Pedalboard Archive

Wayne KramerPedalboard, 1969

Wayne Kramer recalls one pedal from the MC5's Kick Out the Jams period in 1969: an early Big Muff Pi feeding the band's large Marshall backline.

Board
MC5 early Big Muff core
Context
MC5 touring rig
Board date
Evidence
Documented equipment · 2 cited sources
Order
Reconstructed
Scope
Core signal path
Routing
Serial path
Audited
Signal
1 unit · Guitar to amplifier

MC5 early Big Muff core

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InputGuitar
Early Big Muff Pi (revision unverified)
OutputAmplifier

No source publishes this sequence; the order is reconstructed

Inside the rig · 1 units

Pedal roles & evidence

How each unit fits Wayne Kramer's 1969 setup. Board-specific roles and the evidence behind each identification and position.

Cited sources

Reconstructed orderIdentity and position are evidenced separately. Reconstructed positions are not observed connections.

Gain

Early Big Muff Pi (revision unverified)

Front of amp

Role in this rig

Added a sustained fuzz-distortion voice in front of the MC5's high-volume Marshall backline.

Identity
Documented
Position
Reconstructed

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.

No source publishes this sequence. The units are ordered by conventional signal-chain practice, and any documented routing zone is kept as recorded.

Cited sources

Methodology
  1. Vintage GuitarWayne Kramer: You Don't Turn in Your Card
  2. Electro-HarmonixThe Electro-Harmonix Story: 1969 Big Muff Pi

Questions about Wayne Kramer's 1969 pedalboard

What pedals did Wayne Kramer use in 1969?
This dated entry lists one unit: Early Big Muff Pi (revision unverified). This is the recorded inventory, not a claim that every connection or model identification is confirmed; see the evidence and routing notes.
What order were Wayne Kramer's pedals in?
The complete order is reconstructed, not observed. The layout follows the cited routing constraints and the archive's signal-chain convention where the sources are silent: Guitar → Early Big Muff Pi (revision unverified) → amplifier.
Is this Wayne Kramer's full guitar rig?
No. This dated entry covers one unit in the effects path, not every piece of gear Wayne Kramer owned or used. Floor pedals, rack units and routing devices are included only where recorded; omitted equipment and uncertain connections are explained in the notes. It is not a complete or current rig inventory.
When and where was this pedalboard used?
1969 Kick Out the Jams era. MC5 touring rig. This is the core signal path documented for that period, not a career-wide gear list.
How does the archive know what was on this pedalboard?
2 cited sources, listed above with the date each was read, including Vintage Guitar, Electro-Harmonix. Among them an interview and an official listing. The units are recorded as documented equipment, and the page was last audited on 2026-07-18.