Behringer HB01 Hell Babe

This is yet another quality Behringer rip-off of a more famous, far more expensive "brand name" pedal, the Dunlop "Cry baby from hell". I own both and really there's precious little separating the two, infact if anything I would say "go behringer" as the wah frequency threshold is adjustable (easily, knob on the side) so you can also use this as a bass wah simply (the dunlop sounds bad when used with bass, doesn't really work).

The workmanship here is pretty much identical to the dunlop pedal. It's slightly bigger in terms of footsize/area so I guess if you're a big footed lummox this would, again, probably be the better pedal to go for.

One small problem I noticed with the pedal is that for a bit of the "travel" of the rocker there isn't really much change to the sound, with the majority of the "wah" effect taking place in a shorter travel range than the full pedal allows. This was easily fixed with a simple internal mod which is detailed in many, many different youtube videos which are easy to find, just search the name of the pedal and the word "mod" and you'll find them. This is absolutely no reason to put anyone off buying the pedal and, for many people, this will probably not be an issue at all but I am an anally retentive freak so OF COURSE it bothered me ;-)

I dipped 1 star in both "handling" and "quality" for this small issue (and it really is a small issue, the sound/range is still there it's just spread over less travel than the pedal offers from the off). Also, I'm not sure if all will be set up like this, it might just be a few from time to time that aren't set up right. Considering this is more than 1/2 the price of the Dunlop unit one can happily take 5 minutes or so to fix this issue.

Also, another thing this has over the dunlop pedal is that it's all "optical" whereas the dunlop wah's rely on mechanical parts/wheels inside. This means it'll never get gummed up/worn down and should, theoretically, last much longer. Think of the difference between an old school "ball" computer mouse and a new optical/laser mouse. Which one do you have to clean out regularly ? (clue: it's not the optical/laser one)

Works well with the harley benton power plant, no detectable buzz/colouration of sound when in bypass mode and it works well, also, in combination with other pedals (particularly nice when placed in line after a distortion, but you probably already know that, right ?)

Overall this is a bit above the average Behringer pedal, not from sound quality (I think they all sound good) but in terms of being close to the original (if not beyond) in terms of build quality. I foresee no problems in using this in reasonably animated live situations for "one footed surfing" style nonsense.

Would definitely recommend.

This pedal is supposed to be based on Dimebag Darrell's signature Wah, the Cry Baby from Hell, which is usually £150-£200. This is pretty much identical, but it's 1/4 of the price.

The Hellbabe is optical, so there aren't any pots or moving parts that can get cat hair stuck in them. It also doesn't have a button to turn it on, instead activating when you put your foot on it and turning off after you remove your foot. You can adjust how long the pedal stays on after you take your foot off but the default setting is near immediate.

The sound is surprisingly good for a pedal this cheap, and is very versatile coming with several knobs, so that you can get the exact tone you want. I mostly use this for metal and it's great for that.

Initially, I thought that the pedal would feel flimsy and cheap, due to it being made of plastic. However, only the rocker is made of plastic and the rest is made of (I'm assuming) steel. Despite the rocker being made of plastic, it feels very sturdy and will probably last a few years of use at the least.

You can adjust the resistance of the rocker but, like the timer adjust, it feels great out of the box.

I feel like this is one of Behringer's highest quality pedals so far.

I was looking for an affordable wah pedal that I could later modify with different electronic parts. All I wanted, was an optical control (lasts longer and is just more reliable). I picked this one, but in the end, I kept the original electronics, as it sounds surprisingly good! It offers a lot of controls to shape the output sound to your liking. It does not have a switch, because it switches on/off automatically when you move the pedal. I didn't trust that at first, but it's MUCH more convenient than a standard mechanical on/off switch, and again, you can control how fast it switches off.

When activated, it adds some noise to the signal, but for distorted sounds it's not that noticeable. It becomes worse with the boost. Looks like it's not shielded inside at all. It is a thick plastic chassis, so not that bad, but definitely don't try to stand on it. The wah effect happens only in a relatively short region of the pedal movement (can be DIY-modified).

It has its issues, but it's perfect as your first wah pedal OR as a cheap basis for further modifications, if you're into that.