Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Reissue)

Can't get much easier

My main guitars are 68' & 55' Fender Strats and Gibson Les Paul Studio... but it sounds great all the others!
My rig: Ibanez Wh-10 Wah; Boss DS-2; EHX BIG MUFF; MXR 90 Mod Phaser; Electric Mistress; Danelectro Talk Back (reverse delay); Boss Analog Delay.

built like a tank, I have had mine for 7 years used it on the road everynight and it is still rocking!!

If you're a beginner or middle of the road level guitar player and/or looking to replicate your heroes sound and/or looking for a good overall overdrive/distortion pedal, this pedal is NOT for you!!! This is a pedal with too much personality for someone still searching to find their own sound!! DO your research and take your time and don't spend money on pedals because Frusciante, Hendrix and Billy Corgan have them, trust me, you will never sound like them!! But when you find that you're specifically looking for a Fuzz Pedal, (not a general distortion or a flanger or a phaser... A FUZZ) for your own sound, specially to play solos and single note type of stuff, the Big Muff is the KING of the Jungle!! From the moment you open that wooden box you're graduating from a guitar player to a rockstar!! This thing has the greatest tone ever, not only fuzzy but THICK and organic, every note means something!!! The sustain is incredible and as a "Fuzz Pedal" it's versatility is unbelievable...
I really hope that this review is helpfull to you, I'm being as honest as i can be but the bottom line is that it is all a matter of opinion...

3 knobs, volume ,tone and sustain plus a footswitch. Simple
It can take a little while too get a sound which isn't completely unusable but thats mainly a matter of playing with the tone.

My setup is:
Gretsch Corvette - crybaby wah - Digitech whammy - Digitech Bad monkey - Big Muff - Boss dd-6 - tuner - laney Lv200

It seems to make no noise when not on though as soon as it is on its untameable shrieking into feedback the instant you stop playing, all apart of it's charm! I generally go all out with this pedal with volume and sustain at max wiht tone leaning slightly to the treble side and on the bridge pickup this thing sounds amazing. Forget the neck as its just gets too muddy to do anything except solos above the 12th fret. this is remedied though by simply using it in conjunction wiht an overdrive pedal like a tubescreamer or my bad monkey. This boosts and cleans it up to a much more usuable level. You can setainly see why this pedal is used by everyone form jack white to billy corgan, it's just a powerhouse.

I feel this pedal if left alone would perform admirably at a gig and i would use it without a backup wihtout a second thought.
Unfortunately i couldn't leave it alone. I decided to replace the power scket wiht a boss type one so that it could work wiht my daisy chain. Worked fine for a while and it was a very easy operation. then its started to crackle and i traced the problem to the solid core wire connecting the circuitry to the footswitch. This stuff cannot take much damage and wiht the slight movement it had incurred whilst I worked on the pedal it had broken. Simply fixed and now works fine but i thought i'd just warn anyone considering working on one of these.

I play mostly bluesy or garagey music. Think the birthday party or black keys and for this style of music its fantastic. In fact any style where you just want to level the floor in a single step then this pedal is for you, unless you play jazz...
I've been playing for a bout 4 years and including the above i have a fender jazzmaster and a washburn hb-32 semi set up for slide.
I would certainly buyone of these again thoug i'd be interested in trying the deluxe wiht a built in compressor.
It seems to be the only reasonably priced fuzz on the market that has any prestige or makes any sense. I tried out the new boss fuzz pedal and though that was more versatile it was digita so comes no where near this.

Very easy to use, 3 knobs, Volume, Tone and Sustain, ONly an idiot cant figure that out.

My set up: Marshall MG30 DFX > Ibanez CS-9 > Ibanez PT-9 > EH Big Muff > Ibanez TS-9 > Ibanez Weeping Demon > Epiphone SG G400.

The pedal on its own and while its running through other pedals makes absolutely no noise.

Im using it with my Marshall MG30 DFX and it sounds crap while its on the distortion channel. The distortion on my amp is crap anyway, So I dont know if that is why the Big Muff Sounds crap.
It does however sound great on the clean channel, With the Bass and Treble both set to 12 o'clock.

