GGG Big Muff Kit mods thread

[rcubed]

A lot of people have the Big Muff kit from General Guitar Gadgets so I thought I'd start a thread on the mods people have done to them. Post which circuit you built (Triangle, Ram's Head, GGG-tuned, Russian, etc) and what mods you have made. And if you can, record a sample and post it. I'd like to collect ideas for future reference (I'm hoping to build the "Ultimate Big Muff" eventually).

Here's a clip of my GGG-tuned Big Muff: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7558089

Swapped out R18, R19 and C10. R18 is now a 100k pot in series with a 1k resistor, R19 is 10k and C10 is 47nF.

Download the Duncan Tone Stack Calculator and you can see how different values in the tone stack with change the frequency response of the circuit. The Big Muff tone knob blends signal going through low pass and high pass RC filters.

[whoatherechunk]

expect ryan to show up.

[McHaven]

I wish mine worked . Bah

[dannybuoy]

I'm going to keep an eye on this thread - I'm getting hold of all the components I need to build all the Muff variants, plus a Supercollider and a Bassweet, and by the power of breadboard will create One Muff To Rule Them All!

I really like the mod where you connect the emitters of the 2nd and 3rd transistors, resulting in ultra-high-gain-feedback-oscillation-noisefest! This is what Osc1 on the Supercollider Beast does. I beleive Ryan does the same mod to the Fuzzrocious Green Stache etc, but with a photo eye resistor in the path so you can control the feedback.

[rratajski]

Originally Posted by whoatherechunk

expect ryan to show up.

Oh, I'm here, Honey.

I'll get into this later. The baby's saying "Da da da da" and the sweat monster needs a bath.

[rratajski]

Okay, I got some time right quick...

Both of these GGG muffs (GGG-tuned and Triangle, respectively) have a mids cut/boost on a on-on switch as well as a feedback mod (oscillations like one of the switches on the Supercollider Oscillating Beast). We throw in a jack that has a photo eye resistor in it to control the feedback/oscillation via light.



Diode mods are my favorite, as they slightly change the clipping of the muff. In the GGG-tuned, I like two germaniums in the first diode pairing. It lets one feedback less with the sustain higher, but it'll never get as crazy as a double silicon jawn...

PS - There's video on the GGG-tuned on bass w/ the oscillation mod in the videos section of the myspace (link in my sig).

[dannybuoy]

The Supercollider uses 1N4148 for the first clipping pair and 1N4001 for the second. The Bassweet uses Schottky 1N6263. So try these out too!

[rcubed]

Good stuff guys. I do like that oscillation trick. What photodiode setup are you using rratajski?

[rratajski]

I can't access Small Bear @ work, but I grabbed photocell resistors from there and right angle switchcraft jacks (screw on) w/ two lugs in there. The jawn inside is a stereo enclosed switching jack so when there's nothing plugged in, the circuit is 'normal' and when there is something plugged in, the feedback circuit completes.

[Mr. Pickles]

Originally Posted by rratajski

Oh, I'm here, Honey.

I'll get into this later. The baby's saying "Da da da da" and the sweat monster needs a bath.

Babies don't sweat. Were you referring to yourself?

[rratajski]

My baby's 11 months old and he sweats! His hair looks like he just got out of a pool when he wakes up from a nap. hahaha

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by rcubed

Here's a clip of my GGG-tuned Big Muff: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7558089

that clip sounded pretty good

[MAMMOTHvolume]

change r4, 12 and 16 for 1ohmfor more gain.
change c2, 5, 6, 8and 9 for 0.1u for more low end
and go for 2 germanium forward one silicon backwards for the best clipping combination ever

this makes for MASSIVE low end and sustain that'll go for hours literally, although it completely kills the dynamics and turns the pedal into a bit of a one trick pony its fun to play around with.

[dannybuoy]

Originally Posted by MAMMOTHvolume

and go for 2 germanium forward one silicon backwards for the best clipping combination ever

This sounds similar to what the Sweet / Bassweet does too. People over at freestomps are having a hard time identifying the 4th transistor, but some have found that shoving a regular tranny in backwards for the last stage seems to work well!

Not seen you around here before Mr Mammoth, do you build and sell pedals?

[rcubed]

Originally Posted by rratajski

I can't access Small Bear @ work, but I grabbed photocell resistors from there and right angle switchcraft jacks (screw on) w/ two lugs in there. The jawn inside is a stereo enclosed switching jack so when there's nothing plugged in, the circuit is 'normal' and when there is something plugged in, the feedback circuit completes.

Gotcha. I want to mount it on the enclosure next to the footswitch if I do that mod. I might prefer that over another pot.

[MAMMOTHvolume]

Originally Posted by dannybuoy

This sounds similar to what the Sweet / Bassweet does too. People over at freestomps are having a hard time identifying the 4th transistor, but some have found that shoving a regular tranny in backwards for the last stage seems to work well!

Not seen you around here before Mr Mammoth, do you build and sell pedals?

i'm new to this site, i've just started to build and sell pedals under the name mammothsound audio but i don't think i'm allowed to say much more about that on this site!

[rratajski]

Originally Posted by MAMMOTHvolume

i'm new to this site, i've just started to build and sell pedals under the name mammothsound audio but i don't think i'm allowed to say much more about that on this site!

Yep, it's a very thin line to walk on. Welcome to the forum!

Please tell me that all of your pedals have fur on them!

Originally Posted by rcubed

Gotcha. I want to mount it on the enclosure next to the footswitch if I do that mod. I might prefer that over another pot.

Take a look at how Devi does her enclosure mounted photo eye resistors. You might be able to do something in a bezel of some kind.
I chose to do the jack thing so I can keep small enclosures rather than do the larger ones w/ two footswitches. To each their own!

[MAMMOTHvolume]

Originally Posted by rratajski

Yep, it's a very thin line to walk on. Welcome to the forum!

Please tell me that all of your pedals have fur on them!

Thanks, haha i may have to start covering them in fur and giving them little tusks and trunks

[rcubed]

Originally Posted by rratajski

Take a look at how Devi does her enclosure mounted photo eye resistors. You might be able to do something in a bezel of some kind.
I chose to do the jack thing so I can keep small enclosures rather than do the larger ones w/ two footswitches. To each their own!

When I bought GGG kit I wasn't worried about enclosure size so I got the larger enclosure they offered. Space must be really tight in the smaller ones.

[rcubed]

Originally Posted by Valerus

that clip sounded pretty good

I like it. I'll probably keep it as is and build a new one up instead of modifying it further.