The Wren and Cuff Your Face 70's is a fuzz pedal that takes the 70s Fuzz Face circuit as its starting point and adds a few practical tweaks. Wren and Cuff describes it as "all that's loved about the 70's Fuzz Faces, with some added tweaks to smooth things over," and calls it "an ultra-smooth high-gain silicon 70's style fuzzer with all the right tweaks." Where the original Fuzz Faces of that era used germanium transistors, this pedal uses silicon, which Wren and Cuff pairs with custom filtering intended to warm the circuit up. The result, in the maker's words, is "the edge of a tight silicon fuzz" with that filtering on top1.
It sits alongside the Your Face 60's in the company's range, which is the germanium-transistor take on the same idea. Both pedals share the true hard-wire bypass, the You knob, the lifetime warranty and USA construction, and both are covered on the fuzz pedal type page21.
Controls
The pedal keeps the classic two-knob Fuzz Face layout of a fuzz control and a volume, but both have been reworked12:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fuzz | A reverse-log potentiometer that widens the useful range of the control, so dialing in a setting is easier than on the original taper1 |
| You | A custom low-cut control that reduces some of the low-end squash, letting you dial things in "just right for you"1 |
| Volume | Output level, in the usual Fuzz Face arrangement |
The reverse-log taper on the fuzz knob is a response to a common complaint about Fuzz Face-style pedals, where much of the sweep of a standard control does little useful. Wren and Cuff says the new taper "widens that range and let's you dial things in just right"1.
The circuit and the noise problem
At the heart of the pedal are two hand-matched NOS BC108C silicon transistors, selected for specific gains. Around them, Wren and Cuff uses super-quiet metal film resistors and smoothing capacitors, which the maker says tame spiky highs and eliminate squealing at higher volumes. That squeal at high gain and volume is a known behavior of the Fuzz Face family of circuits, and these are the "added tweaks" the company refers to in its description of the pedal1.
"Truly an ultra-smooth high-gain silicon 70's style fuzzer with all the right tweaks."
Power, size and practical details
The Your Face 70's runs on a 9V battery or a 2.1mm center-negative 9VDC adapter, with a current draw of 5mA. That is a light load, so it will run comfortably from a daisy-chained supply or a battery for a long time. The enclosure measures 4.8" x 2.6" x 1.6" and weighs 9.5 oz, so it takes up modest room on a board1.
The pedal is made in the USA and carries a lifetime warranty from Wren and Cuff1.
Your Face 70's or Your Face 60's?
The two pedals in the Your Face line share their layout and most of their features, and differ mainly in the transistors and the voicing that follows from them12:
| Your Face 70's | Your Face 60's | |
|---|---|---|
| Transistors | Hand matched NOS BC108C silicon1 | Hand matched NOS germanium2 |
| Voicing | Tight silicon edge with custom filtering to warm it up1 | Traditional Fuzz Face character with higher output2 |
| Bypass | True hard-wire1 | True hard-wire2 |
| Warranty | Lifetime1 | Lifetime2 |
Wren and Cuff notes of the 60's version that if you do not like the low output of a traditional Fuzz Face, "Fixed it. All the volume you could ever want or need"2. The 70's model takes the same practical approach to the silicon side of the family.
Videos
JJ Tanis
Pitbull Audio
Questions
What transistors are in the Wren and Cuff Your Face 70's?
The Your Face 70's uses hand matched new old stock BC108C silicon transistors. Wren and Cuff says it takes two hand-matched BC108 silicon transistors selected for specific gains, paired with super-quiet metal film resistors and smoothing capacitors to tame spiky highs and eliminate squealing at higher volumes.
Is the Your Face 70's true bypass?
Yes. Wren and Cuff lists the Your Face 70's as having true hard-wire bypass, so the pedal's circuit is taken fully out of the signal path when it is switched off.
Does the Your Face 70's run on a battery?
Yes. The pedal runs on a 9V battery or a 2.1mm center-negative 9VDC adapter, and Wren and Cuff lists the current draw at 5mA, which is light enough for almost any pedalboard power supply.
What does the You knob do?
The custom You knob works as a low-cut control. Wren and Cuff describes it as reducing some of the low-end squash, letting you dial the pedal in just right for you, which is where the knob gets its name.
Where is the Your Face 70's made?
Wren and Cuff lists the Your Face 70's as made in the USA, and the pedal carries the company's lifetime warranty.
Does the Your Face 70's have a warranty?
Yes. Wren and Cuff offers a lifetime warranty on the Your Face 70's.
Sources (2)
- Your Face 70's, Wren and Cuff
- Your Face 60's, Wren and Cuff