Plugged straight into the amp, This pedal gives a warm, fuzzy tone, Which isnt really that good for pinch harmonics, tapping etc.
The Big Muff works amizingly well with the Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, The combination of the two is great for metal guitar and bass.

If I was ever to play a gig, Id definatly use this pedal, with no need for a back up.

The metal casing looks a little flimsy in comparison to pedals like the Ibanez 9 series, But it looks tough and durable.

Never had to deal with them, It came with a warranty, But if it ever breaks Ill probably just take to a shop to be repaired.

I mostly play metal and this pedal is perfect for it.
If it were stolen or I lost it, Id buy another one straight away.

The only things I dont like about this pedal are the input jacks on the top instead of the sides, Whats all that about? and the input jack for the power supply, Instead of being the standard AC one on pretty much all pedals, Its the electro harmonix one, I hate it.

Other than those two things, This is a great pedal that Id recomend to anyone.

Not so easy to get a great sound out of this for me, though I HAVE and think it's a good pedal. It's kind of a wild pedal and can easily turn into a ton of noise (grunge people might consider this a plus?)

Mine was made in NYC, and just got it in 07.

A little frustrating that it has a weird power supply, maybe there's some reason it's not DC? I'm not an electrician, I'm just annoyed easily.

The input/output jacks are at the top of the unit, which doesn't matter to me, but again, is kind of weird for no reason. Maybe the Lil' Big Muff isn't like this, but I haven't heard that pedal.

The rest of it is very straight-forward.

I have a Fender Blues Deluxe, and love its clean tone. Damned if I'm gonna mess up good tone in exchange for distortion, I like to just step on some stompboxes instead and see how I can dirty it up.

My signal chain is as thus: Strat->Boss CS-3 compressor->Snarling Dogs "Blues Bawls" Wah->Ibanez TS9 tube screamer->Big Muff->Ibanez AD9.

At first I almost got rid of the Big Muff. It was kind of fun at first, but my Strat's noisy enough, and I felt like I was getting more static and white noise than anything else from the Big Muff, plus it immediately muddied up my sound and cut out all the high end. On a lark I threw it in next to my Tube Screamer and turned it on expecting an unholy racket, only to find...

The Big Muff and Tube Screamer in conjunction are f'ing KILLER.

These are NOT expensive pedals by any means (The TS-9 model is about 70 bucks), and I'm getting sounds that have the neighbors applauding. (by applauding I mean NOT complaining to the building manager.)

Anyone who's got something like a Marshall half-stack and can pull up that saturated gain anytime they want will never understand the heart-break of loving your clean tube-amp tone, but still wanting to lay on some filthy distortion when the situation calls for it. This effects combo is a great solution. It still rings true as my original tone, and keeps all my amp's characteristics, but it's thick and dirty and vicious. I personally consider the phrase "sounds like Hendrix" to have lost all meaning, but when I want to make him roll over in his grave with a half-assed imitation, this is how I do it.

Previously I was using the TS-9 and the distortion from my Snarling Dogs pedal in conjunction to do my dirty work (the snarling dogs BLUES BAWLS basically has a tubescreamer complex combined w/ a wah pedal). But this is much much much better.

I'm giving it a 7, because on its own I probably wouldn't have kept it, but like I said, I have DEFINITELY found a use for it, and am not shy about saying it is now a major part of my sound.

I've only had it for a few months, but it seems pretty sturdy. My only concern is that it's basically a large hollow tin box, and I suspect stomping on it too hard could do some damage.

Haven't dealt with them.

Overall I'm going to give it a 7, as on its own it's not so special. If you were to throw $100 more at this purchase you could probably leave the Big Muff in the dust. But like I said, I'm MORE than pleased with what I've coaxed from it, so don't be afraid to buy one and give it a shot, just keep your receipt in case it's not for you.

I have the Russian version. Three knobs with clear labels. Pretty simple.

