The Green Carrot Pedals Pumpkin Pi is a two-channel dirt pedal from Green Carrot Pedals, pairing a Russian channel with an IC78 channel. The Russian channel is described as a versatile dirt box, capable of a useful range of overdrive sounds with good note clarity as well as buzzy fuzz tones, while the IC78 channel is more gainy, compressed and thicker sounding, the go-to channel for sustained leads that take off into harmonic feedback1.
The published sources disagree on battery power. MusicRadar's review states the pedal has no battery power1, while the Stomp Under Foot product page lists "9V Battery or 2.1 9V Adapter Only"2.
The two channels
The two channels are voiced on different members of the Big Muff family, and they behave differently in practice13.
| Channel | Based on | Character | Extra control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russian | Russian Big Muff | "a versatile dirt box, capable of a useful range of overdrive sounds with good note clarity as well as buzzy fuzz tones"1 | Toggle switch with three tonal variations, including a scooped midrange option1 |
| IC78 | IC78 Big Muff | "more gainy, compressed and thicker sounding", the go-to channel for sustained leads that take off into harmonic feedback1 | Tone knob can be bypassed completely with the toggle switch for a more direct signal path1 |
The Russian channel's Sustain, Volume and Tone knobs work as on a standard Big Muff, with the toggle switch offering the three voicing options on top1. On the IC78 side, the Tone knob covers the usual wide Big Muff range, but the toggle lets you take the tone stage out of the circuit altogether1.
Context: two Muffs in one box
Putting more than one Big Muff voice in a single pedal has a long history. Kit Rae's Big Muff history notes that Pete Cornish was one of the first people known to have been making modified versions of the Big Muff circuit, going as far back as the late 1970s with the first custom Big Muff pedal built for David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, followed by his P-2 and G-2 variations in the 1990s4. The Pumpkin Pi follows the same instinct in a compact, two-channel format, sitting alongside other dual-circuit dirt pedals in the distortion and fuzz fields.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's verdict was positive. Trevor Curwen called it "A great idea that's smartly implemented in a home-grown pedal that doesn't cost the earth," adding that two different-sounding Muffs in one pedal is a reason to buy1.
Videos
Guitarist
Paul Glover
gilmourish
Questions
Can the Pumpkin Pi's two channels be used together?
Yes. Each of the two channels has its own footswitch, and MusicRadar's review notes they can be used totally independently or with one feeding the other, so the Russian channel can cascade into the IC78 channel (or the other way round) for thicker, higher-gain fuzz tones.
What is the difference between the Russian and IC78 channels?
The Russian channel is based on the Russian Big Muff and is described by MusicRadar as a versatile dirt box, capable of a useful range of overdrive sounds with good note clarity as well as buzzy fuzz tones. The IC78 channel is based on the IC78 Big Muff and is described as more gainy, compressed and thicker sounding, the go-to channel for sustained leads that take off into harmonic feedback.
Does the Pumpkin Pi run on a battery?
The published sources disagree. MusicRadar's review states there is no battery power, while the Stomp Under Foot product page lists the pedal as running on a 9V battery or a 2.1mm 9V adapter only. Check the current specification before relying on battery power.
What does the toggle switch on the Russian channel do?
Besides the standard Sustain, Volume and Tone knobs, the Russian channel has a toggle switch that offers three different tonal variations, including a scooped midrange option, letting you reshape the channel's basic Big Muff voice.
Sources (4)
- Green Carrot Pedals Pumpkin Pi review, MusicRadar, 2017-12-04
- Pumpkin Pi Op-Amp Big Muff Fuzz Pedal, Stomp Under Foot
- New Pedals: Green Carrots, Pigtronix, Dr No, Pedal Monsters | Delicious Audio, Delicious Audio, 2013-04-26
- The Big Muff History of All Versions 3, kitrae.net, 2017-03
