Dunlop Cry Baby GCB65 Custom Badass

Limited-edition wah offers the best of both with Fasel and Halo inductors

Get cornered by a vintage wah pedal aficionado in full anorak mode and you’ll be regaled with the merits of the various types of inductor found in the circuitry, most notably the Halo and Fasel types. Working in conjunction with a capacitor to move the cut-off frequency, the inductor exerts its influence on the smoothness of the pedal’s sweep and the character of the filter. Consequently, you may have a different wah experience depending whether there’s a Halo or a Fasel onboard your pedal. So, how about having both? This limited-edition Dunlop Cry Baby GCB65 Custom Badass puts a Halo and a red Fasel inductor into one chassis, giving you added versatility.

In use, you can quickly switch between the inductors with a kickswitch, which looks like a tiny red mushroom, on the right hand side of the pedal. Also on this side of the pedal, each inductor has a coloured LED – red for Fasel, blue for Halo – indicating that it is active. This is also mirrored on the rear of the pedal next to the white LED, which indicates that the pedal is active, turned on with the usual footswitch under the treadle at the toe position. Each inductor circuit has its own knob to shape the sound by setting the frequency at the pedal’s toe-down position. Fully clockwise basically gives you the maximum amount of treble at toe-down, so you can roll the knob back to limit the frequency range covered in the treadle’s travel, taming the highs for a less aggressive or smoother sound.

The treadle action here is smooth and even, and it will sit firmly if you want to leave it ‘cocked’. Both inductors offer eminently playable wah voicings. The Fasel is the more aggressive of the two with a definite stridency in the upper mids and treble, and a touch of harmonic distortion; Dunlop says this is the sound of modern Cry Babys. That being the case, the darker midrange roar of the Halo may be your go-to for the more 60s vintage tones and a smooth vocal quality in single-note leads.

VERDICT

Putting the two most popular types of inductors in one pedal is a brilliant idea, making the GCB65 Custom Badass a versatile wah pedal with instant access to two distinct flavours.

PROS Smooth and solid treadle action; two distinct sounds in one pedal; adjustable frequency ranges; clear LED on/off indication

CONS Side-mounted kickswitch could compromise the positioning options on your pedalboard