Muff - I totally get it!

stickyfiddle

Revelation!

Fuzz pedals have always been one of those things that other people use but I'd never got the hang of. I had a lovely Tonebender clone a couple of years ago that was great on paper but I could never work out how to get the best from, and I'd had various dabblings with the Big Muff and never quite been happy with it. The Little Big Muff was a nice idea, but useless in a band without massive mid-humped EQ on the amp, and the LBM w/Tone Wicker was better, but still felt like a mid-scooped sledgehammer reporting for nutcracking duties. Whatever I did with either of them it felt like it was irrelevant even what guitar I used, everything just became a wall of harmonic mush. 

But having had good results with a germanium fuzz face build earlier in the year I thought I'd try an old-style muff and find out if it's ever going to happen. Anyways, the muff I built is a Ram's Head spec, with a switchable cap in the tonestack to give it a mid-hump if I need it and it sounds glorious. Absolutely filthly, but with so much more character than the current NYC Muffs. Hitting the front end with a clean boost pushes it into insanity in a good way (seriously, why are muffs with pre-boost not the norm? It's BRILLIANT!)

I guess all I'm saying is don't give up on something just because you tried it once and didn't like it. I wish I'd done it years ago. I might even start liking chorus pedals next!

ICBM

Integrated Circuit Big Muff.

That is all.

Drew_TNBD

I don't like muff.

stickyfiddle

ICBM;54983" said:

Integrated Circuit Big Muff.

That is all.

The "Pumpkins" sounding one? Let's not get silly now...!

ThePrettyDamned

Love a good muff.

Quite like the metal muff, too. Sounds nothing like a muff and the top boost is... Er... Bit mental.

ICBM

Drew_fx said:

I don't like muff.

I thought you had a nice MIJ one?

stickyfiddle said:

The "Pumpkins" sounding one? Let's not get silly now...!

Yes, that's the one .

Jaded

Can't go wrong with a good Muff! Wouldn't mind trying that tonestack cap mod myself, a Muff with a mid-hump sounds right up my alley.

stickyfiddle

Jaded said:

Can't go wrong with a good Muff! Wouldn't mind trying that tonestack cap mod myself, a Muff with a mid-hump sounds right up my alley.

I recommend the Duncan Tonestack Calculator if you want to try modding yours- lets you see the effect of swapping individual component values before you start hacking a pedal about. I went for a 0.01u cap at C1 (as the DSC program calls it), though apparently just jumpering R1 gives a decent high-mid hump instead. A trimpot in place of R1 would make for a good "presence" type control I'd have thought. 

http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/

Drew_TNBD

ICBM said:

Drew_fx said:

I don't like muff.

I thought you had a nice MIJ one?

Lacist.

ICBM

Drew_fx said:

Lacist.

That's a bit unfair. I do admit to a slight preference for black lace, but white, red or any other colour is fine too.

viz

ICBM said:

Integrated Circuit Big Muff.

That is all.

always thought it was intercontinental ballistic whatsit.

Bucket

stickyfiddle said:

ICBM;54983" said:

Integrated Circuit Big Muff.

That is all.

The "Pumpkins" sounding one? Let's not get silly now...!

Fun fact - the other guitarist in my band borrowed one of those particular Muffs for when we were recording some guitar tracks. Sounded magnificent (he's a massive Pumpkins fan and they're a big influence on how we write).

Grunfeld

ICBM said:

Integrated Circuit Big Muff.

That is all.

I'm a bit late to the party on this one.  Are there any good clones about? 

Cos ebaying for "Integrated Circuit Big Muff" or "op amp big muff" produces pedals in excess of £200. 

stickyfiddle

Pedalparts does a kit of it. He pretty much does a kit of everything these days

Grunfeld

http://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/1978_IC_Big_Muff_Pi_V4-5/p847124_9554376.aspx

That looks good.  If only I knew how to solder...

