New EHX English Muff'n Tube Preamp/Overdrive Soundclips

Mark Olson · #1 10-29-2010, 11:53 PM

Just got this tonight. Will do more soundclips tomorrow. But here's a quick one for now:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9818613

That's gain and volume at noon. Will take the time to really dial it in tomorrow.

I've owned this pedal before and like most tube preamp pedals, I didn't like it as well as a way to cheat and try to get a tube amp tone without the tube amp. A lot of times a tube preamp is kind of lacking without a tube power section to cascade it into. The tone can get a little buzzy, splatty, messy.

I bought this to add some more preamp options to my non master volume tube amp that has only a tone control and volume. What it does do is give me the ability to boost the mids at a point that adds a real bite to the tone. I will do some clips of that where it occurs with higher gain settings tomorrow.

And of course this pedal adds a nice drive to the sound too if you want it, touch sensitive tube crunch.

Mark Olson · #2 10-30-2010, 05:23 AM

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9818972

Little bit more gain on there. Some of you may remember my previous clips of this pedal, which sounded like buzzy garbage, or my previous comments about it not sounding good above noon on the gain. That's true, if you're using it with a solid state power section. For these clips I'm using an all tube amp, set well below the point where it breaks up. The distortion is coming from the English Muff'n but voila! no buzzy garbage tone. The tube power section is the reason.

I had the bass knob up a bit high for this recording, you can hear it booming out a bit if you play this clip loud, but the tube crunch and snarl is there.

Let me know what you think and if anyone wants to hear any settings let me know and I'll see what I can do!

savinggrace · #3 10-30-2010, 10:03 AM

The second clip is SO MASSIVE sounding! One of my most favorite tones of yours that you have posted.

Mark Olson · #4 10-30-2010, 05:22 PM

Thanks, I'm starting to like this pedal, taking me some time to dial it in.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9820822

Magical_Max · #5 10-31-2010, 04:45 PM

All these clips sound tasty. Good stuff.
I'm gonna have to dig mine out and give it another shot.

jumbo_steelie · #6 10-31-2010, 07:42 PM

Love that last clip Mark. I'd love to here an album of jams like that...dirty and funky...

Mark Olson · #7 10-31-2010, 07:59 PM

I'm working on two albums right now. I used the English Muff'n in the studio today on a couple tracks, it killed! My drummer was impressed with the huge balls this pedal gave my tone.

**DosiYanarchy** · #8 11-01-2010, 02:38 PM

Mark, again some great clips - I've had two of these in the past and was a little dissappointed with the low end (or more to the point, the frequency of the 'bass' control) but I thought the tone itself was great.

Your clips dont seem to be lacking whatsoever and sound perfectly defined - I hate how Tube amps just make everything 'better' (in my ears)

Everytime i talk shop to TaySte I get a little closer to going all Tube - swear to god im gonna end up with a Matamp head some day. (using Markbass at the moment and using pedals to pretend I have a tube amp

)

Mark Olson · #9 11-01-2010, 05:45 PM

Thanks, I think you'll find a tube head makes all your pedals sound like completely different pedals. When I first went all tube I had to retry a lot of the effects I had owned and had been disappointed with and I found out that the pedals themselves sounded great through the right amp, in fact I was hearing pedals I'd owned multiple copies of before finally sound like they were intented to sound! I think you'll find a good tube amp opens up a whole world of new pleasantness, character, and nuance, things I had always missed before I went all tube.

Here's another clip of the English Muff'n, this time with flats, and some dynamics thrown in here and there to show the touch responsiveness of the pedal:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9827356

Still gets a nice ballsy grindy crunch with my Rotosound flats. I'm going to be putting a different mudbucker in my bass possibly this weekend, and I can't wait to see what the results are with this pedal. As it is, I could do entire gigs with just this pedal left on all the time.

lowregister · #10 11-01-2010, 08:33 PM

Yeah, nice work

Mark Olson · #11 11-02-2010, 05:54 PM

Thanks. I'm pretty happy I picked this pedal up. It's sounding great with my custom wah too, I'll have to get clips of that as well.

Colonel Monk · #12 11-03-2010, 09:46 AM

Yeah I think your use of a low-wattage tube amp changes alot.

I have never had another dirt pedal I disliked more than the english muff'n, I felt like a chump buying it new and finding out it was unusable to me.

But, I gotta say I've more enjoyed the sound you had with that amp and just a clean boost. I can still hear some of what I didn't like about the muff'n in your sound.

The playing is badass as usual though.

Rock Onward,

Mark Olson · #13 11-04-2010, 02:54 AM

Thanks! Yeah I know what you mean about the English Muff'n. It does color the tone. I can get a cool fuzz tone out of my amp with a clean booster with flats or rounds:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9760603

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9729337

The English Muff'n can't do those tones but I do have to crank my amp to ten to get those and boost it and it can be tricky for me to try to gig at that loud volume. The English Muff'n is a tonal compromise.

CaptainWampum · #14 11-04-2010, 03:34 AM

Good god that tone is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

Mark Olson · #15 11-04-2010, 07:51 AM

Haha which tone?

I have another clip of the English Muff'n with the gain at minimum and volume at maximum to push my amp into overdrive (it makes a decent tube boost), but for some reason soundclick won't let it upload. Must be too much awesome.

tomhanzo · #16 11-04-2010, 09:07 AM

I have been telling people forever that the EHX tube series is amazing.

I have had the Zipper, Hot Tubes and Muff'n. Hot Tubes has weak mids, but the other two are great. The Tube Zipper is my always on tube preamp. It adds lows some how. It almost makes them up out of thin air. My Epi violin bass was bassy as **** with it. I have so much more balls and slight fuzz with it on.

Believe it or not, I have had everyone in town compliment about my tone. Even guitards!!!!

Mark Olson · #17 11-04-2010, 10:54 AM

Cool!

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9837963

Here's with a little different tone, less highs, more mids, more volume on my amp, and I add in my Wilson Effects Custom Bass Wah. Check it out and let me know what you all think about the interaction of the muff'n and wah?

Mark Olson · #18 11-06-2010, 06:51 AM

Here's that clip of the English Muff'n used as a boost pedal into my amp. The gain on the Muff'n is set to minimum so it isn't adding any distortion, but the volume is cranked (as is the amp) to push the amp over the top. This is with Rotosound flats on my bass:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...songID=9844761

Check it out any let me know what you think.

tomhanzo · #19 11-06-2010, 11:33 PM

tube amp im assuming? It is very thick and heavy. I like it. I love these pedals.

Mark Olson · #20 11-07-2010, 11:01 AM

Tube amps always! I don't like the way effects sound with solid state amps. Heck I don't like the way basses sound with the modern solid state amps. I have basically a single dichotomy and that's between being fiery and violently mercurial and mellow and detached, either mode I'm in there's only one way to get the sound I want. I'll never understand the SS AND tube dichotomy, either you want depth, character, dimension, complexity, and pleasantness or you don't. It's one thing if those things don't apply to you, but I don't think it speaks too highly of one's desire to communicate through music to compromise one's tone or "voice" for convenience.

Every month I get a little bit closer to being able to tell someone everything about me with one note. The ultimate expression, that's what I'm after, so I'm pretty demanding of the gear I use.

Sorry for the crazy rant I'm just shocked that someone would ask me if I was using a tube amp! Everyone can take for granted that I am unless I say otherwise.