The Deluxe Sovtek doesn't have the low end or pure balls of the Green Russian. I've used the GR for a long time and briefly switched to the Deluxe Sovtek thinking it would be better with the clean blend. But I found that the Green Russian actually has more low end than the DS, even when using the clean blend on the DS. I play a 4 string Stingray btw.
I ended up switching back to the Green Russian and adding an LS-2 for clean blend, just to add some solidness back to the notes. In my opinion that's the best big muff setup for bass right now. The Green Russian is a titan. Side by side it kills the Deluxe Sovtek. They're the same circuit, but the additional components added to the Deluxe do affect the sound and detract from the raw power. With big muffs the fewer controls the better because each thing takes something away from the sound. The GR has such a monstrous character to the fuzz sound, and a natural hugeness to the bass and midrange that's missing from the Deluxe Sovtek. The mids control on the DS is nice but the GR naturally has the kind of mids that I want from a big muff, with no need for 2 separate knobs to fuss over. I think the DS is nice from a convenience standpoint and has a sound that's more under control and potentially usable in a wider variety of situations, but it doesn't inspire like the Green Russian.
