Pedalboard / 109
Wayne Kramer
Kramer recalls using a Big Muff distortion pedal during the Kick Out the Jams period, feeding the large Marshall backline that defined the MC5's touring sound.
Signal path / A
MC5 early Big Muff core
Artist-recalled effect; album-recording attribution excluded
Documented equipment · Reconstructed order · Serial path
In a direct Vintage Guitar interview, Kramer names a Big Muff distortion pedal for the Kick Out the Jams era while describing the guitars and Marshall amplifiers he used at the height of the MC5. The chronology requires a strict boundary: Electro-Harmonix's own history dates the Big Muff's introduction to 1969, whereas Kick Out the Jams was recorded live in October 1968 and released in 1969. This entry therefore represents the 1969 touring era and does not claim that a Big Muff appears on the album tapes. The exact early circuit revision, enclosure and cable routing are unresolved; the single placement is a functional reconstruction of the artist-recalled effect in front of the period amplifier rig.