Wren and Cuff Two Five 25V Overdrive

TWENTY-FIVE VOLTS OF POWER? Welcome to today’s beast of an overdrive, folks: the Two Five 25V from classic noisemakers Wren and Cuff. It’s been a minute since we had a pedal of theirs pass through the shop, and what a way to return! This yellow monster reminds us of those striped, buzzing insects you hope don’t sting you on a picnic, full of terror, gusto, determination and oozing with grit and tone.

Not only do the 25 volts of power create more output and headroom, you also open up the pedal considerably, leading to an extended dynamic range and bigger overall feel to the effect. The vast expanse of the Volume knob gives you more than you will (probably) ever need, and easily pushes a nice tube amp into a gorgeous, natural overdrive. Crank the Gain up slowly, and you’ll discover another broad palette of sounds with which to work, from a dirty boost to a crunchy, Marshall-ish drive to a fat, chunky distortion-type sound. Using a JRC3404 op-amp, you can conjure up classic tube screamer tones as well, if that’s what you’re after.

The three-band EQ section boasts controls for Lows, Mids and Highs, and has been loosely based on vintage Fender amps (the controls, NOT the sound!). These three knobs interact very specifically, playing off of each other’s strengths and forming a cohesive tonal unit at any setting. A Voice toggle switch adds more flavor to the Two Five, letting you configure what type of clipping you want. In the Down position, you get two Mosfet transistors, used as diodes, plus a germanium diode, for a rich and saturated drive. In the Up position, two LEDs are used, producing a wider dynamic range and less overall saturation.

But seriously, you need to hear this thing in action to understand what it’s all about. Luckily, we’ve created a pretty sweet demo for you to peruse by clicking below to get over to our YouTube channel. We try to demonstrate the full range of sounds you can get from the Two Five, and harness the immense power this thing is capable of unleashing. Thanks to Matt and the Wren and Cuff crew for another splendid effects pedal – if you need a truly versatile overdrive that isn’t lacking in any department, make sure to hit up the W&C website for this and many more infectious pieces of gear!