THE BIG MUFF π - A HISTORY OF ALL VERSIONS - Part 1
Click on any Big Muff in the image below to go directly to that section
THE BIG MUFF STORY BEGINS - MIKE MATTHEWS and JIMI HENDRIX
The Big Muff tale starts in the early 1960s with Mike Matthews, a colledge student studying electrical engineering at Cornell University. Matthews was also a keyboardist playing in a rock band at the time, and for side work he was a part time band promoter. He worked with such acts as the Byrds, the Isley Brothers, Lovin' Spoonful, The Mamas and the Papas, the Rascals, and Chuck Berry. Matthews was a good keyboard player and he has claimed the Isley Brothers actually asked him to quit school and join them, but Mike chose to stay in school. One artist Matthews promoted at the time was Jimmy James, a budding guitarist with the Curtis Knight and the Squires band. He became friends with Jimmy, who later changed his name to Jimi Hendrix. Matthews has claimed that Jimi wanted to form a band with him at the time. Some sources have said that Matthews himself was influential in Hendrix's decision to leave the Squires and start singing, and Matthhews own words indicate this, but it may also be fair to say that Matthews was infuenced in the business direction he would take by Hendrix's guitar sound, and the other fuzz tone guitar sounds that were coming to the fore front of the Rock and Roll guitar sound. Matthews graduated from Cornell with a five year degree in 1965 and got a job working for IBM in sales. He preferred to play keyboards in his band full time since rock and roll was his love, but he was married to a wife who felt financial security of a steady job was more important. Matthews began thinking of ways he could make money on the side to allow him to pursue his passion.
Shown above - Mike Matthews and Jimmy James, who would later be known as Jimi Hendrix
RE-BRANDING FUZZRITES, the GUILD FOXEY LADY and the ELECTRO-HARMONIX AXIS
Circa 1967
Utilizing his electrical engineering skills, Mike Matthews worked on several unique but unsuccessful inventions on the side during his time at IBM. His big break came when he was given a contract to make a new version of the Guild two-transistor pedal called the Foxey Lady. Guild, based in Rhode Island at the time, was primarily a large guitar maker but they also had other related products made under their brand name. It was Guild founder Al Drunge's idea to name the pedal the Foxey Lady, capitalizing on the popularity of Jimi Hendrix's fuzz tone, which had become hugely popular at the time. Mosrite, another guitar company, had already been making the Foxey Lady pedals for Guild. That version of the Foxey Lady was actually the same fuzz pedal as Mosrite's own FUZZrite pedal, an Ed Sanner designed that was re-branded and re-boxed for Guild. Mosrite made a small quantity of these until they went bankrupt, then at a NAMM show around 1967 Guild contracted Mike Matthews to produce a new version.
Matthew's version of the Foxey Lady was designed by a New York audio and amp repairman William (Bill) Berko in his shop, ABCO Sound, on 48th Street. Bill designed the pedal and partnered with Matthews to get it made, then left unexpectedly. Matthews continued solo, with $1000 of his own money, and had the pedal manufactured for him by Aul Instruments. This extremely rare version of the Foxey-Lady was housed in a simple, folded sheet metal box, with two control knobs. Everyone was still trying to capitalize on the fuzz tone craze at this time, and Guild had good success distributing the pedal. Soon Matthews founded his own New York company, Electro-Harmonix (E-H), in October 1968, and began making Foxey Lady pedals himself. This third version of the two-knob Foxey Lady was housed in a thinner box with more a more stylish Foxey Lady font. E-H also marketed this exact same Bill Berko designed pedal under the name Axis Fuzztone. It was the same pedal, just different graphics and knobs, and the enclosure box was the same size as the one that would later become the first Big Muff. The Axis name was inspired by Hendrix, taken from his 1967 Axis:Bold As Love album title. It is rumored that Jimi owned one of these in 1968, though it is unknown if he ever recorded with one. These pedals are very rare as I have been told under 3000 of both versions were made, with the Axis being the rarer of the two. They shipped in a white corrugated cardboard box.
Shown above - The Electro-Harmonix made version of the Foxey Lady from 1968, and the Electro-Harmonix made Axis fuzz pedal, a rebranding of the Foxey Lady. Both were designed by New York audio repairman Bill Berko (19??-2010)
THE “TRIANGLE” BIG MUFF π - VERSION 1
1969-1973 (Pots date as early as 1966 and typically as late as 1972, though some have been seen dated 1973)
Circuit Designer: Bob Myer with Mike Matthews
Model Number: EH3003
Edition Versions: 2 - First edition manufactured late 1969, second edition with separate on/off switch in early 1970
True Bypass: No
Power: 9V battery only
Packaging: White corrugated cardboard box with blue printing
Place of Manufacture: The first address was 1204 Broadway, New York, NY, 10001. They later moved to 15 West 26th Street sometime before 1971 or 1972
In 1968 Mike Matthew's was introduced by his colleages at IBM to Bell Labs inventor Robert (Bob) Myer (incorrectly spelled Meyer or Mayer in some other sources - not to be confused with Roger Mayer, another effects pedal designer at the time). Myer had been at Bell labs for 12 years, mostly working on transistor circuits for military applications. He did consulting and design work on the side and created circuits for several other companies before meeting Matthews. The two began work on a new stomp box circuit that would duplicate the popular fuzz guitar tones of late sixties heard from guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and the lead guitar tone on the Rolling Stone's #1 hit Satisfaction. The pedal, which was originally supposed to be a “distortion free sustainer”, was to be released under the E-H label.
Myer designed and made a prototype pedal but had to add another pre-amp booster stage before the pedal because he over-estimated the output voltage of the guitar. Myer was not a musician. Matthews was, but his instrument was the keyboard. To test the pedal, Matthews would pluck guitar strings. The sustainer, which would eventually become the E-H Black Finger compressor, was built to Bell labs standards and was very complicated and expensive. It still needed work, but Mike did like the small volume boosting pre-amp Myer had made and the overdriven signal it sent to the amp. He wanted to make a product out of it, and paid Myer $500 cash for the design. Myer has said he simply "slapped together" the booster, but what he had created was the simple, single transistor, LPB-1 (Linear Power Booster), which by all accounts was the industry's first guitar-amp overdrive. Matthews sold this first E-H branded product by mail order in 1968 and quit IBM to focus exclusively on his own company. Bob Myer's design ushered in the age of pre-amp overdive distortion, giving makers the idea to add multiple gain stage pre-amps inside their amplifiers. Hartley Peavey, owner of Peavey Electonics Corp., was one of the first makers to incorporate this into one of his amplifiers. Matthews took the profits from the LPB-1 and reinvested them back into the company by paying Mayer for more design work. Myer understood now that Matthew's needed simple circuits that could be made inexpensively, rather than the complex circuits he had been used to building under Bell Labs standards.
Shown above - The first Electro-Harmonix pedal from 1968, the LPB1 Power Booster, which was originally a pre-amp boost for the E-H Black Finger compressor prototype designed by Bob Myer
A host of other Myer designed E-H products followed in 1969, each fitting into the same LPB-1 box. One of these was the Muff Fuzz, an analog two transistor fuzz pedal. Matthews named it a “muff” because it had a “funky, soft, muffled sound”. To follow the LPB-1 Matthhews wanted to make a three knob distortion unit in a bigger enclosure, one that would have a lot of sustain. Bob Myer was again asked to work on this new design. He created a four stage, silicon transistor circuit, much different than the Muff Fuzz and with a much bigger sound. Two transistors took the role of input and output buffers and two handled the distortion stages. This multi stage amplifier design rolled off the high harmonics and harshness of the distortion and created a very smooth sound via a soft-clipping diode circuit. It had a very unique distorted fuzz tone with a hint of an octave buzzing just under the surface. Matthews spent some time refining the electronics by trying different resistors and capacitor values to get the perfect sound for this unit. And perfection is what he got. This was the first Big Muff Pi. When compared with all of the versions that would follow, many consider this the best sounding Big Muff ever made.
"The Big Muff was designed after analyzing the distortion units in use at that time. It is one way of getting sustain with acceptable distortion using diodes as soft limiters. I never thought at the time it would become so popular. It was not designed to Bell Labs standards, but I knew then what Mike wanted. Low cost and easy to build. At that time the Fairchild company had line of inexpensive plastic transistors that I was using at the (Bell) labs. I believe those are what I used in the first design (those were FS 2n5133). However
I think the other component values had a much larger effect on the sound. The Big Muff generates harmonics of the input signal which are filtered by the circuit design and produce the differences in the sound."
-Bob Myer in 2010
"When I got the prototype from Bob, I loved the long sustain. This was done by cascading the circuit into additional sections, each one clipped by twin diodes. However, when you clip, the tone can be a bit raspy...so I spent a couple of days changing capacitors to roll off distortion in the highs, and eventually found that the best long sustaining tone that was a "sweet violin like sound" was done by having three capacitors in different parts of the circuit rolling off the rasp. We plunged into production (in 1969) and I brought the very first units up to Henry, the boss at Manny’s Music Store on 48th Street, NYC. About a week later, I stopped by at Manny’s to buy some cables, and Henry yelled out to me 'Hey Mike. I sold one of those new Big Muff’s to Jimi Hendrix'."
-Mike Matthews in 2007
Since this was in a larger enclosure, and was a bigger sounding pedal than the Muff Fuzz, Matthews simply added the word 'Big' to the name. It was model number EH-3003, a circuit designation that would last through many versions. This Version 1 Big Muff was released in late 1969 and is now well known as the Triangle Big Muff, so nicknamed for its triangular knob layout. The list price was originally $39.95, but it could found for $22-35 retail. The Big Muff was also sold in a less expensive kit version that you could assemble yourself for about half the cost.
1971- THE FIRST PRODUCTION YEAR? - Most sources say the Triangle Big Muff went into production in 1971. Mike Matthews has stated that he personally hand wired a few thousand of the very first production Big Muffs in 1969 and that he still has a copy of an order for a Triangle Big Muff he sold to Carlos Santana around 1970. E-H began advertising the Big Muff in 1969, selling them mostly by mail order from ads. Many V1 owners and sellers (a big thanks to all of you!) have contacted me over the years to tell me they bought their V1 Muffs in 1970, not '71. A Muff owner in Argentina, Carlos Lenoir, verified they were sold as early as 1970 with a reciept for a Triangle Big Muff he bought in the famous Manny's Music of New York, dated 9/25/1970. Many more V1 owners have contacted me since posting this infomation to also confirm they had made their V1 purchases, both V1 Big Muffs and the Foxey Lady version of the V1, in 1969 and 1970. The date is by no means a huge issue, but does help to to verify another mystery, the Jimi Hendrix Big Muff legend. Mike Matthews has claimed to have seen Jimi using the Big Muff in the studio, a claim many of the the "1971" daters have argued to be false since Jimi died in 1970. Mike Matthews has admitted that he was the culprit in the 1971 date. Some time in the late 1970s, a guitar magazine writer interviewed Mike and asked him when Electro-Harmonix came out with the Big Muff. Not thinking too much about it at the time Mike blurted out "around 1971", and that date stuck with writers from that day on. Mike has since traced the events at the time to determine the exact year and verified it as 1969, and this corresponds to Bob Myer's memories as well. The pot codes stamped on the back of the potentiometers are also frequently used to determine the date of manufacture, though this can be very innaccurate since Electro-Harmonix was said to have purchased pots and other components in bulk, which were sometimes not used up in manufacture until years later. Some Triangle Muff pot codes are dated 1966, two years earlier than the founding of Electro-Harmonix! Read more about pot date codes here.
GRAPHICS - Screen printed below the BIG MUFF name on the top of the box was the mathematical symbol for pi, which has remained on every Big Muff since. The first edition models produced in 1969 had a VOLUME knob, a SUSTAIN knob, and a FUZZ knob. The word OFF was just to the left of the volume pot. Some time in 1970 the word FUZZ was changed to TONE for the second edition.
CONTROLS - The first edition models produced around 1969 had a VOLUME knob with the on/off switch built into the potentiometer (pot), a SUSTAIN knob, and a FUZZ knob. The volume pot switch was then changed some time in 1970 to a separate surface mounted on/off switch for the second edition. Pots typically had plastic D shafts, but some were metal. An interesting detail about the pots is that none of them start at zero in the same place. This is due to the pots being mounted to the circuit board with the leads wrapping over the edges of the board - one over the left side, one over the top, and one over the right side. This made remembering your settings a bit of a headache.
Several knob types were used during the production. The most common was a black Bakelite rectangular topped, d-shaft knob, identical to the E-H Axis Fuzztone and Foxey Lady knobs. There were two versions of the black knobs, each with a different shaped post hole. One had a set screw in the side and one was a press on type. There were a variety of other silver and silver and black plastic knobs used. These knob types may have swapped back and forth at different during production. I have counted ten different knob types that I have seen repeatedly, though there may be many more that were used in production. Why E-H used a variety of knobs on actual factory production V2 Muffs is anyone's guess. Many V1 Muffs are also seen with wide variety of replacement knobs. The original factory knobs are prone to breaking when "foot dialing" or if stomped on, which can happen easily when gigging. Over time the plastics have aged and become brittle. Once the knobs crack off the posts, people use whatever d-shaft knobs they could get that fit. In the 1970s and 1980s these were usually home amplifier type knobs. Some of the d-shaft pot posts are much longer than others, which is why you will occasionally see V1 Muffs with the knobs raised ridiculously high over the pedal, though this made foot dialing easy.
CIRCUIT BOARDS, COMPONENTS and FICTIONAL VERSIONS and EDITIONS - First edition V1 Big Muffs with the on/off switched pot had a perforated circuit board, or "perf" board. This was probably because there was no printed circuit board yet made, and this Muff was also sold in a kit form with perf board. Later first editions had a printed and etched circuit board. The second edition had the same circuit board. I have also seen one example of a second edition pcb (pictured below) with a slightly different trace than the common pcb, though the circuit path appears to be almost identical. Circuit board colors were typically dark brown on the trace side and dark brown on the populated side, though later pcbs were blue-green color. There is practically NO consistency in component values from one V1 circuit to another. You will also be hard pressed to find one circuit with identical component types to another. There was a factory V1 schematic, but it seems that was loosely followed. E-H was known to change component types frequently, using whatever was on hand on a particular production day, and there appears to have been no real attempt to be consistant in component values. This has led to some confusion among Muff enthusiasts and has caused schematics of fictional V1 "versions" or "editions" to float around over the years, but in fact, those are just one person tracing their particular example of a V1.
V1 circuits are seen with mostly ceramic type capacitors, but occasionally you will see polymer type caps. Electrolytic caps and box type film caps are rare, but they were occasionally used. The very first V1 Muffs made on perf board had electrolytic, ceramic, and film caps. Occasionally you will see caps that appear more modern in these old circuits, an indication they may be after market replacements for the original caps. Resistors were always carbon composition, typically the large type, and the painted codes were not necessarily reliable indicators of the actual value. Diodes were silicon type. Some electronics manufacturers from that time made certain components, such as capacitors, in large runs. They would then switch to a large run of a different component. If one component supplier was out of a certain cap at the time you needed to make a component order, you had to buy a similar item, or source the component from another supplier to keep your production steady. This may be the reason you see many different resistor and cap types of varying values on these Big Muffs. It may also be that because Electro-Harmonix ran a very tight ship, components were not purchased in large batches, but in smaller orders for cash flow reasons, which meant they had to buy what was available at the time of purchase. If stock was not available for the exact component type and value needed, the closest component available was purchased.
TRANSISTORS - There are schematics for "first" and "second" editions prevalent on the web but I have found no evidence that there ever was a factory schematic change for two editions. I believe these to be simply two tracings of two specific V1 Muffs. The first and second editions I refer to here are characterized by the location of the power switch. Transistors were always silicon, typically NPN (negative-positive-negative) Fairchild Semiconductor FS36999 transistors, or 2N5133 transistors, all in the black button-top shape (TO106 package). Sometimes they used four of the same type, sometimes two of each type, and sometimes they included one odd transistor amongst the four, or one or two unmarked transistors. It seems E-H used whatever was on hand at the time and there was not much in the way of quality control for consistancy. The FS36999 was not a common transistor number and these are rumored to be 2N5088 custom order button-top transistors that another company had Fairchild mark with 36999. E-H founder Mike Matthews has said he thinks this is correct. However, these may also have been NPN 2N5133 transistors with a special mark. E-H reportedly bought a large quantity of these FS36999 tranys to counfound counterfeiters. The FS36999 has become legendary in Big Muff lore as the most desirable of all silicon transistors, though in reality it is the value of the other components that has a greater affect on the sound.
Some early Triangles were made with mixed transistors marked 2N5133 and FS36999 in the same unit. The transistor combos varied constantly, including four FS36999 transistors, four 2N5133 transistors, four SPT87103 transistors, four FS3700 transistors, four SPT3607 transistors, a combo of two FS36999 and two 2N5133 transistors (likely the same transistor), a combo of two SPT3607 and two SPT87103, and a combo of two 2N5133 and two SPT87103. Basically, it seems whatever was on hand, they used.
ENCLOSURE - The enclosure was a simple folded sheet metal, two piece box. Covering the bottom was a black rubber skid pad. It is rare to find a Triangle today with this intact. Usually it is missing or there is residue from the glue that held it in place still visible. There was no LED light and no DC current connector at this time. It ran off an internal 9V battery only, and you had to remove four screws to remove the top panel and change the battery.
CLONES OR SIMILAR PEDALS - Jordan Creator made by Jordan around 1971, The Supa Tonebender made by Sola Sound of Britian around 1973. Hohner Tri-Dirty Booster from around 1976. Some modern clones are the BYOC Large Beaver, Stomp Under Foot Tri Fuzz, Dice Works Muff Diver, Barber Trifecta, MJM Foxey Fuzz, Ronsound Hairpie Classic. The Skreddy Pedals Mayo, Mayonniase was an exact clone of a unique V1. Skreddy's Pink Flesh and Pig Mine are based around similar V1 component values.
THE V1 SOUND - The tone of the V1 Triangle has been described as the best sounding of all the Muffs. It was also one of the most articulate Muffs, with a clarity that many of the later Muffs seemed to lack. Typical V1 Big Muffs cut through a band mix very well, which was a problem some people had with later versions. These are very similar to the later V2 Ram's Head Big Muffs, though slightly less bottom end on some examples I have played. The mids were very scooped and there was a bit more sustain and brightness than most later versions. Those descriptions fit the typical Triangles I am familiar with (about 12 examples from 1970-1973 at the time this was written). It is probably the riskiest version to spend money on hoping you will get one that has "that" glorius Triangle tone. My first Traingle was a tone turd, but my second one was phenominal and one of the best Muffs I have ever played. Most of the others I have played or traded for were very good as well. The bass and treble of the tone varies quite a bit from one Traingle to another, as does the gain, fuzziness, and clarity on notes. There is more variance in Triangle Big Muff tones than any other version due to the wide variety of component values used in production, and I have never seen two Triangles with exactly the same values. That said, I can usually tell when I am hearing a V1 vs a V2 Big Muff, so there is some consistancy to the sound that defines the V1.
PINK FLOYD / DAVID GILMOUR BIG MUFFS - Though it is unknown if David Gilmour ever used a Triangle Big Muff for any Pink Floyd recordings, a Triangle was seen on top of his Pete Cornish all-tube board in a 2006 On and Island rehearsal and on later dates of the tour. Gilmour's primary Muff was the V2 Ram's Head version.
Shown above - Rare first edition 1969/1970 V1 Triangle Big Muffs with on/off switch built into the volume pot, the word OFF to left of the VOLUME knob, and the word FUZZ below the right knob, which later changed to TONE. Very early V1 circuits were built on perf board with 2n5133 transistors (Thanks to Jay M for the pix). Pots dated 1966. Daka-Ware knobs were identical to the Axis Fuzztone knobs. On the right is a vintage E-H ad featuring the V1 first edition Big Muff from around 1971/72, listing the second address for E-H.
Shown above - Another first edition 1969/1970 V1 Triangle Big Muff with on/off pot and perf board circuit with 2n5133 transistors. Pots dated 1966 (Thanks to Richard for the pix)
Shown above - Second edition V1 Triangle Big Muff and receipt from Manny's Music dated 9/25/1970. Muff pots dated 1966, though this second edition V1 Muff was actually built in 1970. Note the on/off switch added above the volume pot and the word TONE which replaced FUZZ on the V1 first edition (thanks to Carlos Lenoir of Argentina for the pix on left and receipt)
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Shown above - Three of the common pot types and codes found on V1 Big Muffs. Left to right pot dates are - 1966, 1966, 1971, 1972
Shown above - Second edition Triangle Big Muffs with factory knobs, circa 1972. Note the knobs on the example on the far right are similar to the Daka-Ware style knobs that would be used on the V2 Muffs that followed the V1, but these are actually modern Davies Molding replacement knobs. The same were used on early V9 Muffs in 2000, but never used on vintage V1 Muffs.
