Wren and Cuff

The maker's reputation rests on circuit accuracy. On the Tall Font Russian page, Holl writes that in the early days of Wren and Cuff he hand-wired, point-to-point on perf-board, over 150 Muff and Muff-related pedals². Animals Pedal, which sells pedals Wren and Cuff designed, describes the company as one that carefully analyzes vintage fuzz circuits from original units, reproduces them at high quality, and is highly regarded worldwide for it³.

The story: from side project to Los Angeles shop

Matthew Holl started Wren and Cuff in 2006 as a part time hobby while working as a musician and gear enthusiast. In 2007 he made the company his full time job, moved operations and hired employees to keep up with growing demand¹. Today the pedals are made by hand in small batches in Los Angeles⁶, with enclosures made by a small metal shop in the city and assembly done in the Wren and Cuff shop in North Los Angeles⁷. Holl notes that pedals are made, painted and silkscreened in Los Angeles⁴, and several products, such as the Caprid Small Foot and Elephant Skin, are listed as made in the USA⁸.

Known for vintage Big Muff reproductions

The core of the catalog is a run of recreations spanning the Big Muff's history, each tied to a specific era and circuit³⁹²:

The maker's approach is documented in its own product pages. The Tall Font Russian is billed as a "RUSSIAN MUFF METICULOUSLY RECREATED"², and the OG Caprid page explains that four different Ram's Head circuits existed and were combined into one pedal¹². Beyond Muffs, the range includes other effects such as the UB-Stone, and the company's catalog extends to handmade guitar and bass effects more broadly¹.

Collaborations: Garbage Face and Animals Pedal

J Mascis and the Garbage Face

Wren and Cuff has a long working relationship with Dinosaur Jr's J Mascis. Matthew approached J with the idea of a signature pedal based on J's favorite vintage Muff pedal, and the two worked together over more than two years to make the final unit a dead-on replica of his treasured pedal¹⁴. The result, the J Mascis Garbage Face, is a full-size dual volume fuzz and treble-booster signature pedal: a faithful recreation of J's favorite Muff on one side, and a replication of his favorite germanium treble booster, which he uses to slam the input of the fuzz, on the other¹⁴.

Following its release, players asked for a stripped down three-knob version of the distortion side, which became the Garbage Face Jr, J's number one vintage Muff in a small pedalboard-friendly enclosure¹⁶¹⁵.

Claudio Sanchez and the Anna

The Anna is a collaboration between Matt Holl and Coheed and Cambria's Claudio Sanchez. The Muff side is a detailed replica of Claudio's original pedal, created at the Wren and Cuff shop, and both pedals can be used independently or in series, with the drive hitting the Muff¹⁷. The collaboration grew out of Holl's reputation for meticulously accurate reproductions of vintage pedals¹⁷.

Animals Pedal

Wren and Cuff has been building handmade guitar and bass effects since 2006, when Matthew Holl, a musician and major gear head, started the company as a part time hobby¹. By 2007 Holl had made Wren and Cuff his full time job, moved operations and hired employees to keep up with growing demand¹.

Founder Matthew Holl

Matthew Holl owns and runs Wren and Cuff, signing support articles on the company site as "Matthew Holl/Owner" and writing product pages in the first person¹⁸¹⁵¹⁹. His history with the circuits runs deep: he personally hand-wired over 150 Muff and Muff-related pedals on perf-board in the company's early days². His reputation for meticulously accurate reproductions of vintage pedals is what drew collaborators such as Claudio Sanchez to the brand¹⁷.

The mini XTS series

Wren and Cuff remains a small operation building handmade guitar and bass effects, a company Matthew Holl began as a part time hobby in 2006 and turned into his full time job in 2007, when he moved operations and hired employees to keep up with demand¹. The mini XTS series pedals carry on that handmade approach²⁰¹³¹, and the full-size pedals in the line are built to the same standards¹³.

The range (42)

News