Rams Head Big Muff Pi

122
GUITARIST MARCH 2020
Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi
Heads up! Arguably the most anticipated of the Big Muff reissues has landed
MANUFACTURER
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
MODEL
RAM’S HEAD BIG MUFF PI
CONTACT
WWW.EHX.COM
PRICE
£92
PEDALBOARD
PROS Nails the classic Ram’s Head tone;
compact size; very reasonably priced
CONS None really – but why no violet-
coloured graphics?
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Olly Curtis
S
o, which is the most desired Big Muff
of them all? There have been many
variations over the years, but a lot of
Muff aficionados have a soft spot for the V2
Muff produced for a few years from 1973
and known as the ‘Ram’s Head’ because
of that bizarre little face on the front. The
popularity may also have something to
do with the fact that it’s the model most
associated with David Gilmour.
Now in its nano range of Big Muff
reissues (that also includes the V1 Triangle
Muff, Op-Amp Big Muff and Green
Russian), Electro-Harmonix has launched
the Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi, said to be
a reproduction of the ‘violet’ version,
the most common revision of Ram’s
Head-period circuitry as first seen in ’73
models with violet silk-screened graphics,
although it is also found in pedals with
other colours.
EHX has refined the new model’s
circuitry with close reference to some
vintage models, and A/B’ing it against
our own ’73 vintage Ram’s Head confirms
they’ve nailed it. The usual Big Muff
range is all here: the Sustain knob starts
out at medium-gain overdrive, but soon
transitions into saturated fuzzy sustain
that just goes on and on, blooming into
harmonic feedback as you hold a note.
Tonally, there’s less bottom-end than in a
lot of other Big Muffs; here it’s tighter and
more controlled. The midrange scoop is
there, but the pedal’s overall balance of
frequencies seems just right, yielding a
lovely degree of string articulation. All
can be tailored with the wide-ranging
tone knob – rolled back for smooth liquid
sustain or rolled forward for crispier,
more cutting top-end.
Ultimately, a Big Muff is a Big Muff
and any particular version is going to be
in the ballpark, but to aficionados it’s all
about the subtle differences and this one
has pedigree. If Comfortably Numb floats
your boat, you’re a Dinosaur Jr fan or you
want to cop Ernie Isley’s That Lady tone,
then a Ram’s Head is likely to be your
preferred variation.
VERDICT
It’s excellent news that this particular
flavour of Big Muff is freely available once
more – and it sounds every bit as good as
it did back in 1973.
ELECTRO-HARMONIX
One for fans of Mr Gilmour, this pedal puts two
classic circuits into one unit: there’s a ‘Ram’s Head
Muff’ channel, followed by one that’s based on a
Colorsound Power Boost, favoured by the Floyd
man as a post-Muff tone sweetener.
For those of you who like to build your own pedals,
BYOC has the Ram’s Head-style Large Beaver,
which has the added flexibility of a tone bypass
and a scooped/flat/hump mids selector switch.
There’s also a more diminutive L’il Beaver.
Large Beaver from $69.99
BYOC
Hand-built in the UK, this inspired-by version of the
Ram’s Head Big Muff from Expresso FX increases
the versatility that’s available by adding two extra
toggle switches to the pedal for boosting the mid
and bass frequencies.
Tup Fuzz £189
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GIT456.peds_ehx.indd 122 23/01/2020 21:14