The Wren and Cuff Caprid Small Foot is a fuzz pedal: a pedalboard-friendly version of the company's big-box Caprid. Wren and Cuff describes it as "a pedalboard friendly version of one of our most popular pedals," built after many customer requests, five years after the original, which places its release around 20171.
The circuit is not a copy of a single vintage unit. Wren and Cuff's Matthew Holl notes that there are actually four different versions of the Ram's Head Big Muff circuit inside 1970s enclosures, so he built the Caprid as a "best of" combination of those four versions1. The maker's own sound description: "My favorite way to describe the sound is buttered nails. Can be violin smooth and sustaining, but can be raunchy and drivey when you roll the distortion knob back," with a medium-to-heavy mid-scoop and heavy saturation on tap1.
What it does to your sound
The Caprid Small Foot is a saturated fuzz in the Big Muff family, with the scooped-mid character that family is known for. Wren and Cuff says it can be violin-smooth and sustaining with the distortion knob up, and raunchier and more drive-like when you roll that knob back1. That single control therefore covers a wide range, from thick, singing sustain to a grittier, more aggressive texture.
The mid-scoop is described as medium to heavy, and the maker says heavy saturation is available throughout the range1. For players who want to compare circuits, Wren and Cuff also makes Ram's Head-family pedals such as the Garbage Face Jr and the Box of War.
How it differs from the original Caprid
The original Caprid is a big-box pedal; the Small Foot moves the same idea into what Wren and Cuff calls "the pedal-board friendly 125-style box of the Small Foot"1. The size difference is the main point: at 4.8" x 2.6" x 1.6" and 9.5 oz, it fits on a crowded board where the big box would not1.
The internal build also differs. On the Small Foot, Wren and Cuff used quieter metal film resistors, standard size metal film and ceramic capacitors, and a smaller PCB1. The company is straightforward about the result:
"So does it sound exactly the same? No, it does not. If it did, what would be special about the original? However, it does sound pretty damn close."
The original Caprid was reissued in 2021, as reported by Delicious Audio, which described it as "their recently reissued Caprid" alongside a new Blue Caprid variant tuned to the violet Ram's Head circuit3.
The Blue Violet variant
A sibling pedal, the Blue Violet Caprid Small Foot, uses the same small enclosure but a different lineage: it is based on the famed violet-era Ram's Head circuit, with the same circuit as Wren and Cuff's Blue Violet Caprid and component values matched to the big-box OG Blue Violet4. Wren and Cuff says it "sounds very close to the OG Blue," with subtle differences because it lacks the big half-watt carbon-composition resistors, the 3003 open layout, and the exact capacitors of the big box4. The blue finish was chosen simply because it looks nice, in the maker's words, "no other reason"4.
Its specifications match the standard Small Foot: true hard-wire bypass, 9V DC negative-tip adapter or 9V battery, 5mA current draw, made in the USA, and it is also sold out at the maker's store4.
Power and connections
The Caprid Small Foot runs on a 9V DC negative-tip adapter through a 2.1mm jack, or on an internal 9V battery1. Current draw is 5mA1, low enough that it shares easily with other pedals on a typical power supply. The Blue Violet variant draws the same 5mA4.
The maker's store lists the Caprid Small Foot as sold out as of October 20261. A B-Stock unit in a Navy Blue + Mid-flat + Creamy finish with a blue LED, described as having more than one chipped corner, was offered in a Summer Sale at $162.99 and is also sold out2.
Background and availability
Wren and Cuff announced the Small Foot as arriving "after many, many, requests, 5 years later," meaning roughly 2017 if the original Caprid dates to 20121. The pedal carries a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA1. Guitar.com listed it at $199 (or £177 as stated) in a September 2026 review5.
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Questions
Is the Caprid Small Foot true bypass?
Yes. Wren and Cuff specifies true hard-wire bypass for the Caprid Small Foot, so with the pedal off your signal passes through without buffering or coloration. The Blue Violet Caprid Small Foot variant uses the same true hard-wire bypass switching.
How is the Caprid Small Foot different from the original Caprid?
It puts the same circuit idea in a pedalboard-friendly 125-style box instead of the big enclosure, using quieter metal film resistors, standard size metal film and ceramic capacitors, and a smaller PCB. Wren and Cuff says it does not sound exactly the same as the original, but comes pretty close.
Which Ram's Head Big Muff is the Caprid based on?
Rather than copying one unit, Wren and Cuff built it as a best-of combination of four different versions of the Ram's Head Big Muff circuit found in enclosures from the 1970s. The Blue Violet variant is instead matched to the violet-era Ram's Head circuit.
Where is the Wren and Cuff Caprid Small Foot made?
Wren and Cuff builds the Caprid Small Foot in the USA, and it carries the company's lifetime warranty. The Blue Violet Caprid Small Foot variant is also made in the USA.
Sources (5)
- Caprid Small Foot, Wren and Cuff
- Cust Shop Caprid Small Foot Navy Blue + Mid-flat + Creamy B-Stock Summer Sale, Wren and Cuff
- Wren And Cuff Blue Caprid Muff, Delicious Audio, 2021-09-07
- Blue Violet Caprid Small Foot, Wren and Cuff
- Moth Electric P. Isabella Fuzz (Ram’s Head) review, Guitar.com, 2026-09-07
