EHX Big Muff(s)...which to get?

shannons · #1 11-08-2007, 01:22 PM

There seem to be 3 Big Muffs available. The USA Big Muff, The Russian Big Muff & the Little Big Muff.

Are there any differences really? If so, WHAT?
Which one works best with bass?

As of now, I seem to be leaning towards the Russian one since the guy from Muse uses it. I love that synthy round distorted sound he gets. Considering I'm in a cover band, it'd be great to have that type of distortion for the dancier rock we do. We do a few Tool songs that call for distortion as well. Currently, I'm using a Boss Bass Overdrive & it's a bit too harsh & the "right kind" of low end isn't there.

Help!

Lucas G · #2 11-08-2007, 01:30 PM

the older green russian one was my favorite for bass. i have heard good things about the little big muff. i didn't much care for the newer, black russian muff, and i have a USA muff that is okay but still not as good as the green russian one, in my opinion. so, i had to not vote in your poll because it excluded the best one.

KarateKid25 · #3 11-08-2007, 01:48 PM

The Green Russian one is the best IMO. I have a Green and a black and have owned a USA version. The green muff has a lot of gain and a clean, tight fuzz. This is followed by the Black version. I find the USA versions don't quite cut it for me.

Also, with regard to Muse, some of the bassists fuzzy synthy sounds are actually a Deep Impact, not a Muff.

JanusZarate · #4 11-08-2007, 01:55 PM

Are there differences? Yes, and I (among others) have covered it pretty deeply before in other threads.

Which one works best with bass? All of them and none of them. Again, it's very subjective, and in the case of the Russian EHX pedals and older NYC Big Muffs, there are issues of build and component inconsistency; some might be warmer or harsher than others, and some might hold the low end better. With some simple input and output capacitor changes, you can fix that on any of those larger Big Muffs. Plus, there's more than enough room in either the Russian or NYC versions for other modifications.

The Little Big Muff is built with a high degree of consistency, since they're making them much differently than their old pedals. Plus, it has a ton of volume and low end available. But since it uses SMD components (which are very tiny), modifying one is difficult.

Now, to beat the dead horse of Big Muff tone...

The Russian models tend to be harsher and more defined, and bass response varies. The American models tend to be warmer and thicker, and bass response varies. The Little Big Muff is more like the NYC version, and has great bass response.

In any case, your Tone knob setting will affect how much low end you get; as you get more bass, you get less clarity, and vice-versa. It's definitely a finicky tone knob.

Also, when it comes to Muse... I hope you're aware that most of his synthy distorted tones are NOT the Big Muff alone, and in some cases, not the Big Muff at all. I'd highly suggest searching this forum using the titles of the Muse songs you're interested in... I think you'll be surprised.

shannons · #5 11-08-2007, 02:38 PM

Yeah, I've heard about Muse's Deep Impact pedal. I think with my combination of the Muff and my Bass Synth, I can find the right sound I'm looking for. The sound that most sticks out is "Time Is Running Out."

If I had the $$$, I'd go for a Colorsound Tonebender, but that's way pricey and the Big Muff seems like a good substitution.

More opinions are welcome! Keep 'em coming. Thank you so far for all the input.

KarateKid25 · #6 11-08-2007, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shannons

If I had the $$$, I'd go for a Colorsound Tonebender, but that's way pricey and the Big Muff seems like a good substitution.

I own both... If I had to sell one, it would be the Tonebender. I find the Tonebender starts to sound messy with a hot input such as my Stingray. The Muff just always sounds good!

shannons · #7 11-08-2007, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid25

I own both... If I had to sell one, it would be the Tonebender. I find the Tonebender starts to sound messy with a hot input such as my Stingray. The Muff just always sounds good!

Oh, really? I never would've guessed that. My main bass is my Spector and it has extremely high output. Good to know, man. Thanks.

KarateKid25 · #8 11-08-2007, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shannons

Oh, really? I never would've guessed that. My main bass is my Spector and it has extremely high output. Good to know, man. Thanks.

Im sure some people will disagree with me. The Tonebender has a strong following round here! Thats deffinately what im finding though. It sounds great, just not as great as the Muff.

