Electro-Harmonix has announced the long-awaited reissue of its highly sought-after 1973 Violet Ram’s Head Big Muff, a circuit popularized by David Gilmour and acclaimed for its excellent sustain and articulate string separation.
The new Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi shrinks the original’s circuit into a more compact, pedalboard-friendly die-cast chassis. It is equipped with several updates, including an LED to show effect status, true bypass switching, and support for a 9V power supply, for ease of use.
Otherwise, this faithful re-creation features the same streamlined interface, with only three knobs—Tone, Level, and Sustain, the last of which sets the amount of distortion.
Best of all, while the new Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi boasts the same saturated tones, it comes with a way more affordable price tag compared to the vintage units up for sale on secondhand markets.
“Prices of original Ram’s Head Big Muffs have reached astronomical heights. This reissue nails that classic V2 tone heard on legendary recordings and famous guitar solos, and does it at a price the working musician can afford,” Electro-Harmonix founder Mike Matthews said.
The original 1973 Violet Ram’s Head Big Muff is arguably the most desirable of all Big Muffs. It was famously utilized by Gilmour in Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.
The compact reissue is going to delight many fuzz enthusiasts. It is already available for only $99.
