Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi USA Reissue

The pedal is pretty easy to use. Plug it in, mess with the knobs a bit. You're done. It isn't exactly the most versatile effect!

Big muff really sounds best with another pedal driving it, or into a dirty amp. Some people will use it for sustain into a clean fender or something, but that isn't really my taste with the pedal.

You will get feedback, so don't quit playing (unless you like that sort of thing).

I'm using a strat and an AC30, but I have used this pedal with Pauls, fender amps, and marshalls. It sounds different in every setup, but still interesting.

Electro Harmonix makes budget pedals. Basically, these things could die at any time -- but that's the way it was in the '60's, man.

I have the "little" version, which seems like it is made in a better case so perhaps it won't die on me.

The big muff is a weird beast.

Its application really depends on what guitar and amp you are using. On lower settings, it can act almost as an OD kind of thing with a ton of low end. On higher settings you can achieve that "singing" Santana sustain (they continue to claim Hendrix used it, but since it wasn't even out until after his landmark albums, I don't really understand that claim).

The reviewer that said he couldn't get Mudhoney tones out of the thing must be doing something wrong, because this pedal is featured on pretty much every Mudhoney song.

In all, it is a pedal that everyone should have in their collection. It is a classic effect that works for beginners and pros alike. You never know when you might need a big muff!

It basically has a very small tonal range, and I wouldn't call it amazing, but it is very useful, especially for sustain.

It's easy. Three knobs and a switch. The manual doesn't say much, but there's not much to be said anyway, hit the switch, twist the knobs, rock your socks of.

I'm using this with a Hughes & Kettner edition 1, and a Fender 60's reissue Tele and an Epiphone LP Standard.
I mainly use the pedal together with the LP. The sustain of both the pedal and the guitar plays well together, and with the sustain knob set to eleven it really roars. I use the LP mainly for my trippy adventures in noise land, and this pedal together with my MI blues boy pedal really violates my eardrums in every sense of the word. It turns the guitar into a wooden chainsaw. With the Telecaster I usually turn the sustain down a bit, and it's perfect for playing White stripes (dead leaves and the dirty ground, bone broke, etc)
The range of the pedal is great, turning the tone knob really makes all the difference, and combining it with other distortion pedals usually results in insane sounds, some more useful than others.

It's huge and heavy. I could probably use it as a stage if i wanted to:)

No idea, never contacted them

It's a great pedal if you like noisy, high-gain sounds. It's awesome for rock, but if you are in a metalcore band or a session musician for Kelly Clarkson, this is probably not the pedal for you.

Straight forward, two inputs, 3 knobs for volume, tone and gain. Would of been nice to have come with a power supply, buttery is teh sucks.

I'm running currently running through a early 80's 57 reissue japanese strat through original blues deluxe. I have a couple of other pedals such as a Holy Grail Reverb and Delay going through the effects loop and there is a tuner before the Big Muff. As most fuzz pedals the Big Muff is very rauncy & bassy, but you can get a subtle fuzz with it with an adjustment of the tone and sustain knobs. I also have a JH Fuzz Face and I much prefer this as it's more versatile. I've got a rather small pedal board so I wanted a fuzz or drive that can cover range of tones this was easily the best and most affordable choice I could of made. This gets quite a bit more fuzz then the JH Fuzz Face in my opinion, it can get a bit noisy with single coils but you could tidy that up with a noise supressor.

I bought this brand new so no problems. I've had a couple of electro harmonix pedals and I've never had a problem.

Never dealt with them, as most massive export guitar companys . I could only imagine they wouldn't be pleasent to deal with.

I play a lot of physcedelic rock that revolves around the 60's period and bands that draw their influence from there such as The Warlocks, The Small Faces, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jimmy Hendrix, Cream etc and this is great for those. If this got stolen...I'd probably try other fuzzes as I'm a gear freak and buy pedals for no good reason, but I reakon I'd rather go to a little big muff...They don't call them a Big Muff for nothing ! The Big Muff is definately one of the best fuzzez out there bar none

I'm writing this review to tell all those that are *****ing about this pedal: you're doing it wrong! LOL, if you wanted to play death metal, this was not the pedal to buy. I got this used with no manual, but it's real easy to use. Put the volume where you want it, tone almost dimed, & the "sustain" (distortion) between 9 oclock and 12 oclock. I got real good sounds & harmonics with these settings. It's a fuzz box! It's supposed to sound fuzzy. I don't know much about editing patches or firmware, but I think was a good reproduction of the original.

Played it through a small fender tube amp & then an old yamaha twin (both 70's vintage), it sounded great, & a very big sound outta the twin. It's pretty noisy with the sustain all the way up, that's why I keep it between 9-12 oclock. If it sounds weak/crappy, check your battery. Love the harmoics outta this thing. I usually use a Boss DS-1. You could dail in a Steve Turner (Mudhoney) sound with this, if you had a Mustang & Fender tube amp. I will admit that there are some settings where this thing sounds real bad, but if you kep the settings where I have described previously, I think you'll be happy with it.

Not built as well as a Boss, but as long as you take care of it, it will last. I'd gig with it if I was gigging right now.

n/a bought it used.

Been playing 20 years, punk, rock, metal, garage, surf, rockabilly, country, etc., own(ed) lots of stuff, used to have a whole box o' pedals, now trying to get 'em all back, I'd def replace if it got stolen, maybe buy an orig, love the sound, hate the footpads on it, but that can be changed, I like the fact that they kept the reissue like the original. I like trying out lots of different stuff. Great or Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, or garage rock. A nice change from a Marshall or Boss DS-1...

Very easy to use.

What's that you say.. it made you deaf.
I'm trying to recall the sound because mine is in a box out in the garage. i think it's the 70's model that's apparently worth a lot of money these days. It was my second pedal after a fuzz box stopped working and i enjoyed the sustain. Don't remember the fuzz quality just that it was loud and lacked any kind of tone control. i don't think the sound was bad and what I think a lot of people are doing is plugging into a high scale modern amp and are expecting a seventies sound. I use a Crate 30 amp and the amp is just too thick for the Big Muff. when I plug it into an old amp it overpowers the amp but that's what you want. You have to go out and buy a new amp but while the old amp lasts you'll hear why the pedal was so popular.

Not so good. I'm writing this review because I'm thinking of getting another Big Muff and wanted to see what people were saying about it. My Boss pedals are still working as is my Pod and most of my other pedals. I've got the Hendrix and the Clapton pedals and I'm not thrilled with them either as far as Harmonix pedals go. Not much for the price. The Big Muff lasted a while and just went dead and I never bothered getting it fixed.

It's in a box out in the garage. Thirty eight years in a box. When it broke I bought a Cort Effector with effects built into the guitar the way the new Stratocaster is made. I't doesn't sound like a Fender but it has two humbuckers and sounds ok. Then I bought a Fender guitar and the feedback had the neighbors running for the bomb shelter. If I want to get down in the gutbucket I use a Boss Super Overdrive and a Boss Blues Driver on clean with the guitar at full volume. The Muff can give you the volume and sustain but you don't get that dirty bottom that I like that sounds like John Lee Hooker tellin' some college boy in a Beamer that he don't know crap about the blues...

I think it's a good pedal but maybe for a kid just starting out on an electric guitar. Jimmy Hendrix did his thing and he ain't coming back. Buying something because it may sound like Hendrix is silly. Get a harmonizer or a Pod or a synth or something from Boss that has a hundred amp models and a hundred effects and stay interested. I like the Big Muff but it's limited.

It's pretty simple, just three knobs for Volume, Tone, and Sustain. You can go from slight break up with the Sustain low, or full out grunge fuzz with it set high.

I'm using a Fender 60's Strat into a Korg CR-4 4-track cassette recorder because I don't have an amp at the moment. Through a cheap solid state amp, or something with very small speakers, like my Korg, it doesn't sound that great. I used this on my friend's Twin Reverb, however, and it shines. I played a few tunes: "Foxey Lady", "Time" by Pink Floyd, and then changed it up a bit and played "Breed" by Nirvana and "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" by The White Stripes. It nailed the tones, especially the solo from "Time". It is kind of a one trick pony, in the respect that it does what a good fuzz should do. Very thick, harmonically rich, and it can get pretty nasty. Pair it with a good tube amp, and it'll shine.

I've only had it a few days, and it seems pretty sturdy, but the switch seems a little fragile. That could just be me, though.

Haven't dealt with them, so I couldn't tell you.

I play a wide variety of music, anything from blues to indie. This suits my needs for stuff like Hendrix, Floyd, just about any grunge, and my favorite band, The White Stripes. You can't go wrong with the pedal that all the big names use, and you also have to bear in mind that they use the exact same thing you go into a guitar store and buy.

Very easy to use `cause what ever you do, it`s same cheep sound.

I`m playing Gibson 335s deluxe and tube combo Marshall amp. This setup works fine for me. I was hoping to get some vintage boost and sustain from this pedal... nothing but the noise...
If you want to kill your tone, plug in.

Never used it on stage.

I am playing for nearly 20 years in various music styles.
Through this period of time nothing can get between guitar and amp.
Anyone who worked in studio knows that only good sound to record is the original one. Guitar and amp. Thats all. If you don`t have the sound, go back and work it out. Producers job is to alter it and pack it in the whole picture (song, album etc.). Of course I`ve tried a lot of stuff. Still got a few pedals, BOSS, that is. Chorus, Flanger, Compressor. I do not use them.
The only thing I use is Dunlop cry baby Wah. Dynamics of altering your sound with this pedal can not be replaced with no producer.

yeah its easy to use, and thats about all that can be said.

ABsolute piece of junk. I am playing a Fender Strat into a 1987 Marshall Silver Jubilee combo. As soon a I turn the Big Muff on, it squeals like a pig. I have tried every setting under the sun, and its still no good. THis piece of shit pedal is the NOISIEST pedal Ive ever played. Terrible terrible terrible.

Hahah woulde I use this at a gig? Youre kidding. This is the worst pedal ever made, and I want my money back.

No idea, bot considering the quality of this pedal I am guessing their customer service is shit as well.

If you want a Hendrix tone, then look elsewhere. In factm, of you want a pedal that actually works, and doesnt squeal like a pig, then look elsewhere.

if anyone has any idea how to make this pedal sound atleast HALF decent, please email me - heightdown@hotmail.com

It has a stiff and cheap-feeling footswitch and great big chicken knobs, which, try as you might, you can't get a decent tone out of.

I only bought the damn thing because I had the delusion that I could get a tone like either 1980-era Adrian Belew or Mudhoney. In short, I couldn't. I just got this horrendous wash of cheap-sounding fuzz. I was using a rather old Squier Strat and a brand new Epiphone LP 100 - neither of them the greatest guitars in the world, and I've since owned finer, but they sounded a lot better when I wasn't playing them through the Big Muff.

The soldering in the input and output jacks failed within weeks. Not being good at soldering in tight corners, I was unable to fix it. It was the most expensive pedal I've bought and the biggest waste of money.

In retrospect this may have been the wrong pedal for me. When I used it, it certainly sounded nothing like it did when the people who inspired me to buy it used it. But even when it worked, I almost never turned it on. It ruined what tone I have (with, like, a Squier Strat and an LP 100, I know, I know) and substituted a horrible blurry fuzzy noise. The thing is now cluttering up my office and I have no idea what to do with it, seeing as it doesn't work. My only consolation is that the Russian model I tried out in the shop sounded even worse.

Very easy 3 big chicken knobs-very easy
It only does one sound but you can increase the volume and the sustain dramaticaly.

Its definatly more of a Fuzz pedal then Distortion pedal, I've using it throught my Epi Valve junior 5w as a seperate channel effectivly, I've used my PRS Custom 22 and a Fender Japan Tele- Did'nt notice the sound being too different between the two guitars, obviously the Prs's humbuckers were alot more meaty.
The sustain is great! real violin like "think Santana-Smooth".
The big issue I've got is with the low-E string it buzzes no matter how weak the level or sustain control and I've tried all my guitars so i believe this is a genuin trait of all big muff pedals but for solos and smooth lead riffs this pedal is great, i do like it, i can see alot of recording oppotunities with it and it works great with a valve amp.

Looks strong as hell and I've never had any issues wiith EH pedals before.

N/A

Well my opinion on the sound should be clear now its pretty good but one issue which knocks a few points off! Also another issue I've got is the size i like big pedals but this one does'nt have too much stuff in side so why does it need to be massive?
The price is great though, mine was ??49.00 which is good value for a quite good pedal.

Easy pedal to use. Three knobs to adjust. Volume, Sustain, and tone. Volume stays around 9 pm position while I vary the sustain and tone knobs. Big square metal box. No manual. Just one small slip of paper with brief explanation of the three knobs. That's fine. No need for lengthly manual.

I play my LP through a chain of pedals that include this box, a Keeley moded Boss BD2, a wah pedal, and a tube screamer into a Fender amp at times or else a Mesa Lonestar amp. I can dial in the sound I after. However IMO when you increase the sustain too much it sounds very solid state/artificial.

I think the pedal is quite solid and will hold up. Nince big knobs with a red indicator light. However I believe there is real potential to scratch and dent the bright aluminum surface stomping on the button. The battery compartment door is secured with a small screw. Nice feature unless the battery dies and you don't have a screwdriver to remove the screw. It does have an AC adapter jack that overrides battery use, but unlike other pedals, it uses a small mini jack instead of the more typical adapter jack.

Don't I'll ever need support on this pedal.

I've been building my pedal collection towards getting various sounds and tones. I do like this pedal because the three knobs provide a good variation/latitude of tone, sustain and fuss. It is not an expensive pedal and I recommend to anyone who is after the fuzzy sound.

this is one of the easiest pedals to get a good sound out of. there are three controls, and its simply a matter of fine tuning. i have yet to get a truly bad sound out of it!

So, I am playing either a Fender Strat 70's reissue, or a Schecter gryphon through usally just this pedal, into a Peavey Delta Blues 210, set to clean, with the EQ all at 12, reverb at 4, and tremelo set to 3, and 3.
I find that with the pedal switched off, it is very transparent, and dosen't affect the sound at all. when switched on, there is a little hum, but not obtrusive. I'm gonna give it a 9, only because you can hear the switch ever so slightly when you tap it with your foot.

there is no question that this pedal was built for use. its in a big metal box, with a rugged metal switch (Caveat... see above section)
I would be totally comfortable gigging with only one.

never dealt with them, so can't say.

there's a volume knob, tone knob, gain ("sustain") knob, and on/off switch. Pretty straightforward.

I'm using this with a Frankenstrat I put together, into an AVT20X Marshall combo amp. I've also used it in combination with an Ibanez TS-9 and chorus pedals like the Visual Sound H2O and the Analog Man chorus.

The sound is great; this kind of fuzz is one Hendrix made famous, so of course you're gonna get a Hendrixy solo sounds like that when running it through a Marshall. Put it through a Fender and you'll get a much shriller Eddie Hazel sound. Put it through a chorus and you have Instant Frusciante.

If you turn down the tone and gain knobs you can get much more subtle fuzz effects. With the tone all the way up it can be edgy for solos and with the tone knob down it sinks the sound into a very creamy warm fuzz.

There are four negative issues I've had with the pedal. The first is that it is such a high-gain pedal that it will inevitably be quite noisy. However this is to be expected and may not necessarily be a bad thing depending on how you look at it. In the EHX manual it says the guitar, amp, etc. should all be properly shielded.

The second negative issue is that the pedal tended to muddy some of the lower notes at high gains. however for the most part it's pretty clear as far as fuzzes go.

The third issue is that I experienced some sort of "clipping" or "shorting out," for lack of a better term, when bending high notes higher (like bending the 14th fret of the high E string up, or something). This especially happened when there was a drive pedal after the Big Muff Pi. The solution is to put the boost or drive pedal, in this case, the TS-9, BEFORE the Big Muff Pi in the chain as opposed to afterwords.

The fourth and final issue is that if you run the signal through a wah before the Big Muff Pi, unless you have an awesome wah like a Fulltone Clyde or something fitted with a FoxRox Retrofit, the sweep will become almost imperceptible. I guess this can be fixed by turning the gain down on the Big Muff, but still. I'd say it's better to just get a better wah and use it with the Big Muff Pi anyway ;D

Ahhhh, I don't know. The case is made of the same type of metal and style used in the 70s, so it's very flimsy for something you're repeatedly stomping on. Why not move it to a tougher case?

In general, I've found EHX to be an amazing and creative company, but nevertheless somewhat sketchy. (You know what I mean.)

Never had to deal with 'em.

I play funky rock, rocky funk, acid rock, earth and space or whatever. Lots of Hendrix, Chili Peppers, and the like. I love this pedal. If it was stolen, I'd [insert violent act of revenge here]. Seriously, though, I'd get another. It's such an amazing pedal and at $80 NEW it's dirt cheap and an amazing bargain for such a good pedal. You can get lots of different fuzz tones out of it, from subtle and creamy to loud and screaming. Before you buy it though, try it out on the model amp that you own. It sounds wildly different through different amps.

All in all - with a name like "Big Muff" how can you go wrong?

There's three knobs - the volume knob controls the output level of the pedal, the "sustain" knob basically controls the amount of fuzz, and the tone knob has the greatest impact on the overall sound of the pedal, going from a smooth bassy fuzz to a harsher, "buzzier" sound.

I'm giving this a 7 because even though the controls are fairly simple, it's going to take a lot of messing around with them and probably the controls on your amp to get the sound you're looking for out of it. The "manual" provides slightly less information about the pedals controls then the above paragraph.

First off, I've been reading the previous reviews and I have to say this - if you bought a big muff thinking it was going to be a super versatile distortion pedal, or worse yet, a "metal pedal", then you are an idiot and need to do a little more research before you buy things.

I didn't buy this pedal looking for my "favorite artist's tone". I bought it because I wanted to add some versatility to my sound. I design and build tube amps, and my usual setup is just Guitar-->Amp. I do play a little bit of "stoner rock" type stuff which is the reason I bought this pedal. For the blues and classic rock type stuff I usually play, this pedal doesn't really have a place.

To me, the Big Muff is a fuzz pedal, nothing more. You can get a couple pretty distinct different sounds out of it and tweak them a fair amount, but let's not kid ourselves, this pedal does one thing and it does it very well.

As I mentioned before, I usually run this pedal into amps of my own design, however it does sound pretty good into my '65 Gibson Hawk. That's another thing to consider. Just as the sound of this pedal is not for everyone, it sounds quite different through different amps. There's always a possibility that it just might not be compatible with your current setup. I mostly play a solid maple 1980 Gibson 335-S which is tuned down to C standard right now. The pedal really sounds good with humbuckers, and gets pretty much the exact sound I hear in my mind with this guitar. My other one is a heavily modified strat copy with GFS Boston Blues. I typically only liked that guitar playing clean but this pedal really brings it to life. Definitely a cool sound with this one too.

I would also like to add that I have not had a chance to A/B this with a Russian Big Muff yet.

Seems like a pretty sturdy pedal. It hasn't broken in the time I've had it, and I wouldn't mind gigging without a backup.

Never had to deal with EHX, hopefully never will.

I play everything from blues to classic rock to stoner rock. This pedal's good for the stoner rock, but I'm pretty much a straight into the amp guy for everything else.

If it were stolen I'd buy another. Nothing else really sounds like a Big Muff. I bought it knowing full well what the pedal can and can't do. I like it for what it does, and there's nothing else I really want from it. I do also like that it's true bypass.

I looked at a lot of other Muff clones and briefly considered one of the BYOC "Large Beaver" Muff clones, but I wasn't really after a vintage fuzz sound so I decided the USA Reissue was probably my best and most cost-effective option. If I wanted a good vintage style fuzz I'd be going for a germanium-based Fuzz Face clone.

It certainly helps "make music", you have to know how to use it though.

One other thing I'd like to add is lately I've been running an EHX LPB-1 in front of it. I can keep the "sustain" knob low for rhythm playing, and stepping on the LPB-1 (boost pedal, also highly reccomended) has pretty much the same effect as turning up the sustain knob for a bit of a solo boost. Makes this pedal a little more versatile for sure.

Overall, I highly reccomend this. However, it is not for everyone and my advice it make be 100% sure you know what this pedal sounds like, what it's capable of, and what it's not. If you want a more versatile "metal pedal" have a look at the Metal Muff.

Very easy.

The sound quality was a huge disappointment. I can appreciate differences in taste but I can't imagine a type of music that would benefit from this sound aside from maybe a noise band. I couldn't find any combination of settings that provided enough clarity to play anything. I realize that a fuzz pedal is supposed to be fuzzy but ultimately the notes still need to make it through or you're just left with an indistinguishable mess. I was sure that I had purchased a broken pedal until I found many online reviews describing the same problems I was having. I actually did research this before buying and don't know how I overlooked all of these reviews. This pedal sounds like an accident. I can't believe that any group of engineers intentionally designed and marketed this product.

I plan on taking this pedal back so will probably never find out if it is reliable or not.

I love a dusty, analog, vintage sound which is what I was hoping to get from the Big Muff but it just doesn't deliver. This pedal will not make it out of my practice studio except to go back to Guitar Center. I would absolutely never recommend this to anyone--unless I really didn't like them.

You can't fault it for ease of use, of course. 3 knobs, do exactly what they say. But getting a good sound out of it... Thats trickier, for me at least. Different equipment will yield very different results, no doubt, but with my setup, some fiddling around (not just with the Muff, but with my amp) is necessary.

I love the 'Muff' sound, which is a good thing, because otherwise I'd hate this pedal. I use it with an old 2x12 SS Marshall 30w, which gives a very trebly sound. The problem I have is that when I switch the muff on, all of that treble disappears. I need to find a solution to this problem, otherwise the sound is very unbalanced with it on and off. The guitar is a 60s Hollowbody 335 lookalike, with single coils... If I stop playing for 1/10000 of a second, feedback kicks in, but that's the guitar's fault; I'm gonna get the microphonic pickups potted soon to eliminate the problem.

I'm a White Stripes fan, so I thought I'd use this with the Digitech Whammy II pedal to get a similar sound. The combination works a treat, I must say. The Muff thickens out the thin octave-up sounds the Whammy produces quite nicely.

I also have a bone to pick with the tone control... I wish I could get the original tone clearly from this pedal, but the Muff completely destroys it. The 'tone' control just gives a treble boost that makes the sound sound more processed, and less like the original sound. But then it needs to be turned up in order for you to even be heard properly. It's very hard to find a balance.

But I do enjoy the sound it produces, when I've eventually set it up properly... It's thicker than the great wall of china, which suits me just fine.

It seems dependable enough, a knob is slightly loose, but I bought it second hand and it still works perfectly fine, with no signs of it falling off. Also, I enjoy the fact that if a battery runs out, it will still run the signal through, unlike many other pedals, where it kills the signal totally. But I've just bought a power supply anyway.

Never had to deal with them... yet.

I like playing with no bass; I'm in a 3 piece band with 2 guitars. I play a mixture of bluesy rock/garage rock/grunge I rely on this thing to really kick some when I need it to, and it duly does. I owned a cheapo Boss OS2 copy (OD/Dist.) but I will probably rely on my Digitech Bad Moneky for overdrive and step on this when I need some power behind my riffs. I would buy another one for sure, maybe see what the Russian one is like, but it's a good pedal to have in your chain for the price.
I wish I could shape the tone a bit more; no doubt I'll eventually find a way to get more out of it. Anyone know how much the late 70s (with the sam design, except for LED and tone switch) differs to the reissue? If it gives any more tone than the reissue, I may begin hunting one down...

Its very easy to get a good sound outta this thing! 3 knobs easy peazy!
fiddle about to se what tone you want.

i can get sounds from hendrix to muse. ITS A FUZZ PEDAL!!!!! FUZZY!!!
love it! all the people saying its noisy??? not on my guitar!!! silent until i want it to get dirty. i use a graphic eq with the muff cause i wanted the graphic fuzz but couldnt afford it.and the tones are unreal so i suggest gettin an eq pedal. im using a behringer eq and works great!! cheap as chips ??15.

never dealt with em! no need

??45 bargain!!! if you like hendrix,muse,nirvana,black keys and so on? get this pedal now!!! GREAT FUN

3 knobs and a footswitch aren't too intimidating. Turning the tone knob slowly will seem like it's doing nothing at first and then BAM! it'll be a totally different sound.

This is a straight up FUZZ pedal. No use trying to get a distortion or overdrive sound out of it. It's a no nonsense squarewave inducing beast. I loved it for the sustain and compression it added to my signal, but you're kidding yourself if you think and tonal characteristics from your guitar are going to come through. I love it save for one super-important thing: the tone has a bit of a mid-scoop to it, which sounds bad-ass by itself, but will NOT cut through while playing with bass and drums, let alone another guitarist. I know if I put an EQ after it, or I mod it somehow, it will sound killer, but I'm rating the stock, stand-alone unit here, so I feel I'm being generous giving it a 6.

I've had it less than a week.

Never dealt w/ them.

I play rock/black metal. I wanted a distortion w/ a flatter output than my Boss SD-2 or my amp distortion (Hughes & Kettner Attax 100, which I LOVE). Like I mentioned, I loved the sound of this thing until I tried playing with my bandmates and I just couldn't hear it, even with the volume knob on it cranked.

NYC Big Muff PI Reissue. Heavy duty metal case, great fuzz, basically a no brainer.

Three knobs: Volume, Tone, Distortion/Sustain. Seems simple enough.

I get so many good ounds out of this thing its amazing. It may take a bit of fiddling to get a certain sound, but i mean, there's so many good sounds. The controls are very interactive and really make a difference, so it takes patience.

This pedal sounds great. I play indie/ambient rock and spazzy indie/classic rock/experimental and I love it in all applications.

I play a fender tele with hot rails or an epiphone les paul through a peavey classic 50 2x12. I have the pedal on a pedalboard along with a bunch of other effects, including an electro harmonix pulsar tremolo and deluxe memory man.

The tonesa I get from this pedal are sweet. there are deff sweet spots, but I have found really great tones everywhere. Like I said, it does take some tweaking since the controls are really interactive, but ohter than that, it sounds great.

I use it for a dirty, raunchy boost for solos, and for cool freak out chord parts. My indie/experimantal band doesnt have a bassist right now, so it helps with the bottom end. this baby adds plenty of it in the right settings.

Its an electro harmonix product, and I love the cases they design. huge, but roadworthy. people complain about them not being sturdy or reliable, but so far, all my ehx pedals have been faithful and sturdy.

I dont think Electro Harmonix really exists. I think these pedals are just appearing out of nowhere.

This pedal is great. I love the tonality and it adds great character to my rig. I'm gonna hold on tho this for a long time. If I lost it or it got stolen, i would invest in another one for sure.

I wish it had a three band eq though, that would rule. it would help dail in spcific tones better. other than that, five stars.

many choices of tone - unlike many pedals the knobs make a difference. - so - it takes a while to find the right combo.

totally unique sound and it was a pleasure to hear these sounds come out of my strat - COMPLETELY colors the sound in a good way - made me smile. My set up is unique:

STRAT PLUGGED INTO A GAZILLION PEDALS THAT I CHANGE AROUND ALL THE TIME - THEN PLUGGED INTO A GUITAR AMPLIFIER.

the switch seems flimsy and the metal seems tinny but the reputation is good.

have played 40 yrs - cover band - lots of dance music in bars and parties.

other gear I own: everything you can imagine. Even my kitchen cabinets are stuffed with pedals which have been played for 10 minutes.

Seriously - If I was involved in recording projects, etc.. this would be very useful. But for cover pop music I need a fuzz that cuts through in big boomy rooms. The muff is actually too warm - it loses definition in a band setting. I get more use out of my black cat OD-1 - the black cat is not warm at low volume - actually it's nasty. But at gig volume it's perfect. ( hint - good fuzzes will sound aggressive and nasty at practice volumes )

The manual wasnt too helpfull but it's pretty easy to find a good sound out of this pedal.

With the Big muff I use 2 Fender stratocasters, an EHX Small clone chorus pedal, and a Marshall halfstack. Before I had this pedal I used a Boss DS-1 distortion, now I cant even listen to that pedal; it doesnt hold water in comparisson to the Big Muff PI. I bought this pedal because I wanted to get that muddy guitar sound that I hear on records by Mudhoney, early Nirvana, and other bands of that ilk. The EHX Chorus is perfect with this pedal, they just fit perfectly.

The casing is flimsey, everytime I step on it I get scared that I stepped too hard or that it might fall apart. I have used it in gigs, it's my main source of distortion. I use a foot switch for light over drive too.

I havent had to call the company yet.

If someone stole it, that would suck.

I usually play old school punk, or grunge. This pedal fits both perfectly. I've been playing for uhhh about 7 years. If someone stole it, I'd buy another. I love hte sound, hate how fragile it seems. I compared it to regular distortion pedals. It deffinetly helps me make music, I wouldnt want to use anything else. Parabole.

Let's see, three knobs and a switch... How hard can it be, right? Just use your ears and you'll be fine. Finding the sweet spot with the tone control is absolutely crucial and it will be different for lead and rhythm. The hardest part is figuring out how to fit it on your pedalboard, lol. Oh and the manual just basically tells you how great this thing is (the greatest) and drops a few names (Hendrix? - don't think so).

Well, my russian muff was in a horrible beer accident and only worked sometimes after that, so I got the NYC version. First thing I noticed when I plugged it in was the true bypass. The ruskies version was a big time tone sucker. When turned on, the sound is brighter and edgier with my old settings, but I had no trouble adjusting it to my taste. I usually have all three knobs in the 12-2 o'clock range depending on amp/guitar. It's brilliant for big rock solos, slow super-thick sustained lines and generally for whenever you want people to pay attention to you. It's awesome when feeding into a wah with a touch of delay afterwards. I don't really use it for the rhythm/grunge thing, not my bowl of soup. Not a lot of noise as far as distortion boxes go, but I use humbucker equipped guitars only.

Feels solid, except for the enclosure itself which is plastic with a metal top, so if you wanna stomp on it and you happen to weigh over two hundred lbs, do so at your own risk. On the plus side, the construction inside is the way it should be: metal jacks (plastic on the russian), tough switch, and neither is mounted on the circuit board, so if they ever need replacing you can DIY even with minimal skills.

I play hard rock, metal, blues and classic rock and the Muff is definitely best suited for all thing rock. It doesn't really have the definition for metal and it's too big 'n bad for blues. What a lot of people say about this pedal is true, it is a one trick pony, but it's a hell of a trick. After all, your wah is a one trick pony too, which doesn't make it any less great. Also, it's a love/hate sound when rhythm guitar is concerned. The thing I like best about it is that with careful tweaking it will give you a rock lead tone to die for. Just do a unison bend and watch people's jaws drop, there's no need for shredding here in order to come across as a guitar master. Well, okay maybe a little. Smooth and singing with endless sustain and a flavor you won't get anywhere else. For that, it's definitely worth the money. I would say that it's also much better than the russian version mainly because of all the little things that seem to add up. I wish they didn't sell them with the ugly cheapo knobs, but I got some cool vintage-looking knobs from RadioShack for a couple of bucks so that it looks the part, but I'm just nitpicking now.

really easy......really

it is a great rythm fuzz...which is why i bought it...but it lacks clarity in single notes and solos...but it doesnt bother me...i just wanted a good sabbath/white stripes tone

really cheaply made...it scares me everytime i hit the switch

9....sounds great...it is what i expected...but i wish i have had more than what i expected...its a great fuzz for rhythm

it is so easy to get a good sound form this pedal!!
turn the volume to desired seting!
start with the sustain about half way! just so you can build it up to blow your ears :)
then play with the tone knob starting from the left! very very bassy to the right extremerly crackly and amazing!!
just like the guitar sound from 'touch me im sick' by mudhoney!!
so so good!!

im using a crappy squire cheap guitar thing and a squire jagmaster to a cry baby wah then to the big muff then into a marshall 250 mg series DFX
all pretty cheap setup but it sounds amazing!!
all these people keep saying if you don't play it it buzzes!
thats total bollocks!!
mines as silent as a libary!
the effects always sound amazing!!!
it kicks the shit out of the boss mt-2 metal zone i was using before!
i can get a perfect mudhoney sound with this and its the perfect grunge pedal and alternative indie pedal i don't really know for other stuff though!!

yeah its realible!

dont know yet :)

i play alot of grunge punk and classic rock really and its amazing for all that :)

i give it a 7 because the controls are easy enough, but sometimes it is hard to get a great sound out of it.

i have gigged with this as my only fuzz pedal for a long time, and it definitely gives a fuzzy sound, but it is one sound. the best way to use this i think is to combine it with other pedals or amp distortion, because if you don't, you will sound just like everybody else.

i beat this guy to hell and it is definitely one of the most reliable pedals i own, and i own too many.

this is good to have in the arsenal for certain things, but as for being versatile and a desert island pedal-FORGET IT!!! some people swear by these things, but in my opinion it would be a better idea to save up for a more versatile fuzz they can do other things besides sounding big and hoofy. my favorite all time fuzz is the big cheese by lovetone. you can get that combined with the brown source pedal (a very misunderstood criminally underated pedal) in a box called the cheesesource. it is expensive, but it is all you need. for a cheaper, more versatile fuzz i would get a voodoo lab sparkle fuzz or a fulltone '7o fuzz ( a better version of the muff.

Para encontrar buenos sonidos del pedal se necesita combinar los controles durante bastante tiempo, pero tampoco es muy dificil encontrar esos sonidos q buscas,basicamente tiene 3 controles (Volumen,tono y distorsion)y como cualquier pedal hay que estar probando distintas combinaciones hasta encontrar el sonido q buscas

El Big Muff es un efecto mitico dentro de los fuzz,eso es algo ya conocido,el rango de tonos q te permite crear van desde el rock psicodelico de los 60(el Disraeli gears de Cream,o las primeras grabaciones de Hendrix o grupos como Jefferson Airplane por citar unos pocos)hasta distorsiones rollo grunge y stoner,o sea puedes pasar de sonar calidamente pudiendo tocar acordes y solos con ese sonido fuzz hasta desvariar con mucho sustain aunque si abusas mucho de la distorsion mas bien podras tocar solos pq los acordes son casi imperceptibles
Me parece uno de los mejores pedales fuzz del mercado,tanto si estas metido en onda a?os 60/70 como si te van mas Nirvana y grupos alternativos de ahora
Por cierto, es un pedal q puede interesar a todos aquellos q buscan el sonido de los fuzz de transitores de germanio tipo fuzz face de los 60, aunque no te va a dar el mismo sonido se acerca bastante

Es un pedal q aunque tenga apariencia solida y robusta a la vez es fragil,y no pesa demasiado es mas bien ligero para el tama?o q tiene pero si no lo usas mal puede durarte a?os

Garantia de 2 a?os, es un Electro-Harmonix

Un muy buen pedal fuzz,con pedigree,q permite abarcar desde los a?os 60 hasta nuestros dias los sonidos q pueden sacarse de un fuzz, aunque hay miles de pedales mejor q este, es una buena opcion si no dispones de mas dinero, y en cuanto a sonido es un muy buen fuzz,nunca decepciona

Very simple pedal to use. Has all the controls you need to get that Muff sound. Subtracted 2 points because it IS possible to dial a bad sound or to have it sound noisy IF you make MISTAKES. It's not 100%fool-proof, but... invent a simpler product and someone will always invent a better fool. In general, the higher you crank the sustain, the lower you will need to crank the tone to smooth some of the buzz. The lower you turn the sustain, the higher you need to turn the tone to keep it from getting too muddy. My favorite setting is with the sustain almost all the way down and the tone at about 1:00. This lets just a hint of pickup color come through and still gives good sustain.

It gives the classic Big Muff sound. If that's what you want, then this is the pedal to get. It is NOT the most versatile fuzz pedal out there, but I haven't come across anything else that will get you the sound of the actual Muff. In a sense, it is a one-trick pony, but she's got a very good trick. The Big Muff is high gain, even at low sustain settings, so it is critical to send a low noise signal into it. As with ANY high gain pedal, noise at the input will be greatly amplified. The unit itself is quiet, but your signal HAS to be quiet going in. I am able to use it with single coil pickups at low sustain settings without any problems as long as it is first in my effects chain. Too me, it sounds best through a slightly overdriven tube amp with the highs rolled off a bit to smooth out buzz. I have a small problem with the bass being a touch too heavy. With the Muff on, I need to roll off just a touch of bass at the amp, which makes my sound a little too thin when the unit is bypassed. I will probably try modifying a coupling capacitor someday to cut just a touch of bass from the effect so that it better balances with the bypassed signal. Keep in mind that it sounds like it's supposed to though. It's a Big Muff and they are supposed to be bass-heavy. One more thing, it sounds great feeding into a wah pedal.

Don't know. I'm pretty gentle with my stuff so I'm the wrong person to ask about ruggedness. I haven't had any problems.

Never needed any.

It's a very good pedal if you use it correctly and are aware of it's quirks. I like it best at very low sustain settings because it lets a hint of the instruments voice come through (just a hint, though). At low sustain settings, it even sounds good when playing slide. 8 out of 10 because it's good although not very versatile. If you don't know whether or not you like the Big Muff sound, try it before you buy it. People either love it or hate it. I love it when used in the proper context. It's a classic sound for only $60.00. Because it sounds very unique, you don't want to overuse it or your audience may get tired of it. I use my overdrive pedal more often (Guyatone OD2) because it is more transparent and versatile, but I'm very pleased that the Big Muff is there in my chain when I want it for that Big Muff sound that only a Big Muff can give.

This is in my opinion "THE" best sounding and versitile distortion pedal on the market.I've owned several types of distortion stomp boxes,(Boss DS-1,Metal zone,overdrive.Marshall Jack-Hammer.DOD Heavy Metal)Etc.Very easy to dail in a wide range of tones.

Like I said above Very Good!

Seems tough enough.

No dealings.

I play mostly heavy classic rock,70's era.Ive benn playing for 10 years,seriously for 3.I play humbucker equiped electrics.I would definitly buy another it has become part of my sound.They named it perfectly,BIG Muff. It's fuckin' huge! aprox.6"x8".(HUGE TONE TOO!)Buy it. You will be pleasantly surprised about how great it sounds.I sure am.P.S. No I don't work for Electro-Harmonix. He He.

You should expect to spend a lot of time trying to dial in the right sound. Three knobs, but only one combination will work. I've read several reviews telling me to "put the white line at 2:00." I'd be curious if these sound gurus could tell me how to dial in a tone that sounds decent when you palm mute because I've found it impossible.

Expect to hear a lot of noise, especially if you have a decent tube amp. I play on a JCM 2000 DSL. I have to have the amp dialed in completely clean in order to have a sound that is even remotely intelligible. It's much more manageable on a cheap no-tube amp.

It's built like crap. That's what you can expect from EH.

NA

If you like the White Stripes, you need this pedal and a Boss Super Octave to replicate the sounds. For all its shortcomings (and there are many), nothing sounds like a Big Muff Pi.

- Yes, is very easy make a good sound with this pedal.
- The controls of this pedal is very simple. Is not hard to edit.
- The manual of this pedal is not necessary. The pedal is easy.
- No.

- Guitar Fender Strato > Jim Dunlop Cry'Baby > MG Monovibe > Boss Super Overdrive > Big Muff > MXR Phase90 > Danelectro Tremolo > Boss Volume > Boss Digital Delay > Amp Fender Blues Deluxe.
- I tested the pedal only with batteries and I don't listened noises. I don't know if this pedal make noises with adapters.
- Yes.
- Marshall Reverb 30
- Yes. With Big Muff, I can got the sound and sustain like a David Gilmour.
- Is very good.

- I play rock 'n' rock basicly with progressive rock. This pedal is a good match for me.

Really, really easy. Out of the box, playable and durable. Even comes with a 9V battery. However, I use a pedal board with a built-in power supply, so I found a converter from One-Spot that adapts the typical 9V barrel plug into the bizzare 1/8" plug for the Big Muff. Works like a charm.

Holy god does the Big Muff Pi have G A I N!!! Lots of it, so if you are pluggin this into a basic practice amp watch your levels before you stomp the peadal button. I think I aged my Crate 15W 12" speaker by 10 years in 6 seconds. Once the levels are set though, the Big Muff Pi has amazing, droning sound and a crunchy snarl that is beautiful. Run this thorugh a reverb and chorus pedal for the distortion sounds of Smashing Pumpkins and Bush, or play it through a compressor and Whammy for that Jack White sound (or as close as humanly possible)

I will have this as the foundation of my pedal board forever. The pedal is metal and the switch seems durable. We'll see how long it lasts.

I registered the pedal with Electro-Harmonix, and they are right here in NYC, so we'll see if they come thorugh if it dies.

I think this pedal is great but make sure that you check your levels and setting before setting the sustain at the 3'o-clock position and laying down a metal riff. Almost killed my practice amp.

This thing is about as easy as you get. Here's what the knobs will really make it sound like.

Volume - This is pretty much a 'presence' dial. Anything below full will sound like it's really far away. Kind of pointless, really. Just leave it at max and it'll be fine.

Tone - This is the only thing I really mess with on mine. It does kind of adjust between bass (turn to the left) and treble (to the right). The bass is about 75% of the knob though. Turn all the way to the right and you get a super crisp almost twangy sound. Turn all the way to the left and it sounds like there's a wall in front of your amp. It gets really muffled past half way. To get a really good tone, make the little white line on the dial be straight pointing to the right, 3 o'clock.

Sustain - This is the fun one. Turn it all the way up and be completely blown away. Even turning it all the way down still has more distortion than some amps I've heard. Most people probably don't like it all the way up cause it has huuuuge insanely powerful distortion. Keep this one all the way to the right if you want a truly monster tone.

The point of a distortion pedal is the sound, and this one totally delivers. I really don't understand all the negative reviews on the sound. People probably just don't play the style that this thing makes. Anyway, I'm using it on a Washburn Maverick BT-4 or an Epiphone Les Paul Jr and a Behringer GMX212 amp, 100 watts.

It doesn't really have any noise, everybody is complaining about the noise. It actually amazed me at how it has no noise. I if you just put your hand over the strings and don't play it sounds like it's on clean!! To hear how much noise it has actually, listen to the beginning of "Touch Me I'm Sick" by Mudhoney, who named their first album after this pedal ('Superfuzz Bigmuff'). Then the riff kicks in using the Big Muff. Another song that has the Big Muff on it is "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth" by Metallica off of Kill 'Em All. Cliff Burton, who loved the Big Muff, uses is heavily on his best bass solo.

Anyway, it sounds like a total monster. I always idolized the fuzz sound of "Life of Pain" by Black Flag, and now I can finally get that tone with even MORE distortion!!! This thing is INSANELY powerful. The tone is beyond description. When it gets going, man, there's nothing that can touch it. It's the best tone I've ever heard, and I'm playing it!!!

However, even with the tone dial all the way up, it sounds like you have the tone dial down on your guitar. You know that kind of low machine sound, especially on the highs. A little annoying. Also, with the Sustain dial all the way up, the distortion is heavily on the lows and not much on the highs, no matter how you adjust the tone. My highs, especially on the high E, sound almost the same as they did before I got the Muff. For these two things I give it a 9 instead of a 10. But I tell ya, that low tone it gets on heavy riffs is a beast.

It's pretty durable, but sometimes when I step on it the metal kind of depresses. I tested out the Sovtek one and it was a bit sturdier. This thing should be able to handle anything though. Don't slam your foot on it, it might not be the sturdiest thing ever but it's pretty good.

Inside the box is a little slip for the 1 year limited warranty. It says in very small print that you have to fill out the form and mail it in within 10 days, which I find kind of dumb. Most people will probably just take out the Muff and put the box in their closet or something and maybe take it out a few months later.

I play mostly old school hardcore punk, sludge metal (The Melvins), grunge, and some Primus type stuff. This thing suits me very very well. If you like some lighter music you probably won't like this. I'd say it has improved my playing as it's got a really great tone and makes me feel very confident. This is the exact same thing that many great musicians play. It has everything you need for great distortion right there. Three simple dials, doesn't need anything more. If it were stolen or lost I'd definitely get a new one. The tone cannot be replicated by anything else.

I'd just like to say that the Big Muff was NOT used by Jimi Hendrix. "It's the same legendary sound used by Jimi Hendrix" they even brag about. WRONG! The Big Muff was introduced the year after Hendrix passed away. He couldn't have possibly used it. However, artists such as Metallica, Dinosaur Jr., NIRVANA, Mudhoney, The White Stripes, Pink Floyd, Chemical Brothers, Dandy Warhols, Steely Dan and many more have used it.

Get the Big Muff Pi. It's made right here in the USA. Electro-Harmonix refers to it on the instructions as "the finest harmonic distortion-sustain device developed to date" and you'd better believe it. If you like your music loud then this will be manna from heaven. Real guitar guys out there will tell you that this is probably the greatest distortion pedal ever, hands down.

It's very easy to get a good sound out of it, but perhaps a little hard to get the sound you want.

Only three knobs: volume, tone and sustain. Volume is pretty obvious, but tone and sustain is were you get the Big Muff's near infinite tweakability. The tone knob controls bass vs. treble and the sustain knob controls sustain and fuzz. The more sustain you want, the more fuzz you get.

Sounds awesome, though obviously some tones can be inappropriate for what you want. Since I use it for bass, I generally keep the tone knob a around eleven o'clock and the sustain at nine. Boosting both gets me a great super-fuzzed out guitar sound, but drops the lows (obviously). Sustains forever on high notes and I definately suggest using this with an Ebow.

My setup requires that pedals sound good with each other and the Big Muff Pi is definately a team player:

Bass >> Digitech Bass Synth Wah >> Big Muff Pi >> Boss Digital Delay >> Boss Bass Graphic EQ >> E-H Pulsar >> Boss Loop station >> amp


I originally purchased it under the impression that it was an overdrive and was greatly surprised to have a fuzzbox. After the initial shock wore off, I got around to loving it for what it was, but don't confuse the two: if you want a 'screaming' or 'sharp' distortion, this isn't the place. Think more of 'blunt' sound, like David Gilmour's "Time" solo.

Extremely reliable. I stomp and I stomp, but this pedal can take it and keep working.

I've had some prodlems involving power supply, namely that E-H tends to use an oddly-sized jack for the power (1/8" I think?) and my voodoo power supply only came with one (which I use for the pulsar), so I had to use the 9v battery clip to the power supply.

N/A

Great for almost anything. I play just about anything (rock, prog, jazz, ambient, etc) and the only thing that I've ever found it completely inappropriate for was pop. Surprisingly good on funk.

It definately aids to songwriting (especially as a bassist) because it gives you a better idea of a lead or rhythm guitar part. I also like using it to have guitar-like leads, but don't worry, it doesn't drop the low end if you don't want it to.

only 3 knobs but the big muff demands to be tweaked to get the best sounds,so experiment with it.

the big muff is sort of a fuzz mixed with a touch of distortion but on its own it has quite a soft attack.i put a boss overdrive before it with quite a subtle drive setting and the attack on notes hardens up nicely+adds loadz of harmonics.it sustains for millenia on high notes which have a lovely creamy quality to them.
there are so many sounds you can get out of this pedal,from thin fuzz ,classic rock,white stripes wall of fuzz to full on,thick sabbath.
the key with the muff is experiment with the way the controls interact with your other drive pedals and your amps pre amp.the tone control is very varied and fully anti clockwise dosnt get all muffled but sort of adds bass and other harmonics to produce a super thick sound.i just love this thing so much!!!!!!

well built and it works!

over all a very versatile pedal.just dont expect it to sound amazing as soon as you plug it in.fiddle with the controls of the pedal,amp and other pedals and youll get what your after.

three knobs. the tone is a little weird though. I usually set it first two strait up and the sustain depending on my amp volume.

I play this with an SG Standard with a SD-1, MXR Dist. +, Big Muff, and DL-4 into a 25 watt '90s Fender Champ Hybrid (1 preamp tube and 2 6L6s). Sounds really good with the midshift button depressed on my amp. Looking to add a warm analog phaze shift in the mix in a few weeks. The pedal is noisy but I only really use it for lead stuff. I like Fugazi/Shellac/Oxes but never try to copy any sound and this pedal really don't apply to those bands. When I play it I think of '70s rock or Smashing Pumpkins also but not as studiofied. It's good played overtop my Dist + or SD-1 for leads but never for rhythm. The only thing that bothers me it that I LOVE the way the pedal sounds with the volume all the way up but then I can't match my clean sounds in volume comparison. Sounds great when my amp is cranked and dirty with this pedal. It has this Part Chimp or octivated muddy fuzz that is great.

I bought it used and it's held up. I wish the battery was easier to get too.

Good pedal for the money but not great. I'm thinking of getting rid of it and buying a Voodoo Lab Proctavia.

play with it and it's perfect. i had to play around also with the place of the big muff pi in my effect chain. i find that it is best at the first pedal. i love this thing. try it with bass, trust me.

i play mostly thru an epiphone dot and sometimes thru a 1967 silvertone hornet. the only noise i get is from the guitars. especially the silvertone. my set up is the muff pi> dunlop wah> eh q zone> dano delay> fender tuner> marshall avt50 (i got it b/c a friend had one and he was a much better player playing with an 80's strat. i like the amp, but i pine for a vintage vibrolux.)

once, someone stepped on one of the patch cables right at like 2 inches from where it plugs into the pedal. bent it all to hell. after we played when i was packing up i noticed how much damage had been done. i saw it happen... someone was too high and wasn't watching where they walked. it happens. the point is that i was able to bend everything back in place. i can plug and unplug just fine. and it has lasted regular use over almost 2 years of having it. people rag on EH for quality. every EH pedal ive had has stood up well.

wouldnt know.

i play mostly jammy type stuff... classic rock, blues, jazz, folk. i dont know if i have any "style". i try to learn. i grew up on hendrix, cream, beatles, velvet underground, bruce springsteen, allmans, dylan, etc. i try to emulate that stuff and make it my own. been playing 7 years. find the right place and setting and the muff is a great distortion/ sustain. worth the money, and the quality is there.

Very simple:


VOLUME - how loud do you want your crap?
TONE - how muffled or how trebly do you want your crap?
SUSTAIN - how much crap do you want?

I have used it with a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender USA Tele, through a Laney VC30 (class A tubeamp).
It's incredibly noisy - whatever settings you dial in, there's always an annoying buzz. When you mute your strings (for short pauzes between riffs or whatever) there's a hollow, very middy noise... like if you play with an acoustic guitar through your overdrive channel.

As for the effect: it's not very good. To say the least. I HATE it.
It effectuates my playing style for the worse. It kills ALL dynamics. Its distortion clips in a very unpleasant way.
My RAT is much much better - sounds much more tubelike and open, has nicer upper harmonics, doesn't sound muffled and doesn't suck tone when not engaged.
I can't believe I bought this crappy Big Muff... Yeah, I wanted that Smashing Pumpkins sound. Indeed, it resembles that sound, but than that's the only thing this pedal's good for.

I'm sorry. I really love Electro-Harmonix, but I think their flagship pedal is utter CRAP.

I've been playing for 15 years. Our music is influenced by indie rock (Pixies, Breeders, Hole) and 80s new wave (The Cure, The Chameleons).

Pretty simple, pug it in.... set the 3 controls, go.
To be honest, it does require a bit of messing. The amp control is the overall output, i set this just below 50%, the tone control is a bit odd, hard to explain, it has an odd range, i leave it on 50%. Finally the drive is pretty responsive, though once again, sounds best around 50%, i have mine set about 60%, though i adjust slightly depending on the venue.

Ok, i use this primarily with my 1996 Fender anniversary Strat Plus with EMG pickups (DG20 Dave Gilmour signature series) and GHS Boomers.
My effects Boss NS2 - MXR Dynacomp - Danelectro FAB overdrive - Big Muff - Boss GE7 - Electric Mistress - MXR Phase 90 - Danelectro Cool Cat chorus - Boss DD3. The whole lot goes into the clean chanell of my Peavey Classic 50.

The Muff is very characteristic, big and gigantic sounding. It's a bit fuzzy, and noisy, but between the Dynacomp and the NS2, i've managed to tame it to the level that it now sounds great.

It gives me that Dave Gilmour sound i want, once you've got used to it you can hear it all over Dave's live sound.

I cannot notice the difference between this and the other issues to any great extent, but i find that to be the case with most "classic" pedals, i think people always think the original sounds better. In this case the original is a bit duller i think, but it's hard to tell really.

It is very noisy - you need a noise gate with this, and a good compressor.

Looks pretty solid, feels pretty solid.
Time will tell...............

No idea

I play in a Pink Floyd tribute band.
I've been using multi effects units for 15 years, starting with the Boss ME6, going through a load of different Boss and Zoom units before getting the last one (GT6). Somehow i could never get the tone i wanted, I always got close, but found that live on stage my sound lacked guts, or sounded too thin or watery, or got lost in the mix. I got rid of the multi-effects and went back to pedals, including the Muff. At my first full band practice with my new pedal setup the difference was amazing....POWER.....I had to turn my amp down loads, and i kept dominating the sound, i had to adjust my pedals to fit back into the mix, but WOW, what a difference. GO BACK TO PEDALS. honestly, it's worth it, you lose a bit of flexibility, and it is more messing around, but the sound difference makes it all worthwhile.
Anyway.... the Muff..... it's a great pedal, it's not for the thrashers out there, and it's not for fast metal soloing either, but for big, power rock solo's it's great :)

This is deceptively too easy to use. I've talked with some owners who claimed they couldn't get a sound out of it. Personally, I find the pots to be more than adequate in tone adjustment. There shouldn't be any problems finding what you want if you know what you're looking for. There is no manual for it, which is apropos. With only 3 knobs, it's a no-brainer if you ask me! With 20 minutes of patience, you should be able to tweak it to your liking.

Through a Fender Twin-Reverb, I have the Big Muff as an external effect routed to my Boss GT-6. I created a patch called the "Crimson Lead" because the Muff coupled with the GT-6's "Clean Twin" preamp setting totally nailed Fripp's classic lead sound. I use the Big Muff for lead sounds only. I use the Boss GT-6 for rhythm due to the fact that I like the response I get when I mute my palm, and I get chunkier rhythms. With the Big Muff, I really let fly and the sound is diabolical & merciless when playing leads, but undynamic when doing rhythm. That might just be due to my playing style. The Big Muff also reacts to the modulation effects of the GT-6 very nicely without sucking any tone. The sustain is creamy & very powerful (especially at higher volumes). The Muff & the Boss GT-6 proved to be a winning combination for a tube amp. However, I'm not sure what it sounds like through solid-state amps. If I could get better rhythm sounds from it, I would give it a 10.

The housing seems a little flimsy, but it's not like I'm tap dancing on the damn thing. I use the Boss GT-6 as a backup, the Big Muff is really just an external effect that I've added (but it's now my MAIN lead sound). I've used it for about a year & haven't had a problem yet. I just keep feeding it 9-volt batteries & the Muff is happy. I baby the pedal, but I'm sure it could easily get crushed in the right (or wrong) circumstances. Spilled beer would probably fry it.

I never needed them yet! Hopefully the Muff pulls through.

I've played in metal bands early on, then switched to psychedelic/stoner rock, and curerntly in a jazz-fusion band. I wouldn't have too much use too the Muff in my metal days, but from 1992 on I wish I would've had this pedal. I've been playing since 1983 & its a shame I've been only using the Big Muff for a year. I have many demos that I wished I had used this pedal on. Better late than never I suppose. If it were lost or stolen I would quickly replace it, because I need my "Crimson Lead". The versatility of the tone is what surprises me about it, given its simplicity. I hate the fact that I haven't found an agreeable rhythm tone for it...YET! My favorite feature is its near eternal sustain & consistently powerful tone. Plus, I can pretend I'm Robert Fripp back in '73 when my band is banging out "Red". I wish the Muff had an internal compressor (but I already have one). The Big Muff is a must, but you have to know what you're looking for. You have to know how to tweak it & have a grasp of how it reacts in your effect- chain & how to effectively EQ your overall guitar sound. Otherwise, any pedal will sound like shit if its in the worng part of your chain. Big Muff RULES!!!!

This pedal is pretty easy to use - volume, tone, sustain.

I use an epiphone sheraton II through a pignose g40v. The effect does not seem to really be too noisy when off. It is a pretty loud pedal though which I like - I tend to use pedals as a boost and I try and go for extremes. Different sounds for different parts of songs. I keep the volume up all the way and the sustain up all the way with the tone at about eleven o'clock. I like the big muff because there seems to be a sort of halo of jagged overtones around every note. The guitarists I like most are J Mascis, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Trey Anastasio, Jerry Garcia, John Scofield and Sonny Sherock. The big muff is good for getting tones like the ones used by the first three guys. For tones like the later four I would use a tubescreamer. On a side note, the amp I use is all tube and it only has one channel. You can overdrive it by turning the master louder than the volume. My main tone is pretty dirty and the big muff makes it pretty huge. The guitar I play feeds back very easily so I can get a lot of sustain and noise at relativetly low volumes (the acoustic volume of a drum kit). The big muff fits right in with that.

The big muff seems reliable. I have different pedals in my rig so I don't really worry about any one all that much.

I have not dealt with the company

I pretty much play vintage indie rock. The big muff is very good for that. I have been playing since I was about 14 and I'm 29 now. I think I would buy a new one if someone stole it. I love the fact that you can get such a huge sound with just this one pedal and of course since it's a pedal you can turn it off to create contrast. There is nothing I really hate about this pedal and it only has one feature - very fuzzy loud distortion. I always try out new stuff when I get a chance. I liked the American big muff better than the Russian version. The big muff is a classic sound so there is nothing to really compare it with I don't think. Most other distortion/fuzz/overdrive pedals are just different in there sound quality. The big muff has a sort of attractive murkiness to it.

simple... plug in, 3 knobs.

I'm running a Strat with single coil overwound pups, fully shielded and star point gounded so it's dead quiet in pos 2 and 4 and very quiet in all the others... The BMP (Big Muff Pi)

I have to agree with Kalaab. There is a very noticable difference between my Russian made and USA NYC model... both of course the reissue. The Russian one sounds much more like I expected a BMP to sound like; very very musical, very compressed when pushed, very creamy distortion and very 70's. The Russian one does King Crimson(ish) lead sounds very well. That said I do like the fact that the NYC has a true bypass switch and the ability to use a power adaptor. But the sound is different. I like it but less creamy and more edgy (which isn't THAT edgy), then the BMP-Russian.

These are nice, the metal case seems fine if a bit flimsy, certainly not as solid as a Boss hunk of metal. The battery is supposed to fit on this little metal bracket on the door at the bottom (where you remove it to change the battery). But when my BMP arrived from shipping the battery was swingin' around inside. Not as secure as Boss or George Dennis or others who have a small space for the battery to sit in securely. This is certainly a draw back and really is something these guys could improve... come on ya goofs it's not like you're working in a vaccum here, you have to see what others are doing.

There very little inside this thing. Tiny PCB board with a few components...

no idea...

You know what. I don't think you can get this sound from another pedal. If you can, I'm not aware of it. I've tried emulations, but they don't cut it. These things should be in everyone's signal chain, they are that good.

That said. I think I like the Russian one a bit better. It's the creamy sound. I will probably put a 3PDT True Bypass Switch in it so it's not a tone sucker, and find a good 9 volt power supply.

You are informed that you must remove your guitar cable when the BMP is not in use... because if you leave it plugged in it will drain your battery. Now that with both the older Russian model and this newer NYC ressiue. Ok... now there's no need for that. I hate using up batteries. I therefore think that these things need to be tweaked a bit.

I've included some links here for everyone to check out. You can easily wire your Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi USA Reissue so when you take the pedal out of the path (turn it off) it stop draining the battery, and/or when you plug in an adaptor/power supply it also stops draining the battery.


Here's a link for improving your pedals.
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=200


True Bypass?
http://www.banzaieffects.com/attic/tech2.htm

super easy. three controls, all responsive. two minutes and you are sorted.

i play either a gibson sg or a gordon smith gs1 (both guitars fitted with seymour duncan invaders) into a marshall non-master volume superlead head and hand built 2x12 cab with celestion vintage 30 speakers. the muff is noisy when it's on but i've turned down my guitar volume, otherwise it's fine. i leave it on all the time anyway so that's no problem. i play heavy stoner rock and this pedal is the industry standard, with good reason. NEVER sounds bad, it's just plain badass for heavy heavy rock. think kyuss/sabbath/melvins etc etc. perfect!!

totally. a real workhorse.

never had to call them

the big muff is a classic fuzz, and has a sound all of it's own. i own many fuzzes, and this is one of the best. for massive, wooly, thick fuzz there's none better. plus, it's cheaper than any boutique pedal, and looks so ridiculous it's great!!!

Very easy to use .Three knobs volume , tone and sustain .No real upgraded just resolder a dry joint.

This thing is noisy .But, it realy depends on your set up other box's,pickups ect...I like turning the volume up to 3'oclock and the sustain to 8'or 9' oclock and use it for a f@#%k up overdrive to drive my Bass player NUTS.I have just started useing pedals again I have a tele,strat,335>crybaby>JP volume pedal>Bg Muff>carven nomad. I use a OLD DOD FX90 delay and a Boss tremlo in the effects loop.I use effects sparingly if at all.I don't always set them up .

I had to resolder the 1/4" output jack.I think it's built cheap so don't stand on it.

N/A

I have been playing for 18 years and its always agood idea to have something heavy or obnoxious to your bag of tricks.My bass player hated this pedal when they first came out he is old ,real, real old,and said after thirty years it still sounds like shit . So its a keeper.Just to preach about learning to play with out pedals.you will play better and tone will sound so much better . You also have no power or battery worries.If you have a two channel amp try it for a change and use just your channel switch or turn that volume up on the amp with one channel try pickup switching play around with your volume and tone.Learn to use your amp and guitar befor adding more color to your sound.You may not need half your pedals after all.

Very Very easy to use. Can't go wrong!!

My setup(s) On stage i use a Gibson SG/Jazzstang-- Boss tuner -- Big Muff- Marshall JCM 800 120w twin reverb through an Orange 4X 12.

Home similar to above but a Vox AC 120.

Noisy is what it was born to do. This thing rules! I think someone said they almost crapped themsleves using it for a first time. I have to echo that everytime were are on stage and that kicks in anyone who was content on not wanting to listen have no choice. Its go the envy of a lot of band who for some reason are sacred of it.

I play mainly punk grunge hense the guitars but this thing can do most styles. I find fitting new guitars and other effects in with it hard some time but after some jigging it all comes together.

Couldn't live with out it. I just bought an MXR dist but am not holding to much hope for it. I alway use this without back up. I've been through one in the last 4-5 yrs i'm on my second which is bearing up nicely. Tip keep them in the boxes i know it bulkier then but they are fragile and do need some love.

Never used dunno

Well good effect i had the chance to get one with the compressor in it but stupidly bought MXR i will learn i guess but what an effect.

Well... Three knobs, Volume, Tone, and Sustain. You would have to be pretty stupid to not know how to work it. The only problem is that it doesnt connect to my power supply and i have to feed it 9 volts all the time.

My setup is a Strat(Seymour Hot-Rails) -> Boss Compressor -> [b]Big Muff Pi[/b] -> Boss Super Chorus -> Boss OS-2 -> Fender Stage 100 Dsp. This thing rules, i swear, the first time i plugged this baby in i almost crapped myself. I mean really, it is great for grunge, thick and raw but when you play the top three strings it is smooth and awesome for lead guitar. In my opinion, it is a cross between distortion and fuzz, its not really distinctivly one or the other. It can be noisy but once you play its not noticable. If your looking for Nirvana, Whitestripes, Smashing Pumpkins, this pedal is for you.

Its a little flimsy, just dont jump on it and your all set.

N/a

This thing rocks

Well it's not exactly rocket science - the level sets the volume, the tone sets whether it's trebly or bassy and the sustain sets the gain. However it does take a bit of a play around to find your sound (as with every pedal). 9 because if you don't know what to use it for, you will make an idiot out of yourself (I speak from experience). Do not expect chugging Marshall-style power chords from this. It's better suited to solos.

I play a Gibson Les Paul Studio---->Dunlop Crybaby wah----->Big Muff---->Marshall AVT100 (soon to be the proud owner of a tubescreamer as well). It is slightly noisy but only to be expected from that kind of gain. Also my home is kinda shitely wired, i cant c it being that bad in a properly wired stage environment. Apart from that this pedal is excellent. It really does give you screaming solos, although I found they were too thin on the treble side of the tone knob so I'm stuck with a kind of bassy sound in the middle. However it really does give you that Santana sound, and you will begin to recognise it in many other recordings (Clapton, U2, Hendrix but to name a few, even Slash once or twice!)...It really does rock

Umm I think it's very reliable, I can and do gig without a backup although I'm sure I'd get by with the OD channels on my Marshall...The casing and switch are very solid, they hurt my feet so I guess there's not much chance of me hurting them!

Never dealt with them, I'd probably take it to a tech rather than ring them if it broke.

I play mainly rock, from Santana and Zeppelin to U2 and Coldplay, and my band is so hard to describe I'm not even gonna try...This pedal is perfect, it really nails so many of those sounds and there's nothing like a wailing solo high up on the fretboard with this thing...Plus front-end your amp with this and your sound will be incredible (although take your hand off the guitar and it sounds like a jet plane taking off!). The other day I heard a recording of it when I was doing this slow spacy solo with some delay (with my band), and it sounded so professional and beautiful I actually thought "wow, I would buy this if it came out", which is rare for my playing!

Well, there's a million reviews on this pedal, so I don't think I'll be saying anything that hasn't already been said... Anyway, it's three knobs and a stomp switch, how much more do you need to know?

This pedal is simply exquisite. I hesitate to call it a fuzz because of its smooth, gain-like properties, but it is exceptionally thick and fuzzy. It's one of those pedals that could go either way; not quite gain, not quite fuzz. A very unique, dynamic, and usable sound. It's pretty much the best gain/fuzz pedal I've ever played, and I love how it sounds completely unique. Makes a good addition to any rig used for psychedelic rock, which is pretty much what I play.

From what I understand, this unit is true bypass, but that's not much of a concern for me, sinc I record mainly in the studio and I don't use pedalboards. For those that do, however, this would be quite a draw.

I've heard horror stories with EHX, but I've had nothing but good luck with them. I own the EHX Octave Multiplexer, Micro Synth, Small Stone USA, and Big Muff USA, and all of them have been totally reliable.

The housing for these effects are slightly questionable, but if you take the "stomp" out of "stompbox", everything should be fine. I find that to be the case with most pedals, everything from MXR to Arion. Just don't be retarded and take a flying leap onto them, and they'll probably last you.

*shrugs* No need for them. That's gotta say something...

This pedal is tops, bar none. I was looking for a pedal that was more versatle and smooth than my Maestro Fuzz tone, and I think I've got it here. While the Maestro is the king of fuzz pedals (get one while you can!!), this thing compliments its quacky, unsustained sound quite nicely. I've become quite the fuzz afficionado, and I've found the USA Muff to fit in nicely with my sound.

One thing I'd like to suggest to anyone who owns a USA Muff. If you have the cash, get a Russian Muff too. I know it sounds redundant, but the reviews on H-C.com should be proof-positive that there are real, substantial differences between the USA and the Russian Muff. Of course, both pedals sound extremely good to my ears, but I can discern a distinct difference between the two. It doesn't quite feel right having one but not the other, so if you have the USA, get the Russian as well. And, if you have the Russian, for heaven's sake don't hock it off to pay for your USA Muff!! They're both great pedals!

The manual for this pedal really wasn't much use, but to be honest, it is far more worthwhile to spend some time figuring out the right settings for yourself anyway.

With only three knobs, operation is nice and simple. I tend to keep the sustain knob permanently at the same position (all the way up!), and so it's just a case of tweaking the tone level until I find the right point. This level can be a little vague though so it's worth spending some time experimenting. For my sound, I have to be very particular about this setting.

This is a very 'fuzzy' fuzz pedal, so wont really suit those who are after a nice warm overdrive! The bottom end is there though if you set the tone just right.

I use this pedal with an Epiphone Les Paul Custom played through a Marshall DSL 50 head and a 1936 2x12. I like my distortion to sound really fat, lush and round, and I've found this pedal works great. The sustain is amazing when when playing lead, and the transition down to heavy low end is stunning. It does however sound a little too sludgy at times. The best sounds come out at high volume, though I have found there to be less range in the volume control than i'd like. It's probably worth keeping this level lower on the pedal and cranking up the amps volume (my amp lacks a master volume, so it's a case of trying to find the right balance!).

To get some idea of the sound of this thing, "X.Y.U." by The Smashing Pumpkins seems a good place to start. To me, this is the holy grail of distortion, so the Big Muff suits me fine, but the range of this pedal is pretty limited and if you're looking for a bit more, it's worth looking elsewhere.

I have found this pedal to be a little noisy when on, but as I only tend to switch the distortion on periodically in the middle of my songs this hasn't caused me any trouble. If you are intending to leave the pedal on though between songs it's worth finding yourself a decent noise gate!

The casing does seem a little flimsy in comparison to many pedals, but unless you are seriosly abusive of your pedals (!) there shouldn't be any problems. Electro Harmonix pedals all have that nice sense of style about them and the Big Muff is textbook! The paint seems to scratch easily, and most of the second hand EH units I've seen tend to look a little like they've undergone atmospheric re-entry at some stage in their lifetime! Some people seem to like this, but being a little fond of the pristine quality of my fx board, I find I have to be a little extra carefull with this pedal!

One point that's worth mentioning is that the LED on my unit has never really worked properly. Sometimes it decides to come on, sometimes it doesn't. This isn't a major problem, and could be fixed with a bit of soldering and a new wire, but it's somewhat annoying anyway.

I've never tried dealing with them.

I've been playing for nearly five years and have developed my own style of songwriting. This pedal suits my style of melodic playing beautifully, and provides just the right amount of heaviness that I need. At the same time, the sustain is stunning at the high end, especially when played with a les paul! However, the sound is quite limited in it's use and will only suit some people. It would perhaps be nice to have a little more overdrive in there but there are always other routes around this problem.

All in all, this pedal has its own sound, which you either like, or don't. It's perfect if this is the sound for you. For, only around #59 though, this is very good value. It is worth mentioning that I have tried the Russian version, which I thought didn't match up too well. For the difference in price it's certainly worth forking out for the USA version. If I were to lose this pedal, I would certainly replace it with another.

Very simple, but it takes it's time to fool around and find the sweet spot. My starting point was (as I usually do with every piece of Equip) every control at 12'o clock. This way I found my personal setting in about 2-3 hours playing. The one I bought came with the original AC Adaptor, you can buy it without that for about 70 EUR.

The sound of the Big Muff is something you love or you hate. I tried an old TS, MXR Distortion, Rat and a lot of other pedals to find a singing sound for soloing and something to push my preamps' input when I use the Strat with it's little output instead of my other axes. This is what I was searching for. Good for soloing, the longest sustain I've ever had, but forget about playing rhythm with this one (sounds very indifferent, but it's a fuzz so it somehow has to)
You can get some really awesome noises out of this unit (try a divebomb or a strong percussive playing).

Used it a few gigs, so far no problems. Big casing for what's inside the unit (maybe that's the reason for it's name ?), not very sturdy but okay. I gig without backup. It's the 5th channel for my Engl, I use it only for a few songs, so it wouldn't be a problem for me if it breaks.

Can't say anything about it, haven't dealt with the CS so far...

Playing cover and a lot of styles. This one's actually great for blues soloing, it really rocks if you use it for some old Santana or Hendrix. I tried it with a modified '71 Ibanez Les Paul (rewound ToneZones), an old Gibson Les Paul Custom (PAFs), '86 Strat (Lace-Sensor), '88 Yamaha RGX (rewound Duncan Custom Custom & Texas Special SC) and a Steinberger GM7TA (EMG85 & SA). The Ibanez is too hot, you get only crap out of the unit with that one. The Yamaha sounds okay on the SC's, the HB is also a little crappy but usable. The rest sounds really great. It really has it's own tone and takes over the whole signal but that's okay if you like the sound...
If it was stolen I would give the one a big kick and get myself the next Big Muff ;-)

Just like any other pedal, you have to find a sweet spot for it in a pedal chain, and adjust the knobs to your liking. It's not rocket science.

First of all, this is a FUZZ pedal, NOT a distortion. There's a difference kids.
I have a few nice Strats, a Tele with a SD Little '59 in the bridge, and a Music Man Sub-1. They go to either a Fender Bullet 150 (for practice) or an Ampeg tube amp. The pedals go guitar->modified CryBaby->BigMuff->Effector 13 Yellow Vintage Fuzz Maker->Voodoo Micro-Vibe->Amp. Sometimes I throw in a Effector 13 No-Fi or MXR Dist+.
Pedals are powered by Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2. I get no noise or hum from the BigMuff. It has lots of range that works with all of my guitars, both single-coils and humbuckers. I wanted this pedal because of my love for Mudhoney's Superfuzz-Bigmuff album, and this gets the sound. I can get mild fuzz that only kicks in when I pick hard or full-on thick fuzz. It's very adjustable.
The only complaint I have is the fuzz rolls off in the higher octaves, like during solos. But that's also a good thing if you're pounding away during the verse of a song with a wall of fuzz and want a cleaner sound when you play a solo to cut through nice and clean. If I want fuzz all the time I use the Effector 13, which is the best overall fuzz pedal in my opinion.
This pedal doesn't like a lot of other pedals before it, so put it in alone or ahead of your other stuff. Even with single-coils, I only get hum if I sit right in front of the pedal. Other than that, no squeals or noise.

I've had this for 6 months with no problems. I don't really beat my stuff up and rarely break anything. It does feel a little light and thin, but as long as the internals hold up I'll be happy.
I take it out without back-up. Although I have another fuzz pedal in my chain, I use it for different song treatment, not as a back-up.

Never dealt with CS, hope I never have to after hearing many horror stories.

I play 60's rock, blues, stoner rock, grunge, and I make up songs so I can make fun of my cat with insulting lyrics. This pedal fits the bill for everything, depending on how the dials are set. It's all in the knobs.
If this pedal was stolen, I might buy it again. If it broke, I would toss the carcass and buy a different fuzz pedal. There's lots of others out there that sound just as good as this or better (FullTone 69 or 70, Effector 13, T-Rex Mudhoney, PedalWorx).
It does inspire a certain way of playing for me. It makes my pick slow down and enjoy the sludge. I love the range of adjustability. I can roll off the tone and bump the volume so the slightest hint of fuzz comes through only when playing hard, or crank up the knobs for a wall like sound of thickness and sustain. It works well with many different guitars and amps, which is a plus when you get it home from the store and have to set it up.

Very easy to use you know the score. Manual is useless as are all EH ones.

My set up is:

Les Paul > Wah > Big Muff > Wasabi Overdirve > MXR dist + > EH Small Stone > EH Small Clone > EH >Electric Mistress > Boss DD6 > Engl Screamer.

No noise and no tone sucking when off. It had some great sounds, but kind of killed the sound of my amp and guitar, all you heard was the effect, which I didn't like at all MXR dist and Wasabi blend beautifully with the set up where as the Muff was hardly subtle, but I guess thats what some people want. My biggest annoyance was that it didn't have enough power to be signifcantly louder than the clean setting which I was astonished by cus everyone bangs on about what a massive sound this thing gives, but I thought it was weedy compared to others and when the tone was trebly I found the sound unusable and didn't give enough output from the pedal. So overall pretty dissapointed.

Only had it a few weeks then sold it. But seemed OK, although as everyone says, the paint job was crap.

No dealings with them.

I play funk, rock stuff and have been playing for around 20 years. Iwouldn't buy it again I'd prefer a RAT but with my MXR dist and wasabi overdrive and amp distortion I can pretty much get the distortion and overdrive sounds I want. Engl amp distortion is gorgeous! I ccould't stand how weak the output was from the pedal and how all I heard was the Muff! If it was a little less dominant and had more output I'd probably hang on to it, but it simply wasn't me either.

This pedal is decently easy to use. Three knobs. Hitting the sweet spots can be a little tricky, especially when you're playing in a band with lots of instruments where you really need to cut through. One thing that I've noticed lately is the pedal reacts to the guitar different in different places in my pedal chain. The very best response seems to be as close to the front of the chain as possible. This is something you might want to experiment with when you buy one before you take it back, because some places in the chain it can sound lifeless, fizzy, and have a lack of volume.

I have been in love with the Big Muff sound ever since I heard Smashing Pumpkin's "Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness". Later, other recordings like everything by Dinosaur Jr. I used to use it for rhythm playing but now I tend to use it for lead. The singing sustain is really where it's at. I haven't found any other pedal that can give me that kind of sustain, although the Rat II comes close. I also love the coloring it give the sound. If you plug this in, expect it to sound like a Big Muff, because it's instant color for you tone. It can make your guitar sound like a behemoth! My setup is Fender custom-wired Fat Strat -> MXR Micro Amp -> Blackstone Appliances Overdrive -> ProCo Rat II -> Big Muff PI -> Boss RV-2 -> Line 6 Dely Modeler -> Fender Bassman Blackface Head. I think this will always be part of my signature sound, although I've always been curious to hear the Lovetone Big Cheese that Pavement uses. I would not use this as my only distortion, but it is necessary as part of a larger distortion pallate! My first distortion pedal was a Green Russian Big Muff. That one sounded a little different, but I stomped the heck out of it and it's retired for now.

I have been playing with it consistantly for 2 years with from 1-6 gigs a month and have never taken a replacement. I'm too poor. I have a Russian Green Big Muff, but that had a few shorts and is falling apart. Never had the same problems with the Big Muff USA Reissue so far, but I keep it on a pedal board in a padded case when not stomping on it. The casing seems solid, but I wish it was thicker metal like the Rat or MXR casings. Metal input jacks are are a relief after the Russian plastic ones.

N/A

I've been playing about 8 years consistantly in bands. I am not a great guitar player, but I'm a big tone freak. I've spent way too much time buying and selling stuff I read great reviews of on the internet. My experiance is "great tone" is ususally defined as a cranked Marshall Plexi. Well, after going after that sound I realized have subjective "good tone" is (the plexi sound is kinda boring to me, and I prefer the colored and processed sounds of the Smashing Pumpkins and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). To me, the Big Muff is one of the greatest distortion tones invented. I wouldn't be without it. The sustain is unbelievable and I use it all the time to get controlled, smooth feedback. Sometimes I'll play a whole song by just letting the notes feedback, never really laying a pick on the strings. In combination with the MXR Micro Amp, theRat II and my new AnalogMan Modded Boss DS-1 I have a distortion setup that I am really happy with. Hint: try driving a Big Muff with a Rat!

Very easy to use, you got volume, tone and sustain (distortion). Sounds good on almost all settings, which is refreshing when compared to lots of other pedals. Big heavy-duty switch with true bypass. That's pretty much everything you need on a distortion pedal so I'm giving it a 10.

I play an Ibanez SZ with Duncan HBs through a Marshall JCM900 or '72 Ampeg VT-40. Never been a huge fan of effects so all I'm running besides the Big Muff is a Crybaby Classic and MXR Doubleshot mainly for different lead sounds. Lead sounds is where the Big Muff shines. The smoothness of distortion is comparable to tube heads, especially in higher registers. Then again I'm playing it through tube heads and I have not tried it through solid-state. The tone knob gives you a huge range of options, from sweet violin-like sounds to evil screams and growls that will make you grin. The sustain knob is very useable as well and the sound is still warm and lively even when you turn it down. When you play chords it sounds real thick and a bit muddy, but that's the way the Big Muff is. Think of Hendrix and Korn and you'll get the idea. Power chords sound real evil and heavy with the tone and sustain knobs cranked, unfortunately you can't get that palm-muted chug at all with this. Like I said, lead playing is where it shines. It's not noisy at all and the true bypass is completely transparent. The switching is smooth with no clicks, static or breaks in the sound.

I've had it for about six weeks and played the hell out of it. No problems so far and it's still on the same battery. The casing leaves a lot to be desired since the sides and bottom are plastic but unless you really abuse your gear that shouldn't be a problem. Still, it's far from being a tank like the Crybaby or the MXR.

Great tone from this pedal whether you wanna play Hendrix, Sabbath, Pumpkins or whatever. If you like (any label here) rock, it has something to offer. Not really for metalheads though, as it is too muddy for that and don't look for subtle blues overdrive here neither. But if you want a mean pedal with a dirty, soulful, balls-to-the-wall sound I highly recommend that you check this out.

I just got a USA Re-issue Big Muff Pi, and I must say, its freaking awesome! Its really easy to use, and can create some awesome distortion/fuzz. It doesn't take a long time to dial in what you want, which is real nice. Its really versatile, but I just keep the Sustain (distortion) knob cranked. It has really good sustain.

I play it with a late 70's Ibanez Artist, a Manitou Les Paul Custom copy, and a Univox Hi-Flyer. Its a great pedal. You can get the Nirvana "Lithium" sound with it easily. (Kurt used a Big Muff for Lithium due to it sounding Darker and Thumpier than his DS-1) Great overall pedal. I use this with a bunch of other pedals (Modified BOSS DS-1, BOSS Blues Driver, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone, MXR Distortion +, Danelectro Fish and Chips EQ, MXR SMart Gate) and I run them all through a Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp that runs through a GEM Sound Power amp into a Behringer 4x12 cab. Its not noisy at all, but then again I am using the Noise Gate all the time. Its loud as hell and can do some great distortion sounds.

I would totally gig this without a backup, and it seems very reliable.

I havent had to deal with them at all, not even with the Small Clone. GOod stuff!

I play a mix of Hard rock, punk, alternative, etc. I have a very Nirvana-esque sound but am also very influenced by Silverchair and Tool. I've been playing for a good 6 years and this is one of the best distortions I've heard. Were this stolen I would be pissed, and then Id cut my losses and go buy another one.

you'll want to play around with the tone for a good half hour to find the sweet spot for your guitar and amp...but you'll be surprised that once you set that tone, just about any setting on the sustain is useable-- not at all like the russian jobs.

i had a russian black muff for years and i always liked it, but it finally gave out on me (just didn't like me anymore, i guess)and i decided to replace it wit the USA version. i haven't been more pleasantly surprised with anything in a long time. in my opinion, the russian muff really only sounded good with the sustain control completely cranked, but the USA muff has lots of character across the pot sweep...lower settings sound a little more "marshally" and the higher settings still give that screaming high gain smashing pumpkins tone. in between is where my favorites lie-- i can totally nail that john mclaughlin with miles davis "live evil" sound...wicked. i've also used it on bass and to process loops and samples, and the muff doesn't dissapoint. my musical tastes run from jazz to freeform experimental, and while the big muff won't permanently be turned on with my setup, i think i'll get a lot more play out of this one than i ever did before...oh the new ones are true bypass, and the check someone before me mentioned held true for mine...look for the 9 connections.

well, if you open it up you'll see there's a lot of empty space inside, so there's always the worry of something getting loose. that said, i baby my equipment, and most of the gigs i play are in art gallerys and bars with more of a goatee stroking than a budweiser hurling crowd, so i don't foresee any problems. the battery compartment door is held on by the world's smallest screw, so that's a little troubling. my backup will be my old RAT box from 8th grade...now there's reliability!

never had to deal with them, but i've rarely heard a nice story about ehx support.

wicked cool. makes me want to play the guitar more and let my laptop and synth get dusty. my old guitar teacher would be proud.

Ridiculously easy to use, standard volume knob for volume, tone knob from bassy and bluesy to crunchy and in your face, and distortion/sustain knob that deals with exactly that...distortion and sustain.

My setup is g&l asat> big muff> mxr phase 90> digitech digidelay> '87 Vox ac30. The tones that i get out of the muff with this setup are phenomenal. I'm using it in my band for the really heavy riffs or solo's because my vox is already set up kind of dirty, but it's also very capable of being the only distortion you need through a very clean amp (i.e. fender twin, etc.) With the tone at about 1 o'clock and the sustain at around 9 o'clock on the neck pickup of a tele, the muff gets a gorgeous creamy blues sound, or change to the bridge pickup for almost a santana sound, which really surprised me because it's a single coil guitar. Switch it around to tone at about 3 or 4 o'clock and the sustain a little over 1 o'clock on the bridge pickup and it screams. The gain availability and tone quality are tremendous. Overall, i will keep this pedal in front of my rig until the day i die.

It is an electro harmonix, so you have to give it a little slack. The build quality is decent, but not completely rock solid(i wouldn't throw it at a wall and expect it to play). But i will gig without a backup...it's a risky game but i think the pedal will hold up.

never dealt with ehx.

I play a mildly experimental form or rock n' roll, and the big muff gets all the sounds i expected and needed. I've been playing for somewhere around 7 years and have owned everything from peavey practice amps, to vintage marshall half-stacks, to the ac30 i play now, and the match of the muff and the vox sounds better than most things i have heard. If it was stolen, i'd definitely get another one (used of course, retail is ridiculous). I just love the tones that come out of this thing, it's necessary for any rock/ rock blues player to at least try one out.

Volume sets the volume (duh), tone sets the range between deep, bassy sound with no crunch to maximum fuzziness that will still have plenty of low-end response. Now I oftenly hear about people saying you can't get anything good from just a single tone knob. They don't have a Muff. It goes through a surprisingly wide tone range. However, it's true I wish to buy an equalizer pedal to boost the mids a little, like a BOSS GE-7 or something. But I can live with this little lack of mids. Sustain sets the amount of distortion and sustain, but sustain and distortion always go together on every pedal.

I use an Aria ZZ custom and an Ibanez Talman TC-420, both equipped with Seymour Duncan Invader humbuckers and D'Addario 10's strings, plus the big Muff, EH Small Clone, Amdek FLK-100 Flanger, EH Holy Grail, but I will soon put a BOSS GE-7 between the Muff and the Clone.
My amp is an all-tube 1975 Traynor Bass Mate. It sounds really evil, man, kids these days have distortion with no mids and it sucks.. I'm tired to hear Metallica wannabes dropping their mids to minimum on their Metal Zones. I get sound from Bush to Mudhoney, White Stripes and Nirvana, this thing rocks, it's the best fuzzbox i've ever heard or played with. Some guy said "the Muff isn't suitable for palm mutes" well this ain't true. You can't play speed metal with it, but it really kicks ass with palm mute, it's like your speaker will rip apart and jump on your face. But, like I said earlier, I could use more mids.. It's not rumpy enough yet. So I give it a 9, cos it's really capable to do great fuzz sounds by its own anyways.

Oh yeah.. This is an Electro Harmonix we're talking about.. Don't stomp on it like a madman, just click the switch, everything will be fine. I gig with it all the time, but I would never gig without backup, so this is why I have my BOSS HM-2.

I heard they were not very supportive, but I never had to deal with them so...

I play a lot of early 90's alternative like Hole, Nirvana, L7, Mudhoney kind of stuff, 70's punk like the Sex Pistols, the Exploited, plus some blues rock, or some 80's rock, like Cheap Trick and the Cars, plus my own music. I've been playing since 6 years now. If it was stolen, I'd kill the f*cker, but if it was impossible, I'd buy another one. I love everything about it, except this lil lack of midrange boost. I compared it with a DOD FX66 and Zoom Ultra Fuzz, the muff blew them away. This is the best fuzzbox ever made by man.

Really easy to use!! You just plug in , put all knobs middle position and there you go ,start your motor! I was amazed by the first note. Tweek the knobs and get more trebly metal sounding notes three dimensional i 'll say. However, the sustain/drive doesn't clear up nicely when you turn the knob down, you get a little darker clean sound. That's not much of a problem though since I usually do this with overdrive pedals,this is a fuzz baby!It came with true bypass.

Fender Mustang '73 --> BOSS SD1-->Big Muff-->Dunlop Wah-->Fender Blues Junior that s my setup. I was amazed by the very first note of this pedal , gave to my sound what I was looking for. I thought my little amp was transformed to something else ,it became more ballsy! yeah that s the word!I mostly play blues and rock'n'roll but at some parts I want to ROCK and GRUNGE and experiment with sounds, so this pedal gives me the girth I would sometimes miss from my rigg. I know it s too much to say but it almost makes my fender a gibson at some points i need to be more of a savage ,create a wall of thick sound etc. This pedal does three things well: it gives me sustain when soloing, makes power chords sound huge and pleasantly muddy (doesn t get too muddy and that s where its analog quality emerges) and makes soloing really pleasant with violin -like big tone. I could say that it helps me get santana sounds ,nirvana sounds and generally this thing rocks look cool too! Bad thing is that at some points it lacks middle range but i do this with other pedals, oh and it s loud!

The battery seems to go on forever and it came with the cool wooden box!! the case is sleek and i baby this effect very much ,but i cant say its construction amazes me ,i mean the metal cover isn t welded to tight to the rest of the case but the whole huge package and the stomp knob seem promising

haven t dealt with them yet hope i never have to. i got this pedal from germany and i live in greece ,got some good techs here

I play mostly anything and I like to collect effects pedals and this is really a jewel for my arsenal. I also got digital stuff and small danelectros but they are a little bit tone sucking, although cool for their prices.Been playing for ten years. Next I want to get the pro co rat for a more middle range approach. If it were stolen I would run and get a new one. These babies aren t available here i wonder why. yep i would go back to germany and get one and maybe grab a deluxe memory man too i am in analog madness right now. Great pedal you ll love it s an ear candy.

three knobs, awesome sound, very nice.
No manual

Epiphone Riviera, Marshall AVT 150, Vintage Vox Wah.
It does what it says on the tin. It screams like a scalded cat and never purrs!

These are utter shit when it comes to reliability. I have two. The first ran fine for about a year then all soundstoppingwhatthefuck'sgoingon hell broke loose. Wires came off the switch then the switch gave up, now the switch on the other one has just given up aswell. I have one 6 point switch and one 9 point (true bypass) switch. These things suck suck suck. If I could get the same sound from a different pedal I would fill both pedals with cat pooh and send them back to the crasse idiots at EH.

they're awesome for getting sweeeeeeeeeeeet sounds but for the fact that at age one the things have a shit fit and take 6 months of probing with a soldering iron to decide if they'll work for you when you need them most.

Take a while to do get the sounds you want but dead easy to use. 3 knobs, volume, tone, sustain.

My set up is:

Les Paul std > EH Small Clone > EH Big Muff > Jim Dunlop Cry baby > Boss DD6 > Engl Screamer 50 Combo.

No noise at all, and very little effect on tone, (its not a true bypass) Slightly weird thing is when you turn the tone to a treble sound you get a volume drop but you can just turn up the volume on the pedal although I'm close to maxing it out on the pedal so that the volume doesn't drop through my amp when I turn the pedal off and go back to a clean sound.

The fuzz sounds are so good though, on the neck humbucker you get a very warm rich and thick tube like distortion and SO MUCH sustain!!!! It can sound like an e-bow!! Trebly sounds have loads of crunch but the pedal sounds its best with my gear with the bassy tone settings and high sustain.

Only had it a few weeks, seems OK, but Electro Harmonix are not well known for their build quality so I'll be careful with it.

Never had to deal with them, but they do give a funky sticker when you buy one their pedals, nice!!

I play rock, funk and mellow stuff, and this pedal is simply great with all those, with loads of tone and low volume you can get such a thick fuzz sound you can do solos in very quiet songs, and it somehow works. I'd buy it again, just for that amazing tubular fuzz sound on a neck pick up. Better than other distortions, althougb I haven't tried loads I just loved this pedal when I tried it in a shop, as its analog has a very warm sound, just gets you excited about playing your guitat, I love it when pedals do that!! The sounds actually help me be creative and give me ideas like using it as an e-bow esque thingy.

If you want fuzz and sustain then this is for you.

Plug your guitar in, put it on, adjust the amount of distorsion, the tone and the volume, it's very simple. The manual juste explains what the buttons' effet are.

I plug my Fender Stratocaster in it with the stock pickups (singlecoils) and then in my 80w transistor amp combo. The sound is a dirty distorsion, a fuzz. There isn't much noise. I always put the sustain on max because with less distorsion, the sound is "cold".

I never tried it on a tube amp nor as a booster.

Well, I can't explain much about the sound but I can say that there is a lot of distorsion and that with the Tone knob at maximum, there is too much treble and that is unpleasant for the ears. That's why I put 9/10 instead of 10

I often put the sustain at max, tone knob between the first quarter and the middle and I don't put a lot of treble on my amp, the sound is dirty and correct despite my transistor amp and my single coils and it doesn't heart my ears.

I never had a problem I can trust it.

I didn't contact the Customer Support

I play some Ozzy Osbourne or Black Label Society stuff and the Big Muff is not what I need.

If I loose it I don't know weather I would buy the same or not but maybe because I like the sound with the settings I said in sound rating but i would maybe buy another one because I don't know other pedals for that price that are good and because tube amps are too expensive for a debutant player.

(excuse me for my english I speak french)

Hmmm...I suppose this pedal is a little easier to use than my FX-9, but not much. There are three knobs and alot of stufff to tweak. The volume knob is self explanitory, but the other two knobs are where the magic is REALLY at!

The manual sucks, as most do. I'm more into hands on.

I have: Washburn WG-580 guitar, Peavey Stereo-Chorus 400 amp, 500watt bass head w/ four 10's in the cabinet, Ibanez TS-9, DOD FX-69, Danelectro Octave distortion, and a Dunlop Crybaby Wah.

This is a reissue of a classic fuzz from the late 60's to the 70's. Fuzz is a bit heavier than my amp's gain channel (and most amps from what I've heard), but lighter than my FX-69. It's actually the most versatile pedal I've come across: The sustain is gut wrenching and the contrast between the lows and the highs is amazing. Chords sound beautiful (note Jimi's 'Purple Haze'), rich, and thick as mud if you want them to be.

