ALLEN MUSIC • PADUCAH, KENTUCKY
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YOUR TONE BLUEPRINT • 1970s
The long, vocal lead sound is a system: a Ram’s Head Big Muff and Colorsound Power Boost create and shape sustain; compression controls the envelope; Electric Mistress or rotating-speaker movement keeps the note alive; echo creates distance without replacing the dry attack.
DOCUMENTED RIG • Animals (1977) through The Wall stage system (1980–81)
THE SYSTEM, NOT A SHOPPING LISTThe pedals worked into loud, high-headroom Hiwatt amplification, WEM cabinets and, in 1977, a Yamaha RA-200 rotating-speaker system. A bedroom amp set clean and quiet will not react like that rig, so level, mids and speaker movement matter as much as the fuzz box.
Four-transistor Muff lineage with two clipping stages and a passive, mid-scooped tone network.
Produces dense harmonics and a compressed, violin-like decay that stays singing after the pick attack.
✓ DOCUMENTEDHigh-headroom transistor boost/overdrive with active bass and treble shaping.
Adds level, upper-mid authority and amp push; it can tighten or revoice the Muff rather than acting as a second unrelated distortion.
✓ DOCUMENTEDOTA-based, two-control pedal compression with a fast, audible envelope.
Smooths level and extends clean or driven notes. On the 1977 Cornish board it sat unusually late in the chain, after gain effects.
✓ DOCUMENTEDAnalog bucket-brigade flanger with a chorus-like region and comb-filter movement.
Adds liquid motion around sustained notes; the useful Gilmour zone is broad and chorus-like, not an exaggerated jet sweep.
✓ DOCUMENTEDMulti-head magnetic-drum echo alongside an early rack digital delay.
The Binson supplies uneven multi-head rhythm and softened repeats; the MXR supplies longer, cleaner spacing for the 1977 live vocabulary.
✓ DOCUMENTEDRECOMMENDED SIGNAL CHAIN
GUITAR 1 Ram’s Head sustain 2 Active boost shaping 3 Envelope control 4 Drum / digital echo AMP
Ram’s Head sustain
JHS
Four-transistor Muff sustain with the correct Ram’s Head-era voicing—not any pedal whose label happens to say fuzz.
Use the Muffuletta’s 1973 Ram’s Head voice: it is the in-stock circuit-family match for the darker, less-gainy Muff foundation associated with Gilmour’s later-1970s lead sound.
START HERE: Select the 1973 Ram’s Head mode. Put sustain near noon, tone below noon and set output only high enough to push the next stage.PREFERRED MODEL FITActive boost shaping
MXR
A broad-band active boost/overdrive with useful EQ—not a narrow mid-hump or transparent volume-only lift.
The Clover is not a Colorsound clone, but its full-range preamp and EQ controls can perform the same practical job: revoice the fuzz, restore authority and push the amp without adding a second high-gain identity.
START HERE: Begin flat with low gain, then add a small level lift and trim bass if the Muff overwhelms the amp. Favor presence over extra distortion.STRONG EFFECT-FAMILY FITEnvelope control
MXR
Fast OTA compression with audible sustain and attack smoothing.
This is an unusually direct historical match: Gilmour’s 1977 Cornish board included a script-logo Dyna Comp. The current MXR keeps the same fast, colored OTA-compression behavior needed to steady clean figures and lengthen a lead envelope.
START HERE: Keep sensitivity around 9–10 o’clock and output near 1–2 o’clock. Do not erase the pick; the note should bloom after it.PREFERRED MODEL FITDrum / digital echo
Way Huge
Either magnetic multi-head rhythm or clean early-digital spacing—never a generic ambient wash.
The TimeLine can cover both sides of the documented rig: a multi-head, softened echo for the Binson role and a clean digital machine for the MXR rack-delay role. The historical choice changes by song, so the algorithm matters more than the brand name.
START HERE: Start with one clear 380–440 ms repeat at a low mix. For earlier material choose a multi-head tape voice; for 1977 live leads choose a cleaner digital voice.FUNCTIONAL IN-STOCK SUBSTITUTEHONEST INVENTORY CHECK
We’ll leave these spots open until we have an in-stock pedal that can do the musical job honestly.
THE ORIGINAL RIG USED18V Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress
The Epitome contains an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress flange/chorus section, making it the closest in-stock voice—not merely the same broad modulation category. Keep the other internal effects bypassed and use the Mistress side for slow, chorus-like movement.Start here, then adjust for your guitar, pickups, amplifier, speakers, hands and room. The right setting is the one that works when you play.
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