Tell me about Big Muffs

theatreanchor

merlin said:

Has anyone had experience with a Fig Fumb?

Never understood the hype around them tbh. 

Jonathanthomas83

theatreanchor said:

merlin said:

Has anyone had experience with a Fig Fumb?

Never understood the hype around them tbh. 

Is that based on you having played one? Care to share more about your experience?

LionAquaLooper

Seems like the most popular use for a BM is grunge, stoner rock, shoegaze, doom metal - but I keep seeing "Gilmour" being mentioned in BM convos.  I'm not a Pink Floyd or Gilmour fan, so I didn't even realise he used a Big Muff. That's quite different to the genres I just mentioned.  So the Big Muff seems to be more versatile than I thought.  But listening to Gilmour's solos and the youtube guys who have apparently nailed his tone - seems like you can get that core tone using OD or distortion pedals?  (Gilmour fans - feel free to call me a heathen)    What is it about the Big Muff that someone like Gilmour would go that direction?  The sustain? 

Kurtis

LionAquaLooper said:

Seems like the most popular use for a BM is grunge, stoner rock, shoegaze, doom metal - but I keep seeing "Gilmour" being mentioned in BM convos.  I'm not a Pink Floyd or Gilmour fan, so I didn't even realise he used a Big Muff. That's quite different to the genres I just mentioned.  So the Big Muff seems to be more versatile than I thought.  But listening to Gilmour's solos and the youtube guys who have apparently nailed his tone - seems like you can get that core tone using OD or distortion pedals?  (Gilmour fans - feel free to call me a heathen)    What is it about the Big Muff that someone like Gilmour would go that direction?  The sustain? 

Yeah, I'd say the thick, almost infinite, sustain is a big part of it. 

fretmeister

LionAquaLooper said:

Seems like the most popular use for a BM is grunge, stoner rock, shoegaze, doom metal - but I keep seeing "Gilmour" being mentioned in BM convos.  I'm not a Pink Floyd or Gilmour fan, so I didn't even realise he used a Big Muff. That's quite different to the genres I just mentioned.  So the Big Muff seems to be more versatile than I thought.  But listening to Gilmour's solos and the youtube guys who have apparently nailed his tone - seems like you can get that core tone using OD or distortion pedals?  (Gilmour fans - feel free to call me a heathen)    What is it about the Big Muff that someone like Gilmour would go that direction?  The sustain? 

It's the sustain so he's got a few seconds to remember one of the 3 licks he's got.

GoFish

AFAIK, Gilmour used it as a soloist's friend, to get the whole Liquid Leads type Big Sustain.

 In the 80s this was taken further by the likes of J Mascis and Mudhoney to produce  a more crushing Wall Of Sound thing.

In the 90s, Billy Corgan multitracked a fuckton of em and turned the tone down for a distinctive timbre. Cobain allegedly used one on "Lithium".

They were in the zeitgeist for a while after, being taken on by Noise acts as well as being a big part of Stoner / Doom. Jack White used an NYC muff for some fat single note lines, kind of taking it back to Gilmour (ish).

All through this time, Muffs went through different iterations, the earlier ones sounding more like Jumbo Tonebenders, the later ones more like muddy Foxx Tone Machines. This is a very rough description. Violet Rams Head is probably the most widely liked. Triangle is sharper, ICBM is kind of rounder, Civil War and Russians are slightly mellower. There was gret variability between units before the NYC model.

This is as concise a history as I can give.

Jonathanthomas83

GoFish said:

AFAIK, Gilmour used it as a soloist's friend, to get the whole Liquid Leads type Big Sustain.

 In the 80s this was taken further by the likes of J Mascis and Mudhoney to produce  a more crushing Wall Of Sound thing.

In the 90s, Billy Corgan multitracked a fuckton of em and turned the tone down for a distinctive timbre. Cobain allegedly used one on "Lithium".

They were in the zeitgeist for a while after, being taken on by Noise acts as well as being a big part of Stoner / Doom. Jack White used an NYC muff for some fat single note lines, kind of taking it back to Gilmour (ish).

All through this time, Muffs went through different iterations, the earlier ones sounding more like Jumbo Tonebenders, the later ones more like muddy Foxx Tone Machines. This is a very rough description. Violet Rams Head is probably the most widely liked. Triangle is sharper, ICBM is kind of rounder, Civil War and Russians are slightly mellower. There was gret variability between units before the NYC model.

This is as concise a history as I can give.

I love how you did all that without saying one variant is worse/more pointless than another. Great post and level headed for a change.

GoFish

 

distressed

Roar starts with the chorus

matt_sefton

My first ever “pedal” in the late 70’s was a Electro Harmonix muff fuzz, the little box with one knob and a switch. It came with a solid jack to jack connector that I stuck into the pedal and straight into the guitar because I didn’t know any better. I remember it sounding amazing through my 5 watt practice amp that I’d stuck a Marshall sticker on for street cred. I decided to take it to bits for some reason (as you do when you’re 13) and couldn’t figure out how to put it back together so it sat in a box for years. Sadly I’ve no idea where it is now. Would love to get another just for nostalgia but they seem very pricey these days. I have a green russian version on my board specifically for, as has been mentioned, massiveness.

longshins

I’ve found the triangle one sounds best being driven or going into a driven amp. I had an original big box IC and in all honesty it wasn’t that great really.

PhilKing

Juansolo put this together with some of his clones.  They do sound like the originals, so it will give you a flavour of the sounds.

NelsonP

No other way to get this tone....

bassbora

How does the Jam Pedal Red Muck compare? Is it any good?

LionAquaLooper

Anybody here use the EHX Op Amp reissue?  What are your guys take on it?  Seems like Corgan was solely responsible for it becoming popular again in the 90s.  Talk about impact.

Gassage

bassbora said:

How does the Jam Pedal Red Muck compare? Is it any good?

It's supposed to be a Civil War clone.

It is, IMHO, absolutely horrendous- toneless, flat and not at all inspiring.#

When I had that Pink Flow for a bit I backed to backed it with my original Civil War and it wasn't even in same ball park- I'd go as far as to say crushingly bad. It was the reason I didn't keep the Pink Flow.

Avoid at all costs.

If you want something boutique at not too much, Skreddy P19 is awesome.

Would add- re Sovtek muffs, the secret is in the tone tunnelling. There's a setting on the tone control (literally below 0 on the knob) that disables the tone stack and that's where the real magic is. 

Rkphilpot

I've inadvertently become a big muff collector because I just love them. They're pretty versatile if you get a good one. Frederic FX, look there.

GavRichList

Ram's Head Big Muff into POG is a monstrous thing, and a sound I will never tire of.

On my signal, UNLEASH HELL! 

thecolourbox

GavRichList said:

Ram's Head Big Muff into POG is a monstrous thing, and a sound I will never tire of.

On my signal, UNLEASH HELL! 

Indeed!

LionAquaLooper

Works very well for a bass-less band like White Stripes.  Sounds nice and thick.