Tasty Tones: The “Phat Phuk B Germanium Bass Boost” from Wren and Cuff
image credit- Lily Mitchell
My recent discovery and impulsive acquisition of the “Phat Phuk B” from Wren and Cuff was born out of one simple need: some extra grit and sweetener for my bass tone. Pre-”PPB,” my pedalboard was boasting my favorite clean preamp/DI, a handful of destructive dirt pedals, a super utilitarian compressor, and a trusty tuner-- all dropped in front of a 500w solid state amp. In a sense, I had my “sound,” yet, no matter what, it lacked a little bit of “always-on” edge. Although I loved my core settings, things were too sterile. I sought a bit of spice that I could sprinkle on top of my preamp pedal, sort of like a pre-preamp, but how ridiculous is that? Who would need such a thing? This idea, it turns out, was clearly not too excessive for the folks over at Los Angeles-based Wren and Cuff, as the “Phat Phuk B Germanium Bass Boost” has remained one of their most popular pedal creations.
The “Phat Phuk B” (“B” denotes the bass model), is not your average boost pedal. In fact, it was not even designed to be transparent/clean, like most common guitar and bass boosts on the market. It features a new-old-stock Germanium transistor designed to deliver an immediately recognizable, vintage, tube-like tone, all while boosting your bass signal. Not to mention, each transistor is uniquely hand-selected, complete with the quirk of getting even dirtier when heated by the surrounding environment (I don’t mind this). In its normal state, it’s warm-sounding and colored, and will break up into a subtle and gritty overdrive the more that the one and only knob is cranked clockwise [Ed. Note- Yay, one knob! My kind of pedal]. One would think that the volume would also boost dramatically when this happens, but I can attest that the volume increase is gentle and gradual. This is fantastic, because you get to dial in the amount of drive without having to worry about excessive boosting. Conversely, things will get incredibly quiet if turned counter-clockwise. For the purpose of showing this spectrum, I will turn the knob to the left before cranking it to the right during the sound demo at the bottom of this review. Overall, the pedal is very balanced, and I can guarantee that there is plenty of volume on tap if you’re mainly seeking the boost feature. Furthermore, no matter what you’re into, simply turn to your desired sound and play! It is a minimalist solution to a complex and highly personal problem for bassists.
“Wait,” you say. “Boost feature?” That’s right. Despite the name’s obvious indication, I am pretty sure that the Germanium transistor is actually what has this pedal flying off of the shelves. I mentioned above how it can emulate “tube-like” tones. Let me take a moment to underscore that. This pedal is like taking a back-breakingly heavy vintage, all-tube bass stack and cramming it into a hot pink pedal enclosure. Place it in front of an amp and transform any solid state into a vivacious and lively haven for your bass tone. It will also play nicely with nearly anything that comes after it. As expected, it complemented my clean preamp by adding grit, but I was also totally surprised by how well it pushed my overdrive and fuzz pedals to another state of distorted bliss. And my basses? My passive Fenders are absolutely singing! Imagine a classic bass sound, but then injecting a growl right under the surface of the signal.
When first using the “PPB,” I had to slightly roll the knob back from my initial setting because things got a tad too muddy, but I quickly found a setting that was just right for me. The pedal’s sound is so thick and organic that I have chosen to keep mine on all of the time. This is a huge win because that was the goal of my original pedal hunt, and I never intended to use this pedal as only a boost. So, if old-school, warm, variable, and uniquely biased bass sounds are your thing, you may have unknowingly been after this stompbox all along!
In closing, this pedal is for all of the “secret sauce” searchers. You probably dig your bass rig, but want that extra cherry on top. You want more than just a tool to help you pop out of the mix at certain points during a song or solo. You want a tangible dimension to your bass sound that can only be described as, well, Phat-- like the “Phat Phuk B” from Wren and Cuff.
Lily Mitchell is a bassist from Southern California, and true lover of all things low end. From rock to metal to funk to Motown, she enjoys playing it all–– always with her favorite Fender Precision and Mustang basses, of course! When not on stage, writing, or woodshedding, she can also be found on the tennis court, teaching students as a USPTA certified professional tennis coach. Connect with Lily on Instagram here: