1973 RAM'S HEAD®

The 1973 pedals are smooth and warm with a balanced tone from low to high with a lot of gain. This gives it a lot of harmonics and sustain.

All pedals were compared with the tone control at 12 o'clock. Adjusting the tone control will give you more treble or bass.

1973 V1:   Also known as the “Brick Muff,” the pedal is balanced and with a little more low end through the pedal giving it a fullness that you can hear  throughout the tone. There’s a lot of creamy fuzz with amazing sustain  and harmonics and just a hint of grit on the lower strings.

1973 V2:  Almost the same as V1 without the extra low end but still has all the fuzz, sustain and harmonics.

1973 V3:  Sits perfectly between V1 and V2. Has a little less low end than V1 and a little more than V2.

1973 V4:  Even though it has different capacitor values and placement, this sounds identical to V1.

1973 V5:  See V3.

1973 V6:  Also known as The Gilmour?, I nicknamed it that due to the interesting story on how I came about the pedal that you can read HERE.
This is, part-for-part, the same as V1 except for one capacitor that  gives it a little more bass on the low strings and is a bit more open on  the high strings.

1973 V7:  This is one of my favorite versions of the Ram's Head. I call it "The  47" and it is very close to V6 but has a little more grit throughout the  pedal. I made this version for Motor City Guitar and called it the  MCG73.

1973 V8:  The 2247. One of the most interesting Big Muffs I have ever seen. The pedal was made with very odd capacitors not really seen before. These give it a very different sound than a typical Big Muff. This version is lower in gain but has a huge, open, gritty fuzz that is more in the silicon Fuzz  Face camp than a Big Muff. It also has a lot of low end but does not get  muddy.

1973 V9:  Very close to V2 but a little more open and a bit brighter.

1973 V10:  I discovered this rare version thanks to a customer that wanted a copy of his original. After tracing it out I noticed that it is part-for-part  the same as the V1 and the V6 except for that one cap change that is  the difference between the the other two.
In the other two pedals the capacitor is a larger value than normal  which adds more low end to the gain section of the pedal. In this  version it is small which give the pedal a clear and sharp fuzz yet  still retains a warmth throughout.
The low notes are tight and the high notes have a bite to the fuzz that is like a warm razor blade.
The fuzz almost balances on the edge of distortion and has a lot of gain and clarity.

As with all Stomp Under Foot pedals, the Skinner Box is made by hand, using only quality, through-hole components. 

The 1972 Big Muffs are the last year of the “triangle” versions and the first year with some real consistency. Even though there are some component differences between them, the following are very close to each other in sound with very slight differences.

The tone of the 1972 pedals combines a grindy, gritty, wooly fuzz on chords and a sweet, smoothness on leads. The fuzz is also a lot tighter and bassier than the earlier pedals making them a newer sound than their predecessors.

All pedals were compared with the tone control at 12 o'clock. Adjusting the tone control will give you more treble or bass.

1972 V1:  Bassy low end with a gritty bloom on the end of the notes. Leads are very tight and smooth with a lot of clarity.

1972 V2:  Almost the same as V1 with just a tiny bit less low end which slightly decreases some grit in the fuzz making it a little smoother on low notes.

1972 V3:  A little more low end than V1 making the bass notes sound a bit overblown. The lead tones are incredibly powerful with some bite on the high strings that really cut through.

1972 V4:  Very close to V2 with a little more open tone throughout the pedal making it a little more balanced on the lower notes and the lead tones are a bit smoother and more rounded than biting.

1972 V5:  Pretty much the same as V2 with a little more gain throughout the pedal.

1972 V6:  This is one of the most popular versions on the Tri-Muff. The V6 is almost the same as V4 with a tiny bit more low end and a growl on chords.

1972 V7:  Very close to V4 but has a little more low end flabbiness in the lower notes

1972 V8:  The most open and brightest of all the 1972 pedals, the V8 has a lot of grit to it that even cuts through on the higher strings.

1972 V9:  Very close to V4 with a slight increase in fullness throughout the pedal giving it a massive, grindy, rumbling fuzz on the low end and huge, blooming smooth leads.

1972 V10: More low end than V1 with huge grittiness on the low end but a lot smoother on leads.

1972 V11:  Almost the same as V1 but has a little more wooly-growl on chords. Compared to the V6 it is very similar but has a little less low end with a lot of clarity. Lead notes are full of sustain. I originally believed this to be the rare, germanium muff. After further research and some help, I discovered the large diodes were actually very old, large silicon.

As with all Stomp Under Foot pedals, the Skinner Box is made by hand, using only quality, through-hole components.