• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Tall font Russian vs. Sovtek Green Muff

C

CircleOfCrows

Mar 28, 2013
187
34
Australia
#1
They are meant to be the same thing... How do they Compare? I Have a couple of Electro Harmonix (Green sovtek) Big muffs's wondering how they go as a comparison- I have a pedal board of HEAVY Original Models that I am considering replicating with modern takes for more economy/lighter carry on.

Kind regards.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JulienP.
#2
the Tall Font Russian sounds a lot better. It is more bassy, darker and capable of hotter distortion. You will find a million post if you do a search.
The TFR is twice the price of the Green Muff so it's expensive and not a good value but if you are after tone and money is no object, that the way to go.

The Green Muff is a very nice pedal and I doubt anybody would hear the difference in the mix.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JulienP.
#3
I have 2 of the old tall font print green russian muffs by EHX(one is a transition into this model) and they both sound different enough. I have done a search on the (Wren and Cuff)Tall Font Russian- there are few posts comparing it to what it is based on though - Most are its common contemporaries- Musket/ Grey Stache/ Modern nyc EHX /Bass muff etc. etc. Its small size/weight definitely appeal to me. As long as its in the right ballpark I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. Just wanted an insight from you guys ;)
 
#4
Laurent said:
the Tall Font Russian sounds a lot better. It is more bassy, darker and capable of hotter distortion. You will find a million post if you do a search.
The TFR is twice the price of the Green Muff so it's expensive and not a good value but if you are after tone and money is no object, that the way to go.

The Green Muff is a very nice pedal and I doubt anybody would hear the difference in the mix.
Click to expand...

I think OP is referring to Russian green muffs. But everything is still true except the tfr price is about 2/3rds the price of a Russian green muff.
 
#5
These:
 

Attachments

  • 1396710380192.jpg
    1396710380192.jpg
    63.3 KB · Views: 372
#6
JonnyAngle said:
I think OP is referring to Russian green muffs. But everything is still true except the tfr price is about 2/3rds the price of a Russian green muff.
Click to expand...

Ah. Correct. I had assumed Wren and Cuff TFR.

Well the Sovtek TFR can be truly epic pedals. Their gain and level of bass/tonal range are amazing but they are often very expensive. Also there are lot of variation from pedal to pedal due to their age and the variability of the components. The Russians bought whatever was available and cheap to build these. If you have a couple of actual TFR I doubt you will like the current Bass Muff. You might want to look at a Stomp Under Foot green Russian. It matched tone for tone a very good sounding Sovtek Bubble Font I use to own. It does not quite match a TFR that being said and that's not the builder's intent.

I have tested the other modern pedal you list Musket/Grey Stache... and they don't quite match a good sounding TFR, nothing does IMHO. Your closet match would be the SUF Green Muff, again in my opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: vegas532
#8
Laurent said:
Ah. Correct. I had assumed Wren and Cuff TFR.

Well the Sovtek TFR can be truly epic pedals. Their gain and level of bass/tonal range are amazing but they are often very expensive. Also there are lot of variation from pedal to pedal due to their age and the variability of the components. The Russians bought whatever was available and cheap to build these. If you have a couple of actual TFR I doubt you will like the current Bass Muff. You might want to look at a Stomp Under Foot green Russian. It matched tone for tone a very good sounding Sovtek Bubble Font I use to own. It does not quite match a TFR that being said and that's not the builder's intent.

I have tested the other modern pedal you list Musket/Grey Stache... and they don't quite match a good sounding TFR, nothing does IMHO. Your closet match would be the SUF Green Muff, again in my opinion.
Click to expand...

For absolute clarity I am comparing the
1)Wren and Cuff- Tall Font Russian
2)'90s Electro Harmonix-Big Muff (Green Sovtek made vers. 7C(I think))


Kind regards.
 
#10
CircleOfCrows said:
For absolute clarity I am comparing the
1)Wren and Cuff- Tall Font Russian
2)'90s Electro Harmonix-Big Muff (Green Sovtek made vers. 7C(I think))


Kind regards.
Click to expand...

OK. Now it's clear.

The W&C Tall Font Russian will not cut it against a good Electro Harmonix Sovtek Big Muff Tall Font. The Wren and Cuff is much lower gain and does not quite captures the tone range of the original. It's ok in the bass but not throughout the distortion range and tonal range.
Nice sounding pedal (I owned two in the past) but it just does not measure to the originals.

Your best bet might be a Stomp Under Foot Green Russian but this last pedal will be more akin to the following generation of Russian Sovteks, the bubble font.

SUF makes a Civil War which is supposed to be similar to the Sovtek Tall Font (most people agree that the Civil War and Tall Font Sovtek are very close) but the SUF Civil War does not quite cut it. Again a great sounding pedal but not as larger than life than a Sovtek Tall Font.

In your position, I would start with a SUF Green Russian.
 
#12
Laurent said:
SUF makes a Civil War which is supposed to be similar to the Sovtek Tall Font (most people agree that the Civil War and Tall Font Sovtek are very close) but the SUF Civil War does not quite cut it. Again a great sounding pedal but not as larger than life than a Sovtek Tall Font.

In your position, I would start with a SUF Green Russian.
Click to expand...

I've owned an original Sovtek and out of the clones out there, I've found the SUF Civil War to be the closest. Mind you, I've never tried the SUF Green Russian, but the Civil War is excellent!
 
  • Like
Reactions: taylor16
#16
bigmoosepi said:
mind sharing what mods you did? I've built a clone and am having trouble getting a good mid control on the tonestack.

I may just end up putting in a bypass.
Click to expand...

I just replaced the tone stack capacitor, which is 0.0039uf, with a larger one. I couldn't remember what capacitor I put in there, but it almost has too much mids now. There's a better mod out there where you can add a mids control knob, or you could also use an on/off/on switch and piggy-back off the 0.0039, which will give you three mids settings. I plan on building a green russian clone and using the mid control knob.
 
#17
I see, I had done that before but then I copied the supercollider tone circuit because I wanted a pot for the mids but this one really doesn't seem to do a lot. It uses a 50k pot and has a few extra resistors and I think two caps are changed. Going to try a different one that only changes one cap and uses a 22k pot.


I really just want the circuit in the bluebeard fuzz or fuzzrocious grey stache but can't find any info on what they use.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back