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Yearly Big Muff Round Up
- Thread starter father of fires
- Start date
Am I the first to suggest Black Arts Toneworks Pharaoh? I will never need another fuzz. Now, will I BUY another muff, maybe. But we'll see.
Of the three I own, the Civil War is my favorite. Not only does it sound HUGE, but it reacts in odd and wonderful ways with my other pedals.
I built my own Tall Font clone about a year ago (only my second build). I used NOS Soviet transistors and clipping diodes equivalent to those used in the original. Block printed the labels on in Russian just to top it off! I must say that I'm pretty proud of the build and think it sounds pretty good for about a fifth of the cost. 
devnulljp
Supporting Member
Depends what you're looking for in a muff. My personal favourite is the early 70s EH3003 ram's head with FS36999s, although I had a later PNP ram's head muff with 2n5087s that was also very distinctive sounding.
Thin font Green Russian next on bass.
The Swollen Pickle is the only one I have experienced.
I like it.
TBH I don't understand the urge to collect so many muff style fuzzes when there are other flavors of fuzz and distortion out there to explore.
I was tempted by a Bass BigMuff Deluxe because it has a crossover and XLR output,
but since I already have those features on my preamp I can do the same thing with the pickle and a little patching.
I like it.
TBH I don't understand the urge to collect so many muff style fuzzes when there are other flavors of fuzz and distortion out there to explore.
I was tempted by a Bass BigMuff Deluxe because it has a crossover and XLR output,
but since I already have those features on my preamp I can do the same thing with the pickle and a little patching.
My search for Muff ended when I got my Abominable Electronics Hail Satan Deluxe.
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I have the EHX Big Muff Pi. Split coil P-bass style pickups get a very overdriven sound, and single coil Js sound kind of Industrial synth-y.
I haven't played with any other Muff pedals, but I do own the EHX BMP Deluxe.. I like it. Not hard to get low end out of it with the blend and tone knobs.. plenty of fuzz via the sustain knob. Get a completely different overdrive tone with the crossover engaged and that tone becomes even more adjustable with the HPF and LPF knobs. Here's a home recording of the one song I've actually used it for.. Crossover engaged.. for the first half of the song anyway.. then I turn it off and turn on the OC-3 for some trance/drum n bass. J/s - the cheesiness of the first half of this song was completely intentional. It makes me feel filthy to play it.. and that is the desired effect. I don't own enough mics to produce a higher quality recording..but this one isn't horrible for a live rehearsal room recording.
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So...can the world use more Muffs or is the market already over saturated?
I'm always interested in seeing new takes on old designs but what is there really left to do with this old circuit?
I'm always interested in seeing new takes on old designs but what is there really left to do with this old circuit?
Not much. Everything has been done pretty much. Some people prefer some over the others. That circuit has been around more than... well you figure it out.
I will say that's why I am excited for this new Acid Splash fuzz JWR is designing. It's an IC muff circuit with tons of tweak ability. he was originally going for the bee baa but had to switch gears due to unforeseen problems with the circuit. Either way it's gonna be a badass fuzz.
The only Muffs I've tried are the regular guitar Muff and my Gnomeratron. The Gnome isn't really a normal variant. It's more like a Muff and a Brassmaster making sweet, sweet love. Here's a vid:
I can't seem to get away from Green Russian variations. I've been through a Baby Thundaa and a W&C Tall Font. Currently have a Musket, Colossus and a Tall Font clone that I built from Genereal Guitar gadgets. The GGG clone is my favorite. It sounds huge and has three knobs. It's very close to the W&C but better because I built it 
I love the Musket and Colossus but it's kind of a classic case where I love those two or so settings on my Tall Font more than the versatility of the the others.
I love the Musket and Colossus but it's kind of a classic case where I love those two or so settings on my Tall Font more than the versatility of the the others.
Skully FX Russian Spy
RussianSpyFuzz.jpg - Google Drive
Green Russian clone. Don't get to use it in a band context... too... savage. It has a great 'wet' texture. Sits well in the mix but even with all the options it only has one setting that's great for bass in a typical mix or actually two settings when you consider the tone bypass.
RussianSpyFuzz.jpg - Google Drive
Green Russian clone. Don't get to use it in a band context... too... savage. It has a great 'wet' texture. Sits well in the mix but even with all the options it only has one setting that's great for bass in a typical mix or actually two settings when you consider the tone bypass.
