Page 1
The Wren and Cuff Gold Comp Germanium Compressor/Pre-amp
Probably one of the most misunderstood effects in the whole world of pedals, many seasoned players are aware
of the magic of a good compressor, but for most, its not especially high on the list of gear lust we all have.
Well my hope is that the pedal you now own will show you what valuable tool is all about.
Compression can give things a lift, or smooth a spiky tele. It can bring out the balls on a bass, and make a pick’s
attack on a string defined and present in the mix. Often, when its really doing it’s thing, you don’t even know it’s
there. Ever heard a talented finger picker and wondered how he gets all those notes to pop and sparkle in such an
effortless way? Well along with the talent and hands of the player, its usually a compressor helping things to really
pop.
Use it in a less subtle way, and you can squash your signal to the point of no return… Think of a clucky strat with
the middle and bridge pup engaged, in the hands of a good country player or a hybrid-picker like Mark Knopfler.
That cluck and pop is a compressor bringing out the articulations of the fingers, pick, strings, that would otherwise
be lost in the auditory wash of a full band.
Used with OD and distortion, it can sound like someone is turning up the “good” knob adding fullness and edge to
the tone.
Rather than go into a big explanation of how compression works, I’ll let you do a google search. There are many
useful sites that will help you get an understanding of the effect and its swiss army knife-like uses.
That said, here is what’s happening in your new pedal:
Built upon the framework of a brilliant (non-germanium) circuit created by effects guru Merlin Blencourt (and used
with his permission), I poked, prodded, tweaked, and morphed this circuit into what I believe to be the best
compressor pedal ever made!!! Ok, maybe I’m a bit biased, but I’ll let you decide.
Your compressor/preamp is an OTA based circuit that uses two hand-selected vintage germanium transistors, one
to coax a soft and natural sounding lifting and leveling, the other fueling a germanium post amp that warms things
up even more while adding some girth and sheen to the tone. Truly a pleasure to play.
Each pedal is assembled and tested in our humble little shop on the outskirts of Los Angeles and comes with our
no questions asked, iron-clad warranty.
Thank you!
Matthew Holl and all of us at Wren and Cuff
*A note about the bypass. You may hear a noticeable “pop” when engaging or bypassing your pedal. Although pulldown resistors have been added, when implementing a
100% hardwire mechanical bypass, there is no such thing as silent switching. This “pop” can be reduced, but never eliminated. Due to the configuration of this circuit, the
pop may be a bit more noticeable than some of your other pedals. This can be reduced a bit by clicking things on and off a few times before you start playing, but please
know that this is normal and not indicative of a defective pedal. We could have went with a non-true bypass configuration, or a relay system, but we elected to keep the
bypass pure and just live with the pop! We hope you feel its worth it.
Loading...