Dunlop Akira Takasaki Fuzz Wah

A signature Cry Baby designed for heavy rock and expressive playing

Akira Takasaki has established himself as one of the great architects of Japanese melodic heavy metal with Loudness, a style where attack, precision and musicality must coexist. The Cry Baby Fuzz Wah signature model retains the DNA of Cry Baby wah pedals while shifting it towards a lower frequency sweep: the effect "bites" into the lower end of the spectrum to thicken rhythm parts and give leads more body without sacrificing articulation.

Its distinctive feature is the integration of a switchable fuzz: you get the explosive wah + distortion combination in a unique format, designed for loud stages and already hard-driven amplifiers.

Which guitarists and situations is it suited to?

This pedal is aimed at rock, hard rock and heavy metal guitarists (and anyone who enjoys thick, fuzz-style textures). It is also particularly well suited to modern lead playing when you want a vocal, more "throaty" effect that stands out in a dense mix.

In live situations, the auto-return function is a real advantage: you can sweep the wah for a single musical phrase, then instantly return to your core sound. In the studio, it is a creative weapon for doubling a solo track, adding a more aggressive layer, or creating highly precise rhythmic accents. On a pedalboard, it easily replaces a wah + fuzz combination while retaining the footprint of a standard pedal.

Controls, modes and ergonomics: wah + fuzz in one move

The Akira Takasaki Cry Baby Fuzz Wah combines two effects that can be used together, with a stage-focused approach. The auto-return operation lets you activate the wah as soon as you press the pedal (and deactivate it when you release it), making the effect incredibly spontaneous for highlighting a phrase or ending a line with a sudden punch.

The fuzz is activated via a dedicated switch to move from an expressive wah to a much more aggressive wah + fuzz combination. A fuzz sensitivity control lets you adjust the amount of saturation and its response to your playing (attack, sustain and texture). LEDs clearly indicate the status of the effects, which is particularly useful on stage when everything is moving quickly.

For integration, the pedal is analog to preserve an organic response under your fingers, and features true bypass to preserve your signal when the effect is disengaged.

The sound

Its character is immediately geared towards "muscular rock": the wah emphasizes a lower sweep than many classic wah pedals, creating a thicker, more vocal feel that is particularly flattering with humbucker pickups, lower tunings or high-gain sounds. The dynamics remain highly responsive: the harder you attack, the more the wah seems to speak, with clear articulation on palm-mutes and fast lines.

When you engage the fuzz, the pedal shifts into a fierce and expressive saturation, capable of ranging from dirty, compressed grain to more aggressive textures, almost "synth-like" depending on the settings and the wah position. This is exactly the spirit of Akira Takasaki: a bold, spectacular effect that turns a passage into a standout moment.

Technical specifications

Effects	Wah, Fuzz	Number of effects	2
Technology	Analog	Number of tracks	2
Format	Pedal	EQ	Filter
Inputs	1 x jack	Use	electric guitar
Outputs	1 x jack	Color	Blue
True bypass	Yes	Power supply included	No
Simultaneous effects	2	Power supply	9V battery, DC 9 V

Category	Wah	Power consumption	approx. 7 mA
No. of effects	2	Polarity	center-negative
Documentation	yes (depending on original packaging)	Power connector	2.1 mm barrel-type plug