The Wren and Cuff J Mascis Garbage Face is a signature fuzz pedal built with J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. It puts two circuits in one purple box: a part-by-part recreation of J's number one Big Muff, an odd 1970s Electro-Harmonix Ram's Head, and a replication of the germanium treble booster he uses to slam the input of that Muff1. The idea is J's live setup in a single pedal: a Ram's Head Muff with a boost in front of it, plus a footswitchable second volume level for jumping from rhythm to lead.
Wren and Cuff describes the Muff side as a faithful recreation of J Mascis's favorite Muff, and stresses that "this is not just any 70's EHX Ram's Head"1. The pedal took more than 2 years to develop1, and Pedal of the Day reported the recreation process alone took almost two years2.
A Ram's Head Muff with a germanium treble booster
The Garbage Face is really two pedals in one enclosure. The fuzz side is the recreation of J's Ram's Head. The other side is a replication of J's favorite germanium treble booster, the one he uses to slam the input of the Muff1. Pedal of the Day reports the boost circuit is based on the out-of-production Germania Treble Booster from Home Brew Electronics, built with a carefully selected and meticulously tested vintage germanium transistor2.
The combination mirrors how J has actually played. Premier Guitar notes that Mascis has used several solutions over the years to achieve a rhythm/lead contrast live, including stacked Big Muffs, overdrives in front of Muffs, and treble boosters upstream from his Ram's Head3. Hitting the front end of the fuzz, the boost increases the highs and adds a mid-range bump, according to Pedal of the Day2.
"The sustain is long, the tones are creamy and the fuzz is, well, unmistakable"
Pedal of the Day's overall verdict on the recreation was blunt: "Well, it worked, and this pedal is absolutely incredible"2.
The controls
The pedal carries five knobs for volume, tone and gain controls4, with three footswitches: one activates the fuzz, one the treble booster, and one switches between the two output volumes4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the fuzz side's output level2 |
| Volume 2 | Alternate fuzz volume setting, toggled by the middle footswitch2 |
| Tone | Tone control on the fuzz side2 |
| Gain | Gain control on the fuzz side2 |
| Boost toggle switch | Selects a stock Rangemaster tone or a wider range boost option2 |
The standout feature is the second volume knob. Wren and Cuff built in "a second volume knob with a footswitch to let you bounce between two Muff volume outputs"1. Pedal of the Day called this the beauty of the pedal: its middle footswitch lets you toggle back and forth between the settings for the Volume and Volume 2 knobs2. In practice it gives you a preset volume jump, the kind of move J has made live by stacking drives and boosts in front of his Muff3.
Guitar Pedal X lists the full control set as Volume, Tone, Gain, Volume 2, a Full/Treble switch, Boost, the fuzz footswitch, the Volume 1-2 footswitch, and the treble boost5.
Power: 9V, 8mA
Power comes from a 9V DC center negative adapter or a 9V battery, with a current draw of 8mA1. At that draw the pedal is easy on a pedalboard power supply, and the battery option means it can run standalone. All switching is true bypass1.
History: recreating J's number one Muff
The Garbage Face was announced in April 2020 and the first batch sold out almost immediately, leaving a waiting list4. Gearnews noted the purple enclosure with J-style cutesy graphics on the front4.
The Muff side is a part-by-part recreation of J's number one Muff since 1987, which Wren and Cuff describes as an odd 70's EHX Ram's Head with incorrect and drifted parts values1. Pedal of the Day calls it a part-by-part of J's favorite Big Muff, an early 70's version that has been his number one2. Guitar.com similarly describes the Garbage Face as a boutique take on his favorite Ram's Head Big Muff from the mid-70s6.
J's attachment to that specific unit is well documented. In a 2011 interview with Kit Rae on The Big Muff Page, J described a collection of vintage USA Big Muffs dating from the early to late 1970s, around ten Big Muffs in 1997 grown to approximately forty by the time of the interview, in purple, blue, red and black7. His number two Ram's Head was well worn at the time, with tape residue, a #2 sticker, and replacement knobs and pots7.
The pedal is a part-by-part recreation of J's number one Muff, an odd 70's EHX Ram's Head with incorrect and drifted parts values that he has used since 198721. A compact version of the distortion side, the Garbage Face Jr, followed later. Electro-Harmonix has since released its own J Mascis Ram's Head Big Muff Pi, which Guitar.com notes remains a much cheaper option than even the compact Jr version of the Garbage Face6.
Videos
Chicago Music Exchange
Demos In The Dark
Pedal of the Day
Questions
What Big Muff is the Garbage Face based on?
The fuzz side is a part-by-part recreation of J Mascis's number one Muff, which he has used since 1987: an odd 1970s Electro-Harmonix Ram's Head Big Muff with incorrect and drifted parts values. Wren and Cuff describes it as a faithful recreation of J's favorite Muff, not just any 70's Ram's Head.
What does the Volume 2 footswitch do on the Garbage Face?
The middle footswitch toggles between the settings of the Volume and Volume 2 knobs, giving you two preset Muff output levels you can bounce between. It is aimed at the rhythm-to-lead volume jump J Mascis has chased live, without touching a knob mid-song.
What treble booster is in the Garbage Face?
The boost side is a replication of J's favorite germanium treble booster, built around a carefully selected and meticulously tested vintage germanium transistor. Pedal of the Day reports the circuit is based on the out-of-production Germania Treble Booster from Home Brew Electronics, with a toggle for a stock Rangemaster tone or a wider range boost.
Does the Garbage Face take a 9V battery?
Yes. Wren and Cuff lists power as a 9V DC center negative adapter or a 9V battery, with a current draw of 8mA, so a battery is a realistic option and the pedal is light on a power supply.
What is the difference between the Garbage Face and the Garbage Face Jr?
The Garbage Face Jr, released in May 2022, is a compact three-knob version of the distortion side of the original 2020 Garbage Face, recreating J Mascis's early 70's Ram's Head Big Muff. The full Garbage Face adds the germanium treble booster side, the Volume 2 footswitch and the booster voicing switch.
Sources (7)
- J Mascis Garbage Face, Wren and Cuff
- Wren and Cuff J Mascis Garbage Face Fuzz Boost, Pedal of the Day, 2021-01-29
- Melt Faces with a Muff-y Machine Made for Mascis, Premier Guitar, 2020-04-09
- Dinosaur Jr tones on tap with the Wren and Cuff J Mascis Garbage Face, gearnews.com, 2020-04-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2020-12-18
- Electro-Harmonix J Mascis Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi review, Guitar.com, 2022-10-19
- J Mascis Big Muffs, Kit Rae (The Big Muff Page, kitrae.net), 2011-08-02