You could use this for ANY application of music, whether it be sweet, singing Santana notes, Stevie Ray Vaughn's blues-by-the-balls, AC/DC's rippin' riffs, Led Zeppelin's whole-lotta-good times-dazed and confused-to Heaven, hell, even modern stuff...

Yes, yes, and yes, I like sex. I've stomped on this pretty-packaged bad boy, and it takes it!

No, but I've heard that Electro Harmonix are cool, kind folks that live in the mountains, poisoning little children with their magical faerie dust.

This is a very versatile and ecclectic pedal for those with the forementioned tastes. I've been playing for about 4 years. My gear is listed above, blah, blah, blah.

I love that this pedal can do ANYTHING except become extremely heavy, which is why I give it a nine. I wish this pedal had lips to perform felatio...then it'd be a ten.

I'd be lost without this pedal, almost...
Yes, I'd like to share my love for Unofficial...

3 dials and a footswitch. Volume Sustain and tone.

I use this with a Fender Twin (best amp in the world) Reverb and an Electric Mistress. THIS IS THE BEST DISTORTION IN THE WORLD. Of course opinions vary but for me this is great for all the out of control sounds i want. However; in Bypass.....It totally kills my tone and makes my guitar totally unusable. What good is a stomp box when it sounds like crap clean. My Ds 1 colors my clean tone less! A great sounnd but it has to go back to the store.

I think this thing would hold up/

If it was one of the true bypass pedals I wouldn't be sending it back but it has to go.

Overall, as far as ease of use and controlling is concerned, the Big Muff Pi USA (reissue) is very superfluous! Adjusting the tone and sustain, for instance, gives you a boost and a more bolder sound. Use the tone for customizing you fuzz's overall sound-type. If you want more overdrive and longer sustain, adjust the sustain level to your liking. Many product specs on various online music stores and web magazines exhibit highly acclaimed details on Electro-Harmonix's Big Muff distortion. I CAN believe that, after all...I mean, I have purchased a Big Muff Pi USA from Music123. The knobs operate very smoothly, not cheap and flimsy like some other distortion/fuzz pedal units out there.

I certainly DID like the CLASSIC, vintage fuzz that the Big Muff has produced! The Big Muff Pi does exactly what the product specs say: the sounds of Santana, Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, and other legends. After all, this is the classic fuzz I was definitely trying to find, and that my Digitech RP50 could not produce well.
As far as my set-up is concerned, here it is:
AC Power Source>>>Line6 Spider 112 Amp(first red edition)>>>Digitech RP50 Multi-effects Processor>>>Bespeco Volume Pedal>>>Big Muff Pi>>>Epiphone Les Paul Standard with dual double-dipped wax humbuckers.
As far as the sound is concerned, the actual fuzz coming from the Big Muff sounded a bit too processed and sterile when hooked via the Digitech RP50. However, the only way that I truly could find out more about the real, actual sound of the Big Muff is that I had to use strictly my amp, then my EH Big Muff Pi, then my guitar. Once I played striclty through my Big Muff fuzz, I now truly understand what they mean by Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd. As a matter of fact, I played Black Magic woman and Europa to get the feel of the fuzz sound. It sounded really good and pure to me. Definitely authentic and has heck of a lot more charater than the fuzz sounds on my Digitech Rp50. Soon, I'll definitley be upgrading to single-effect stomp boxes for more specialization. Now, there is one drawback I would have to admit. That is regarding the true authenticity. I have read many other reviews and product specs, especially on original vintage Big Muff fuzz boxes. And from what I have read, the original, first Big Muffs were definitley more sweeter and lusher sounding. That I can believe because they have probaly used different types of transistors and circuitry back then, which may have been responsible for that magical 60s fuzz tone. One guy selling his vintage 69 Big Muff Fuzz said that all the reissues have newer trnsitors and circuit, and that the reissues are not as sweet sounding as the originals. Main point: if you are a complete accuracy freak, do not attempt to buy the Big Muff Pi reissues. But if you're a novice like me, this is definitley far better than most fuzz sounds on any digital effects processor, period! But then again, that is just my opinion. See for yourself and discover the magic that STARTED IT ALL! I'll give it a nine though only because it may not be as accurate as the original Big Muff fuzz boxes. Overall, EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!

It is very rugged and well built! I would definitely keep it for all my psychedelic "FUZZ" needs! The bypass switch is truly "BYPSASS"--which means no noise and high feedback that destroys my guitar's natural tone. But then again, it may be different for others who may use different brands of equipment and different set-ups. There is one thing, though, that disapointed me. When I purchased my Big Muff USA from Music123, the one I saw in the picture had those nice, professional bird beak knobs. When I got it, the knobs were way different than what i had seen being advertised. The knobs were cheap plain ones; no grip ridges...they were too bare and slippery. Also, I dicovered that whenever I plugged or unplug my cable to the input/output jack, the back panel would bow out slighlty as if the jacks are too tight. Shouldn't there be any extra bolts or screws in the back to hold the backpanel sturdily in place--I guess not! Anyway, when I contacted Music123, they said that it was definitley a defect and that I should return it for a full refund...but somehow I still get the feeling that the USA reissue Big Muffs are made that way. Those Americans (sorry about that) but it's true, take more pride in what you do to construct such a wonderful masterpiece! I know I'm guilty of some shitty things myself, but that there is just unexceptable. You ought to be ashamed about that. Don't f#@#%k it up! I did not pay close to eighty dollars plus twenty for shipping just to have a flimsey chassis and that it was made in the USA. For what it was worth, I should've gotten the Sovtek Company/EH Big Muff Pi! If Sovtek can do just as good (if not, better from what I have heard) then I mind as well get those Sovtek Big Muffs Pi's. So, later on in the week, I returned it to Music123. Soon, I will purchase the Sovtek Co.-made Big Muff. From what I have heard, they are just as good and reliable, plus when it comes to Big Muff Pi's, more people go with the cheaper ones. I notice there are different green and black colored versions of the Big Muff Pi reissues. I like the green better becuase it has a more vintage look. Overall, the Big Muff Pi is really durable and has a really good heavy-duty construction. I am very sure that it will last quite some time! I give it a 7 for the chassis-design quality, though.

I have never dealt with the Electro-Harmonix customer service yet, but I am sure that they will do anything to make their customers happy. For this aspect of my review, I cannot clearly define, therefore I give a "N/A".

I play mostly alternative rock, classic and phsychedelic rock, old and new punk, and experimental electronica (NOT techno). Lately, though, some of my other friends who play mostly reggae and fusion, have been teaching me more of the reggae and fusion styles. I feel now that my musical horizons have opened up more and more by the days! I do not own a whole lot of musical gear, but I would definitely like to upgrade my guitar and effects arsenal, and since I want to get back into the keyboard action, I am willing to save up to buy a descent electronic keyboard (such as a Roland, Korg, or Yamaha). My friends are getting tired of just guitar, bass, and drums. They think it's time to expand a little more with more equipment and sounds. They seem not to know a whole lot of keyboard stuff, but I do. So for this, they want me to volunteer to be both a guitarist, and the keyboardist. I am willing to do so since I also love playing exhilerating synth sounds and lush combo organ sounds like the Hammond B-3's and Farfisa Compact Duo's.
If my Big Muff Pi were ever stolen or missing, I would interogate the bastard to death that he wouldn't think about stealing musical gear from anyone anymore. But, since I am a nice guy (like always), I'll just by a new one instead-- it's just not worth the violence, you know what I mean? There is one thing I wish many fuzz pedals had, I wish they had real tubes in them, and I wish they would come out with technology very soon to produce very affrodable, high-quality vaccum tubes for the real tube-waarmth fuzz tone. The Big Muff fuzz, overall, I give it a whopping 10!!!!!!!

It is very easy to use.There are three knobs:Volume,tone and sustain.
Finding the tone you want doesn't take more than a few seconds (if you don't use a chain of effect pedals).

I'm using an epiphone lespaul --> Big Muff Pi --> Digitech RP300 --> squier 10 watt amp at home.
Big muff pi has too much gain and it's usually noisy, but when you are playing noise don't come, it's important to turn off the big muff when you aren't playing (muting doesn't work).
but the noise isn't irritating when you thnik about the beautiful sound.Because when you're playing the only sound you hear is its perfect smooth tone (i use the tone at 7-10 o'clock position).
Big muff pi isn't suitable for palm muting, it's not very useful for rhytm, it's perfect for solos(that's why i bought it).
I give it a 9 because it does what i want perfectly, -1 point for noise.

It isn't like a boss, but i think it's ok.

I usually play rock, i like long solos, at home playing solos is what i always do.I've playing guitar for 4.5 years and electric guitar for 2.5 years.If it were stolen i would but it again because i like the sound of it very much.

Doesn't take a genius

The bypass is nice and flat and does not colour the sound in anyway. I find that overall, the unit represents the sound of what an original big muff should sound like. Personally, I think it sounds better with humbukcers as you can drive the whole unit harder. My only complaints is that if you role of the sustain, often the treble rolls of too. Nevertheless, a lovely thick n' creamy fuzz that you never tire of.

Seems fairly solid, although it is light unit. I am a little anxious about the strength of the wiring leading to the battery

nil

When you consider that some fuzz pedals cost more and offer the same you can't go wrong with staying with re-issue. It is always nice to know it is in your arsenal if you want "that sound". I am quite happy with it.

This pedal is pretty simple to use; tone and volume are self explanatory. The sustain knob adjusts overall distortion / fuzz level. One thing that I really like that Electro-Harmonix did was to make the knobs on the thing relatively big. It's not too difficult to adjust the settings with your feet if you want to change things while you're playing, but still, the knobs offer enough resistance that you won't unintentionally bump them.

Using this with a battery might be a drag. The door has to be screwed on and unscrewed off. Luckily, it apparently doesn't use too much power, and will probably run for a while. I switched to using a power supply on my pedalboard before I had to change a battery.

I run this on my pedalboard, with a bunch of other effects. Here's the setup, if you care: guitar (Jackson KVX10 or Kramer Focus 4000) --->Korg DT-10 tuner->Big Muff Pi USA reissue->Dunlop Crybaby->Rocktron Short Timer->Rocktron Metal Planet distortion->Line 6 Delay Modeler->Boss DS-1 distortion->Ibanez FL-9 flanger----->Marshall 8240 (first generation Valvestate combo; with stereo chorus, using the clean channel).

The most notable thing about this pedal is that the sound that it gives you is very dependent on external factors, especially the type of amp you're hooking it up to. With any other pedal, you can move it from one amp to another, having not changed the settings on the pedal, and you'll hear some difference in tone, but the basic effect is the same. With this pedal, it's "fuzziness" really seems to be affected by what you have it going into. When I played it in the store (on a Mesa tube combo; clean channel) I turned it on and got a nice, ballsy distortion with a hint of fuzz. When I took it home and hooked it up to my amp at the time, a Yamaha G20-110-III, it sounded mostly fuzzy, with much less overdrive. Basically, everything bad about transistors. I tried it on a Crate combo and a Fender half-stack; same story; too much fuzz, not enough overdrive. I could just never make it sound the way I wanted it to. Initially, I thought that it was maybe because I was using solid state amps, but then I picked up my current amp (a Marshall 8240), which is solid state, and it sounds great. So there is something about the way this pedal interacts with the preamp of an amp that gives it some of its characteristics. I definitely advise you to try it with a bunch of amps, including the one you actually play through, before you pick this up. Additionally, where you place it in your chain seems to make a difference too. I have it where it is in my chain because it sounds subtly better feeding the Crybaby than any other way.

Another cool thing that I've found about this pedal is that you can use it as an extra layer of distortion to feed another distortion pedal. This is very dependent on the pedal, and most combinations sound like crap, but I can turn it on, and my Rocktron Metal Planet (basically a Boss Metal Zone copy) on, and it sounds extremely thick and delicious; bordering on the edge of out of control. It's pretty cool. However, if I do this with the Boss DS-1, it sucks. Like I said, it works great with some pedals; sounds like crap with others.

It's pretty solidly built. Sheet metal through all the way. It could and probably will get dented and bad looking, but I think it will continue to see the light of day.

I've had no reason to deal with EH, so no info here.

As I said before, I brought this home from the store, having enjoyed it at the store, and then I didn't care for it at all. Then I found the right amp, and experimented alot with the settings. Now I like it. I play punk, and music similar to the early '90's "alternative" sound, and I don't use this pedal for a whole lot of things. (The "Metal Planet" is probably my favorite.) But, there are some songs that just call for it's blend of fuzz and overdrive.

If it were stolen; I'm not sure if I'd replace it or not. I like it, but I might look at other pedals.

It's as simple as it comes. Volume for volume, quiet to loud. Tone for tone, bass to treble. Sustain for sustain, a sort of dry/wet knob, does indeed affect sustain.
On/off switch to stomp on.

Not much need for the manual, I'd had a mess about in the shop first, so managed to see what it could do.

Mine is the Big Muff Pi NYC re-issue, that's to say it's had the modifications of a power supply and a TPDT switch (see another post on this page for identifying whether yours is or not). The bypass is true, totally transparent.

Currently I have a Peavey Dynabass, EHX Big Muff, Boss OC-3 Octaver (when necessary) and EHX Black Finger compressor, going through a Carlsbro Viper 250W bass amp.
I've used most settings on this at some point, and have found them all to be good. I've used it for bassy and trebley fuzz, as well as crunchy distortion. The tone range is good on both ends and the unit holds out when the volume's up top too.
I got this after reading that many bassists use it as a punchy fuzz/distortion, and when coupled with the octaver it can really pack a punch. I play quite a bit of Muse with the band, and it can replicate the sound pretty well for songs like Dead Star and Fury.

Pretty solid, although mine does have a creak when you step on it, but that's just plastic rubbing against the metal. I treat it with care, mainly because I couldn't afford a replacement if it did go, and that the casing is thinner than Boss pedals for example. But I'm not worried about it in any way.

The electrics have never broken or anything, the pots and switch are very sturdy and well seated, and I'm only on my second battery, it's not a guzzler.

I would gig without a backup.

N/A

We play alternative rock, using the Big Muff quite often. It can cover any sound we want in the way of bass fuzz/distortion. As I said above, it can match Muse's sound well, easy seen as it's the same pedal.

I've been playing a couple of years now, but have enough experience to know a good pedal when I hear it. I would definitely replace this if it were lost, stolen or if it couldn't be repaired.
I love the appearance, with the exception that the black colour around the switch scratches easily, another reason I tap it on and off.

Overall, an excellent pedal with no glitches, great sound and build.

Very easy to use, just read other posts

its only noisy when the gain/tone is high but thats normal

bypassed - silent when off

Too fuzzy. they should call it fuzz not distortion, its much closer to fuzz. Gives a better sound than most distortion boxes, but then again, most are crap. If you want to experience a good distortion pedal, go for a RAT II, its cheaper, smaller, more reliable and better sounding.

I could not depend on it. Various things go wrong with it, i cant even be botherd to explain them.

I sold mine for a RAT, so never gigged with it, but if I did throught i'd be worried if it would go wrong on me at that moment.

thats another problem, it goes wrong at random times, i tried to get a refund but it decided to work properly that day...

its not just my unlucky pedal - go read other electroharmonix reviews and youll see.

Reliability - Did electro-harmonix forget about this?

They get back in business and make a load of reiusses. They make them sound worse, but decide to replicate the same shitty cases and design..

I couldnt be botherd to contact them directly, as i couldnt be botherd - the pedal wasnt worth it. Besides, i didnt want them to send me a new pedal so that can break down too..

Its ridiculously overpriced for what it is - if you were looking for distortion go check out a RAT, if you were looking for fuzz dont bother with this one either, go find something better valued.

Doesnt palm mute AT ALL, not even slightly - but i guess they wernet claiming that anyway...

Well, I think everyone has seen one and knows what the controls are.

This is difficult to put a quantitative figure on, but I'll try. I use this pedal with bass, as do a number of other people. I use it in a slightly unusual way, as I run the bass into the pedal, then into an Ernie Ball volume pedal, and then into an Evans analogue echo unit. I have the Big Muff set for huge subby fuzz (tone rolled almost or completely off) and then use the volume and delay for volume swells. It's brilliant for this use, as it's inconsistant. It spits and barks, and bites hard when you dig into the strings or hit the instrument. It's a linear fuzz sound, but it has glitches, which sound great for what I use it for. On the flipside, this inconsistant sound isn't so good for quick single note stuff, and the pedal barks and feeds back when you attempt to mute the strings. Also, the pedal outputs quite different levels every time I power it up. I thought that I had a faulty unit, but my replacement does exactly the same. So, I'd rate it about 5/10 - 9 for what I use it for, much lower for conventional use.

I wouldn't stake my life on the build quality, but it has yet to die on me. I have it fixed to a pedal board and am gentle on my gear though.

I asked the company recently about the new Pulsar pedal and they were prompt and helpful in their reply. I presume they'd be quite good.

As stated in the sound quality section, I like the pedal. I like its inconsistency, and it has a presence and weight I have never found in any other pedals for bass. However, I am reluctant to give it a glowing recommendation as it's pretty poorly behaved and loses a great deal of tone when you turn up the tone setting. Mine doesn't have true bypass switching either. If you want a pedal that behaves itself better and sounds a little more musical in a mix, have a try of a reissue original Rat.

Here's the review you prospective buyers have been waiting for - the one that finally answers the question "How can I tell if the Big Muff I'm looking at in the store is one of the newer models wired for true bypass switching?". See "over all rating" below.

Just look at the other reviews for the unit's qualities. Sure it's easy to use, with self-explanitory controls and great wide-range response. No problem there.

Sound quality? Hey stupid! Santanna, Korn, and MOST IMPORTANTLY JACK WHITE OF THE "WHITE STRIPES", one of today's most mind-blowing blues and alternative rock guitarists, ALL used this box. Look, Jack White played his cheap plastic Airline guitar with nothing but the Big Muff and a Digitech whammy pedal through a Fender Reverb amp to record the "Elephant" album!!! What more do you need to know???

I found mine to have heavy duty jacks, three very good quality pots, and there ain't much else inside! It draws less than 100 mili-amps, so there's nothing getting hot in there, either. Should last forever. AND THAT'S GOOD, BECAUSE THE NITWITS AT ELECTRO HARMONIX NEVER ANSWER THEIR D*MN E-MAILS !!!! I can't imagine trying to get support from these standoffish twits. Why leave your company's e-mail address on your website if you have no intention of answering your customers? Idiots.

See above.