Something to point out is that people say the Muffs sound varies between individual units. I have no real experience with this.

JanusZarate · #9 11-08-2007, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid25

Something to point out is that people say the Muffs sound varies between individual units. I have no real experience with this.

I think the variance applies significantly to the very old Big Muffs (Sovtek, old Big Muffs from the 1970s and 1980s). IMO, there is no significant unit-to-unit variance nowadays, unless you're comparing Russian to NYC to Little.

KarateKid25 · #10 11-08-2007, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

I think the variance applies significantly to the very old Big Muffs (Sovtek, old Big Muffs from the 1970s and 1980s). IMO, there is no significant unit-to-unit variance nowadays, unless you're comparing Russian to NYC to Little.

Ok, that makes sense. Like I said, I have never really noticed it, but I have only tried say 3 or so Green Muffs.

I have only had a quick go with the LBM. Im interested in picking one up and trying it a bit more seriously.

JanusZarate · #11 11-08-2007, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid25

Ok, that makes sense. Like I said, I have never really noticed it, but I have only tried say 3 or so Green Muffs.

It's okay. IMHO, it's irrelevant in a band situation (studio or live) anyway - the differences aren't worth going poor over.

**TheMutt** · #12 11-08-2007, 04:57 PM

Definitely a vote for the LBM! I've owned the russian, returned it within the week... Never tried the old green Sovtek one, or any of the other older models (civil war gray, ram's head, etc) Currently I own a NYC re-issue and a LBM. If I had to choose between the two though, it'd definitely be te LBM. Although, I am pretty intrigued in changing out the caps in my NYC for better bass response... if anyone could tell me more....

Gashaponcito · #13 11-08-2007, 07:17 PM

Ehem I want to vote for the LBM I sure want it but.... in band situation its not good enough =(

KarateKid25 · #14 11-08-2007, 07:19 PM

OhThePeacock · #15 11-08-2007, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarateKid25

Im sure some people will disagree with me. The Tonebender has a strong following round here! Thats deffinately what im finding though. It sounds great, just not as great as the Muff.

Something to point out is that people say the Muffs sound varies between individual units. I have no real experience with this.

Hmmm maybe I'll like my tonebender even more when I get a passive bass.

JoshC · #16 11-08-2007, 08:27 PM

From the clips I have heard I enjoy the Russian the most. But I would buy the LBM just because of its size, that's just me though.

NKUSigEp · #17 11-08-2007, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shannons

There seem to be 3 Big Muffs available. The USA Big Muff, The Russian Big Muff & the Little Big Muff.

Are there any differences really? If so, WHAT?
Which one works best with bass?

As of now, I seem to be leaning towards the Russian one since the guy from Muse uses it. I love that synthy round distorted sound he gets. Considering I'm in a cover band, it'd be great to have that type of distortion for the dancier rock we do. We do a few Tool songs that call for distortion as well. Currently, I'm using a Boss Bass Overdrive & it's a bit too harsh & the "right kind" of low end isn't there.

Help!

From what I've read, the dude from Muse actually does use a synth effect over his bass...but Little Big Muff for me. I had a Russian one a while ago and it seemed muddy. The USA was too top-heavy and lacked the oomph in the low frequencies. But the LBM seemed just right and was the cheapest of the bunch to boot. There are other fuzzes out there too worthy of checking out...the Bluebeard is a favorite (similar to the LBM but crunchier sounding IMO).

Earwaxsculptor · #18 11-08-2007, 09:09 PM

If you want the Time is Running Out Sound more than the Hysteria sound the Guyatone TZ-2 does it dead balls on IMHO. Not to mention that I personally do not think that he used a big muff at all on the studio bass track for Hysteria, Deep impact yes, 2 muff's ehhh.....not so much, something else...(insert studio engineering tricks/gear experiment secret here). Just my opinion.

andvari7 · #19 11-09-2007, 09:16 AM

I gotta go with the Russian on this one. Though I like the sound of the NYC through a guitar, running a bass through it (active or passive, I've tried both) was too...colorful - the black Russian (isn't that a drink?) is dark and murky. The fact that it's cheaper in price didn't hurt, either.