Dunlop Cry Baby 95Q Settings Guide
The Dunlop Cry Baby 95Q is the most versatile production wah pedal — featuring a Q control (filter bandwidth adjustment), a Boost switch for switchable level boost, and auto-return functionality that resets the wah to heel-down when the foot is removed. The Q control allows adjustment from wide, vintage-style wah to a narrow, piercing filter that cuts through dense mixes.
The best Dunlop Cry Baby 95Q settings start with: Sweep at 5/10, Q at 5/10, Boost at 3/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Blues-Rock: Sweep 5/10, Q 5/10, Boost 3/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Sweep | 5/10 | Bass → Treble |
| Q | 5/10 | Wide → Narrow |
| Boost | 3/10 | Off → On |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Standard Q for vintage wah character — Q at 5 (center) produces a moderate bandwidth filter that sweeps musically for blues-rock lead playing. Boost off. The 95Q at standard Q is more versatile than the standard GCB95 because the Q can be adjusted for different guitars and amps.
Narrow Q for cutting wah in dense mixes — metal guitar in a dense full-band context requires a narrower, more piercing wah to be audible. Q at 8 produces a narrow, vocal filter peak that cuts through distorted guitars. Boost at 5 (half) adds some level for lead wah sections.
Wider Q for smooth funk wah — Q at 4 produces a wider, smoother filter sweep that suits the flowing, rhythmic wah motion of funk rhythm guitar. Wide Q produces less harsh high-frequency peak on each sweep, which is more musical for continuous rhythm wah playing.
Toe-forward with elevated Boost gives a fixed lead-boost tone when the pedal is left in a static position rather than rocked, useful for a solo section that needs level and a brighter voice without continuous wah motion.
A wide Q with the sweep set slightly toward heel-down keeps the filter effect gentle and musical, suited to clean textural playing rather than an aggressive lead wah character.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Q control is the 95Q primary advantage over standard wah pedals — Q 3-4 (wide) suits funk and continuous rhythm wah; Q 6-8 (narrow) suits aggressive lead wah in dense mixes. Most players do not know this control exists and leave it at center. Adjusting it for a specific guitar and amp combination produces significantly better results.
- The Boost switch is independent of the wah sweep, meaning it can stay engaged as a general volume lift even when the wah effect itself is only used occasionally — useful for solo sections that need both effects.
- Auto-return to heel-down when the foot lifts off the treadle is a genuine convenience feature versus fixed wahs, preventing the pedal from being accidentally left in an unwanted parked position mid-set.
- For players new to variable-Q wahs, starting at center Q and adjusting one direction at a time (rather than guessing a setting) builds a faster intuition for how the control changes the sweep character.
- Placed before a fuzz or high-gain distortion, a narrow-Q setting interacts more dramatically with the following gain stage than a wide-Q setting — worth testing pedal order if the combination sounds harsher than expected.
FAQ
Dunlop Cry Baby 95Q — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Dunlop Cry Baby 95Q: Sweep at 5/10, Q at 5/10, Boost at 3/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Blues-Rock: Sweep 5/10, Q 5/10, Boost 3/10. Standard Q for vintage wah character — Q at 5 (center) produces a moderate bandwidth filter that sweeps musically for blues-rock lead playing. Boost off. The 95Q at standard Q is more versatile than the standard GCB95 because the Q can be adjusted for different guitars and amps.
For Metal: Sweep 5/10, Q 8/10, Boost 5/10. Narrow Q for cutting wah in dense mixes — metal guitar in a dense full-band context requires a narrower, more piercing wah to be audible. Q at 8 produces a narrow, vocal filter peak that cuts through distorted guitars. Boost at 5 (half) adds some level for lead wah sections.
Sweep: Wah sweep position. (Bass to Treble). Q: Filter bandwidth — narrow Q is more vocal and peaky; wide Q is more gradual and smooth. (Wide to Narrow). Boost: Switchable +15dB boost — provides solo level increase independent of wah sweep. (Off to On)
The Q control is the 95Q primary advantage over standard wah pedals — Q 3-4 (wide) suits funk and continuous rhythm wah; Q 6-8 (narrow) suits aggressive lead wah in dense mixes. Most players do not know this control exists and leave it at center. Adjusting it for a specific guitar and amp combination produces significantly better results. The Boost switch is independent of the wah sweep, meaning it can stay engaged as a general volume lift even when the wah effect itself is only used occasionally — useful for solo sections that need both effects. Auto-return to heel-down when the foot lifts off the treadle is a genuine convenience feature versus fixed wahs, preventing the pedal from being accidentally left in an unwanted parked position mid-set. For players new to variable-Q wahs, starting at center Q and adjusting one direction at a time (rather than guessing a setting) builds a faster intuition for how the control changes the sweep character. Placed before a fuzz or high-gain distortion, a narrow-Q setting interacts more dramatically with the following gain stage than a wide-Q setting — worth testing pedal order if the combination sounds harsher than expected.
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