Could Someone Explain Big Muffs to Me?

andyp

I've been contemplating a fuzz pedal for a while to try and learn some Smashing Pumpkins kind of stuff. The only fuzz pedals I've tried so far have been horrible though, just completely messy sounding... but I've found myself back looking at them, particularly the Nano Big Muff.

I've seen a fair few clips of some of the various Big Muffs but the range is massive and confusing to me. If I'm after something at the more "subtle" end of Fuzz pedals, is a Nano or Little Big Muff the right idea? These seem reasonably cheap and readily available so it looks like I could sell it on easily enough if I wanted to. What are the Pi models all about too?

Cheers.

Andy

VJIves

I'm no muff expert (god, this thread will be full of this), but if it's Pumpkins you're going for then the EHX/Corgan collab muff should be out soon.

andyp

Didn't know that, cheers!

I'm hoping I don't start a massive thread here, I just found it bewildering when I looked at them all.

tampaxboo

the big muff bible, chapter and verse http://www.kitrae.net/music/music_big_muff.html

andyp

Cheers! Some light reading there by the looks of it.

Shark_Eyes

I'd avoid the nano to be honest, it sounds like a distortion pedal to my ears.

The Big Muff with Tone Wicker is great as it gives you the option to remove the tone pot which is fairly common mod.

If you're trying a few out, I'd suggest trying them through your own amp or a very similar one since they can sound totally different depending on the amp.

As for more subtle fuzz, try a rat with distortion up full, it's quite fuzzy but much tamer than a muff.

andyp

Interesting you should say that as I've been trying to find out more about Rats too. To be honest, if I can get a fuzz type sound by cranking a milder distortion pedal up to max, than that will be much more useful for me.

I'll go and check out Rats too. I'm thinking this is a £50 ish experiment rather than a £100 one.

andyp

Hmmm. Some lunchtime googling... I think I'm after a Rat more than a Big Muff. They're not bad price wise either.

antifash

A Rat? I used a 90s Bubble font muff for years. It was massive. I had high output pickups too - which help with the clarity over high fuzz

antifash

Also: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/116375/fs-ehx-big-muff-pi-ehx-soul-food-t-rex-room-mate-jnr-george-dennis-gd30-wah#latest

tampaxboo

apologies if the kit rae seems overload. it's just the best site for questions like how is a triangle different from a russian from a ny. it's quite objective.

personally i have a standard big box 90s NY muff clone with the diodes (2 sets of 2) taken offboard to two 3 position switches (with silicon, germanium and led pairs). so lots of options.

stock i think if you are using pickups more than 12k or 13k they mush out and sound slimy. i have 15k rails. but if you add diode options you can get the grit back.

rats are thinner sounding. something more monophonic than polyphonic about them. less overtones maybe. but that can also make them easier to focus to claim your territory in a mix.

earwighoney

andyp said:

I've been contemplating a fuzz pedal for a while to try and learn some Smashing Pumpkins kind of stuff. The only fuzz pedals I've tried so far have been horrible though, just completely messy sounding... but I've found myself back looking at them, particularly the Nano Big Muff.

I've seen a fair few clips of some of the various Big Muffs but the range is massive and confusing to me. If I'm after something at the more "subtle" end of Fuzz pedals, is a Nano or Little Big Muff the right idea? These seem reasonably cheap and readily available so it looks like I could sell it on easily enough if I wanted to. What are the Pi models all about too?

Cheers.

Andy

If you can use a soldering iron, there are a number of different Muff kits at Fuzz Dog.  

https://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Big_Muff_Pi/p847124_6674585.aspx

One of them might be suitable for the Smashing Pumpkins sound? 

Sassafras

Didn't he use an MXR Dist II? Similar to a muff but much better at being heard in a band mix.

Jalapeno

Mooer do a Rat clone - the Black Secret - satisfies my Mick Ronson tributes

Used to have a Little Big Muff Pi - nails the Isley Brothers' Summer Breeze solo tone. It was always breaking down though - the wiring inside was shambolic (decades ago)

monquixote

IIRC The Little Big Muff isn't actually a Muff. (EDIT Yes it is)

Muffs sound radially different into different amps. There is a good "That Pedal Show" on this subject.
One trick I've found is a Muff set on fairly low gain being pushed by a TS like pedal cuts through a bit better so you don't just get mush.

bbill335

andyp said:

Interesting you should say that as I've been trying to find out more about Rats too. To be honest, if I can get a fuzz type sound by cranking a milder distortion pedal up to max, than that will be much more useful for me.

In that case, you should try something like the ss/bs mini. It can do everything from clean boost to dirt to fuzz all with a nicely balanced and powerful eq. It might seem expensive but there's a lot of sounds to be gotten out of the one box. This is true of all ss/bs pedals I've had.

markv

Big Muff Tone Wicker here - not sure about the wicker option itself but the ability to switch the tone out of circuit is nice. In my (fairly limited) experience, it's at the milder end of the fuzz spectrum. Used with the tone rolled back and on the neck pickup, it's pretty smooth. I have an Unpleasant Companion which starts where the Muff stops and gets nuttier (and messier) from there.

Fuengi

I swapped out a Nano Big Muff PI for a Magnetic Effects White Atom, that's a superb pedal.

The EHX Big Muff is decent enough, but I found it to be quite harsh unless you got the settings just right.

...In other words, if you want to twiddle about a lot with your Big Muff you'll find yourself making all kinds of noises. 

The White Atom is much more forgiving and has a fantastic range of useful settings. 

Ro_S

A Big Muff (BM) is a very particular thing.  It's not a 'proper' fuzz; it is a distortion-fuzz.   

If you're seeking a classic, straight-up fuzz sound, then a BM is NOT the place to start.  A silicon Fuzz Face, for example, would be a much better candidate.

If you specifically want a certain player's iconic BM sound, then a BM is the way to go.

The Nano and Little Big Muffs you mentioned refer merely to the size of the pedals; nothing to do with how much they are the BM sound.   They're BMs.

As  far as your purposes are concerned at present concerning the whole field of fuzz pedals, all EHX BMs (past or present) are pretty much essentially the same. 

(Note: the 'Germanium 4 Big Muff' pedal has zero to do with a BM; nor do the The Muff, Double Muff or English Muffn).

Ro_S

monquixote said:

IIRC The Little Big Muff isn't actually a Muff.

It IS a B/Muff.  You may be thinking of 'The Muff' (and the Double Muff) - that's not a BMP   

Saddlepunk

I had an EHX Big Muff years ago and was very underwhelmed by it. More recently I got a Thorpy Muffroom Cloud that was much more impressive and likeable. Easy to dial in a sound I liked - the full range - a little or a lot.