Tag: Tool

Jim Dunlop: Kick off your holidays with this feature from Justin Chancellor and director Jimmy Hayward, starring the Justin Chancellor Cry Baby Wah.

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The custom Cry Baby Wah combines three of Justin Chancellor’s favorite ways to explore tones and craft soundscapes—filter, wah, and fuzz.

THE LONG STORY
The Justin Chancellor Cry Baby Wah is a multi-tool of sonic craftsmanship, combining three separate effects into a single pedal: the fluid expressiveness of a custom midrange filter, the bright aggression of a custom wah circuit, and the chainsaw grind of a vintage fuzz. It’s the perfect complement to bass player Justin Chancellor’s multi-dimensional role in the band Tool. Whether opening up soundscapes with chords and harmonics or syncing up with guitarist Adam Jones to perform arresting single-note unison runs, Justin goes above and beyond the traditional boundaries of his instrument to help compose the band’s multi-layered tunes. He is, without a doubt, one of the modern pioneer users of effects on bass, and he keeps a carefully configured pedalboard at his disposal for crafting tones and exploring sounds. This custom Cry Baby Wah combines some of his favorite ways to do just that—filter, wah, and fuzz.

TWO DIFFERENT VOICES: U.K. FILTER AND CRY BABY WAH.
The Justin Chancellor Cry Baby Wah features U.K. Filter and Wah modes, two tone-warpingly distinct variations on a theme.

U.K. FILTER: THICK & THROATY.
The U.K. Filter mode uses a custom solid-state circuit designed to emulate the unique envelope-like filtering of the tone control on Justin’s own instrument—thick and throaty with very pronounced peaks. This mode absolutely nails his melodic, voice-like phrasing from the Tool track “The Patient.”

When combined with the built-in fuzz mode, the U.K. Filter generates incredibly smooth, synth-like tones.

WAH: BRILLIANT. AGGRESSIVE. LUSH.
If you prefer a more traditional wah sound, the Wah mode employs the classic red Fasel® Inductor and the circuitry of a modified Cry Baby Wah for a more aggressive sound and brilliantly lush harmonics.

Combined with the built-in fuzz circuit, the Wah mode cuts through with electric fire.

SHAPE YOUR VOICE. HOLD DOWN THE LOW END.
Customize each mode with separate Volume and Q controls, and move between the two at any time by stomping on the Wah Select footswitch. In both modes, this pedal’s custom circuitry maintains the thickness and heft of your low end by boosting your clean signal at 400Hz and blending it with the effect signal at the beginning of the rocker’s sweep.

VINTAGE FUZZ.
This pedal features Justin’s go-to fuzz, based on a ferocious device of vintage UK origin. It cuts through the mix with a tighter focus than most fuzzes of its type while retaining much of a bass signal’s thunderous heft. Think Justin’s monstrous tones on portions of the Tool track “Jambi.”

By default, you’ll only hear the fuzz when using the rocker pedal—it gives the U.K. Filter and Wah modes just the right amount of harmonic content to grab hold of for the crushing yet musical passages that Justin is known for.

Want to use the fuzz by itself? Just kick the switch on the side, and it’ll run independently

COMBINE U.K. FILTER OR WAH MODES WITH THE FUZZ, OR USE THEM SEPARATELY. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.
Justin uses the U.K. Filter mode by itself, and he likes to combine the Wah mode with the fuzz—which he can engage with a single motion thanks to the optional Dunlop Pedal Topper, which provides a larger surface area for your foot to make contact with.

Emulate Justin’s tried and true formula for killer sounds, or experiment with all the different configurations available to unlock the hard-rocking and soundscaping potential of your own rig. In all scenarios, the Justin Chancellor Cry Baby Wah is a must for the tonecrafting bass player.