Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Reissue)

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.

Made in Russia ... fearsome black box with fifties knobs ... cardboard package ... no manual ... but what could a manual tell you about three knobs labelled 'Volume', 'Tone' and 'Sustain' ... except that the one labelled 'Sustain' should have been labelled 'Fuzz', and the one labelled 'Volume' should have been labelled 'Gain' ?

The bottom line with this beast is experimentation, which no manual can help you with in this case. The guitar and the amp (not to mention any other effects you may have) alter the behaviour of the animal ??? and animal it is ??? so much that you just have to let your fingers do the twiddling and your ears tell them which way to twiddle.

As many reviewers have said, there really are only just variations on one sound with this box. But, if you can find that one sound with your setup, it's indescribable. However, the knobs are very sensitive to position and interact with each other in unexpected ways, and as is the case with my EH Electric Mistress, familiarity will, eventually, breed undying love, if anything will.

It's three knobs simple, and three knobs bloody fiddly. Therefore, a five.

I don't want to get the sound of my favourite artists (although I wouldn't mind having their skills at my fingertips; Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Ian Moss (Australia's most prominent guitarist, of the band Cold Chisel (Jimmy Barnes) fame, David Gilmour and Jimmy Page, in that order), but I do want to get the sound that *I* want, and have been wanting since my early teens, since I heard my first Gibson Gold Top ... god, that's a long time ago. I've always used amp distortion, never getting around to 'the pedal roundabout' and not wanting to. But on the other hand, I've never quite been able to get the sound, or the sustain, I want, especially as, having small hands, I reluctantly chose a slim-knecked Strat over the ever-desirable, meaty-sounding Les Paul; like skimmed milk compared to cream.

My Strat sounds about as good as a Strat can sound, but ... it's never going to be capable of that thick, creamy howling growl that a Les Paul can put into an overdriven Fender Twin. And that's the sound I'd given up hope of finding, since being stuck with close neighbours and an amp (a Fender Deluxe Reverb '59 Repro) without channel volumes (yes I know; but I bought it over the internet, and I'd never played anything so 'old', so didn't know that an amp could come without channel volumes, so didn't think to ask). Nor did I expect to find the sound in a transistorised unit: I was thinking in terms of lots of dosh and a valve inside.

So, now in stomp-box territory for the first time and seriously short of cash, though I'd been a lead guitar player for thirty years and couldn't contemplate a life without some dirt in it, I still held back. Until, in a music shop to buy a lead, I saw a couple of Big Muffs; one for AUD300, made in the good ol' US of A, and one for AUD200, made in Russia.

I got hold of a Les Paul (yes, I have one at home now; couldn't stand the thin, waily Strat any more, although I still have it) and a Fender Deluxe Reverb to mimic my home setting and asked for the US made one to try. It sounded awful; so awful indeed that the salesman pulled a face after a lot of knob-twiddling, said it was the only one in stock but there must be something wrong with it. I don't know what they're supposed to sound like, but this one had one sound only, like its Soviet sister, but that one sound was from Hades, not Heaven. It was harsh, ugly and unmusical. Not even a metal-head would touch it. So I tried a succession of other pedals and, finally, the Soviet Muff Pi, not expecting much. At first I didn't get much either, so purchasers, don't go on first opinions; give the beast a chance. And try another if you don't like that one; they probably vary ... such as having earth leads connected and suchlike <g>. I got a good sound out of it at last; a sort of creamy howl with a fair bit of fuzz underneath, especially on the lower strings; but not too much. And a sort of octavizing effect, like the point when you're just about to break into guitar-amp feedback ... a sound to die for.

Then I got it home and really got stuck into it, although somewhat hampered by the fact that my Les Paul was in dock getting its pots replaced so I had to do the testing with the Strat, a guitar which, with all its qualities, does not pack the punch of a Les Paul, so is not a good substitute. But I discovered that the 'Volume/Gain' knob on the Muff more than made up for the Strat's deficiencies; this box has massive amounts of gain!

