Need advice Big Muff Pi USA or the Tone Wicker one?

Duffy49 · #1 09-15-2011, 04:56 AM

This is mainly for my six string guitar not my bass but maybe some of you have knowledge of this.

I have played the Big Muff Pi USA pedal and like it. It is big and I don't mind the size, it sounds great and has great sustain. I want to buy one of these.

Since a lot of you guys have a lot more knowledge than me when it comes to these things, pedals and so forth, I am hoping to get some feedback from some of you as to which one would be the best, objectively speaking, pedal - aside from subjective, "it's a personal preference" thing.

By this I mean, is there any difference in the sound of the two Muffs, with the Tone Wicker one in standard Big Muff Pi mode? And I know that there are a couple switches on the Tone Wicker one that expand its tonal capabilities. Are the Tone Wicker added features a great idea or are they just additional bells and whistles that don't actually improve the natural sound of the Big Muff Pi USA?

Aside from personal preference perspectives, are there any of you that understand the different circuits and can evaluate the affects on the character of the sound produced by each pedal when compared to each other?

Supposedly in standard Big Muff Pi USA mode both pedals sound very similar, but there is supposed to be a perceptible difference in sound. Since the Big Muff Pi USA sounds really great to me, I don't want to lose that special sound by trying to overdo it with the Tone Wicker, unless the basic sound is great and the added features are substantially improvements.

I'm not interested in trying to find an old version or a Russian version. They have the ones discussed above at the store by where I live.

In my opinion the Big Muff Pi USA is the best sounding fuzz pedal that I have tried, by far.

Hopefully someone will have some insight into this question regarding the differences between the two. Before I go to the store today and AB the two pedals I would like to have some knowledgeable info going into it that might help me with my evaluation and give me some specific things to listen for.

I know they use different power supplies, with the Tone Wicker one supposedly using the standard type power supply jack; but this isn't really a point of concern for me because I will buy whichever power supply is right for the unit I get.

Feedback is appreciated and thanks in advance.

BruceBass3901 · #2 09-15-2011, 05:46 AM

The two do sound similiar, but to me, are not identical.

If you like the sound of the USA, then get that, but if you don't mind compromising the 'basic' sound of the Muff for the tweakability of the Tone Wicker version, then get the Tone Wicker

Its your call man, but in answer to your main question of do they sound the same, the asnwer is that they sound close, but no cigar

Duffy49 · #3 09-15-2011, 05:58 AM

I see the way you are looking at it BB.

The bottom line seems to be that the Big Muff Pi USA sounds perceptibly different, and I really enjoy the sound of it.

I have also found it to be way less noisy than a lot of the other fuzz pedals I've tried.

Thanks for the info.

thebass905 · #4 09-15-2011, 06:17 AM

I find that the newer muffs like the tone wicker the double muff bass version etc. Tend to have a slightly tighter sound in that the distortion seems a bit more controlled and defined than the orginAl us mufff. I personally think the us muff handles soloing Better than chording because the notes in the chord can get lost in the distortion. Good luck on finding your fuzz!

BruceBass3901 · #5 09-15-2011, 06:26 AM

Fun fact about the USA Big Muff... With the controls all cranked, it can become microphonic, so you can tap the casing to produce sounds

And it does get a bit noiser at higher sustain / volume settings

Duffy49 · #6 09-15-2011, 06:29 AM

Will I be able to use that Big Muff Pi USA with my bass, or is that not advisable?

I tried the bass Big Muff but I didn't have enough time to really evaluate it, however, it didn't seem to be a strong fuzz. Maybe I'll try it again today and see if it has that elegant sustain like the guitar one.

I have a Zoom B2.1u that has quite a few sounds, like a million of them or so. It has a lot of parameters that are adjustable. It gets me some good alternate tones, but the discrete single pedals are probably producing higher quality sounds, in some cases.

BruceBass3901 · #7 09-15-2011, 06:46 AM

Yup, there should be no problem with using a USA with bass

The Bass Big Muff is ok, but it is a bit of a one trick pony. It also cuts out at higher volumes, so it only passes the clean signal. Not sure if the others have this problem. It also tends to get lost in a band mix fairly easily

If I was you, I would try the BBM properly and then decide. There are so many Muff based fuzzes out there now though, all with their own advantages, diasdvantages and nuances.

Fuzz, or dirt generally, is an incredible personal part of a bass players rig, so what one person thinks sounds quite good might sound thin or weak to somebody else