Alice in Chains’ visionary guitarist Jerry Cantrell made an indelible mark on rock with his wah-soaked tones, and the new JC95 ($265 retail/$159 street) is designed to deliver the darker type of response that he favors. More than just a revoiced Cry Baby, however, the JC95 features a housing with an aged brass finish, an “Alice”- embossed rubber tread on the rocker, and a knob on the right side that adjusts the high-frequency response in the toe down position. Standard features include a 2.1mm adapter jack and a hinged door on the bottom plate for quick battery changes.

The JC95 is a fat-sounding wah with smooth-sounding highs and a punchy low end that’s useable even in the full back position. Being able to control how bright or dark you want the effect to be when in the toe-down setting is a real advantage, and the pot’s range provides just the right amount of treble attenuation so that even in the full bright setting the sound has that edge you need for clean funky riffing but isn’t so slicing when the rocker is pressed down that it feels like an icepick in your ear. Dial the control back a bit and the highs come down just enough to give your lead tones a wailing vocalized bite that’s wicked sounding but not over-the-top sizzling. Though suitable for any style, the JC95 has a great vibe for overdriven tones and is definitely a pedal to try if you’re a hard rock or metal player.

KUDOS A great choice for heavy grind. Treble rolloff control is handy.

CONCERNS None.

CONTACT Dunlop, (707) 745-2722; jimdunlop.com