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Which Big Muff should I get?

A

Arctic

Mar 8, 2010
5
0
#1
Well, I'm going to make a Big Muff pedal (hopefully by the end of March) but I really don't know which one is best for me.

I really don't know what to say about what I play, I guess if I had to say it'd be funk or metal (totally different, I know :p ). I'm just using stock pickups with my tiny amp.

I've done a lot of soldering, so making it should be easy (I'm going to go SMD's for most of it) and it doesn't have that many parts. Even if it doesn't sound as good it'll be fine for me.

Here's the best schematics I could find.

Thanks guys.
 
#4
Sorry, I posted before actually clicked on the link. Its not there. I just really like the Metal Muff.

Its worth checking out, I don't own one, but I had a chance to borrow one and it is much more versatile and sounds much better than the Big Muff IMO.

Invalid Link Removed
 
#13
lowregister said:
The plain Big Muff sounds great because the tone knob can make it really drippy sounding or very mid heavy, versatile enough in my mind.
Click to expand...

The plain big muff can do a lot but one thing it absolutely can't do is sound mid heavy. It can sound very heavy but it does not have mids. The tone stack scoops the mids which is part of it's signature sound.
 
#14
big muff




the whole "best for me" is subjective and listening for yourself is the only way really. or just go to a music store and play all the distortion pedals and report back which one you liked better.
 
#16
The GGG tuned BMP gets quite a lot of love around here. I've tried the Bluebeard (which it is often compared to) and loved it. Check out the GGG schematics & part lists.

Another version to consider is the BYOC Large Beaver. It's built around the average actual values of Ram's Head and Triangle Muffs as they were looking for the "original intent" of the sound. Most interesting is the added mid EQ section which'll make the muff way more usable. A lot of muff clones (and now stock EHX BMP w/Tone Wicker) have some sort of tone bypass so you don't get lost in the mix.

If you're not sure what you want, then build the most versatile unit you can. My dream muff would be the GGG tuned muff with a tone bypass and a clean blend.

Edit: whoops, was researching and missed the last post by rratajski. My bad.
 
#17
I'm looking for something bassy that can go from a little fuzz to a fair amount (nothing over the top).

I'd love to try them out in real life, but the only store near me that has anything good is like an hour drive which doesn't work for me.

Thanks for all the help guys.
 
#18
Build a Mosrite FUZZrite. Great sounding fuzz pedal, easy enough to be build, and it lacks the horrid, mid-scooped sound of the run-of-the-mill Big Muff (which, in my opinion, is more of a distortion than a fuzz).

The FUZZrite is essentially a pedal that squares the input wave, so the resulting clips sound (in my opinion) excellent, warm, and not too over the top. Plus, the circuit is pretty simple.

(I'm going to be killed by Big Muff owners for this post).
 
#19
You can dial the sustain back on the Big Muff, but it's pretty over the top and that's what it specializes in. Based on the limited information you've supplied about what you're looking for, I'd say there's much better options out there than a Big Muff for you.

Also a Big Muff may work well for funk music, but if the guitars start getting dirty at all you will quickly get lost in the mix because of the Muff's inherent mid scoop. You'll have to work something out with your guitarist/s if you're going to be heard while playing metal music, if you play in a band.
 

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