I play a MIM P-Bass Special with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders in both the bridge and neck. I have run the bass through an Ampeg BA 115 and Hartke HA 1200. Plainly, it sounds great. I had been looking for a more aggressive distortion than my Ashdown bass overdrive, and the Big Muff does the job. What I really enjoy is that it doesn't totally lose the low end when I kick it on. I mean, it gets really fuzzy and doesn't stand out in the mix all that well, but I still feel like I retain some bass presence. I tend to use this pedal in a band with only one electric guitar, so it's nice to be able to add a little grind of my own when he's not chunking on power chords.
I feel like I can get a good range of sounds by messing with the tone and sustain knobs, so I have no complaints about versatility.

I just got it so I don't know, but it seems really well built and I have done well with my other EH stuff in the past.

I really love this pedal.

No manual. But, there's only three knobs to fiddle with. No problem. Quite a variety of sounds are capable. I really liked the sound when the knobs were all at the 2 o'clock area. This is a 2006 model with true bypass. Black paint with yellow text and logo.

Wow, this thing is incredible. I AB'ed my Dunlop Jimi Hendrix system classic fuzz and was able to get almost the same tone from the Big Muff. Plus, I still had plenty of room to go. Wow! Now I see why there are so many users of this pedal. I find the fuzz gets harsh when the tone knob is cranked but turning it down yeilds some nice smooth sounding vibe. For the price you can't go wrong. It's very versatile.

Ok, I see there's a lot of mixed reviews on this subject and I'm going to say that although it's of cheap construction, I still find it reliable. Especially when it's on the pedal board. Unfortunately, I can't understand why the jacks are reversed and there's still no ac adapter jack? I mean after all these revisions it still has these flaws? What gives? The electronics seem to be improved though, I think the caps aren't as cheap as before plus it is true bypass. It has the 9 pin switch but it isn't switchcraft, so it will break down sooner. The pots aren't the greatest either but some contact cleaner will keep them going for years to come.

I've haven't contacted them and I doubt I ever will. If it breaks down, I'll fix it myself. I don't mind noodling with this stuff.

Overall, I really enjoy this fuzz. You can imitate most guitar legends with it. David Gilmour is an avid user of this product and I can see why. But, what frys my ass is the lack of an ac adapter input and the reversed jacks. Again this is a budget item so I shouldn't bitch, the overall usefulness of the product is stellar and a blast to use. And, the price is as cheap as dirt. I wish I would've bought one sooner.

Yeah, pretty simple. 3 knobs.

I love it. I plugged it in and turned everything to full, then tweaked the tone knob down slightly, and there's my tone. Obviously it changes from set-up to set-up, and from what I hear, Muff to Muff as well. It has a bit of Pumpkins, a bit of MBV to it, but I think it till keeps the character of your playing intact. I play in a noisy grungey style (Sonic Youth, Daisy Chainsaw, Melvins, Nirvana, early Hole) however, and I can see why this might not suit your needs if you want something really clean and clear sounding or really high gain metal distortion.
It's got enough fuzz to have a bite and snarl to it, but not so much to swamp you and your playing.

Havent had it long, but I'd gig without a back-up, although you'd need spare batteries. Built well though.

Never dealt with.

For my playing, this pedal is perfect. My sound is characterized by strange 70's cast-offs through an MXR Blue Box, fuzzed up with the Muff, and run into a dirty Marshall amp with all EQ and pre-amp gain on 10. Basically I sound like a chainsaw. I've been playing around 6 years.
The best thing about it is the crankability. The worst thing about it is the lack of power supply input, so you need batteries.
I bought this as a replacement for a Boss HM-2 and it kicks that box's ass.
I'd buy it again if I had to.

The unit is easy to grasp, just three knobs. But one big fault i have with it is if you turn the volume below 12 o'clock, it goes silent. Why have a volume control that only has any effect over halfway? Also, only runs on 9V batteries, no adaptors. annoying as hell! But, like i said, simple.

I play metal/grunge/garage rock, with some psychadelic flourishes. I LOVE the sound of this pedal. My friend has a ProCo Rat, and warned me this unit wouldn't be versatile. It isn't, but i wanted a fuzz and i got a great one. This unit has one of the fattest sweetest tones out there, but too much buzz.