Then I read some of the reviews on this site about the beast, and one reviewer, who said hardly anything else, said, "Simple. Turn the 'Volume' and 'Sustain' knobs to full"; the one thing I hadn't tried, because of the sheer din which erupted every time I touched the 'Volume' knob. So I tried it. After diving for the volume knob on my amp, turning it down from 2 to 1 and hit the strings again. A creamy howl which went on and on ... and on. That octavizing, almost-feedback sound, and sustain in sackfulls. Full 'Tone' was the final t

I can't afford two, so I'd gig wirhout a backup. But if I could afford two, I'd take two. Solid as a brick, but a bit unpredictable as a carpet python, I suspect.

When I took the thing apart to see if I'd scored a tranny version or an IC chip, I was rewarded with good news and bad: the good; it was a tranny version, with well-spaced components which would be a joy to work on. The bad was that, in addition to an earth lead hanging loose and idle where an assembler in a hurry had forgotten to attach it to the bolt provided for that purpose (poking out of any of the four feet) ??? and there wasn't even a nut rattling around in the box for me to use, so blutac is doing a temporary job until I can get out into the workshop and hunt down a nut with Soviet-style thread (anyone got any clues? Metric? AF? Whitworth? Gawdnose?). No wonder it was so noisy at the shop; it's much quieter now ... so purchasers, take note. Check for loose wires if you get a noisy unit. The other bad news has been mentioned before; plastic jack sockets held to the circuit board only by their solder (but there's a lot of solder, and about eight sturdy 'legs' per socket, so it's not as bad as it might be). But I'd be gentle with those sockets. Pity the only way to power off is to unplug the input jack ... there's no power switch nor 9V socket (although it shouldn't be too hard to rig one; there's plenty of room: and the same goes for a replacemeant socket or two when the originals die. That's one advantage of having lots of free space in the box; you can mod it without bending over backward. Oh, and you need pliers to get the battery compartment lid, which is supposed to be thumb-push, open, it's such a bad fit. This has been mentioned before, so it's clearly a design fault.

Haven't had the unit long. Never dealt with them. No idea.

I've been playing rock, blues, R & B, various, since the seventies. And yes, the Muff Pi, Soviet style, gives me the creamy growl that I associate with that era, and which, along with endless sustain, I've been craving for since about then too. So, along with the EH Electric Mistress ??? which gives me a very David Gilmour-esque tone ??? I have a simple but great setup. And it does more than match my style of music; it enables me to play things I didn't have the sustain for before, so it's expanded my horizons. With a brass slide and an endless creamy howl, what would you be doing? I'm exploring new territory. If it were stolen I'd buy two more, as I hear they're rare.

Let me start by saying that I will try to make this review as comprehensive as possible so you don't have to sift through a thousand other ones. Sound good?

I have the black Russian Re-issue of the Big Muff Pi. This pedal takes a while to get used to, but usually only takes a couple of minutes to get a great distortion out of it. However, it requires significant modifications to sound great, which I will explain in the Sound Quality section.

There was no manual when I got mine, and it came in a cardboard box.

By itself, this version of the Muff is decent sounding. For the 60 dollar price tag, it is a great pedal for the musician on the budget. However, I am a high-end gear using musician, and I like my distortion/overdrives to sound pristine and exceptionally good. So, when I first got the Muff, I was underwhelmed. Even with the tone control all the way to the left, the distortion is thin and has no body; forget about the low end. It can get away for a couple of gigs, but after a while you will be pining for something with BODY, with that "oomph" that you can feel as well as hear. So this is what I did.

First off, I installed a true bypass switch; this is key, since this box is a real tone sucker. Then, I installed a 5 way rotary selector switch that increases the mids and low end more and more with every click. Perfect! With these relatively simple mods, my Russian Muff is sounding EXCELLENT!

I play it through a Fender 65' Twin Reverb Reissue, a Z Vex Woolly Mammoth and a Z Vex Fuzz Probe from a Gibson SG Standard. This pedal sounds best through a good tube amp, and with the mods, this pedal SINGS. The sustain is great, the distortion is full and biting, yet with round edges so it doesn't sound choppy or compressed. It is perfect for loud, in your face fuzz. With a tube amp such as the Fender, it acquires dynamics, and sounds louder or softer depending on your picking technique. Open chords will EXPLODE out of this pedal, and single note runs sound clear and precise.

