Dunlop JB95 JOE BONAMASSA

An Iconic Cry Baby, Revisited for the Joe Bonamassa Signature

This wah is unmistakable: its polished copper finish gives it an immediate identity, but the appeal of the JB95 model goes far beyond looks. The idea is clear: to preserve the legendary "Cry Baby" voice (the one that marked the history of rock and blues) while adapting it to modern pedalboards. With its Halo inductor, output buffer, and internal bypass selector, it was designed to fit into a complete rig without compromising expressiveness or signal integrity.

Who Is It For, What Styles, and In Which Contexts?

The Dunlop Cry Baby JB95 is aimed at guitarists who want a wah pedal capable of going from subtle to spectacular: blues phrasing, funk accents, rock leads, or more powerful flights with distortion. It suits both intermediate musicians discovering the wah-wah and demanding stage guitarists, thanks to robust design and practical electronic choices.

In the studio, it allows sculpting the attack and diction of a riff, animating a solo, or creating very "vocal" filter placements. Live, it remains clear in the mix and maintains good presence even within a dense pedal chain.

Controls, Pedalboard Integration, and Design Details

The JB95 operates like a traditional wah: engagement by click at the toe end and foot control via the rocker. Its difference lies mainly in integration: the output buffer acts as a compensating circuit for loss to better manage impedance variations (notably with some vintage pedals) and limit level loss related to a long cable or an extended effects chain.

A strong point of this signature version is the internal True Hard Bypass On/Off selector. In the On position, you get a very direct signal path. In the Off position, the bypassed behavior can produce a darker tone, useful if you want to tame overly bright highs in an already dense setup.

Regarding reliability, Dunlop relies on ultra-robust in/out jacks designed to withstand numerous connections, and an improved 100 kOhms Hot Potz potentiometer claimed to be free of microphonics. Finally, battery access is simplified thanks to a clipped trapdoor under the pedal: ideal for quick changes before a gig.

Sound

The Cry Baby JB95 delivers a wah with a very "vocal" character, featuring an expressive sweep and an immediate sense of control underfoot. The Halo inductor emphasizes harmonic richness: the effect is lively, responding well to right-hand nuances, vibratos, and bends, particularly effective on blues rock and classic rock tones.

Depending on the internal bypass setting and your effects chain, it can remain very open and bright, or conversely round off the top end when the pedal is disengaged. The result: a signature wah designed to integrate with your sound rather than impose itself, while retaining the "Cry Baby" DNA that so many guitarists have made legendary.

Technical specifications

Effects	Wah	Number of tracks	1
Technology	Analog	EQ	Filter
Format	Pedal	Use	guitar
Inputs	Jack	Color	Black
Outputs	Jack	Power supply included	No
Number of effects	1

Category	wah	In/out jacks	ultra-robust (designed for numerous connections)
Expression pedal	no	Battery access	clipped trapdoor under the pedal
Inductor	Halo (rich harmonics, increased expressiveness)	Documentation	yes
Buffer	output buffer (loss compensation and impedance management)	Power supply	no
Internal selector	True Hard Bypass On/Off (Off position for a darker sound when the pedal is disengaged)	Required power	9V (9V battery or compatible power adapter)
True bypass	yes	Consumption	1.35 mA
Potentiometer	Hot Potz 100 kOhms (improved, claimed to be free of microphonics)