Jaded

stickyfiddle said:

Jaded said:

Can't go wrong with a good Muff! Wouldn't mind trying that tonestack cap mod myself, a Muff with a mid-hump sounds right up my alley.

I recommend the Duncan Tonestack Calculator if you want to try modding yours- lets you see the effect of swapping individual component values before you start hacking a pedal about. I went for a 0.01u cap at C1 (as the DSC program calls it), though apparently just jumpering R1 gives a decent high-mid hump instead. A trimpot in place of R1 would make for a good "presence" type control I'd have thought. 

http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/

Nice one, thanks! I may have to experiment on my NYC over the weekend.

Grunfeld said:

ICBM said:

Integrated Circuit Big Muff.

That is all.

I'm a bit late to the party on this one.  Are there any good clones about?  

Cos ebaying for "Integrated Circuit Big Muff" or "op amp big muff" produces pedals in excess of £200.  

You still get the occasional (sub £100) deal on eBay and Gumtree if you keep an eye out, especially for ones that have been modded for True Bypass or a status LED or if the guy just plain old doesn't know what it is. 

If you're not too concerned with getting an original I know that timhulio on here makes an IC Muff clone for not too much ££ (link!). I've been considering getting one of his so I can get a Muff back on my board without taking so much room.

raulduke

I love the Big Muff circuit. I think it may even be my favourite guitar effect circuit.

I always have one of my own Tesla Cannon's on my board (my own version with tweaks, mid's control, diode switching etc.).

The Big Muff is a surprisingly versatile effect too, as I find it can be used just as effectively as a distortion as it can a fuzz.

Grunfeld

Jaded said:

If you're not too concerned with getting an original I know that timhulio on here makes an IC Muff clone for not too much ££ (link!). I've been considering getting one of his so I can get a Muff back on my board without taking so much room.

Cheers for the heads up.  Just ordered one!

:-)

Jaded

Grunfeld said:

Jaded said:

If you're not too concerned with getting an original I know that timhulio on here makes an IC Muff clone for not too much ££ (link!). I've been considering getting one of his so I can get a Muff back on my board without taking so much room.

Cheers for the heads up.  Just ordered one!

:-)

Awesome you'll have to let us know how you get on with it! 

samzadgan

Muff's are awesome...with mid hump is just righteous!

Black Arts toneworks do an LSTR which is amazing...he also does Pharaoh which is equally as amazing!

I have the sarcophagus, and that ended my search for fuzz pedals...i dont even look for fuzz pedals anymore!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWnAKQr1sY4

Grunfeld

Jaded said:

Grunfeld said:

Jaded said:

If you're not too concerned with getting an original I know that timhulio on here makes an IC Muff clone for not too much ££ (link!). I've been considering getting one of his so I can get a Muff back on my board without taking so much room.

Cheers for the heads up.  Just ordered one!

:-)

Awesome you'll have to let us know how you get on with it! 

Okay, Tim made this and it arrived today



Very solid feeling stomp box.  I've been playing with it all afternoon using an Ibanez RG and a solid state amp and the box produces a a Muffy fuzz but without the urmm "f*cking mentalness" that was my experience with the EHX Big Muff Pi Wicker.   This is also a very gutsy pedal but you can actually play tunes with it too. 

I wish I could put it on my board for tomorrow night but it's a new venue for us and the set list for tomorrow looks classic rock all the way and I'm not sure how to play with this sound live yet.  I usually use a Jazzmaster and a JVM set up.  The only other dirt on the board at the moment is a TubeScreamer and  Wampler Pinnacle; I'm guessing this will replace the Pinnacle but I might just add it to the chain.

Any ideas where it may sit best in the chain with those other two?  I'll have a play of course but just wondering aloud.

This afternoon I've been drawn towards making sounds in Smashing Pumpkins; Silversun Pickups territory -- you know clean and harmless then..... FUZZ!!

Very happy with this based on the home practice, and I'm sure it will find a place on the board