((( Stomp Under Foot Topic Officiel )))

Well, it’s snowing here in the little town of Spartanburg and there’s not much to do besides stay inside and play guitar all day (which I’m not complaining about). Especially since everything pretty much closes down around here with just the slightest amount of wintery weather (but it’s seriously coming down out there).

Now on to my post. I thought today would be a great day to go through my muff collection and write down some thoughts/opinions on them hoping to help out others on their quest to finding their “holy grail” muff. I will briefly go through all 12 different Classic versions that I have which should cover a lot of ground in the muff category.

Please note that this is all in my opinion so your thoughts may be difference. I play a Strat with Fralins VH/VH/SP43 through a DRRI. Feel free to ask any additional questions you may have.



Classic 1969 Tri-Muff v2: The ’69 has been one of the most bizarre muffs I have owned. When I first received it I thought is sounded a little thin and brittle, but I didn’t call it quits. I tried a few things and realized it kind of reminds me of a fuzz face minus the clean up. I have never been the biggest fuzz face fan (I own just one...a Sun Face) so discovering this was quite a surprise. Will it take the place of a fuzz face? No, but it sure is fun to use it instead of a fuzz face on a few things (I use it on the “Time” and “Echoes” solo sometimes for fun). This is my 3rd favorite Tri-Muff out of the 4 I own and number 6 out of all 12.

Classic 1970 Tri-Muff v3: The ’70 is not one that is known or talked about much on TGP as there are just a few out there so I was quite lucky to get my hands on one. I don’t have much to say about this one except it would not be one of my first choices when it come to muffs. It has that open/gritty sound that makes it seem like just an average muff. While it is not one of my favorites I will say it definitely excels in one things...harmonics. Wow is all I can say when it comes to that. It sounds absolutely fantastic when it comes to that, but most people don’t play a whole song using just harmonics. This is my 4th favorite Tri-Muff out of the 4 I own and number 10 out of the 12.

Classic 1971 Tri-Muff v1?: The ’71 (I think mine is a v1) is kind of like a Tri/Ram’s Head hybrid muff to me. It has been described to be like a VRH which I can go along with seeing as it has about the same gain as one (which is more than the Tri-Muffs). It is excellent at playing lead as well as chords. This one seems to retain the bass/smoothness from a Tri-Muff, but has the added gain/clarity from the VRH. This is my 2nd favorite Tri-Muff out of the 4 I own and number 4 out of all 12.

Classic 1972 Tri-Muff v6: The ’72 Tri-Muff is an absolute masterpiece. When I play through all my muffs I sometimes think “hmmm, I wish there was more of this or less of that, etc...” but not with the ’72. This thing is perfect the way it is and I wouldn’t want to change a thing about it. It has awesome bass, the right amount of grit, and tons of sustain. This is definitely my “holy grail” muff as it has beaten everything I have thrown at it without even flinching. This is my favorite Tri-Muff out of the 4 I own and number 1 out of all 12.

Classic 1973 Ram’s Head (Brick Muff): The ’73 Brick Muff is a must have for Gilmour fans. This is a clone of Kit Rae’s (muff expert) “Gilmour” muff. This has to be the closest muff to Gilmour out there beside an actual ’73 (or a Cornish P-1/P-2 I guess). While it has been said to be a cousin to the VRH I can still hear a distinctive difference. It has that dark and gritty kind of tone to it (well darker and grittier than the VRH). It’s one of those muffs that really sets the bar high. Put a delay behind it and you’ll forget about all the other pedals you own. This is my favorite Ram’s Head out of the 4 I own and number 2 out of all 12.

Classic 1973 Ram’s Head (2247): The 2247 Ram’s Head it like no other muff. It’s absolutely nasty, gritty, and just pure filth. It’s like the opposite of what you would typically think a muff should sound like. If you want a singing lead tone then please skip this one. There are plenty of muffs out there that will do that, BUT if you want that raunchy blues tone from a muff then look no further. This is the muff for you. Oh, and yeah, it cleans up pretty well too. :huh For me this is not what I was looking for in a muff which is why it is at the bottom of the list for me. This is 4th my favorite Ram’s Head out of the 4 I own and number 12 out of all 12.

Classic 1975 Violet Ram’s Head: The VRH was the first muff I ever tried (the Standard version) and after five minutes with it I knew I was a muff guy. It seems very balanced in terms of grit, clarity, and sustain. It’s like a stable element or some other scientific example I probably don’t know. I see it as my reliable/workhorse muff. You ask it to do something and it does just that. It’s always nice to go back to my VRH after playing my others. It a muff that just doesn’t get old. This is my 2nd favorite Ram’s Head out of the 4 I own and number 3 out of all 12.

Classic 1976 Ram’s Head v2: The ’76 is my sleeper muff. It is another one that does not get talked about much on TGP, but it should. It has the least amount of volume of all the Ram’s Heads, but it still packs a punch. This is similar to the J. Mascis muff so it would be great for all those fans out there; however it is not limited to that kind of stuff. I see it as just a more souped up Ram’s Head and retains an excellent tone. I haven’t seen many of these, but they are truly a hidden gem in the muff world. This is my 3rd favorite Ram’s Head out of the 4 I own and number 8 out of all 12.

Limited Edition Pumpkin Pi: The Pumpkin Pi is THE muff for you Smashing Pumpkins type of stuff. If that is what you are after then this is your muff. I’m not the biggest fan of Billy Corgan so this muff does not get used much, but it is still fun to have around for some nasty gain riffs and such. There is nothing wrong with this muff, but it just seems like it doesn’t belong with the others since it uses Op-Amps. This is number 11 out of all 12.

Classic Red Army Overdrive: The RAO is one of the rarer muffs you see around and like some others around here, it is not talked about enough. This is the first Sovtek muff and it’s a good one. It mostly overshadowed by the Civil War and Green Russian, but it should not be overlooked. It is kind of a mix between both the other Russian muffs. It’s smooth like the Civil War and has grit like the Green Russian. The Russian muffs are known for their massive amount of bass and this one has plenty of it. This is my favorite Russian out of the 3 I own and number 5 out of all 12.

Special Edition Civil War KT3102: The Civil War is one of the more popular muffs around here which probably has a lot to do with Gilmour and Pulse. It is very smooth, but I would like for it to have just a little bit more sustain than what it has. I have often wondered what pickups people use with theirs because it make a huge difference with this one. I just can’t seem to bond with it much using single coils, but it comes to life with humbuckers. I use single coils so that kind of puts a damper on things. This is my 2nd favorite Russian out of the 3 I own and number 7 out of all 12.

Special Edition Green Russian: The Green Russian, like the Civil War, is very popular around here even though people constantly say they didn’t like it back in the 90s. I won’t comment on that since I was only born in 1990 and didn’t start playing guitar until about 2005. This one is bassy and gritty, just like some people like. This one also baffles me like the Civil War. I’m not a big fan of it with single coils, but hang on to your hat when you use humbuckers. The way I see it is that this muff belongs with them like peanut butter belongs with jelly. But like before I use single coils so... This is my 3rd favorite Russian out of the 3 I own and number 9 out of all 12.