Bass fuzz

[Ben Archer]

So, I got a bass big muff deluxe. And I started playing it, and it doesn't sound like it should when I play through my Ampeg BA108. It sounds very mid-scooped, and more like a distortion pedal than a fuzz pedal, just all around not too good.. If I plug in my headphones, its perfect. I even have a Bluetooth speaker I plugged it into and that sounded better than through my bass amp. How can I fix this?

 

[220_Hz]

Big muffs are famously known for their mid scooped sound resulting from the design of the tone knob. You could try turning the tone knob down either on the bass or the pedal, or you could try boosting your mids with an EQ or directly on your amp

 

[gh0st42]

If you like the Muff sound, but not the scooped mids, keep an eye out for a Muff clone from different builders with a Tone Stack Bypass option, or a modified Tone Stack that allows mid boost instead of just cut.

That mod/option is a complete game changer for Big Muffs. Really opens them up and improves the sound immensely IMHO.

 

[Peaveylover]

Ditch the Muff and buy a Heavy Axes by Barbarian. That'll fix the problem. You need attack and staccato, not the mushiness of the muff circuit.
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[Inconnu]

Hmmm... before saying the Big Muff is to blame like everyone else does ... Since you like your sound with the headphones and your Bluetooth speaker more than with your amp, I’d like to know how you set your EQ on your amp. It could be the source of the problem.

 

[rratajski]

Ditch the Muff and buy a Heavy Axes by Barbarian. That'll fix the problem. You need attack and staccato, not the mushiness of the muff circuit.
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But if he likes the muff sound, there are lots of options from makers/brands that offer solutions to the mid scoop.

 

[theunknowndude]

I have a love hate relationship with the muff... love it’s sound but hate the scoop and a stomp under foot with mids worked for me...I’d say check out a good clone with mids

 

[Ben Archer]

Hmmm... before saying the Big Muff is to blame like everyone else does ... Since you like your sound with the headphones and your Bluetooth speaker more than with your amp, I’d like to know how you set your EQ on your amp. It could be the source of the problem.

The eq is set flat. Sometimes I'll have the bass up a little but that's the extent of my eq

 

[Inconnu]

The eq is set flat. Sometimes I'll have the bass up a little but that's the extent of my eq

Ok, so that’s not it...
For my part, I use basses with massive output. I set the tone and sustain of the Muff very low and I don’t obtain an overly scooped sound. Using a compressor after the muff could also help.

 

[Inconnu]

The eq is set flat. Sometimes I'll have the bass up a little but that's the extent of my eq

Without any intention to say anything negative about your amp, I think it’s hard to judge the performance of a fuzz pedal through a small combo such as the BA108. You might end up having the same problem with a $300 fuzz... or not.

 

[BruceWane]

Most fuzz pedals are designed to use with a passive bass (or guitar). Active = low impedance, most fuzzes are designed for a high impedance input, it affects how the fuzz circuit works.

If you have a passive bass, try that and see how it sounds.

The ZVex Mastotron has a "push/relax" knob to adjust for impedance, so it works well with active basses. I've got one of these since most of my basses are active, love it.

There's quite a few other fuzz pedals that are designed to work well with active instruments, since EMG pickups are pretty popular in the guitar world.

 

[Feral Feline]

More help would come to your aid with a better thread title, and that in turn would help others with a similar predicament in future find this thread and perhaps also a solution.

The eq is set flat. Sometimes I'll have the bass up a little but that's the extent of my eq

What are the settings on your BBMD? How you've got it set for headphones vs practice-amp vs with-band should probably all differ somewhat. Maybe take the pedal to a music store and "audition" a bunch of different amps with the pedal — if it sounds good through all the amps at the store... then you may consider getting a different practice amp.


You may want to consider some mods. Zorg has one especially for the Bass Big Muff, which may work on the BBMDeluxe.

Wish I could've been more help. Good Luck with it!

 

[Joblivion]

Most fuzz pedals are designed to use with a passive bass (or guitar). Active = low impedance, most fuzzes are designed for a high impedance input, it affects how the fuzz circuit works.

If you have a passive bass, try that and see how it sounds.

The ZVex Mastotron has a "push/relax" knob to adjust for impedance, so it works well with active basses. I've got one of these since most of my basses are active, love it.

There's quite a few other fuzz pedals that are designed to work well with active instruments, since EMG pickups are pretty popular in the guitar world.

EMG also makes active pickups that respond like passive ones. I've used them with regular and deluxe big muff with no issues.