CMC Effects Fans

[Backdrop]

Messed with the settings again on the Civil War last night.

Pbass into a PF500 with headphones.

Volume: Just past noon
Sustain: 11:30
Tone: 1:00
Shape: 12:00
Diode: SIL

Liked what I was getting. Might change once I get to rehearsal and plug into a cab.

 

[kleinenenten]

Messed with the settings again on the Civil War last night.

Pbass into a PF500 with headphones.

Volume: Just past noon
Sustain: 11:30
Tone: 1:00
Shape: 12:00
Diode: SIL

Liked what I was getting. Might change once I get to rehearsal and plug into a cab.

Bet that's a solid, ripping tone with the CW's extra gnarliness and bite! What sort of music are you using it for?

 

[Backdrop]

Bet that's a solid, ripping tone with the CW's extra gnarliness and bite! What sort of music are you using it for?

Uh..... it's a newish band. Only a few songs so far. One song has a Mogwai feel, another Polvo and others lean more post-punk.
None have fuzz yet. Thinking of adding it to the Mogwai one. Other songs have the Tremond and Bass BB.

 

[kleinenenten]

Uh..... it's a newish band. Only a few songs so far. One song has a Mogwai feel, another Polvo and others lean more post-punk.
None have fuzz yet. Thinking of adding it to the Mogwai one. Other songs have the Tremond and Bass BB.

I could see any of those working in that style. And of the Muffs I've played, the Civil War is closest to a Rat. I got my Volt Thrower clone to sound nearly identical to Civil War on guitar, and I could likely do likewise on bass. I'm likely going to buy the CMC Rat clone some time in the future, as I seem to prefer simpler circuits on guitar in general, and that one seems to be a similar idea as the Muff clones in that it just takes the same basic circuit but adds a single useful feature.

I actually spent a good deal of time today comparing my Tremond and Volt Thrower clone on my secondary bass rig. For now, the VT wins, but I need to keep tweaking. The low end is a bit harsher than I'd like, whereas the Tremond didn't quite have the aggression the VT did on the high end. Oh well, first world problems!

 

[arepa_funk]

CMC Cheese here and rad as hell.

I actually like the gated setting most, the scooped is hardest to dial in bc my downstream EQ is already scooped. Something might need to be flat or boosted so that it doesn't get all muddy.

One thing I don't get is that the fuzz knob has a strange range. Fully CCW it's still fuzzy and then there isn't much of a change in fuzz gain/character until 1 o'clock or so. Anyone else experience this with other CMCs?

 

[kleinenenten]

CMC Cheese here and rad as hell.

View attachment 7032641

I actually like the gated setting most, the scooped is hardest to dial in bc my downstream EQ is already scooped. Something might need to be flat or boosted so that it doesn't get all muddy.

One thing I don't get is that the fuzz knob has a strange range. Fully CCW it's still fuzzy and then there isn't much of a change in fuzz gain/character until 1 o'clock or so. Anyone else experience this with other CMCs?

Nope, but I'd wager it's accurate to the original. The only similar thing I had was the incredible volume capabilities of my Hizumitas/Elk clone. Most of my CMC Muffs have volume around 11:00. That one has to be about 8:00. But it's apparently how the circuit was designed. I'm unfamiliar with the Big Cheese to know how it acts, but you can email the builder. He was very responsive when I did that.

Also - any sound clips or tone comparisons? I'm unfamiliar with that fuzz, but am certainly interested in different fuzzes lately.

 

[jdjk7]

Have any of y'all tried CMC's other, non-Muff pedals? I'm particularly interested in the Bosstone clone.

 

[arepa_funk]

Nope, but I'd wager it's accurate to the original. The only similar thing I had was the incredible volume capabilities of my Hizumitas/Elk clone. Most of my CMC Muffs have volume around 11:00. That one has to be about 8:00. But it's apparently how the circuit was designed. I'm unfamiliar with the Big Cheese to know how it acts, but you can email the builder. He was very responsive when I did that.

Also - any sound clips or tone comparisons? I'm unfamiliar with that fuzz, but am certainly interested in different fuzzes lately.

No clips right now sorry. Pretty sure Colin Greenwood from Radiohead uses a Lovetone Cheese on The National Anthem.

 

[kleinenenten]

Have any of y'all tried CMC's other, non-Muff pedals? I'm particularly interested in the Bosstone clone.

Not yet, but I'll be getting the SS/BS Mini Clone in the near future and plan on reporting back. Mind you, I have no firsthand experience with the original, but I hear nothing but good things about the Mini, and have had nothing but good experiences with CMC, so I expect it to be a pretty solid pedal overall. We'll see what I think of the tone when I get it!

I also plan on getting the Sabbra Cadabra and Rat clones he makes, but those would be more for my guitar board than bass.

