A muff and compressor are the only pedals I use. I think the key to muff on bass is always blending in some clean signal to maintain the low end. Luckily, my muff has switch for this, although a blend knob would be even better.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Are Muffs Passé
- Thread starter Matt Dean
- Start date
Certain types of pedals seem to go thru waves of popularity and unpopularity here on TB every so often.
As for muffs, have you tried the SGFX Imperial? it's really good. Way Huge Russian Pickle is also pretty good.
Personally, I prefer brassmaster fuzzes over muffs.
I had the SGFX Imprial for a while... nice pedal. In fact, I've owned most of the TB favs at one point in my distortion/fuzz quest. This is what my dirt section currently consists of:
How do you like the ODB as an overdrive? I've recently been interested in grabbing one. Just got my Volt Thrower and it's absolutely amazing.
As for the original post, I don't think muffs will ever be a pedal that gets washed Up and forgotten about. If you find the right one, they kick ass. I've had a Bluebeard on my board for years now and it slices through the mix like a beast. I've got a depth charge which is my favorite fuzz hands down when I play alone but when the whole band is playing...it just gets kind of swallowed up. The grey Stache is also an awesome muff that crushes in a full band setting. I've yet to try that wizard fuzz but I trust your judgement as somebody that cycles through as many dirt pedals as I do haha.
Nano bassmuff user here also. Cuts through no problem. I use mine at normal mode instead of that 50/50 dry mode. Dry mode volumeboost is too much. Can be modded yeah, but still I think it sound better in normal mode. I have also a modded regular size bbm. Precision bass, hiwatt dr201 and 8x10 and You have no problem cutting trough with it.
i love muffs and i agree that a mids knob is key to a muff cutting through.
muffs i have and love:
blackout effectors musket
earthbound audio beast
green russian with mids built for me locally
i almost had me a sweet blue black arts toneworks pharaoh but the seller wisely kept it
this left me no choice but to order one of the awesome heavy flake purple ones that are up on the black arts site
The Musket is the first (and so far only) muff I've found that is usable both in the studio and, more uniquely, on stage. It would be my first suggestion to any bassist looking for a muff circuit.
The Grey Stache is a fuzz I have not yet tried, but I will one day. The Wizard Fuzz is a high-gain monster that I use for special occasions like psychedelic freakouts and feedback jams. I love the ODB... I use it a lot for that tube amp being driven to break-up sound. I also run both the ODB and Wizard through my Ictineo pre for tone shaping.
I may have to try the odb. Right now I'm using the fuzzrocious demon which is pretty good but I'm curious about the dunwich stuff having been so blown away with the volt thrower. And as much as I don't need a fuzz I can't help but be curious about this wizard one haha
After reading the thread title, I was really hoping for more from the Frenchman...
See, I like how my TFR sits in the mix, BECOMES the mix. I've owned a bunch of high end muffs with mids knobs and diode switches and blend knobs and nothing's ever unseated it.
With a blend, I can't get all agro with my playing and take advantage of the compression the pedal gives.
With a mids knob, I'm out in front, which I don't always want to be: I'm the damn bass player. I want the band to sound awesome, not just me.
That being said I love the combo of the Tfr and the ews BMC. I get a great basic sound, and a mids knob if I want it ( or if I want to use it with another pedal )
With a blend, I can't get all agro with my playing and take advantage of the compression the pedal gives.
With a mids knob, I'm out in front, which I don't always want to be: I'm the damn bass player. I want the band to sound awesome, not just me.
That being said I love the combo of the Tfr and the ews BMC. I get a great basic sound, and a mids knob if I want it ( or if I want to use it with another pedal )
I have both the ODB and the Demon on my board currently. The ODB feels a lot smoother, the Demon much hairier. The ODB at 18V has a ridiculous amount of clarity, and took over a lot of the jobs I was using the Demon for, but the Demon is still my go-to for more aggressive overdrive (usually with the ODB stacked on top, but they sound really good together).
Thinking I'll just keep my demon for now. It's a great overdrive. Satisfied enough with it that I can fend off my want for an ODB.
Probably not if you ask EHX.
EHX just released the Green Russian Big Muff
EHX.com | Green Russian Big Muff - Distortion/Sustainer | Electro-Harmonix
Woohoo, kinda funny, why can't they all release them in small boxes... really hate big boxes if it will fit in smaller!
I think there's muff fatigue because the market is absolutely saturated with many, many great variants. I currently have a cloven hoof that I love, but the Vulcan XL is actually my dirt flavor of the second.
Funnily enough just listened to bass buff muff nano and apart from not having a blend knob instead of a switch sounded awesome for doom... till I remembered it would sound blurry and not articulate at faster stuff compared to other dirt
I finally found the right big muff fuzz for me. I did have plenty of fuzzies that were right there, the Pharoah Supreme with MOSFET clipping was fantastic, but the pedal popped way to much. The 71 Super Collider was snarly and had the mids but it felt more like a hard edged distortion. Infact I tried the "mids fix the muff" approach and yeah adding mids does get it heard but I didnt like how it changed the overall character of fuzz and in my band mix sounded like bass clank with none of that smooove muff tone.
Enter the Elephant Skin from Wren & Cuff. It's a TFR with a BJT boost slamming the front end of the muff. Perfect for me and what I want to hear from a muff fuzz in a band setting.
It's heard in the mix and sounds exactly like the W&C TFR. I also like using the BJT boost by itself or boosting other pedals, it sounds great.
Enter the Elephant Skin from Wren & Cuff. It's a TFR with a BJT boost slamming the front end of the muff. Perfect for me and what I want to hear from a muff fuzz in a band setting.
It's heard in the mix and sounds exactly like the W&C TFR. I also like using the BJT boost by itself or boosting other pedals, it sounds great.
I'm getting a Demon today... just to compare it to my ODB.
