Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
5 x Stomp Under Foot 'Vintage Minis' Legendary Big Muff takes have recently landed at Joe's Pedals in the UK
So we’re using the EHX terminology here - where ’Mini’ denotes Mid-Size enclosures. We’ve had something of a revival of those of late - with all the key Big Muff purveyors currently releasing mid-size special editions - including EHX, Wren and Cuff, and of course Stomp Under Foot as here!
I typically prefer the SUF 4-knob compact takes - with extra Mids control - these 5 here are all authentic takes with just the core 3 controls. Note that the Ace Tone FM-3 originally had both Boost and Fuzz sections - but we’re just dealing with the Fuzz circuit here!
These 5 are all legendary editions of Big Muffs - including 3 x Japanese editions, 1 x Italian, and one native / original American EHX! These are pretty much all variants of Triangle and Ram’s Head styles - with the Sustainar in particular having a very different Tone Stack.
All 5 sound fantastic, while personally - I would prefer these in compact 4-knob editions! But obviously that’s not the current vogue! And these stand up on their own merits too.
Being a Boss / Roland guy - the Ace Tone Fuzz Master 3 take is particularly intriguing for me! USA pricing is typically $279.99 with UK equivalent at £259 - via Stomp Under Foot Direct, or Joe’s Pedals in the UK!
- Fuzz Master 3 (1970’s Japanese Ace Tone FM-3) - $279 / £259
- Jumbo Fuzzola (1973 Italian Jen Jumbo Fuzz / Triangle) - $279 / £259
- Overdrive 8-Fifty (1982 Japanese Ibanez OD-850 / OD-9) - $279 / £259
- 1974 V11 Ram’s Head - $279 / £259
- Super Fuzz Sustainer (1973 Japanese Elk Super Fuzz Sustainar) - $279 / £259
Note that I was only able to find an official demo of the 1974 V11 Ram’s Head - actually an earlier SUF edition of that. There don’t seem to be demos yet for the other 4 - so I’ve relied on the originals for sound samples!
Fuzz Master 3 (1971 Japanese Ace Tone FM-3 ≈ Triangle (Early Roland!)) - $279 / £259
Controls - Level, Tone, Fuzz.
Ace Tone was Roland - before it became Roland - and the Fuzz Master 3 / FM-3 one of the rarest fuzzes from that stable - based on an early Triangle Big Muff!
Jumbo Fuzzola (1973 Italian Jen Jumbo Fuzz ≈ Triangle) - $279 / £259
Controls - Volume, Tone, Sustain.
A really unique Italian take on the Triangle Muff - making use of slider controls. There have been several take on Jen Muffs - I believe my friend Markus at Reeves Electro has done a couple - in oversized unique enclosures!
Overdrive 8-Fifty (1982 Ibanez OD-850 / OD-9 ≈ Ram's Head) - $279 / £259
Controls - Level, Tone, Gain.
This one has a long and storied history - originally starting off as the Maxon D&S - and initially based on the Triangle Muff, it then morphed into the OD-850, and then right at the end the OD-9 - which had evolved to the later Ram's Head Muff circuit rather than the Triangle original!
1974 V11 Ram's Head - $279 / £259
Controls - Volume, Tone, Sustain.
This is a late edition, slightly more aggressive Ram's Head - which would probably be my second target here - while I think Joe has already sold his recent allocation - need to wait for a re-stock therefore.
Super Fuzz Sustainer (1973 Japanese Elk Super Fuzz Sustainar ≈ Triangle) - $279 / £259
Controls - Volume, Tone, Sustain.
There's a number of Elk Fuzz Sustainar's out there - including the EQD Hizumitas (which I have), the Wren & Cuff White Elk - which I still intend to get, and various current Japanese-made ones - like RoShi Pedals. The Elk has a very different tone-stack - which I rather like. This one looks particularly attractive with that dark blue enclosure and white Sovtek style knobs!
Plenty here to love for the most ardent of Big Muff fanatics!
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