The Zander Circuitry Cranium V3 Murine Distortion is a compact, multi-mode distortion pedal built around the Rat circuit family, the long-running silicon clipping distortion that has been copied and reworked by many makers. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson called it "this fantastic extended range take on the Rat overall", placing it among his favorite compact Rat-style distortions in a 2024 roundup1. It sits in the wider Cranium line alongside the earlier compact versions and the Cranium Dual Gain Distortion.
Controls
The V3 carries a wide control set for a pedal of this size, with two footswitches and a clipping selector that covers most of the common diode and transistor choices in one rotary switch1:
| Control | What it does | |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of distortion | |
| Tone | Tone stack control | |
| Input | Input stage control | |
| Blend | Mixes the distorted signal with the original | |
| Blast (Max Out) | Maximum output control | |
| Clipping | Seven-way selector: Ge / Si / LED / Asym Ge / Asym Si / Asym LED / Transistor | MOSFET / No Diodes |
| Level | Output level | |
| Blast footswitch | Engages the Blast (Max Out) function | |
| Engage footswitch | Bypasses or engages the pedal |
The clipping selector is the heart of the design: switching between germanium, silicon and LED diodes, asymmetric pairings of each, a transistor or MOSFET option and a no-diodes mode gives one pedal a broad range of clipping characters that would otherwise take several boxes to cover1.
How it differs from earlier Cranium versions
The Cranium line has gone through several formats, and the V3's control layout reflects a change of approach. According to Guitar Pedal X, "the newer version has settled for more conventional controls in that area", referring to the tone stack controls, compared with earlier versions of the pedal1. Players who found earlier Cranium layouts unusual will find the V3 more familiar to set.
What reviewers said
In his 2024 survey of compact Rat-style distortions, Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson ranked the Cranium V3 Murine Distortion highly, writing: "And last but far from the least is this fantastic extended range take on the Rat"1. The pedal appeared in that roundup alongside other makers' takes on the same circuit family, which is a useful way to place it: it is one of the more fully featured entries, with the blend control and dual footswitches that many simpler Rat variants leave out1.
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Questions
What is the Zander Circuitry Cranium V3 Murine Distortion?
It is a compact multi-mode distortion pedal from UK maker Zander Circuitry, described by Guitar Pedal X as an extended range take on the Rat. It adds a seven-position clipping selector covering germanium, silicon, LED, asymmetric and transistor or MOSFET options, a no-diodes mode, a blend control and a second Blast footswitch for maximum output.
How much does the Cranium V3 Murine Distortion cost?
Guitar Pedal X listed the Cranium V3 Murine Distortion at £149 / $199 as of 30 August 2024. Prices can change over time, so the current figure may differ.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-08-30