Okay, here we go. If you are a gear head, then you know some of the fun is the research that goes into each new gear purchase. If you've researched the Big Muff Pi on the web, you've heard some things. As far as I know the USA NYC Big Muff Reissue is the latest. You also know that later models have been equipped at the factory with a 3-pole-double-throw switch, to enable true bypass switching. The older models drew a lot of complaints in reviews on this site because they rob the guitar's tone when the Muff is turned off.
So that means that we prospective buyers owe it to ourselves to buy a unit with true bypass, right? But neither the unit nor the boxes it comes in are marked to reflect the Muff's mod status, so how can you know what you're buying?
PROBLEM: NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I E-MAILED E.H., ASKING HOW I CAN TELL IF THE UNIT I'M LOOKING AT HAS TRUE BYPASS, I NEVER GOT AN ANSWER. I SUPPOSE THEY DON'T WANT THEIR RETAILERS TO GET STUCK WITH THE OLDER UNITS, CAUSE NOBODY WANTS THEM.
Well, the unit I found says Big Muff Pi made in NYC USA on it. It was on sale for a really cheap $59. So I said "I don't care. If it doesn't have true bypass, at this price I can afford to install the feature myself".
I bought the unit, and that's how I discovered how easy it is, right there in the store, to check it for the true bypass feature - here's how -
Have the sales person open the battery access panel for you (requires a number one Phillips screwdriver). Use a small flashlight to peer into the unit through the opening, so as to look at the BACK SIDE of the foot switch. The 3PDT switch which characterizes the true bypass feature is cube-shaped (rather than rectangular for the DPDT switch in the non-true bypass units), it has 9 terminals, and the switch in mine is light blue in color. The DPDT switches typically have only 6 terminals.
So there you go. Yeah, you can buy an older Muff and then buy the 3PDT switch and install it yourself, for about $15. And there are sites on the web that give general instructions on wiring. But it would be a lot easier to peek into the battery opening and check it out beforehand, no?

You can't get much easier than 3 knobs... Just do some tweaking and fine tuning until you find something you like!

Just an overall great FUZZ tone... Combine it with a little distortion from your amp or another pedal and you can get a decent crunch sound. But I do agree that the pedal, by itself, is pretty noisy. But I have a BOSS NS-2 Noise suppressor that takes care of any unwanted noise. While some report a large loss of Tone with the Big Muff... I really can't confirm. A slight loss was noted when I first plugged it in... but some EQ adjustments on the amp cleared everything right up.

I have only had it for about 3 weeks... So I can't really comment on this...

Haven't had to us it...

Great pedal to add to your line-up. If you are looking for something to give your sound an edge... Then dive right into that Big Muff!

Easiest pedal I have ever dealt with, you can find what ever sound your after with ease providing you want the sound that comes from this thing. I didnt get a manual and you dont need it. One bulky little switch button its eaither on or off unlike a ibanez 7th heaven pedal i once had that sometimes youd push on and it would turn off straight away.

Sound quality is amazing its exactly what i was looking for in a pedal. I wanted that KoRny type sound and i got it, nice low end, really rips when its up loud makes you feel dangerous. Im using this through a marshall with an ibanez rg320 and its perfect. When the pedal is on there is absolutely no hissing what so ever even if you have the amp at full. The sustain is nice and loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong, and the tone is really effective it takes it from one extreme to the other.

Of course you could depend on this, just before every gig put a brand new battery in. Not that you would need it anyway as ive had mine four 3/4 of a year now and the origional battery is fine.

Never had to get any.

I play alot of "nu-metal" and this pedal is the one for me. I plan on buying another one if i see one cheap so i can have one on a mellower sustain and the other on full or one as a booster. Though I have seen that ehx have a new pedal out the double muff which i might have to have a look into. If this were stolen i would not be a happy camper and i would definately get another one. Compared to other distortion pedals ive had (boss metal zone, boss distortion, ibanez seaventh heaven, and boss od-20) this is by far the best pedal i have ever bought. What makes this pedal even better is the fact that you dont need a power supply as batteries last so long in this thing, however if you did want to get a power supply for it you might have a hard time doing so. There is one downside with this pedal and thats the finish, it scratches very very easily. when i bought it it had a few but now all over the black finish its been scratching off. The red is fine which im happy about. Also i can see why they called this thing the big muff, it is huge! I looked inside this thing and it definately doesnt need to be as big as it is, if you are into modifying pedals this would be good for it as there is plenty of space to throw in extra cuircits. If you dont like big pedals on your pedal board i wouldnt go for this, i must admit i do wish that this was a bit smaller.

this is pretty easy to use, although it took me 2 months or so to get a PERFECT sound out of it. But the knobs are easy, volume whitch can come in handy to have, tone and sustain

this pedal is perfect for my type of music. I play in a garage rock band here in iceland(www.tadpokarnir.tk)and I play my epiphone lp special model II in my Marshall 100w amp and it sounds great. I use this one for the fuzzy rythm parts and solos, and the built in overdrive of my amp for the cleaner distortion.

This is a category that I don't really understand. People are saying that it isn?t built hard enough. Are you reylly BREAKING your pedals?! If so you're taking the name "stomp boxes" to seriosly!
But it hasn't let me down(I have never had to fix it) It's working properly.

jsut got it for christmas, never dealt with the company before

As I say, It's great for my music style, wich is like indie rock(pixies)-New wave of british heavy metal(Iron Maiden)prog rock(dream theater) and punk(sex pistols, ramones) and more such as smashing pumpkins. I couldn't be more satisfied with it, I would get another one if it would be stolen. In the future I'll probebly buy a volume pedal to go with it and than I would have the best distortion pedal on the market, tof quality

Simple as it Can get... 3 knobs - Volume, Ton and Sustain... a LED indecator and a switch.

It's a good fuzz... can dial sweet '60 - '70 tone with no problem at all. Rolling off a bit of guitar volume and it gives a cool Albert King-ish blues tone... good for old style lo-fi blues. But... it lacks a littles edge, I with it had just a bit more overtone fuzz magic... you know what I mean. I hope... Basically it's a great thingy to have but I'm tuff on compliments so it gets only an 8.

Only had for a short time... I can't tell, but my other EH pedal, a small clone, is quite reliable.

Never tried it...

Overall it's a good little box and I recommened this little box to anyones fuzz collection.

Very simple to use, needs no manual.

The best fuzz machine ever built! I use without treble, turning the all the way left the central button and all the way right the right one (sustain). Running through my Hammond valve amp it blesses my Les Paul Elite 80 with a warm, Fripp-like cimson sound, like a viola, with an infinite sustain. Other sounds are Santana-like, Hendrix-like, Clapton and Pink Floyd like. Who could ask for more?

I own 2 of them and a vintare 1970 original. Can't play fuzz without it.
Great with Gibson Les Pauls, Groovy with strats, Cool with Rickenbackers...

Never needed

Great for all rock music, seminal for blues and indispensable for pregressive.
I love other fuzz machines, like THE RAT, but Big Muff is Magic. I also have an original 1970 one, which is different because the vintage one has a preset switch with a hendrix trebleful sound (that you may obtain easily just turning the knob left) and a horrible noise that's very reduced in this reissue that, for me, sounds better than the original. Great for your money

easy...disgustingly easy....

i bought this because i wanted a fuzzy at the drive-in tone, and also to give me a nice pink floyd, santana creamy solo sound. works great for that, i'm actually surprised.

here's the thing lately when i've had my pedals set up ocassionally the volume would suddenly drop, and i can't figure out which pedalit is. i seriously doubt its the muff but i can never be sure. also the jacks where u connect the guitar are really tight and when i have to disconnect its alittle hard to take out the cable and it seems that the whole input is going to rip out plus i think one of the electrical components is dented (it wasn't me). i've had it for a month but thank God i have a 1 yr warranty. still nothing to really be worried about yet but i got to be careful. P.S IF THE PROBLEM OF WITH INPUT JACK IS NORMAL LET ME KNOW THANKS

overall, great pedal not prefectly made but not bad plus i have a warranty and my my uncle is a electrical engineer, im sure he can fix it if there are any problems.

As simple as it gets really. Volume, Tone and Sustain pots. Nothing complex. It is sometimes a b*tch to get a nice sound though.

my setup... 70's USA Stratocaster (s-s-s), other crap strat copys (harmony's, squires), Epiphone SG (h-h) > DOD FX69 grunge > Tokai TCH-01 Chorus > Marshall Shredmaster > EHX Big Muff > marshall transistor combo (pre-amp) > vox transistor combo.

I have never thought the sound was great really. I was disapointed. I play a lot of Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Smashing Pumpkins, which is where it really comes in handy.

My main distortion is the DOD FX69, because it has much more treble, and sounds so much cleaner. I only use the Big Muff when it comes to 'noise' guitar ( a la Sonic Youth ) - where i can get a very bassy high-gain sound.

i suppose i don't use it at very high levels, which is how it is supposed to be used. being in a small band it is not often i get the chance to use it at with anything more than a 65w amp.

It doesn't produce much hum, dispite it's non-true bypass... only from my cheap power supplies.

if you are a pumpkins fan you will love it. with a fender combo it sounds sweet.

i can never imagine having any problems with it. it is encased in a huge aluminium case (that cheap maplin sort of thing) but it does the job.

i have played a good few gigs with it on my pedal board, and i don't imagine it would ever break down on me.

i would gig without a backup, because i know it is the only pedal i use which is so robust, and every other pedal i have has broken when i get on stage. (isn't that always the case... they work fine for months in practace, even sound check, then you hit the stage and die! - something to do with the lighting and amount of cables in venues usually)

mine is a good few years old now, and it has rusty bits on it for some reason.

don't go out of your way to own one of these things. they are really good to have lying around though. excellent for recording, a really fun box. looks ace on the pedal board. if you find one for less than #50 get it. i don't advise paying any more for one though.

Great, classic distortion pedal. Appropriate knobs let you blend in the right amount of distortion, and to adjust the tone just right. You can literally use the entire spectrum of what they call "sustain".

I run it through a real, '57 original Strat behind a Fulltone FD2 overdrive, and on into my Fender Tremolux. It's a bit noisy I suppose, but better than I would expect for something that can go way over the top. It gets the early Clapton just right (Crossroads). Compared to the Boss and Ibanez stuff, this is much fuller and smoother. After trying the others, I plugged this on in and the decision was made.

It has one big problem - tone suck. Mine was so bad I had to fix it, which was no big deal. I bought a 3PDT foot switch and replaced the DPDT switch and presto - unadultered tone when switched off. Mine is over 1 year old, and Electro Harmonix claims they now have a "true bypass". Easy enough to test: plug it in, turn off distortion, play a fairly loud, clean chord. The unplug the unit and try it again. You'll know. Without the mod, the rating goes to 4, with it, 9.

Quality seems fine. I don't play a whole lot anymore, so it stays in the basement. Its a nice, big box, which I like. The wiring inside is not neat and tidy, but so what. It is not built like a Fulltone product, so the attention to detail is lacking.

I e-mailed them to see if they could help me figure out how to put a true-bypass switch in, and the declined to help. But they got back right away. I have had no other dealings with them. Can't really blame them for not helping with the wiring question. They are made in NYC so I say - let's support them!!!

I am not a pro, but have played for almost 40 years. I is not an overdrive, but a fuzz pedal. However, it is the smoothest one I have ever played. I also use a Fulltone FD2 in front of it, which is a nice complement. Together: watch out.... It is a fun pedal, but not really useable without a true bypass, which is a $10 fix. I can share the wiring diagram with anyone that is so daring and has a soldering iron and a 3" piece of stranded 22 gage wire.

3 simple knobs, volume, tone and dist. it's a little hard to find the sweet spot on the tone knob
I usually put it around 9 o'clock, pretty fat tone

the reason of 5 is
1st this pedal has on of the most beautiful distortion sounds ever made.
2nd this pedal KILLS my clean tone.
my setup is Ginson faded SG > big muff pi > EH polychorus > Boss DD-6 > EH small stone > marshall AVT 20. not a glorious setup but works pretty well for me. the problem is EH's perfect NOT-TRUE bypass.
all of the pedals from EH has this problem, and I knew it before I purchase all these stuff. polychorus and small stone does some tone loss but it's not that painful, but big muff's poisoning. a lot of people are complaining how bright gibson faded SG is, and that's true when I plug straight to amp. it isn't as clear as a strat but it's not muddy eigther. but when I plug through big muff, it get's seriously muffed. this is too rediculous

nothing ever happend in 3 years.

once I e-mailed to EH for a manual for polychorus nad they send it to me in PDF in 1 day
but heard tons of spooky stories how bad customer support is... not me

this pedal makes me feel like when it is in the chain, I can never play real clean tones. this is horrible, I'm not a fan of superb fender clean tone. but my gibson get's extremely muddy because of big muff. I take it out and my polychorus and small stone is still plugged; there is a slight tone loss which is fine, but not with big muff. I'm thinking of selling it and get something else which does have bypass

3 knobs: volume, tone, sustain...experiment with it to suit your taste and sound needs. This is a fuzz, not an overdrive, so it is harsher to the ears on purpose-----the EH reissue is big and silver and comes in a great big wooden box: the muff IS big (compared to a Boss-sized stomp unit)! IF using AC current, you will need to go to Radio Shack to get a male AC jack adaptor...all you Boss-heads are used to the female AC jacks---slight inconvenience, but the sound quality of the unit is worth it.

I play Telecaster style guitars through a Reverend Hellhound amp. My Boss Blues driver is my OD that gives the twangy and bluesy solos a boost. The BIG MUFF is used when it's time to get nassssty. It can get Jeff Beck's "Heart Full of Soul, Hendrix's "I Don't Live Today" or "Foxy Lady," Cream's "White Room," Ernie Isley's "Who's That Lady?" or "Take me to the Next Phase," or Ike Turner's "Nutbush City Limits." It IS noisy, but that's what's gonna happen with a single-coil guitar and an amp thats loud. I just move around until I the hum goes away, naturally...I believe it's called "60 cycle hum" or something like that...I'm no tech, but again, if you dig fuzz, this is is something that comes with the territory...the sound is worth it!

Yes, it is dependable, however, I always take 9-volt batteries jUST IN CASE

no dealings, as of this date

I know a lot of alternative rockers love this pedal, and I don't know about that, but this old guy can tell you that: if you want to nail English psychedelia and blooze rock tones, as well as Hendrix and fuzzed-madness from underrated American Black guitar slingers of the 70's, the Big Muff is for you. PS---when used with a bass, it sounds just like Larry Graham on "Dance to the Music," or "The Jam."

Very easy to use. 3 knobs: vol, tone and sustain. Just simple like that. The key is to experiment with the tone and sustain, then you will find your sound. Only one page is the manual, that's enough 4 u.

I like to put the sustain knob all the way up (\) and the tone at 0100 hs (/), and the vol is upto you. With this setup you will have
an amazing fuzz distortion with a lot of body. This pedal its a little bit noisy, just a little bit. This pedal always sound great. I am using this with a Sovtek 50mid tube midget with a marshall. I can get the sound of sonic youth, perfect!!.

I can depend on it, but you have to treat him with care, it doesn't look like the boss pedal in this regards. but.. wait.. of course that this kind of pedals are so different fm boss pedals, because they are full analog pedals, and thats why you have to take care of them!

i send a question on monday and they replyed on tuesday. Very kind
attention.

I play all indie rock, and this pedal its a MUST for that.
I started 7 years ago, when i was 16. I use it with a rickenbacker 620 and with a wah wah. that's all. What i love about this pedal its the body of the tone, and of course the sustain, amazing. Nothing to hate, even very good looking, if matters.
For me this the fuzz, there's no other.
Good relation price = quality also

Real Easy. 3 knobs, on/off switch, input/output.

I usually play through the pedal with my '57 reissue strat with a peavy duel two twelve. The distortion destroys, it's the hugest sound i've ever heard. Playing lead through this is hot and creamy with lots of sustain. If you want a palm muting sound though, don't bother with this one.

It's worked for me live and in the studio.

I play electric lullabyes and heavy metal sludge.

Simple to use. 3 knobs (volume, sustain, tone) and an in and out.

Pretty decent selection of distortions.

This is where EH needs to spend more time. After opening up the wooden box my pedal was packed in, I immediately noticed that both nylon nuts that are supposed to be screwed onto the in and out connectors (to keep them from slipping back inside the metal casing) were in pieces, rattling around inside the casing. I'm pretty sure the electronics board inside is still hooked up properly, but with all that loose shit rattling around inside, I'm not 100% on that. You'd think that with such a tough, metal case, they'd be using real washers and nuts as opposed to plastic. Extremely disappointing.

I emailed EC to see about getting new parts to fix. Only been a few hours so hopefully I'll hear from them soon and get this problem cleared up.

this is one easy ass pedal. three knobs. volume (well duh!), tone, (goes from bassy fat sound to thin, trebbly sound) and sustain (how much fuzz basically).

This is ace for fuzz. u can instantly dial in a tone that sounds good. true by-pass means no noise when not active and when u kick her in, when not playing, she still stays silent as any pedal could be.

easy to get a smashing pumpkins sound from it. but it really shines as a lead pedal. the sustain is awesome and when used with my crybaby its the most heavenly sound ever.

only thing about this pedal is if u do a lot of damping(palm muting) this pedal will sound bollox. the sound is too muddy so u can only really use this for lead work or normal chord work. open chords also arent best played on this thing.

never let me down and iv giged with it. doesn't look as solidly built as my other pedals but iv stamped on her face and she shouts right back at me. i dont gig without another distortion as this doesnt fulfil all the sound spec i require but id b happy to go without a backup

never dealt with 'em

great pedal overall. fantastic sounding fuzz with pluses and minuses. e.g cant palm mute, but fantastic for lead etc. u read the review. if it were lost or stolen, i prob wouldnt b in a rush to replace this as i dont really use it enough to justify how much i spent on it, (now anywawy) but eventually id prob acquire another.

It's really easy. Only three simple knobs, Volume, Tone and Sustain. Although it takes a little time to make the sound perfect, it's really simple. Just take a little time.

My setup is = Paul Reed Smith CE 24 guitar - Boss OS-2 - EHX Big Muff PI - Boss TU-2 Stage Tuner - EHX Small Clone Chorus - Boss BF-2 Flanger - Boss DD-3 Digital Delay - Fender Twin Reverb '65 reissue amp. With the Big Muff PI I can get from the fattest distortion ever imaginable to a human being to a warm gentle 70's nice distortion. With my setting on the Muff (Volume 9, Tone 6 and Sustain 7) I get the Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream sound, which is in my opinion the best sound I can imagine. It's great. Couldn't imagine it any better. So thick and powerful and loud but yet gentle and charming.

The reliability is really good. I've owned my Big Muff for two years and had no problems with it what so ever. It doesn't look to be as strong and hard built as for example Boss pedals, but it still works like a new one for me. I would definateally use it without a backup if I had to.

Well I haven't dealt with Electro Harmonix directly, but the music shop here in Iceland that sells EHX has the best service of any music shop here in Iceland...