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Shown above - Three of the factory knobs types used on V1 Triangle Big Muffs. The common one on the top left is a press on Daka-Ware knob. The version shown on the right has a set screw in the side and a brass sleeve. These Daka-Ware knobs were also used on the Electro-Harmonix Axis pedal, the two-knob Foxey Lady (a rebranded E-H AXIS pedal) and three knob Foxey Lady (a rebranded V1 Triangle Big Muff). The one on the bottom is a rare alternate knob type.
Shown above - The V1 Triangle Big Muff footswitch used on all version 1 Big Muffs
Shown above - Second edtion V1 Triangle Big Muffs with various alternate knob types. Since most of these knobs have been seen repeatedly on both V1 Big Muffs and the OEM version made for Guild, the Foxey Lady, they are likely actual production knobs, though some like the one on the bottom right, may be after market replacements. There were at least ten factory knob types used.
Shown above - The bottom was covered with a rubber skid pad. This pad is missing on most Triangles, and often times there is noticable glue residue remaining like the example on the left. Example on right is an odd split pad version that may have been done as an after market modification
Shown above (left to right) - A second edition Triangle V1 purchased in 1970, trace and populated side of a 1971 second edition V1 Muff with FS 36999 transistors, another 1971 Triangle with replacement pots, and trace and populated side of a second edition V1 Muff with caps replaced and a true bypass installed by Marc Skreddy of Skreddy Pedals, who has also made his own versions of the Big Muff circuit. Note the positioning of the potentiometers which caused the three knobs to each start with zero in a different position, common to all V1 Big Muffs
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Shown above - Four second edition Triangle V1 Big Muff circuits with pots dated 1972. Note the component values are different from one Muff to another, giving each a slightly different sound
Shown above - Various second edition Triangle V1 Big Muff circuit boards showing the variety of capacitor and resistor types and values used.
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Shown above - A second edition Triangle Big Muff , possibly with aftermarket knobs. Missing the rubber skid pad.
A tracing of the V1 Triangle second edition circuit board and photos of the circuit trace side and populated side. The pcb trace on the far right is an odd one, with a slightly different trace pattern (pots dated 1966) to the typical V1. Both have FS 36999 button top transistors, carbon composition resistors, Silicon diodes, and all ceramic capacitors
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Shown above - A second edition Triangle V1 Big Muff with pots dated 1972, and the mysterious FS 36999 button top transistors (likely special-marked FS 2N5133 transistors). Carbon composition resistors, Silicon diodes, and all ceramic capacitors.
Shown above - A second edition Triangle V1 Big Muff with pots dated 1972 and FS 3700 button top transistors. Carbon composition resistors, Silicon diodes, ceramic capacitors, and a few film caps
View the page about the first clone of the Big Muff circuit, the Jordan Creator.
MORE FOXEY LADYS AND SUPA TONEBENDERS
THE HENDRIX BIG MUFF π MYSTERY
THE “RAM'S HEAD” BIG MUFF π - VERSION 2
Circa 1973-1977 (Pots typically date as early as 1972 and as late as 1977)
Circuit Designer: Bob Myer with Mike Matthews
Model Number: EH3003
Edition Versions: 3 - First edition manufactured circa 1973 and second edition (violet) circa 1974, third circa 1975
True Bypass: No
Power: 9V battery only
Packaging: White corrugated cardboard box with red printing
Place of Manufacture: Manhattan, New York, USA. 1204 Broadway, New York, NY, 10001.
(section last updated 8/23/10) E-H had progressed to using larger boxes for their pedals around 1973 and the Big Muff was given an upgrade to this box for Version 2. Early V2 Muffs shipped with a rubber skid pad attached to the bottom panel, similar to the Triangle Muff skid pad, but this was later changed to four rubber feet around 1974 or 1975. The list price was originally $49.95, but it could found for $32 and under. The V2 was produced until around 1977.
GRAPHICS - I have noted three editions, denoted by graphics colors and graphic changes of the word OFF. BIG MUFF and the pi symbol were usually printed in red. The word ON was in the graphics, but no OFF for the first editions with red and black ink. A second editon had all blue or purple ink and no OFF. Later third editions starting around 1975 had the word OFF added, in both all blue ink versions and red and black ink versions. A strange little elfin like face with ivy hair was added to the lower right corner of the front panel for all of this version of the Big Muff. This face graphic has led to Version 2 being nick named “Ram's Head” Big Muff, though it is sometimes called the "lambs head", “face”, or “sheeps face” Big Muff. The face does not look at all like ram or sheep to me, but Ram's Head seems to have become the most common name associated with this version, so that is the name I use. The face graphic has been seen printed in a box shape and also in a round shape on some V2 models, as you can see in the photos below. The graphic was used in advertising for Electro-Harmonix, and continues to be used. A person on one gear forum noted that the face resembles Mike Matthews! In reality, a female graphics designer created the face graphic, and when Mike Matthews saw it he decided to use it as an Electro-Harmonix logo.
