Last year, Wren and Cuff released the Garbage Face, their J Mascis signature pedal. Now, they’re back with its unruly son: The Garbage Face Jr. It contains the key circuit of its predecessor: an exact clone of J’s legendary Ram’s Head Big Muff. This particular pedal has been key to J’s live sound for over 30 years, ever since he picked it up at a tour stop in Arizona in 1987. If you’ve seen Dinosaur Jr. live, you already know the sound: simultaneously inviting and overwhelming. 

If you aren’t familiar with the origin of the original Garbage Face, here’s the lowdown: In 2017, J sent Matt the original pedal for a major repair job. As a result of this process, Matt pitched the signature pedal to J, and the reverse engineering process began. Given the relaxed approach to pedal construction employed by Electro Harmonix in the 70s, as well as decades of component drift (more than 40% in some cases), this was a long and complicated process which necessitated significant technical wizardry. After years of meticulous work and consultation with the man himself, the Garbage Face was released in 2021 and featured the Muff clone, as well as a germanium treble boost and a switchable output level. 

The new offering from Wren and Cuff, the appropriately named Garbage Face Jr., strips it back to the heart of its predecessor: an exact clone of J’s favorite fuzz in a new, pedalboard friendly package.