NPD: Dunlop GZR-95 (Geezer Butler Cry Baby Wah)

Historically, I'm an on-again, off-again user of wah pedals. I've kept one on my pedalboard about 50% of the time, and have tried quite a few. Usually, I end up offloading my wah pedals because I simply don't gravitate to them in a songwriting or gig setting; they simply don't correspond to the sound in my head.

I recently decided to plunge back into the world of wah, picking up Geezer Butler's signature Cry Baby: the Dunlop GZR-95. I'm glad I did. It seems to solve a lot of the problems I personally encounter with bass wah pedals:

• Sounds Great Before Distortion - Most bass wah pedals I've used just don't sound that great in front of distortion. They tend to lack the "thrust" in the mids that I want them to have, and the distortion just subdues them. Even the Bass Crybaby, a personal favorite of mine, doesn't quite cut it. Its funky tones and variable Q don't quite provide the character I want for front-of-chain placement, and it sounds best after distortion. The Geezer Crybaby, however, sounds awesome in front of distortion - and that's where I intend to keep it placed.
• Auto-Return - It's not a common feature, but it is something I rather love about the Bass Crybaby as well as the Morley Dual Bass Wah. Expecting an auto-return feature has limited my options in terms of wah pedals I actually see myself using live. Thankfully, the Geezer wah has auto-return and an adjustable shutoff delay time.
• Rock > Funk - The most popular bass wah pedals tend to fall on the "funky" side. The Geezer Crybaby can be funky, but it's not really designed for it. It's mid-forward and tonally tailored for rock and metal, to my ears. You can lower the Q for a broader but more subtle effect, or you can crank the Q for aggressive and focused midrange roar, but it's not going to sound like the Bass Crybaby.
• Cuts Through with Tone, Not Volume - One of the big issues I had with the Bass Crybaby was that cutting through also meant louder/boomier bass frequencies than I really wanted. The Geezer Crybaby solves this problem by blending in less of your dry signal as you approach the toe-down position, while apparently boosting the mids. Some players might wince at the idea of losing low end at the peak, and many might not care for the resulting tone. But for me, the design makes sense and gives me the midrange tone I'm looking for in a solo context.

This is the first wah pedal I've ever owned where I didn't have to fight for the tone I wanted. There it was, right out of the box. And if I change my mind later, I can always tweak the Q setting.

With that said, I recommend that you try this one before you buy, if you can. It's an odd wah, without a doubt... but I'm an odd bassist.

P.S. - It works great for Black Sabbath / Heaven and Hell covers too. It's not trying to be like the Tycobrahe Parapedal or an old Crybaby, yet it still feels right at home in the scope of Geezer Butler's sound.