 

[Grassmaster]

Have any of y'all tried CMC's other, non-Muff pedals? I'm particularly interested in the Bosstone clone.

I've got the SS/BS Mini clone. It goes from light overdrive to full-on fuzz. Sounds good to my ears but I've never played an original. Currently using it for OD purposes but may turn up the gain and move it into my fuzz section when my Sushibox OD turns up.

 

[Rsteady]

Hello you all. I found this today for too cheap to pass up. It’s the CMC HOOF CLONE. Thanks to your tread, it seemed like a safe gamble.

This feels like a solid pedal. I really like the knobs. Why are these inexpensive? My other fuzz is a swollen pickle, and this doesn’t have that giant sound like the pickle, but it seems to keep the low end. This sounds like a nice warm overdriven fuzz.

I have never heard of this company before today. If any one could share any info about them, or about this pedal In have acquired. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for this active thread! It’s a big help.

 

[kleinenenten]

View attachment 7035055
Hello you all. I found this today for too cheap to pass up. It’s the CMC HOOF CLONE. Thanks to your tread, it seemed like a safe gamble.

This feels like a solid pedal. I really like the knobs. Why are these inexpensive? My other fuzz is a swollen pickle, and this doesn’t have that giant sound like the pickle, but it seems to keep the low end. This sounds like a nice warm overdriven fuzz.

I have never heard of this company before today. If any one could share any info about them, or about this pedal In have acquired. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks for this active thread! It’s a big help.

You basically nail why I am all about buying from this builder - I have yet to find a downside and they're all affordable. In fact, I usually buy two at a time just so I can get reduced shipping costs, because I KNOW I'll buy both pedals eventually and may as well save a few bucks.

If I had to wager, these pedals are inexpensive mostly because there is no R&D involved, as well as these being either pedals that are no longer made or pedals with widely available schematics/clones. Take that as you will, but there are HUNDREDS of Muff clones, each addressing a certain issue, and I have no concerns supporting a small builder who makes great pedals, has excellent communication, and prices his products affordably. To me, the ubiquity of clones and the fact some of these circuits have been discontinued just means that they're popular circuits and worth looking into. If I can look into them for cheap, then even better!

I'm also a HUGE fan of the Swollen Pickle, and while I will likely always have one in my rotation, it's just a bear to dial in. My CMC Muffs are super simple to use and sound amazing. They're each different enough from each other to justify having various versions, whereas the Swollen Pickle can get to 80-90% of any Muff tone I've ever had - and that includes boutique Muffs. So if I had to only have a single Muff, I'd probably have a Swollen Pickle as it can cover so much ground, but it's never quite 100% of the tone I want. The CMCs really are the best Muffs I've tried, and they're affordable. My CMCs have replaced my Swollen Pickles AND my Pharaoh Supreme, and I had thought for years I'd never top the Pharaoh Supreme. Now, the Swollen Pickle and Pharaoh Supreme are certainly more versatile than a single CMC Muff, but if I don't use those tones, it's a moot point. For slightly more than the price of a used Pharaoh Supreme, I can get two CMC Muffs and populate both of my bass boards (or guitar boards!) and get amazing tones that just work in the mix.

What do you think of the Hoof clone? I was tempted, but I hear that they can lose some bass, which isn't necessarily my thing. Also that they can be similar to a Grey Stache, which I never quite got along with. Still, I may grab one for my guitar board some day. I definitely prefer more gain and aggression in guitar tones versus bass tones.

 

[Rsteady]

Thanks friend!

If you keep the tone cranked to the bass end, it keeps more low end than a Rat. The low end doesn’t just drop out when it’s turned on. The shift knob changes the fuzz a lot, it affects the mids and the fuzz buzz. I wish the fuzz could go more gnarly. It’s OK. I think I just need to try a green Russian. It sounds really cool with a phase 90 after it, and tremolo. I’ll’ keep working with it.

It hasn’t the presence of the pickle, you know how that thing just sounds big? What other fuzzes do that? I found a fuzz sound I liked with the pickle and left it alone, but I don’t have enough experience to know what other fuzzes to compare it to. Even to an original muff.

So, this clone can be turned up pretty loud. It’s a darker fuzz than the pickle too. And I haven’t played with it through a big amp yet, but I’d imagine this pedal gets pretty loud. It’s a rocker.

 

[kleinenenten]

Got a shipping notification for my Triangle Muff and SS/BS Mini clones - hoping I have them in hand before this weekend, as I'll be out of town over the weekend. Whenever I get a chance, I'll certainly be playing them and sharing my thoughts/impressions here when I do.

 

[kleinenenten]

Super quick write ups of the Triangle Muff and SS/BS Mini on bass - will try and get more time to jam this weekend.

