WREN AND
CUFF
ELEPHANT SKIN
REVIEW BY YOEL KRESISLER
STREET PRICE $249.99
I have been a longtime
fan of Wren and Cuff—the
company goes beyond
cloning the circuit board and
throwing it into an ugly or
weird box that has nothing
to do with the original
circuit. Instead, Wren and
Cuff painstakingly recreates
what makes the classic
circuit great, as well as
the original designs, albeit
with a unique twist. The
Elephant Skin is perhaps a
bit different in its form and
function, but it still retains
what is great about Wren
and Cuff’s classic Big Muff
designs, while adding a bit
of personality and utility
courtesy of Troy Sanders
from Mastodon.
74
GEAR REVIEW
//
While Troy Sanders is the
bass player, his huge riffs
and chunky rhythm works
are thanks to one of his
favorite pedals, the “tall
font” Russian Big Muff. I
tested this pedal on guitar,
and it sounds just as sweet
and thick as it would on
bass, making this a very
versatile piece of kit. This
pedal is a straight clone of
the tall font Big Muff, with
a boost c ircuit, labeled
“XT.” I’d like to come out
the gate saying that I feel
like finally someone has
listened to my prayers.
After reviewing a good
chunk of dual pedals in my
time here, none have had
each of their functions be
Wren and Cuff Elephant Skin
independent. For example,
if a dual-footswitch
distortion pedal had an LFO
or boost on it, they wouldn’t
be independent. One would
need to be activated in
order for the other one
to come in and out of the
circuit. The Elephant Skin
boost and Muff circuits are
independent, which painted
an idiotic smile on my face
that couldn’t be wiped off.
That smile widened when
I switched on the pedal,
as the sound that spat out
was my favorite pedal in
its truest and purest form;
crispy, deep, detailed, and
articulate.
Having just a vintage Civil
War Big Muff for a few