"I liked it so I just used it as a logo, something to attract attention to the ad. It didn't have any special meaning other than I thought it was distinctive." - Mike Matthews
OFF and ON were typically printed in black at the top of the front panel. Also, it was typical that the ink color was red for the words BIG MUFF and black for all other text, though there were other colors used in place of red during the Ram's Head production. The second edition, a rare color variant nicknamed the Violet Ram's head, was printed with dark violet blue ink, or sometimes purple ink, and the round face logo. I am calling this a "second edition" V2 model, though nothing really changed other than the colors. Some people have claimed the violet color version was actually the first edition but information I have collected (original owner buy dates, pot codes) seems to indicate this was done sometime in 1974 or 1975, and colors possibly swapped back and forth in production. The missing OFF, which occurred on both the square face and round face versions, also occurred on most of the Big Muffs with violet blue or purple ink. Some third edition Big Muffs had violet ink, both ON and OFF in the graphics, as well as the bottom part of the round face graphic being flat. I suspect these were some of the last Violet Big Muffs made. Almost all of the round face graphic versions had violet or purple ink.
CONTROLS - The on/off switch was moved to the back panel for this version and the only power option was the 9V battery. The three control knobs were now in a line across the top. As on the V1, none of the three control knobs on the V2 start at zero in the same place. This is due to the potentiometers (pots) being mounted to the circuit board with the leads wrapping over the edges of the board - one over the left side, one over the top, and one over the right side. Pots had plastic D shafts. Some early V2 Muffs had silver topped round V1 Triangle Big Muff knobs, but many had tall, skinny "reactor tower" shaped silver knobs that Electro-Harmonix also used for the Marveltone and Lyle OEM versions of the Big Muff, and other E-H pedals. There were three version of the reactor tower knobs, pictured below. Some violet Ram's Head Muffs have a different silver knob shape with ridged sides and flat top with indicator line. Later knobs were generally the Daka-Ware round black Bakelite type, with d-shafts, ridged sides, and protruding pointer. Most of those were made by Davies Molding of Chicago. Various other plastic knob shapes are also commonly seen on these vintage Muffs, and many are actual production knobs. Why E-H used a variety of knobs on actual factory production V2 Muffs is anyone's guess. Some of the alternate V2 knobs may have been purchased for use on the OEM versions, and others may have been used because of supply problems with Davies Molding for the Daka-Ware knobs. Some of the odd knobs are actually just after market replacements. The original factory knobs are prone to breaking if foot-dialed or stomped on, which can happen easily when gigging. Once the knobs crack off the posts people used whatever knobs they could get that fit. These were sometimes home amplifier type knobs.
CIRCUIT BOARD, COMPONENTS and the VIOLET V2 - All circuit boards were marked with the number 3003 and a stylized “EH” symbol. As with the V1 Big Muff, circuit board component types and values for the V2 Big Muff frequently changed during the production due to the fact that component supply was not very consistant in that time. E-H was known to use whatever was on hand on a particular production day, and it appears there was not much quality control for value matching. Component values are more consistent than on the V1 Big Muffs, but still vary slightly from unit to unit. If you look at examples of V2 Muffs, and OEM versions like the Foxey Lady, you will not find much consistency over time, but you can find some minor consistency in component types and values that indicate some Muffs were likely made close to the same time as others.
V2 circuits are seen with mostly ceramic type capacitors, but occasionally you will see polymer film type caps, and electrolytic caps on later models. Resistors were almost always carbon composition type, but smaller carbon film type began to be used on the later V2s. Often you will see the two types mixed. Diodes are silicon type. Circuit board colors varied through the production, including brownish-red, light brown, orange, yellow, and gray. There are schematics floating around on the web for a rare "Violet" Ram's Head with smaller capacitor values than typical V2 Muffs, but likely that is just a trace of one specific second edition V2 that just happened to have violet colored graphics, the second and third editions. It is unknown if there were any actual official production schematic changes. The smaller cap values of the violet spec circuit, as well as other component values, do add a nice clarity to the sound, but this was likely one schematic passed around for several years that came to be known as a real factory "version". Most examples I have seen of second and third edition V2 Muffs with violet or purple ink have the exact same printed 3003 circuit and varying component types and values, just like any other V2. However, I have seen that exact circuit in two examples of violet colored Big Muffs. I have also seen V2 circuits with the same matching values, smilar to the violet schematic spec in both early and later non-violet colored V2s.
TRANSISTORS - Some Ram's Heads were made with silicon NPN (negative ground) button top shaped (TO106 package) transistors marked with FS36999 like the previous Triangle Muffs. The non stock number marking was likely to confuse counterfeiters. Some Ram's Heads have also been seen with NPN 2N5133 button top transistors, which is likely what the FS36999 tranys really were. Several other transistors were also used, including: PNP (positive ground) FS3700 button top shaped, NPN BC239 half cylinder shaped (TO92 package), PNP 2N5087 half cylinder and NPN 2N5088 half cylinder shaped transistors.
CLONES OR SIMILAR PEDALS - The Ibanez OD-850 Overdrive was a Japanese made clone of the V2 Big Muff circuit, similar to the Violet V2 specs. It was made from around 1974-1976. Some modern clones are the D.A.M. Ram's Head, Ronsound Hairpie '75, BYOC Large Beaver, Stomp Under Foot RHM and VRH, Top Tone Drivegate DG-1, Sweet Sound Pi Face (minus the tone control). The Skreddy Mayo, Mayonniase, Pink Flesh, Pig Mine, are all similar, but based more on the V1 component values.
