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Whether he’s blazing through the blues on his own or rocking with Black Country Communion, Joe Bonamassa’s playing is fiery, deep, and powerful. And when he really wants to express himself in a solo, he steps on a Cry Baby.

 

“The first pedal I ever purchased was a Cry Baby, 25 years ago,” he says. “I am so honored to have my name on this pedal and hope it brings you as much fun as it brings me every night on stage.”

 

We worked with Joe to develop the JB95 Joe Bonamassa Signature Cry Baby, based on a custom wah wah built by Jeorge Tripps to Joe’s specifications so that it could be easily integrated into the vintage aesthetic of his rig.

 

It sports a classy copper top and smooth-finish black body to fit perfectly with the copper finish of the Joe Bonamassa Signature Fuzz Face.

 

What really sets Joe’s Cry Baby apart from others, though, are its guts. We sat down with Jeorge Tripps and asked him a few questions about the latest addition to the Cry Baby family.

 

What was the design process for the Joe Bonamassa Signature Cry Baby?

Well, this whole project started when I was working with Joe on his Signature Fuzz Face and I noticed he was using a vintage wah wah. I asked him what he liked about it so that I could give him a Cry Baby with all of that and more.

 

I had him try all of our different Cry Babys and we noted what he liked about this or that pedal. I had a handful of prototype Halo inductors that Dunlop R&D Director Sam McRae made, so I put one of those in there. Joe loved the final product.

 

How did the halo inductor change the sound of the Cry Baby?

Halo inductors give the Cry Baby a very throaty, punchy tone and allow for a very wide sweep. The sweep on this Cry Baby is one of the widest out there—it’s incredibly expressive.

 

What did you add for the official signature model?

Well, Joe isn’t a big true bypass guy, he prefers the high end roll off that non-true bypass brings—that darker sound you get. But a lot of players don’t like their tone to be colored that way, so we added a switch on the inside that toggles between true bypass and non-true bypass.

 

 

I also added an output buffer so the JB95 would work better with Fuzz Faces. We put on the large thru-hole components as a nod to all the vintage guys out there.

 

Check our interview with Joe Bonamassa below, where he talks about his Signature Cry Baby, his Signature Fuzz Face, and his passion and dedication to his craft. And go pick up Joe’s latest album, Dust Bowl, to hear the Joe Bonamassa Signature Cry Baby in action, particularly on the track “You Better Watch Yourself.”

 

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Comments (17)

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Category: Artist News, Cry Baby

  • Mark Thompson

    This cat is the current King of Guitars. He deserve’s to have his name on this iconic pedal. I love that copper and black design, looks like a Duracell battery….Black Country Communion is the best band to come out in a long while.

  • Kalapana

    and Rolling Stone mag missed him in there 100 best guitar players list

  • George jetson

    and Rolling Stone is a mag geared toward old yuppies, not guitar players….. Classic Rock and Guitarist have featured JB on the cover many times over.

  • Simon V

    Joe is a great player and I really love his passionate playing, his violin like shimmer and the burnished, bronze like sound (my personal aesthetic) he gets, apart from his wide and masterful techniques and his truly excellent songwriting skills.The only other players I have heard who can get this tone are Ritchie Blackmore and Warren Haynes.

    Regarding the Rolling Stones 100 Greatest players,I am not about to write any of them off, but just why the following are not on there is a mystery to me.Some of the claims about players relate to hair styles, mythical issues and other histrionics unrelated to music, so I hold the writers of the list in poor stead.
    -Tony Rice.
    -Rory Gallagher (did I miss him on the list?)
    -Jan Akkerman.
    -Pat Metheny.
    -Allan Holdsworth.
    -Pierre Bensussan.
    -Wes……..
    -Django…….
    -Steve Morse.

    Regards,
    Simon V (Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia)

  • George Jetson

    JBs tone is all his own, but there’s quite a bit of Gary Moore influence in there and believe it or not Peter Frampton (world’s most underrated guitar player) as well. Say what you will about his poppy “Comes Alive” days, PF is a very good and influential guitar player.

  • Simon V

    I agree and hear Gary Moore and Rory in Joe’s playing. However, above all this, is Joe’s musicality. His songs are terrific and his note selection, timbre and sonority is the essence of the MUSIC in the blues, not shredding or bland & pointless, “runs”.His sonic adventures, utilising effects, are always in respect of the song and help it along, not hinder.I have seen Joe twice in Sydney and he blew us all away.Every person in that crowd i could hear had nothing but awe and respect for him,they loved his band and him.He is welcome back in Australia anytime.Joe also invited Ian Moss from Cold Chisel onstage, and Mossy is one of the great blues rock guitarists of his generation.

    Also, the Rolling Stone views on the 100 greatest was meant to cover ALL styles,and even in doing so, I would never, ever, have considered Lou Reed as one of the 100 best ever! One could go on forever about players not in that list, like Pat Martino,George van Eps,Ted Green, Lenny Breau, George Benson,Tommy Emmanuel,Les Paul,Gary Moore, (I don’t think hes in the Roll S’ list, but in my view he is the best Hard Rock guitarist ever)

  • LB

    I have seen this cat live. He blew Clapton off the stage. He is a good as they come.

  • King of the Booze

    yawn. I’ll take Clapton any day — better yet, Peter Green, thanks.

  • Rd Jr60

    i’ll take Michael Delgado 15 yr.old.at Count Basie Theatre and The Stone Pony…Call this gentleman…he knows “Tone”..at 15??????

  • Maxx

    …and is this new little gem made in the US or China?

  • admin

    We make all of our electronics, including the Bonamassa Wah, right here in sunny Benicia, CA, USA.

  • Gangsta_jamie0123

     leave of clapton is awful… i can describe his 50 year career with one word. PENTATONIC!!! Jeff Beck and richie kotzen for the win

  • Alex

    I don’t like lists like 100 best guitars of all time. Music is not a competition. It’s a form of art. I usually like artists that are unique and original.

  • Alex

    oh- I meant guitarists not guitars. Anyway I like guitars more than guitarists, because I can express myself through gear, I can’t express myself through other guitarists. To me the real heros are the makers of good musical equipment.
    Play and have fun!

  • abacap

    wow – he had to WORK the guitar! What a revelation!

    Don’t get me wrong, I think JB is 1 of the most innovative Blues guys these days…OK, there ain’t too many Blues Guys around these days…

    Still, he plays with feeling.

    Still, all these “signature”-peds…wasn’t it great when we just had only the Crybaby & the JH-Crybaby?

  • abacap

    BTW, Joe…didn’t you use to be a “Fender”-guy before?! ;) =

  • abacap

    3rd and last: From approx. 5:00 – anyone else asking for “Cliffs of Dover”?

    Where did your “You & Me”-tone go? *sigh*