I play music that could probably be best descripe as the blend between The Smashing Pumpkins and The Sonic Youth. 90's indie, garage, alternative pop/rock. I also jam with my friends all kind's of music, like punk rock, post rock, funk, jazz and whatever. If my Big Muff would be stolen or I would lose I think I would definateally replace it with a new one. I love my Big Muff. My favorite effect. I have tried many distortion effects and I think this is the best one I've ever tried. The other guitarist in my band has a russian big muff who is really good too, but not just as good. But the Big Muff does not work for my in every song so sometimes I use my Boss OS-2 who has a little rawer, noisier sound, but not as thick, distorted and powerful as the big muff. The only thing I could say that would not be a plus for the product would be that it isn't the most versatile effect I have tried. But other than that I think it's great.

Easy, 3 knobs.

I use it by itself with a Gibson LP gothic or Ibanez Rg570 into a Marshall practice amp. (I bought it while I was saving up for some pedals but then in the end I bought a Gt 6.I still have the Big Muff though.)
I mainly use the Big Muff for solo. I love that long sustain. I don't like the sound much on the low end (lower frets) and that's why I don't use it much for rhythm. It sounds great as a lead pedal.

Haven't gigged with it since I have bene using my Gt 6 a lot more than stompboxes.
The battery "place" at the back of the pedal needed to be unscrew to open, which can be a bit annoying sometimes since I don't have screwdrivers lying around the house. The screw also wasn't properly screwed in so my friend's dad drilled a slightly bigger hole and put a better screw in. It's fine now.

I play mainly rock and neo-classical, ocassionally some jazz, funk and blues.
I didn't compare it with anything else because I fell in love with the sound after I heard it on a recording. It's so distinctive.
I've heard mine for almost 2 years and it has rusted on the edge. :( There's also a lot of scratches on it. (not that it relaly matters though.)
I also found it a bit annoying how I can power it with one power supply with daisy chain with "Boss-like" pedals. The power is different.
Other then that, great sounding pedal for lead.

Volume, Tone, Sustain (ie Gain). That'll do.

I know all guitarists love disclosing their rig (I do) so my setup is Gibson SG Standard -> Boss OD-3 OverDrive -> MXR Distortion + -> 7-Band EQ (Dano) -> Big Muff -> Marshall ValveState VS8200 -> 1960a cab.

I must admit I went from using a Boss GT-3 in the effects return of the Marshall back to good old stompboxes so playing all-analogue again was a bit of a shock. The most fun I had at the gig where I first used this setup was using the Big Muff for a solo boost, with all the pedals on at once the tone was right where I wanted it.

To be fair to the Big Muff, it IS big - makes all my other pedals seem like christmas cracker toys. To be honest, this pedal achieves it's incredible sustain by compressing the hell out of your tone. But that's fine because in my pre-Muff days I used to use a level booster and compressor to get the solo sound, and this does it with one click.

The Big Muff is a one-trick pony. Turn the gain all the way down for an MXR-esque distortion with compression (sounds good) but crank it to 12 o'clock or so and then it's fuzzy charms will jump right out at you. That's one trick - but it's the exact trick I was looking for. As with most gain pedals, works best with a half-decent stack. It's the mark of a good pedal that means it makes most anything sound good.

On the one I have the battery rattles around inside - always a bit of a worry. No cause for concern yet, but I haven't had it long enough to rate this catagory.

I play heavy-metal, rock, pop. Major influences on tone are Angus Young, Tony Iommi, Josh Homme, Pete Townshend and the Catherine Wheel. This pedal does what I want it to do and it does it with style. I've compared it to enough classic stomps to know it's got a permanent place in my rig no matter what, along with the Distortion +.

And of course, there is the small case of being able to say "I've got a Big Muff" - a bit high school humour I know :-)

easy to use, three knobs. one volume, one sustain(fuzz) and of course tone. takes a little dialing to get a good sound. remember, i have seen other reviews about it being unresponsive and just plain fuzzy. this is horsecrap. first off you have to plug this into a tube amp, of of course its not gonna sound good. also you have to learn to use your guitars volume knob.

ok, ill expand on the above. the sound quality on these is for the most part good. the russian models, which are green are terrible, its the orignals and these silver or NYC models which are the best. make sure you test it out first though. it is noisy, but only when on, its a fuzz, come on. it depends alot of the kind of amp and the volume of the amp for you to be able to dial in a nice sound. i usually run this through a traynor yb-1, which is like a 65 reverb. or a sovtek or a bassman. always crank the amp! with the volume and the tubes rippin you need to adjust the muff alot to get just the right sound. doesnt sound like a 60's fuzz face, but then again we all dont have 400 bucks to blow on a pedal.

ive had two switches go on the russian versions of these i have had. i would use it on a gig without a backup. theres realy not much involved that could go wrong.

asked EH once for the schems on a 67 phaser pedal and it was at my house in two days for free. they work real quick and real good.

playing a progressive, blue rock. good match for when i need to get above the rest for a nice wild solo. been playing 7 years. 73 telecaster deluxe, into a vox then a sd-1, into the bassman.sovtek or traynor. i dont know if i would get another for some reason i just keep buying them though. i love the fact that it is raw completely uncheck fuzz, but i hate the amount of time it takes to dial something in. but it rips when you do. definatly better than any fuzz but a fuzz face.

Ppedal itself is easy to use, 3 knobs: volume, tone, sustain (gain)
but the hard thing about this pedal is to use the effect. Yyou should play carefully through big muff, or your sound really gets muffed.

I?m using an Ibanez S 7420 and although this isn?t a wonderful guitar, big muff makes the sound so big and glorious. Pi has so many tones, from vintage fuzz to weird noises. Sometimes I use it, as it's not a distortion and have a wide variety of sounds too. It has so many things to discover in it!
It?s sound is very characteristic, you can't play whatever you want
Just like all the distortion pedals this one has this noise but to comparison of the others big muff is very quiet.

It?s been 3 years that I own this pedal and never had any, ANY problems. The construction is pretty solid. I would go even for a tour without backup. Battery life is surprisingly long too. Just changed last year.

I don't think I will ever need them.

This is a fantastic product; it goes back to `70's. Had many different colors but the same BIG sound. If mine was broken or something I would replace it with a new one.
I'm basically playing nu metal and experimental stuff and this pedal suits me in many ways, it has a signature sound and I can't play a lot of things without it. This is one of the non-expensive analog distortion pedals and can't be compared to meaningless digital distortions.

The muff is a dangerous tool... it is so blunt and harsh that it will knock the socks off anyone who isn't prepared for it. Volume, Tone and sutain are the controls, no number increments to give you actual figures for how much sustain etc, but turn the knob and you know what happens. As for finding 'that sound' it may be difficult to find, if u are after something speciific I would suggest a try before you buy. When it comes down to it the muff will sound different on different kit, the amount of sustain varies upon the wood in your guitar and the size and nature of your amp, so be warned. Nice clunky footswicth easy to use.

With the muff I am using a Burns marquee club into a Marshall valvestate vs230 (60 watts) and the sound of the muff on a clean setting is nice and fuzzy, the sustain and warmth of the fuzz is better on an all valve amp, so beware poorer sustain on solidstates. Other distortion/fuzz/od pedals need to be well swithed off or u get an unpleasent horrid fizzle. Works good with a nice slow chorus or delay and as stndard with a bit of reverb. Can get the hendrix sound if u crank it up, try matching the volume of your amp with the pedal so the impact of the fuzz isn't so pronounced. Solid body guitars provide better sustain with the muff and bass tone also shows a darker side :)

Dependable, sturdy and simple. Good for hendrix, good for me. The unit is solid and easy to replace a battery, keep ,one handy though as always and make sure you keep the thing secure as it has no major rubber on the bottom to keep it stuck to the floor like most boss type pedals have.

not dealt with.

I play in a band who are heavily influenced by classic rock and some modern indie/rock stuff, the muff is great for getting the classic over the top fuzz butis very distinctive, so using it on too many songs can be a boring sign of a lame guitarist. been playing for about 3 years, play a lot of acoustic and electric stuff, like it warm and overdriven a lot of the time with clean and fuzzy breaks.
It can be hard to get a great sound out of the muff on smaller set ups, but if are lucky enough to own a good solid bodied guitar and a amp with a lot of power, good sized speakers and preferably a nice valve tone then the muff can sound gorgeous. prepare for a battle though if u have a more limited setup.

although it doesnt impact the sound, the thing looks good! but above all i urge you to try it first, see if it is for you and if so get fuzzing, if not then something like an overdrive or distortion pedal might do the job, boss od or ds or os models, i also use a marshall jackhammer which covers all the bases for dist/od.

happy muffing (no pun if an englishman, hehe)

There are so many great sounds in this pedal, but it comes with no presets like most other pedals I've bought in the past. This is definitely because depending on what sort of guitar and amp you have, the same settings on the pedal may sound completely different. It's all about taking a few minutes to find your sound, and once you find it, you're in love. 3 simple knobs, volume, sustain, and tone.

I am playing through a Marshall Valvestate AVT2000, 50W. I play a standard Fender Telecaster, which i use mostly for solos, and an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, which i use for rythyms. This pedal is very noisy, and if you're looking to play polished, standard rock music this is definitely not the sound you're looking for. Avoid mixing with other effects though, this sound dominates.

The thing is a tank. I haven't gigged with it yet but I see no problems, besides keep a 9 V battery handy unless you have an adapter.

Comes with a one year warranty, but I haven't had mine too long so i don't know.

I'm personally influenced by bands like Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins,early-Pink Floyd, Radiohead, etc.. and I can achieve my favorite tones with the Muff. I've been playing about 2 years, and I've never heard anything like this. Mind you, this pedal is not versatile. If you want a dirty, fuzzy, nihilistic tone then get to your favorite music store and buy it now. If not, go buy a Boss, or an Ibanez, or something equally lame. This pedal makes me want to play my guitar more; if it was stolen I'd buy a new one.

VERY SIMPLE TO USE - VOLUME, TONE AND SUSTAIN (WHICH INCREASES THE GAIN)

I PLAY AN IBANEZ SG INTO THE BIG MUFF, AND IBANEZ ANALOG DELAY, A DANELECTRO TREMOLO AND INTO A VERY OLD AND UNDERMAINTAINED LANEY 100 WATT VALVE AMP. THIS PEDAL IS QUITE NOISY, BUT THEN SO IS THE STUFF I PLAY. SOUNDS COOL WITH OTHER PEDALS, SPECIALLY THE DELAY. IT'S THE HEAVIEST FUZZ OUT THERE - PERIOD -AND AS SUCH, I THINK IT'S THE BEST. TURNS REGULAR CHORDS INTO SLABS OF BUZZED OUT NOISE. TRY PLAYING SOME SABBATH/ MELVINS WITH THIS!!

NEVER LET ME DOWN YET, AND IT'S A VETERAN OF THE SLIMEY GIG!

I PLAY SLOW HEAVY GRINDING ROCK (LIKE MELVINS/ NEUROSIS/ SABBATH) AND THIS BABY IS THE ONE FOR ME. SIMPLY DOESNT SOUND LIKE ANYTHING ELSE. REALLY ADDS TO MY GUITAR TONE, AND CAN BE VERY MUSICAL. THE SUSTAIN IS UNIQUE SOUNDING, VERY SWEET AND TONE-FUL. AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR ANYONE WITH MORE THAN A PASSING INTEREST IN ALL THINGS HEAVY!!!

It's really easy to get good sound out of it. There's only 3 knobs. Just plug in and play.

I use it with a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Marshall 30w combo. It sounds great. I was actually really surprised at the range of tone I can get with 3 knobs, from warm to harsh/heavy sound.
I like the sound of it on higher frets. I use it mostly for lead, not as much for rhythm.

It's solid. You can probably tell just by trying it out in the shop. I haven't used it in a gig yet since I usually play "softer" stuff in gigs.

I play everything from heavy rock to jazz. Obviously I don't use this for jazz. I've been playing for 3 years and I owned an Ibanez ts 7 and gt 6.
I didn't compare it with any other pedals because I just like the distinctive sound of Big Muff.
I guess I'm being fussy but I wish i can use the same power supply for Boss pedals for this. I can't power this and my ts 7 with the same adaptor using a daisy chain because they have different plugs (there's probably something more that are different about the power supply but I don't know much about it except the obvious.)

Three Knobs and a switch. couldn't be simpler.

I use a downtuned Ibanez Iceman (sort of. It looks a little different from the original) re-issue through a 50 watt 'Miles Platting' vintage amp + a trusty 4 by 12 cab.

I play Doom and Stoner stuff mainly, so this box should be ideal. Its got that classic fat fuzz tone & more sustain than anyone could actually use. The big problem I have is that I get a really noticeable drop in volume when I switch it on, even when its cranked full. Yes a DROP in volume. I also own a beat up old 80s looking Aria pedal with pink writing & controls. The joke is that this gay looking thing kicks the Big Muffs ass on volume and bite.. The only way I can sort this problem is to turn the tone fully to the left and decend into the Muffs pit of muddy sludge. Its a real shame cos otherwise its got a perfect lead tone.

If anyone else has the same trouble or knows how to fix the problem please contact me at chumpsteak@lycos.co.uk

Seems pretty reliable. I have to pair it up with another distortion to get the neccessary volume lift at gigs though. I use a Nobels Bass distortion as backup cos we all know that anything can go wrong at a gig, no matter how reliable.

Dunno yet. The website aint too helpful. Mine could be faulty (what with the volume trouble which no-one else seems to have) so I may try to get it replaced. S'pose I'll find out soon

Im a doomy boy and I love this pedal despite its problems. Its great with other boxes, especially Wah Wah. The sound is very specific and will dominate your sound whatever setup you use.

simple - three controls. keep that tone knob down for maximum heavy fuzz though. really - 5 mins will sort it out.

compared to my russian bigmuff this pedal is a dream. i'd given up on them til i tried my bassists reisuue and was blown away. i play this with an sg and an ancient 50 watter tube head/ 4x12. it's a great pedal, very thick heavy sabbthy fuzz. suits stoner rock perfectly. it's much smoother than the russian one, and hold it together at top volume (whereas the russain just turned to mush). a classic!!

yeah. not as heavy as boss/ rat construction, but it takes a beating ok.

overall, along with my rat it's my favoutite pedal. very thick fuzz which suits heavy rock perfectly. think fu manchu/ black flaG/ blue cheer. it's just great,for riffs and especially for solos. sustains for ever! i'd say the rat is slightly more focussed which makes it better to take on the road (who knows what each dingy gig will sound like), but for all out fuzz attack, it cant be beat!

Plug it in, turn it on...only sore spot is the battery door is secured with a phillips head screw.

I'm using this with some Teles and Strats through Vox and Fender solid state and hybrid amps.

This thing is not really all that noisy, unless paired with another distortion pedal.

The first thing I thought when I turned it on a played a few riffs was L7's "Pretend We're Dead". I don't know if they used this pedal or not, but it nailed the tone exactly right out of the box. Other reviewers were not kidding when they talked about the 3-D character of this pedal....it is one of the thickest and fattest pedals I've ever heard. There are time when it sounds like there's a bass guitar playing right a long with me it's so thick, and this is on a relatively bright rig. Unreal.

Others have summed it up as kind of a one trick pony as well. It is definitely not a versatile pedal, ut what it does is simply unmatched by any other pedal I've heard. The sustain control, except in the lower ranges, doesn't add much of anything noticeable at first glance, but it definitely increases sustain and seems to add some more subtle harmonic richness.

This thing does not play well with other pedals...it basically takes over. Pairing it with a DS-1 boss add a little more bite to it, but the Muff is definitely in charge (And you know what, that's quite alright sometimes :)

Compared to my black russian big muff, this one is a lot smoother and refined. There's definitely more sustain to be had, and it feels better and thicker when playing single note lines. It beats the russian one hands down in my opinion.

I was really impressed with this. This thing feels completely solid. The knobs and jacks feel like they are welded on, and everything generally feels very high quality (smooth pot sweeps, good solid clicks when pluggin cables). The russian one definitely feels cheaper in comparison. My only qualm is the hollow click that resonates through the chassis when the switch is engaged. Not really an indication of being cheap or anything, just accentuates the "sheet metalnees" of the build.

I play classic/garage/modern rock and love shoegaze and blues. I favor overdrive sounds mostly, but was definitely looking for something a little trashy and fuzzy and this has filled the bill admirably. Paired with a DS-1 as kind of a boost, this thing flat out rocks. It does seem to have a bit of a "randomness" facotr, as ever once in a while some strange sound will briefly emerge from it, but that's alright, I dig that. A mjst for everyones rig.

3 knobs and an on/off switch... doesnt get much easier

Standard Fender Fat strat (2 gold lace sensors and a Seymour Duncan JB) > Boss CS-3 > Vox Wah > Ts9DX Tubescreamer > Big Muff > Princeton 65. The sound cant be beat running the muff directly after the TS9, much more versatile sound. Palm mutes are non existant w/o the TS9 on.

Only had it for a couple days.

N/A

I play a little bit of everything, but this pedal is phenomenal for rock/blues. for the price, this thing is great. just go on the internet, find the best deal and guitar center will beat it. Only down side is the EH adapter because you cant daisy chain it to standard pedals, but one trip to radio shack and a little soldering can easily fix that and save you some cash money.

Can't get any easier!

This is the tricky part! I have heard about eight of these pedals and owned about six. Every single one that I have owned has sounded diffrent! You have to buy about six to find the one that sounds the best and you still may never find it. Once you find you that sounds good, keep it in a safe place! That is the reason why some people here may say it sounds bad because they got one of the crappy ones. This goes the same with a pedal like the Fuzz Face. Keep trying them until you find that one that fits you. The old ones were made from whatever the cheapest parts were laying around. Taht is why they are all diffrent.

These pedal are very fragel. Be careful.

sucks!

Best Fuzz pedal ever maid!

No need for a manual , very easy to get an fantastic sound out of it . The sustain knob is everything .

WOW ! I mean WOW !!!! Could get that Santana sound in seconds !!! It is a bit noisy , but this contributes to the dirtyness , good . Am using a Telecaster Deluxe Nashville through a Peavey Classical Chorus 212 with some reverb ... Avoid using too many other effects with the Muff , it produces something with enough personality , even when used alone . Some delay adds to the already PHENOMENAL sustain it is gifted with .

I don't play gigs , and am very gentle with pedals , so I couldn't tell how sturdy this is . But it seems pretty well made and tough ...

Never had to deal with them .

This is my favorite distortion pedal ( although it doesn't qualify as so in the ears of purists , but rather as a fuzz ) . I have almost only positive comments to make about this thing , I just would like it to be a little smaller in size ( O.K. , granted , it is the BIG muff , yet ... ) since I opened the box and noticed that the actual electronics only occupied a rather small part of the whole cumbersome thing ... The sound of this thing is absolutely marvelous , given of course that you spend some time refinig your settings ... I can very easily get Santana or Mogwai sounds . If it would get stolen , I would get another one very fast . I chose this pedal after trying everything from Proco RAT to Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion , and MXR Distortion Plus . I kept the three pedals , but the only one that will give the Santana sound I was looking for is the Muff .