Russian Big Muff vs Bass Big Muff Pi?

[RandomBass90]

Im brand-spankin' new to effects and the like, and ive decided id really like to begin crafting a pedal board, so ive been lurking around on these forums for the past few days trying to get a feel for whats good. I already own a digitech synth wah, but im in the market for a cheap, stable fuzz pedal (among other pedals), and im very fond of the big muff line; however, is there a preferance between the russian versian and the bass-specific american version? The russian one is cheaper and sounds the same to me, but apparently the american muff is tailor-made for bass. Can anyone dole out some pedal based wisdom to this noob?

 

[gnasher1993]

Im brand-spankin' new to effects and the like, and ive decided id really like to begin crafting a pedal board, so ive been lurking around on these forums for the past few days trying to get a feel for whats good. I already own a digitech synth wah, but im in the market for a cheap, stable fuzz pedal (among other pedals), and im very fond of the big muff line; however, is there a preferance between the russian versian and the bass-specific american version? The russian one is cheaper and sounds the same to me, but apparently the american muff is tailor-made for bass. Can anyone dole out some pedal based wisdom to this noob?

The most common bit of wisdom you'll get around here: search before starting new threads. Fuzz is one of the most regularly discussed topics.

But, to be helpful:

Bass Big Muff Pi:
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Have read/watch through those. That should enlighten you a bit, well alot actually .

EDIT: Welcome to Talkbass!

 

[RandomBass90]

Thank you for the info, very helpfull. And sorry about the search before post thing, i thought about that right after having posted doh.

 

[Sam McLoughlin]

I prefer the Russian sound, purely because the bass Big Muff isn't dirty enough for me.

I have a little big muff, but the fuzz I use most is the one off of my MXR bass di.

 

[phatbass]

I love my Russki Big Muff. Having said that I haven't had an opportunity to try the Bass Big Muff.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I'm the exact opposite, I just sold my Russian for a Bass, because I like my bass to really growl but keep its depth, and the Russian felt like it was pulling to much out of the low.

Mind you, I play tuned BEAD, your mileage may vary.

 

[paganjack]

i modded the tone circuit for my RBM, threw in a contour knob essentially- i can go from super scooped fuzz to brutal mid fuzz, all in one package. The russian muff sounds a little darker to me, which I like. I also found mine for $25. which rules

 

[wetzelman1]

just got my bbm. Really like the ability to run with the dry setting and be able to retain my tone and "add" fuzz instead of fuzzfiying the whole signal. Haven't used a russian tho so can't really recomend over it, but can still recomend it.

from my gatherings, not really much to complain about with the bbm unless you're looking for that specific rbm sound.

 

[RandomBass90]

I'm the exact opposite, I just sold my Russian for a Bass, because I like my bass to really growl but keep its depth, and the Russian felt like it was pulling to much out of the low.

Mind you, I play tuned BEAD, your mileage may vary.

Ah, see, i play a 5 string, so i kinda figured that since its meant for guitar that if it did noticeably suck some of the boom from my bass that id just implement my low B more. Is it all that noticeable a change? I really dont mind a LITTLE loss in depth in exchange for that musey sound we all know and love . Also, its a tad cheaper than its american dopleganger, so thats a huge selling point as im broke as heck.

 

[gnasher1993]

I'm on the look out for a Russian Muff. It's got a bit of mojo about it as well as being a great sounding pedal. I tune down to C but a bit of careful equalization should do the job just fine.

Check the classifieds, there's a couple in there at great prices.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Ah, see, i play a 5 string, so i kinda figured that since its meant for guitar that if it did noticeably suck some of the boom from my bass that id just implement my low B more. Is it all that noticeable a change? I really dont mind a LITTLE loss in depth in exchange for that musey sound we all know and love . Also, its a tad cheaper than its american dopleganger, so thats a huge selling point as im broke as heck.

To me, it seemed really noticeable on the low side, I have a 5 and my 4 plays bead, so when running up the first 4 on the B, it felt really empty.