Triangle Muff - actually better than expected. I assumed this was going to be too gainy for my tastes on bass, but it slots in the mix nicely. I'd say it doesn't quite disappear, but blends in well, while still being heard and supporting the low end of the mix. I ended up with a modified version of my preferred CMC Muff settings so far, having moved tone to noon and all other knobs at their "usual" spots.

SS/BS Mini - it's pretty Rat-adjacent for how I like it, but can definitely do much more. It can velcro, or do pretty clean stuff too. I was going for "Rat" style tones, and within about 10 minutes I had it very similar to my Volt Thrower clone. Not quite as much clean heft as that one, but similar amounts of springy and active grit (if that even makes sense), and plenty of treble to cut the mix, while not saturating the lows so much to become mushy.

Overall, they're both pretty great. Neither will replace any of my #1 picks so far, but they are 100% in the rotation for when I need a different tone. And we'll see what I think of them on guitar, too. I have a feeling I'll really like the Triangle on guitar.

 

[kleinenenten]

Some more thoughts, after about half an hour of playing time on the SS/BS Mini and Triangle Muff:

Mini - super versatile, and retains lows quite well. It doesn't quite do as clean of lows when there is plenty of gain like my Volt Thrower, but it seems to be tuned slightly lower overall in the distortion tone. Perhaps less presence and bite overall, but slightly rounder while still maintaining attack and bite? I'm terrible describing tones! I also tried this with my Active/Passive bass - the only "Passive" I have. I'll say this - it's incredible how much versatility this pedal has. I can get completely different (and just as usable) tones out of this with active or passive basses. For my needs and preferences, I prefer active, and this pedal definitely gets more distorted with passive, but if you want a more natural grit, this can likely do it for you in spades with a passive bass. Overall, I really like this as a "Rat" pedal, even though I know it's not really a Rat. But I find myself drawn to its tones that are similar to a Rat. It's not replacing my Volt Thrower on my big rig, as that can do the clean lows of the VT and bring the distortion quite well, but I think it's similar in situation to my Bubble Font/Tall Font findings in that the Bubble Font's extended lows can be reproduced better on my big rig (and not need the even more lows of the Tall Font) and the Tall Font really brings the extra lows needed to get my small rig where I want it tonally. The Mini keeps plenty of lows, doesn't quite have as much presence (but my small rig seems to have more presence naturally anyway), and is a great complement to my VT/Rat tones. It may actually replace the VT clone #2 on my small rig, as the one thing that the Mini certainly has going for it over the VT is simplicity. I was able to dial in a wonderful tone in minutes on the Mini, where getting my tone just right on the VT could easily take almost an hour of tiny tweaks to internal knobs.

Triangle - similar situation regarding the active/passive tones. The gain really responds well to different input levels. It's more versatile than expected, and like the Ram's Head, I may prefer this on bass using SIL instead of LED. The SIL again reins in a bit of the extra treble content and saturates the entire spectrum more, while sacrificing a little clarity. It reminds me of a brighter Ram's Head, basically. Not quite tuned as low, with a more aggressive distortion tone, and not as warm/fuzzy as the Ram's Head. Still, I found it 100% usable on bass, and didn't drop out of the mix or anything like that. It is also - like all CMC Muffs - very much a Muff and yet still obviously a different tone than the others. This one may do better with 3 piece bands where a bass can take a more intense role, or more sludgy material where the bass can really work the distorted tones.

I'll hopefully get a chance to give them a go on guitar soon.

 

[kleinenenten]

Got to play the Triangle Muff on guitar yesterday. Here are my thoughts:

It's pretty much exactly what I had hoped for - a midway point between the Bubble Font and Ram's Head. It's not quite as bassy/middy as the Ram's Head, but is brighter. The Triangle doesn't seem to lose lows, but doesn't really boost anything either. It's a bit brighter/crunchier overall than the Ram's Head, but not in a bad way. Just more aggressive overall. Still incredibly usable. I found that it's very much the genesis of the "Muff tone", as with a bit of tweaking, I got this to be in the ballpark of some of my favorite Muff tones of various versions. It was able to cop a similar tone to my Bubble Font on LED diodes when the Triangle was on SIL diodes (which increased saturation and decreased brightness overall). And it was a brighter take on the Ram's Head, but certainly fuzzy in the same way that they both very much enveloped the entirety of the note, if that makes sense. It's not quite a distortion like some of the Russian varieties lean to, but it adds more distortion to the tone (like a blend mostly on the "dirt" side) overall than any of the Russian varieties. At the same time, it's not completely different to any of the tones. I got it to sound quite similar to my Bubble Font (but not quite as bassy) and my Civil War (similar gain and brightness, but a bit more unruly), and could easily use it for any of my rigs. I get the feeling it may depend on the mix, as I think this could work quite well in a lot of mixes. My gut says the bass uses a Russian variety for the extended lows, while the guitar uses the Triangle for its extra highs and cut. Sounds like a good combo to me!