THE SOUND - The tone is aggressive, but smooth, with lots of gain. The sustain seems to be less than the V1 Triangle Big Muffs, and slightly less clarity. Some V2 Muffs will sound identical to some V1 Muffs. There is more of a mids scoop on most V2s that I have played versus the V1 Muffs, and there is usually a bit more bassy bottom end than a typical V1. That bottom end creates a huge, thunderous sound through a tube amp. As with the V1 Muffs, the bass, treble, and gain of the tone varies slightly from unit to unit due to varying component type and values. A good Ram's Head sounds great on its own, but an average sounding one really comes alive with character and presence when a tube overdrive pedal is placed before or after it in the signal chain for a slight gain boost or to add color. A good compressor like a Dynacomp or an old Boss CS-2 placed before the Muff really brings some character clarity out of an average sounding V2 as well.
THE LEGENDARY PINK FLOYD / DAVID GILMOUR RAM'S HEAD BIG MUFF - The V2 "Ram's Head" was the most used Big Muff by David Gilmour, both in Pink Floyd, and in his solo recordings. A V2 Big Muff was apparently used on the legendary Comfortably Numb solos. David's gear tech, Phil Taylor, said he introduced David to the Big Muff in 1974, though I do not believe David started using one regularly until around late 1975 or early 1976. A Ram's Head Muff appeared on the Animals/In The Flesh tour, David Gilmour's first solo record and tour, The Wall studio recordings, The Wall tour, The Final Cut studio recordings, many of Gilmour's guest solos on other artists songs from the 1980s/'90s, the A Momentary Lapse of Reason studio recordings and 1987 leg of the tour, the Division Bell studio recordings, the On an Island studio recordings, and the 2006 On an Island tour. According to Phil Taylor, the V2 Muff he gave David "was preferred for most things" over all others David tried. That particular unit was his main recording Muff, though David owned several Big Muffs for use in the studio and for touring. Out of the many Ram's Head Muffs I have played, the only one that really stood out among the others to me, and that sounded great, was one with similar values as the "violet" spec Big Muff. It has a huge, dark V2 sound, but a clarity unlike the typical Ram's Heads. Perhaps David's is similar to this?
For touring, David has also used the Pete Cornish Precision Fuzz, later renamed P-1, which was a modified Ram's Head Muff. According to Pete, around 1974 or 1975 he was sent seven of Gilmour's Big Muff pedals of various ages and types, and asked to select the one he (Pete) considered to be the best to reproduce, but with the following improvements: add power supply de-coupling, add input buffers to maintain a constant high impedance input, and to improve the reliability and reduce PCB size using the best components that were available at the time. It was built into David's "Animals" touring pedal board. The P-1 was a pedal version of the Precision Fuzz built some time later, including a high quality buffer and a sturdier enclosure than stock Big Muffs, perfect for the hard life it would endure on the road.
Phil Taylor, David's gear tech, tells a slightly different story about Pete's clone of David's Big Muff (note that Pete told me he does not call what he makes "clones"). According to Mike/AnalogMan, when he met with Phil Taylor in 2006 at one of Gilmour's On An Island concerts in New York, he got the scoop straight from Phil about this Muff. Phil said that David got a second Ram's Head Muff after his original '74 RH Muff - the '74 being one Phil gave him. Presumably this was needed for touring and David did not want to take his favorite one out on the road. It did not sound as good as the first one, so Pete modded it to match. Pete then made another one - the Precision Fuzz (or Custom Fuzz/P-1) for David's touring pedal board. It sounded exactly like David's original '74 Muff. So according to that version of the story the P-1 is an exact copy of David's original. That contradicts what Pete has said. I suspect the real story is a mix of these recollections. Memory is a tricky thing, and this was over 30 years ago.
The Ram's Head Big Muff seen at various times in David's rig since 1976 appears to be the exact same Big Muff, possibly the first clone Phil Taylor referred to above. There appears to be a hole or screw in the top of the enclosure, pictured below, likely an LED added by Phil Taylor or Pete Cornish to show when the Muff was on. This Muff is mounted with non standard skirted knobs. Those may be original E-H knobs or possibly replacements from Pete Cornish. Pete used similar looking knobs in Brian May's Queen gear, which I beleive were identical to the knobs used on the old Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face pedal. I have only seen two other examples of a Big Muffs with knobs similar to this. One was a 1974 or 1975 model with the rubber skid pad on the bottom.
Shown above, left to right - David Gilmour's "Ram's Head" V2 Big Muff and Electric Mistress in 1977, Ram's Head from his 1986 board, both Ram's Head and Triangle Big Muffs on top of his On an Island 2006 tour board at the Bray Studios rehearsal in 2006, and a Ram's Head Muff with similar knobs to Gilmour's. Note that this particular touring Big Muff appears to be the same one for every tour, with a screw, or possibly an LED light circled in yellow.
V2 Sound Clip 2 - Comfortably Numb second solo - Played with a 2008 American Standard Strat, Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup -> Boss CS-2 compressor -> Muff ->TC Nova Delay -> Boss CE-2 chorus -> Fender Twin.
Shown above (left to right) - Two early first edition V2 Ram's Head Big Muffs with the "square" face (left example with after market knobs), another square face with after market knobs, another with the “round” shaped face graphic and common Daka-Ware knobs, and a second edition V2 with violet ink and round graphic and Daka knobs (pots date to 1973). All of these had the word ON in the graphics, but no OFF.