 

[Deluge Of Sound]

I prefer the Russian Muff tonally, but it is quite easy to get lost in the mix if you're not careful with it.

 

[Sharko]

Ah, see, i play a 5 string, so i kinda figured that since its meant for guitar that if it did noticeably suck some of the boom from my bass that id just implement my low B more. Is it all that noticeable a change? I really dont mind a LITTLE loss in depth in exchange for that musey sound we all know and love . Also, its a tad cheaper than its american dopleganger, so thats a huge selling point as im broke as heck.

Gotta tell you, as someone who uses an american big muff and a bass big muff for different purposes, the regular big muffs suck out all your low end. Playing the low B won't help because it'll suck the bass tones right out of that too and basically make it sound like you're playing a weird guitar.
So, you won't be able to get the "muse" sound at home with just a muff because what you hear on their recordings is a mix of clean and fuzz signals (bi or tri amped as rumor has it). It's my opinion that you can actually get closer to the Muse tone with a bass muff as you can blend clean and fuzz signals. And, if you don't want that blend, you can turn it off with the switch on the bass muff and turn it into a regular muff basically.
Another drawback to the regular muff, in my experience, is that it adds a lot of noise to the signal and amplifies a lot of crap noise like the clack of strings on the frets. The bass muff sounds a lot cleaner.
Also, the russian muff may be cheaper but it is the only muff that doesn't have an input for a power supply, so you'll spend the difference on batteries before you know it.
... since I got the bass muff I rarely use the regular muff anymore

 

[selfblessed]

I like my Russian. I too play BEAD and have not problem. I guess it goes to shoe that you should go out and try them...both. Happy hunting.

 

[icarussmicarus]

I've owned both.

Russian sounds better on the higher notes because you can coax more zing out of it. Perfect for bedroom rockstar stuff or if you are able to layer it in some kindof bi-amp or blended rig. However normally drops a bit out of the mix because of its lack of blend and mids.

The Bass Big Muff doesn't zing quite as much but sounds better on the lower notes since you can blend in clean signal. Might not be as much fun at home, but way better live.

 

[RandomBass90]

hmm...compelling arguments on both sides. i SERIOUSLY wish i could test both out in person, but the nearest EHX dealer is a good 2 hours away . would it be at all viable to buy some sort of booster pedal thingy (if such a thing exists)? if i could just put something like that before the russki muff then shouldnt it theoretically work out? i really prefere its sound over the american one, it just seems too muddy. if that option isnt a possability, i think im just gonna ditch the distinct russian muff and opt for something else.

 

[Sam McLoughlin]

hmm...compelling arguments on both sides. i SERIOUSLY wish i could test both out in person, but the nearest EHX dealer is a good 2 hours away . would it be at all viable to buy some sort of booster pedal thingy (if such a thing exists)? if i could just put something like that before the russki muff then shouldnt it theoretically work out? i really prefere its sound over the american one, it just seems too muddy. if that option isnt a possability, i think im just gonna ditch the distinct russian muff and opt for something else.

People do that, and it does help. If I'm understanding you, you're saying put an EQ pedal before it? Yeah, it's done, you'll still lose some low end though.

 

[AleemRadunzel]

i prefer the russian its dirtier.. i then use a black paisley with practically no gain on to try and dip the low end back...

another important yet obvious thing to note is if your pushing a single 12" then your gonna lose all bass out of it when you play.. if your pushing a 15 or bigger not so much a worry.. you can compensate

the blend on the bassmuff is the boobies plus my russian hums like a mofo on a 1spot battery clip thang.. so minus marks there..

my 2p if your the band leader get the russian if your not the blend is too much to miss out on

 

[joeyl]

I like the Bass Big Muff better because of the blend, and it works well with a hot active bass. Ebay seems to think so...

 

[RCCollins]

i modded the tone circuit for my RBM, threw in a contour knob essentially- i can go from super scooped fuzz to brutal mid fuzz, all in one package. The russian muff sounds a little darker to me, which I like. I also found mine for $25. which rules

i'm interested in this mod. would it be possible with other muffs?