

Dunlop Cry Baby, are the best, bar none!

[warren0728]

i picked up a used cry baby when i got my classic 20 today....how do you tell if it is a Fasal....i've never used a wah before but messed with the cry baby for a few minutes this afternoon.

ww

[Robert****]

Dunlop Cry Baby, are the best, bar none!

Have you ever tried the Fulltone Clyde Wah? It's one heck of a wah pedal. The Teese Picture Wah gets rave reviews too, but I've never tried one.

[duhvoodooman***]

Have you ever tried the Fulltone Clyde Wah? It's one heck of a wah pedal....

It had better be for over $200!!

[Nelskie]

I was surfing the 'web the other day for info on the Fasel inductor (I'm still on the hunt for a wah pedal), and came across this guy's website.

http://www.diyguitarist.com/DIYStompboxes/VoxWah.htm

It has some nice photos & information about the VOX wah pedal, and links to other sites and articles. If you were wondering about the "how's & why's" of the legendary wah-wah pedal, prepare to be enlightened.

[Nelskie]

Going on record here . . . but I just might be one of the few players in the entire history of electrified guitar not to have owned some type of wah-wah pedal for the first (24) years of his playing career (and I use the word "career" for the lack of a better term). I don't know why that is - perhaps due to the fact that I really never felt that it was a "necessary" effect. True, there are a few staple songs that it comes in handy for - - but compared to an all-around pedal like an Ibanez Tube Screamer, or a DigiTech Delay, it seemed to be kind of a one-trick pony. Or, at least to me it did.

So, what caused those clouds to part? It's very simple: Derek & The Dominos' Live at the Fillmore album. Listening to Clapton's subtle use of the effect on several songs opened my eyes to its expansive array of possibilities. More specifically, that you don't need to be "sweeping" everything dramatically for it to lend a unique vibe to the overall tone. I know we've touched on the genius of Clapton in many threads throughout this forum, but the thing that's always impressed me about his playing is his versatility, and that point really shows in his ability to adapt various effects into his musical repetoire - - without them taking anything away from his trademark style. When it comes to effects, esp. a wah pedal, it's very easy to over-do it. Anyways, something to think about.

Another album that clued me into the wah thing was the RHCP's latest release Stadium Arcadium. John Frusciante employs it very effectively on several numbers, and again, in a very subtle way. Undoubtedly, there are tons of songs that I haven't mentioned that use some type of wah effect, and hopefully, nobody will feel the need to drop Voodoo Chile into the conversation - even though it was the song that split the atom for the wah-wah pedal.

Next came the task of deciding which wah pedal to get. There are at least twenty different types of wah pedals, most with a wide range of features other than just the standard "wah" effect. All of which got me to thinking - do I really need more than that? In my case, I just wanted a pedal that would give me that "vintage" vibe - nothing more, nothing less. That being said, the needle on my compass pointed directly to the Dunlop Crybaby Classic. The "big" feature on this particular pedal is the Fasel Inductor, which according to what I've read, is the key to a smooth, wide sweep. Most of what I've read about vintage wah pedal technology always seems to include something about Fasel, whether it be factory installed, or as an aftermarket mod. Whether or not there's substance to that fact, the Classic's use of "vintage" technology (i.e. the Fasel inductor) lured me in like a big ol' Northern Pike following a red & white daredevil (*insert fish recipes here!)

And so, I anxiously ponder my grand "induction" into the World of Wah. The wah-wah waiting will be the hardest part.

[sunvalleylaw]

The BYOC kit, seemingly with the upgrade for large sweep, is $135.00.