I will say this, though; this pedal is not for metalheads, or for those who want serious chunk. There simply isn't enough gain for this kind of music. It is perfect for rock and roll, blues, and alternative, and that is IT. I would suggest getting another, high quality overdrive or fuzz pedal and combining them with the Muff for a thick, clear fuzz, or just use the Muff by itself for a lower gain fuzz.

The Russian Reissues aren't as rugged as the USA ones, but they are still good. As long as you don't chuck this thing off of roofs, you're good. It can withstand kicks, drops and scuffs, but I don't think it would withstand falling out of a window.

I would definitely use this at a gig without a back up, as long as it had new batteries. The lack of a 9V adapter output is a real drag, so I'll dock some points for that.

This pedal is so cheap, you can buy another new one and save yourself the hassle of EHX customer support. Don't bother them, it takes too long to resolve problems and it takes a week for them to answer a question.

I play indie, and this pedal is a great basic distortion for me. By itself, it isn't too great, but with the right modifications and amplifer, it sounds heavenly. I couldn't imagine my setup without this pedal.

If it were lost or stolen, I would get another one and do the same mods; it costs cheaper than spending 300 dollars on a boutique pedal.

I wish it had a 9V adapter output! Jesus, Electro-Harmonix. It's common sense, is it not?

Well i have the first russian reissue pedal, known as the civil war big muff. Real simple to use, just 3 knobs: volume, distortion, and tone. Can take a while to get the right sound out but its awesome

This pedal is the best pedal i have ever used. My setup is as follows: Musicman SUB bass, Zoom 506II, Boss DD-5, Boss ODB-3, Sovtek Big Muff. The muff jus sounds awesome, so loud n fierce, you can get some seriously good sounds out of it, dunno why the ever changed the circuit board from this one to the shitty black ones that are all over the place now. I can get a perfect muse sound out of this, just sounds awesome! if you ever see one of these rare pedals, snap it up its immense

The thing is built like a tank ,it weighs a ton! the metal is soo thick, i really dont think you can break this thing, only problem is the plastic input and outoput jacks held on to the circuit board by solder..not the best

Its long discontinued, i dont think id get any support

I play alternative/rock music, and i couldnt hope for a better distortion. I have owned a 1978 ny big muff, and it jus doesnt compare to this one, this baby kicks ass! but i warn people, the black and even the green one are not a patch on this pedal, so dont go out buyin the more comment one after reading this!

New Black Russian re-issue
3 Knobs, Input, Output and a stomper for switching ot on/off. Simplicity itself and the way all Overdive/distirtion pedals should be designed. Guitarists are for the most part idiots, this is idiot proof. Only niggle is the lack of a 9v unput to supply mains to it.

For the price this thing is awesome, it totally kicks my old Boss DS2 into touch. Lovely range with the tone control which you can turn with your foot which is well handy for gig situations. The Muff sounds like the Muff which is to say great fuzz/buzzsaw american overdrive, there is not a lot of subtlety here. Be warned it will colour your sound and make everything else sound like it and noise becomes a factor at hi-volume. Ultimatley the Black Russian one is not as good as the old Green ones and I haven't played the NYC built ones, but in terms of sound, the cost/ quality ratio is excellant.

Hmmmm...this is where it get's sticky. The battery compatment lid will come of next time I pick it up and it is made from quite thin metal. I've had no actual problems but I wouldn't want to use it to defend myself.

EH have warrantys that mean I would have to pay for shipping back to NYC to have repaired. Kinda makes the warranty pointless.

Generally I prefer getting distortion from ODing a valve amp. However, this ain't always convenient which is why we buy pedals. This has far more personality than any Boss distortion which helps me get over my reliability misgivings. It is also cheaper than the Pro-Co's which are the real other mid-price option on distortion. Essentially I would recommend a Pro-Co if you want a tight overdrive and a Muff for a looser, funky, brasher kind of sound. Get both and you will have all bases covered for eternity.

really easy. just three knobs. volume, sustain, tone. thats it.

amazing sound. always sounds good. best overdrive pedal existing if you ask me.

until now it always worked

never had to use it. don't know.

fantastic pedal. just buy it and be happy with it. i would buy it again if it was stolen.

