This was exciting for me as it was one of the legendary BMs and from what I'd personally heard from vintage originals was probably going to be "the one for me" .......... and yes, it still is.
I started work on the Ram Head with some pre conceived expectations from the ones I'd heard and worked on and although while there were some disappointing original versions out there, the good ones were spectacular.
I had tracings from at least eight different original Ram heads and I had seen others on the net that looked close but totally understandable in terms of being original. I had D*A*M versions of the Ram Head so my quest was to make my perfect version.
I haven't seen as many triangle originals so I can't comment on them but this period of BMs (approx 75 -77 and onto early 80's) was THE MOST inconsistent in terms of component values with what seems to be values used with no particular rhyme or reason ? It's well documented on sites like Kit Raes excellent BM history page where terms like "It should be clearly stated that there is no 'one' Ram's Head BM tone." and "As with the V1 BMs, the bass, treble, gain, and fuzziness of the tone varies slightly from unit to unit, sometimes wildy, due to varying circuit component types and values used in day to day production." are common. To say every seventies BM sounds the same could only be made as a casual observation from someone who doesn't truly understand the intricacies of this great circuit.
So I started by building several different versions of the Ram head circuit and seeing what I liked. I must say that nearly all of them were nice with a more pronounced mid scoop that the V3 and tighter bottom end that I loved AND less gain which as I've stated, I think gives nicer harmonics.
After a few versions I kept coming back to one that I'd traced when it came in for work a few years ago. I'd remembered it sounding good, but it just hit the spot for me. It was a nice combination of BM with clarity and tightness while still sounding huge.
That was it, there's my Ram Head.
Tone did up a new design based on the original font used at the time and the new Tym Ram Head was born, but it didn't stop there .............. Oh no, I'm not obsessive.