Shown above (left to right) - "Reactor tower" shaped silver knobs used in the early to mid 70's on V2 Muffs, Marveltone and Lyle OEM V2 Muff versions, as well as other E-H pedals like the Bad Stone, Frequency Analyzer, and the E-H made Guild Foxey Lady. The were three types, as shown above right - plain top, indicator line top, and indicator dot top. On the right are common Daka-Ware knobs Electro-Harmonix used on V2 and V3 Big Muffs, and many other E-H pedals in the mid 1970s, manufactured by Davies Molding of Chicago.
Shown above - A few early V2 Rams' Head Big Muffs made with production "reactor tower" shaped knobs and circuit components used on the Marveltone and Lyle OEM versions made by Electro-Harmonix. Note there are three versions of these knobs. Also note the three different ink colors. Only the word ON is shown the graphics, no OFF, an oddity seen on both the "round" face versions and the "square" face versions. All have rubber skid pads on the bottom. Most pedals from this time have the fat polyester film caps shown on the example on the right
Shown above - A first edition V2 Ram's Head circuit board with pots dated 1973, NPN FS36999 transistors, and "reactor tower" shaped knobs. This is one of the best sounding Ram's Head Muffs I have ever played. This one has the word ON in the graphics but no OFF, typical for V2 Big Muffs with these knobs. Carbon composition resistors, Silicon diodes, and Polyester film caps
Shown above - A first edition V2 Rams' Head Big Muff purchased new in 1973 or 1974. The battery clip has been replaced, but according to the original owner the Muff shipped new with these unique knobs from E-H (thanks to John C for the pix). On the right is another V2 with the same knobs, both missing the word OFF from the graphics
Shown above - left - two second edition “Violet” V2 Ram's Head Muffs with the same type of knobs, but two different ink colors. These were legitimate factory production knobs that are also seen on many other V2 Muffs, as well as other E-H pedals from the mid 1970s. The word ON is in the graphics, but no OFF. The pots on the example shown in the middle are dated February 1975 (thanks to Scott for the pix).
Shown above - Another example of a "Violet" second edition V2 showing the skid pad on bottom, a feature that dates this pedal to around 1975 or earlier. Knobs are actual production knobs since they have been seen on several V1 and V2 Muffs. The word ON is in the graphics, but no OFF. This one does not follow the exact Violet circuit schematic (Thanks to Steven C for the pix).
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Shown above - More “Violet” second edition V2 Ram's Head Muffs with the round face graphic, and the word ON in the graphics, but no OFF. Silver knobs on the examples in the middle are likely after market replacement knobs. Circuit shown on the right follows the popular Violet Ram's Head schematic, one of the most desirable versions of the V2 Big Muff
Shown above - A V2 Big Muff schematic dated October 15th, 1975. Possibly an actual E-H factory schematic. I have seen another version of this is available on the web, but the images is horizontally compressed. This one appears to be a photocopy of the original schematic (thanks to Bob for the scan)
Shown above - Bottom of an early V2 Ram's Head Big Muffs showing the the large rubber skid pad, similar to the Triangle Big Muff skid pad. It was changed to four rubber feet around 1975, though the skid pad occasionally appeared on some later versions of the Big Muff in the late 1970s
Shown above - V2 Ram's Head 3003 circuit board markings and the mysterious NPN FS36999 transistors, which were likely Fairchild Semiconductor 2N5133 transistors
Shown above - Various V2 Ram's Head Big Muffs with the "square" face and the word OFF added to the graphics. The silver knobs on the V2 shown on the left are actual production knobs that are also seen on V1 Big Muffs. The four Muffs on the right likely have after market replacement knobs. The one on the far right is mounted with knobs similar to the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face knobs from this period, similar to one David Gilmour has used on his touring pedal boards
Shown above - V2 Ram's Head Big Muffs showing the the “square” shaped face graphic including both ON and OFF in the graphics, original packaging, paperwork, and common Daka-Ware knobs
Shown above - A magazine ad for the V2 Big Muff, from December 1975
Shown above - V2 Ram's Head circuit boards with pots dated 1974 (on left, with electrolytic caps) and two dated 1975 (on right with box film caps). Example on right was made with NPN 2N5088 transistors
Shown above - A V2 Ram's Head with typical Daka-Ware knobs and both ON and OFF in the graphics. Pots are dated 1975 and the circuit was made with NPN BC239 transistors. This one is very similar to the circuit used for the B.Y.O.C. Large Beaver Ram's Head spec clone. This one is not one of my favorites, but it is a typical sounding V2
Shown above - A rare V2 Ram's Head circuit board with PNP 2N5087 transistors, pots dated 1976. Note the components types and values vary slightly from the NPN BC239 example shown above, as as is the case with almost all V2 Big Muffs. True bypass and LED were added by Kevin Russel of KSR Custom Shop. This is a particularly good sounding V2
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Shown above - Various V2 Ram's Head circuit boards, all with exactly the same trace pattern. Note that the component types and values vary from Muff to Muff. Also note the positioning of the potentiometers which caused the three knobs to each start with zero in a different position, common to all V2 Big Muffs
MARVELTONE, WABASH, LYLE, AND EVEN MORE FOXEY LADY OEM BIG MUFFS
CONTINUE - MORE OF THE HISTORY OF THE BIG MUFF PART 1 (Vintage USA)
HISTORY OF THE BIG MUFF PART 2 (Russian)
HISTORY OF THE BIG MUFF PART 3 (modern USA)
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