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Cliff Burton's Muff

#3
1561841102.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
 
#8
What he meant was, which Muff comes closest to Cliff's? THAT IS STILL IN PRODUCTION.

Well, I PM-ed Ted about this. He is one of the few people that actually had the exact model of wah and muff that Burton had.

What he said was, a USA Big Muff RI will be fine. The key is the wah. All the wahs that are capable are discontinued im afraid. It's pretty much a toss up between the new ones. Cliff's tone was mid cut so the Metal Muff could dial a closer tone.

Well, that's what he said anyways. :D
 
#10
ALiP BoB said:
BUT I STILL WANNA KNOW WHICH IN STILL-IN-PRODUCTION MUFF CAN GET CLOSEST TO CLIFF'S!!! I WANT A SPECIFIC ANSWER! TELL ME!! TELL ME!!! :hiding:

I already did a search, but all the reply was wishy washy. It was all like "Morley and EHX Muff".
Click to expand...

The correct model is somewhat of a urban legend.. IIRC, the sticky is right with the green sovtec submarine box...

That being said, I use the current russian muff and a Dunlop 105Q, and get a half-way decent sound on it...

If you are looking for his exact tone, you likely won't achieve it, unless you have his exact bass, effects, amp, and however his rig was recorded in the first place..
 
#11
ALiP BoB said:
BUT I STILL WANNA KNOW WHICH IN STILL-IN-PRODUCTION MUFF CAN GET CLOSEST TO CLIFF'S!!! I WANT A SPECIFIC ANSWER! TELL ME!! TELL ME!!! :hiding:

I already did a search, but all the reply was wishy washy. It was all like "Morley and EHX Muff".
Click to expand...

If you'd like a response, you'll have to be nice :p

The REISSUE Power Wah that's currently available gets pretty close to the tone of the original Power Wah Boost, especially because they both have Boost dials. That's why I own one :D

It's not dead-on, but none of Morley's current wahs are. You'll either have to find a vintage one, or just live with what's available now. It doesn't necessarily have to be Morley, either, but a funky wah won't do for that tone.

As for Muffs... a harsher Muff will do the trick (like the current Russian Big Muff, the one that's black). I haven't tried a Metal Muff with my Power Wah, but I bet it'd work well since it's all about mid scooping. I'm wondering if it'll be too harsh or scooped, though?

After a while, you might find that you don't want to sound like Burton, after all. Everyone wants his solo tone, but how often do they use it?
 
#12
Everyone wants to sound like Cliff lol. I have been messing around with my Metal Muff a lot lately, trying to get a slightly modified Burton tone, both his solo tone, and his in song tone... but so far no good, I think it could have something to do with my cheap amp, which rattles and clips if I have it loud enough to hear it lmao. Once I get my Ampeg B-200R and a nice Morley wah, I will tell you guys how my tone is coming along, and maybe post some clips... The Metal Muff is a very fun pedal tho, you have to spend quite a while screwing around with the knobs, but the annoyingness of it pays off in the tone.

Boo, exactly HOW close do the reisue Power Wah's come to the orignal? Are they anywhere near as big, and is there as much of a sweep? I have never used, or even seen one of the vintage chrome ones, but from pictures and videos, they look quite big.

I think price will play a huge part in what wah I get.
 
#13
PrimusNut said:
Boo, exactly HOW close do the reisue Power Wah's come to the orignal? Are they anywhere near as big, and is there as much of a sweep? I have never used, or even seen one of the vintage chrome ones, but from pictures and videos, they look quite big.

I think price will play a huge part in what wah I get.
Click to expand...

The reissue power wah is the exact same size as every other current Morley Wah (like the Dual Bass Wah): 6" X 9" X 2.?"... it's definitely smaller than the vintage ones, and it runs on either a 9V battery or a 9V standard Boss-style adapter. It's not as long as a Dunlop wah, but it's wider, and a bit shorter. Like the old Power Wah, it has a regular stomp switch on the side of the pedal to turn it on or off (it's not switchless like the Morley Dual Bass Wah).

The frequency sweep and wah sound are very close, IMO. I think that the current one is much smoother sounding, and has a slightly less harsh high end. With distortion in front of it, it'll scream for sure, and with distortion behind it, you can still hear it work (unlike more subtle wahs which lose their impact when before distortion). You can tweak the LED position inside to change its tone and make it more midrangey if you want. The Boost knob on it is very useful in making the wah louder and more dramatic.

The physical sweep, on the other hand, is much different than the old one. The old one, because of its physical sweep, was fairly easy to control, and you didn't have to move it much to hear a change. The reissue has a much smaller physical sweep, so subtlety is the key if you only want to make minor wah sweeps. Otherwise, moving it like a regular wah will produce dramatic wah sounds (can be good, can be bad... depends on your style). If you're used to Dunlop wahs, this one WILL make you retrain your foot :D

I got it on Musician's Friend for $69.99 + Shipping... not a bad price at all :smug:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Morley-Power-Wah-Pedal?sku=150787
 
#15
ALiP BoB said:
Music to my ears...:D
And I thought you'd be recommending your trusty little big muff instead of the russian big muff...:hiding:
Click to expand...

Funny that you mention that, actually... I use my LBM for all the warmth it's got. Sure, it can do harsh, but it's not "Cliff Burton" harsh. I believe Cliff ran his wah in front, from the way his solos sound, and that's why a Muff that's closer to distortion (and less fuzzy) may be useful in getting his sound. However, I think more of that has to do with his Mesa/Boogie amp. So, yeah, I think any Muff really could do the job, but the amp is definitely key to how all of his pedals sounded in the end.

ALiP BoB said:
You were kidding about the little big muff being friendly with actives right?
Click to expand...

:D

It really depends on how you intend to use the LBM. It works fine with active basses, but it'll quickly become apparent that if you want more subtle fuzz out of it, you WILL have to turn the volume on your bass down a bit. That's really the high point of an active bass - a higher output, which can be brought down with a volume knob so you don't push certain pedals too hard.
 
#17
PrimusNut said:
I think I might go with one of the old ones. I like the size and the physical sweep. I don't like shorter/smaller wahs.

Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention... have you checked my sound samples? There's a link in the TB Sound Sample thread, as well as in my profile. They're not great demos (all are direct to sound card, and my articulation was sloppy for most of them). Should be helpful in getting to know some of my pedals, though (new and old). I don't have any demos of the vintage Power Wah up, though. I'll have to record those sometime... :hmm:
 
#18
ALiP BoB said:
BUT I STILL WANNA KNOW WHICH IN STILL-IN-PRODUCTION MUFF CAN GET CLOSEST TO CLIFF'S!!! I WANT A SPECIFIC ANSWER! TELL ME!! TELL ME!!! :hiding:

I already did a search, but all the reply was wishy washy. It was all like "Morley and EHX Muff".
Click to expand...

The Reissue NYC Muff is just fine. It is true bypass. The key to his tone isn't the distortion, but the wah.

I use a SBM, as it gives a very agressive tone compared to any of the Muffs within a reasonable price.

Get a Tel-Ray made Morley PWB if you want to acheive that tone. It is the key- IMO no other muff approaches it that is now made for agressive snarl like Cliff got.

bassman314 said:
The correct model is somewhat of a urban legend.. IIRC, the sticky is right with the green sovtec submarine box...
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. The Russian Green SBM were not made until after Cliff died. As a result, it is impossible for him to have use it.
 

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