Ram's Head Big Muff True Bypass

[Fred Garvin]

I know this has been brought up a million times but I'm throwing it out there.

I recently bought a replica rams head 3003 pcb off of ebay and populated the board. I didn't have a problem finding the parts but to my chagrin I noticed that the layout (pads) are confusing. The original rams head has a bypass/power switch that's soldered to the board by wires. Can a simple jumper wire be soldered in order to make the connection? Plus, I'm installing it in a NYC reissue, I didn't care much for the reissue. I also visited the following site: www.singlecoil.com/docs/vintage_muff.pdf. But, I found this confusing as his model is a different version. Could anyone point me in the right direction, maybe a photo of the inside off a rams head with true bypass? Any help would be appreciated. What sucks even more is that I recently did a germanium fuzz face build that turned out better than I imagined, this was housed in a Jimi Hendrix JH-2. I feel I bit off more than I can chew. Help!

Thank you.

[dthurstan]

If you have put it all together and its working then you've done a good job so far. Bypass wiring is always confusing, well for me anyway. But it is logical so try & follow it through. I think some of the older BMPs are a bit confusing too. I imagine a jumper would work for the power switch. Best thing to do is post some pics & maybe mark on the NB features.

I always use this as a reference, so I know what I'm doing, it helps me think it through in a clear way.

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/switch_lo_3pdt_tb_dcjack.gif

I assume you want TB with LED & DC jack.

[jaysg]

This guy?
http://cgi.ebay.com/TRIANGLE-BIG-MUFF-VERSION-1-BMP-PCB-Clone-/140462317916?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item20b434e15c

I have a couple pics of what is supposed to be a Ram's Head board...both sides.   I'm not sure how to add it to this post.

As indicated by dthurstan, you need to replace the input jack with a stereo jack so that the ground connection is made when you plug in.  Don't replace the switch with a jumper.

[Fred Garvin]

That's the same guy I bought the ram's head pcb from, I also bought a fuzz face pcb which turned out nice. It seems he's sold out of the ram's head pcb.

Thank's for the diagram from general gadgets, I'll have another go at it tommorrow.

[Fred Garvin]

Well, it's been a long time since I posted. So, I thought I'd update this thread.

I finished the build and thought someone would be interested in the images I took.

Anyway, I used poly, mono ceramic caps, carbon 1/4 watt resistors, 1n914 diodes, and BC547C transistors. Since this is a copy of a Ram's Head PCB from Pigeon FX the tone knob is backwards, counterclockwise is treble, while clockwise is bass. Overall, I'm very pleased with the results.

http://users.eastlink.ca/~aszwec/pics/MuffPi1.jpg
http://users.eastlink.ca/~aszwec/pics/MuffPi2.jpg
http://users.eastlink.ca/~aszwec/pics/MuffPi3.jpg
http://users.eastlink.ca/~aszwec/pics/MuffPi4.jpg
http://users.eastlink.ca/~aszwec/pics/MuffPi5.jpg
http://users.eastlink.ca/~aszwec/pics/MuffPi6.jpg