Dunlop has expanded its growing collection of signature Cry Baby wah pedals by releasing a new gold-drenched variant that helps celebrate 60 years of Eric Clapton’s career.
The firm’s current crop of signature Cry Baby artists reads like a who’s-who of the most celebrated guitar players in rock history. From Jimi Hendrix to Zakk Wylde and Jerry Cantrell, a huge number of big-name players have all made their tweaks to the firm’s winning wah formula.
Now, Slowhand has joined the list in a move that sees Dunlop team up with one of the Cry Baby’s earliest champions.
Since 1986, Slowhand has been “one of our first and most important Cry Baby artists,” says Dunlop, and so the company is repaying his loyalty with a special edition Cry Baby wah.
From his roles in the Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, all the way to the lightning-fast intensity of Cream and his eclectic solo career, Eric Clapton, Dunlop continues, “has helped sculpt rock ‘n’ roll as we know it today” – and a Cry Baby is usually at the core of his pedalboard.
As such, this new-look version features “the benchmark sound of the GCB95 Cry Baby Standard Wah” and is bestowed with a gold-plated casting “befitting one of rock ’n’ roll’s living giants”.
Unlike other signature wah pedals, Clapton’s model doesn’t feature any additional control dials. Instead, it focuses on mastering everything that makes the Cry Baby such a celebrated wah, albeit in a rather exuberant housing.
Inscribed on the bottom of the wah are the words: “Honoring 60 electrifying years of Eric Clapton: from The Yardbirds and Cream to a mesmerizing solo odyssey, Mr Clapton’s masterful contributions have helped sculpt rock n' roll as we know it today.”
The gilded wah will also help raise money for the Crossroads Centre, Clapton’s non-profit organization that helps support addicts on their road to recovery.
Clapton’s six-decade career has been full of triumphs, as 17 Grammy wins and millions of solo album sales prove. But, in March 1965, it nearly came to an abrupt end.
Reacting to the passing of John Mayall earlier this year, Clapton thanked his former bandmate for “rescuing me from oblivion” at a time when he had left the Yardbirds and was on the verge of quitting music for good.
“He found me, and he took me into his home and asked me to join his band. I stayed with him and learned all I have to draw on today in terms of technique and desire to play the kind of music I love to play,” he says.
“He was my mentor and a surrogate father. He gave me the courage and enthusiasm to express myself without fear or limit.”
The Eric Clapton Cry Baby Wah is available now, priced at $299.99. It is sold exclusively by Guitar Center for US customers, and selected retailers worldwide.
Head to Guitar Center to learn more about the new release.
