The Wren and Cuff Elephant Skin is Mastodon’s Troy Sanders’ signature pedal. Troy has used a Tall Font Russian Muff as a cornerstone of his tone since 2010. If you’ve ever heard the low-end wall of sound that underpins Mastodon’s recordings, a significant part of that is this circuit.
The Russian Muff has a distinct character compared to the American versions. It has heavier low end, smoother top, slightly different mid presentation. It’s particularly well suited to bass, which is presumably why Troy Sanders gravitated to it.
You may be starting to think ” why are we talking about the Russian Muff and not the Elephant Skin” , well …
The Elephant Skin adds an extra gain stage footswitch over the standard Tall Font Russian. Troy’s approach to going to eleven. Engaged on its own it gives a slightly gritty clean boost and with the Tall Font side, it drives heavier and more saturated fuzz. The XT Volume knob controls the output of the extra gain stage independently.
Controls
- Tall Font side: Volume, Tone, Distortion — standard Muff controls.
- XT Volume: Controls the output level of the extra gain stage.
- Extra gain stage footswitch: Activates an additional gain stage independently.
Key Features
- Troy Sanders (Mastodon) signature pedal
- Tall Font Russian Muff recreation
- Extra gain stage footswitch — clean boost on its own, drives fuzz harder when combined
- XT Volume control for the extra gain stage
- Works on guitar and bass
- True hardwired bypass
- Lifetime warranty
- Made in Los Angeles, USA
Power
9V DC centre-negative only. 8mA current draw. Do not run above 9V — Muff-style circuits rely on specific transistor biasing and higher voltage reduces the distortion character significantly. Battery operation is supported on all Wren and Cuff pedals.
Watch The Wren and Cuff Elephant Skin In Action
FAQs
A version of the EHX Big Muff Pi produced in Russia during the 1990s, named so after the tall italic font on the original graphics. It has a heavier low end, smoother top, and a slightly different mid presentation compare with the USA version. It’s particularly popular with bass players, which is why Troy Sanders of Mastodon has used one since 2010.
It activates an additional gain stage. Used alone it acts as a slightly gritty clean boost. Used with the Tall Font side engaged, it pushes the fuzz into heavier, more saturated territory. The XT Volume knob controls the output level of the extra stage independently.
Yes, it was specifically designed for bass players.
Yes.
9V DC centre-negative or a 9V battery. 8mA current draw.Do not run above 9V.
Lifetime warranty on all Wren and Cuff pedals.
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