The casing is built like a tank, but whoever built the electronics was a moron. The volume control was all loose and eventually the pedal failed. When i opened it up, the soldering job was awful. EHX must improve their quality control. I am getting the volume control replaced. All in all, the thing's a brick, but the fiddley bits not reliable.

never dealt with 'em.
i live in southern australia, they are in nyc.
bought this from Allans Music, they kick Billy Hyde's ass.

Love it, but needs adaptor power, more reliable componants. I have played other fuzzes, but this has so much more sweet tube-like tone.

My brother had a Russian Muff when I was in my formative years, so I was fully acquainted with the pedal's chops when I bought mine. I do remember it being very easy to make it sound like I wanted (which was dark and murky, especially on the bass).

My favorite bassists (Les Claypool and Beefcake the Mighty, to name a couple) don't use the Muff, so imitating them with it is pointless. But, in conjuction with my Morley wahs (one bass, one guitar), and my bass (defretted ESP six-string), it sounds off-the-wall bizarre. Like a synth-trombone hybrid. And it's just a fretless bass.

Noisy? That's the point, really. But it's a dark noise, which suits my bass playing well. I knew, from the first time I heard it in action (my brother running it through his J-Bass), that this was the distortion I wanted.

One thing to remember about the Russians: they're working with Cold War machinery, which means sloppy tolerances. I guess this is why the AK-47 is the most widely used firearm in the world (sloppy = efficient, in this case). Dependable? I've only had luck with the Russian pedals.

It's built like a Russian tank. Seriously.

Gig without a backup? I have in the past; no reason not to in the future.

Never had to deal with them, and I hope to keep it that way.

For the seventy dollars I paid for it, I think I'm getting something out of it. And it just works with every style of music I play (which tends to be a mix of whatever I want to do at the time - hip-hop is the biggest influence, though). As I said, I'm quite familiar with this pedal (having used it for almost ten years).

If someone were to steal this thing, I'd be a bit upset - I don't like things stolen from me - but not to the point of resorting to drastic measures. Fortunately, they're cheap enough to buy a spare if needbe. So I did. Unfortunately, I don't have room for an amp, so it's a bit useless.

Compared to the US model, this sounds darker and drier, which works much better for the bass (for me, anyway). But it works so well on the guitar, too, that I'm not about to get rid of it.

I will say this, though: aside from wah pedals (I use Morley exclusively), I'm a loyal Electro-Harmonix customer. It's because of this pedal (I now have two, plus a Russian Smallstone phaser, which I picked up last week).

The pedal works like most distortion/overdrive pedals; level, tone, Drive. Mine has the battery cover (not all do), which is nice when you don't have a screwdriver handy. Input, output, stomp switch, and, brace yourself... a effect on LED!! If you can operate a Boss, or Digitech, this will feel right at home.

Here's what I've found with Big Muffs; no 2 ever really sounded the same to me. I don't care if it's an original Sovtek, or the reissue, the all seem to vary, not unlike Sovtek heads. Mine sounds good, not too fuzzy, just the amount of crunch I need. I realize alot of bass players like using these, but mine doesn't quite work well for it, others might though. I would say mine sounds right in the ballpark of an MXR Distortion +. I use it through an old Silvertone 1485 (all tube 150 watt 6X10 piggyback) and this pedals great to add to the drive, or distort when I'm in civilization and can't crank the amp to break up the tubes.

The pedal is built like a brick shithouse. Unfortunately, the idiot who used it before me decided to change control settings with one of his/her 2 left feet and the pots are bent, but still operational, I can't fault EH for that. The only thing I don't like is the fact that there's no AC jack, which isn't a big deal for me in that when I play guitar, I only really use this pedal. Those with pedalboards, may have to mod. The stompswitch, pots, and jacks are standard, so if replacement is necessary, it shouldn't be a problem.

I use this for more eighties underground/punk type sound, but it will work well for rock. My suggestiopn would be to try out the actual Big Muff (Russian, American, NYC, etc.) before buying one. Mine Sounds great so I'll rate it high, but for what it's worth, I've only met a couple people who didn't like theirs. They're kinda like children that way.