Made for Luddites. vol/dist/tone. This is the Green re-issue version with the outer casing. And the ground up tank parts.

I give it a 9 for what I play and how I use it. My Big Muff fronts the chain to both a git & bass amp, while a third chain runs independent to the git. Various distortions, compressor ensue.
Pedal's specialty is deep, resonating tone. The higher 1/3 of it's range is kind of tinny and loses that deep warm character, especially if distortion is turned up. The distortion runs from warm-fuzzy to real fuzzy, but does not do 'searing' or 'screeching'. Volume capacity is generally more than you need. Unison is around 11 o'clock on the dial. A powerful and potent effect in front, but previously placed pedals may step on it's sound quality in undesirable ways.

Okay. On the one hand, it's double cased body could break your toe if you dropped it. Military grade parts in the chassis. Meaning they barely melted it before they pressed it, you can see the outline of all the little bits of chopped metal in the case. It's guts work great without fail, being armored and all; it's peripheral parts are another story. The footswitch knob came loose, the battery cover was useless and stripped almost immediately; the battery terminal has broken numerous times. I just read the input/output jacks are attached on the inside by solder only. They haven't broken yet. Knobs/pots all well-attached and working. I bought this new at some point in the early '90's, and while it is old, I also have an mxr dynacomp and an ada flanger that are much older and have never said 'boo' once.
I don't have backups for anything, I make sure it's freakin' working before I haul it out to a gig. I consider it dependable.

Sorry, don't speak Russian. I fix it myself.

I was dissatisfied with the Big Muff for a long time before I figured out where it works best. It is the primary compoment in my 'sound' and it's flavor is Meat. The closest counterpart I have to it is an E13 SodaMeiser, which is great and loud in it's own right, but the Big Muff can ably overpower it anywhere along the chain. I'd have to say I have a certain affection for this big-ass pedal. If anyone ever tries to roll you for your gear, you could kill them with it. Considering what it's made of, it already has.

a dead monkey could figure it out. foot switch and a couple knobs. it DOES take a bit of fiddling to get a nice tone though. the longer you have it the more familiar it becomes, obviously.

when i bought this I was looking for a good mid-late '60's fuzz tone and I think I have found the box that does the trick. I can get the same tone that Kieth Richards gets on the first few notes of "Satisfaction" with this thing. it goes from muffled low end tones(hence the name), to high end, thin sounding fuzz typical of many late-60's garage recordings. a bit of a volume drop when you turn it on, but if you tweak the volume on the pedal to match that of the clean of your guitar when you switch it off, you can get them to sych up pretty well. one should note that the amp is as important as the pedal as far as tone is concerned, and this guy sounds best through all tube amps for sure. solid state doesnt do analog pedals justice. right now I play an Epiphone Casino> Stereo Memory Man> Small Stone> Big Muff> Fender Twin Reverb or Pro Reverb. as you can see I use EH stuff alot, and that's because I love the warmth and organic qualities they evoke with their products.

to be honest, I have mixed feelings about this one. I have had several EH pedals, and so far, I have no complaints as far as build and workmanship. I had a Memory Man deluxe that took a beating for 10 years or so with no problems. same with alot of my friends. most of them have Big Muffs sitting around and I havent heard any complaints. mine is the black Russian reissue, and it does seem a bit flimsy, what with the thin casing and lots of unused space inside and all. when I first plugged it in, I was worried that it didnt work because no LED came on. important note: it seems as though this pedal only registers as on when all inputs and outputs are connected and the battery is hooked up. when I plugged in completely the light came on and it's been a dream. I'm still reserving judgement though...the repeat horror stories I hear from others regarding EH in general make me wary. but hell, the thing is inexpensive. I don't see what all the fuss is about. if it breaks, suck it up and buy another, or get something else and quit bitching!! analog electronics are fickle systems sometimes. my experience with EH has been very good so far. the tone is soo worth it, and I LOVE every EH pedal I've heard or owned for that reason.

havent needed to contact yet.

I got exactly what I was looking for here. it could be a bit bassier/fuller, but whatever. it's perfect for that buzzy, nasty 60's sound for sure. not a fancy pedal by any stretch, but if you are into traditional, classic tones, this sucker is pretty cool.