Big Muff
Encyclopedia
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by the Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix
Electro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
company, along with their Russian sister company Sovtek
Sovtek
Sovtek is a brand of vacuum tube owned by Mike Matthews's New Sensor Corporation and manufactured in Saratov, Russia. They are often used in guitar amplification and include the popular variants of the 12AX7, EL84, EL34, and 6L6 models...
, primarily for use with the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. It is used by bassists as well due to the Big Muff's low end frequency response.
History
The following is a direct quote from Mike Matthews, Electro-Harmonix founder and president:An earlier Electro-Harmonix pedal, the Axis Fuzz, was also manufactured for the Guild guitar company as the Foxey Lady and used a similar chassis as the early Big Muffs but had a simpler two-transistor circuit. With the introduction of the Big Muff the Axis was discontinued and the Foxey Lady pedal became a rebranded Big Muff. It was available at least until the mid '70s.
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
and Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
were some of first famous users of the pedal. David Gilmour famously used the Big Muff on the Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
albums Animals and The Wall
The Wall
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
and most recently on his 2006 On An Island
On an Island
On an Island is the third solo album by David Gilmour, best known as vocalist and lead guitarist for Pink Floyd. It was released in the UK on 6 March 2006, Gilmour's 60th birthday, and in the United States the following day. It was Gilmour's first new solo album in 22 years...
tour. Other artists who used the Big Muff during the 1970s include Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, and Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose, is an Amercian rock guitarist who has headed his own bands as well as performing with a variety of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Edgar...
. Even after the Electro-Harmonix company was forced out of business in 1982, the pedal remained in such demand that clones of the Big Muff were made by both competing corporations and independent pedal builders, and demand for "vintage Big Muffs" rose. Unsurprisingly, when Matthews restarted Electro-Harmonix in the 1990s, the Big Muff was one of the first pedals he reintroduced to the market.
The "sustained grind" of the Big Muff was later an integral part of the sound of many alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bands through the 1980s and 1990s, being used extensively by The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
, Dinosaur Jr., and Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
. In fact, the band Mudhoney loved the pedal so much that they named an EP after it, Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff is the debut EP by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released in October 1988 through record label Sub Pop. The songs later appeared on their 1990 compilation album Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles...
. While not a big fan of the pedal, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
frontman Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
insisted upon recording the Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
album song Lithium as a clean recording with bursts of fuzz with a Big Muff Pi. Singer-songwriter John Martyn also paid tribute to the pedal by naming a song after it. Robert Sledge
Robert Sledge
Robert Sledge is an American musician, best known for his work with Ben Folds Five.-Biography:Robert Sledge began playing bass guitar at the age of eleven. His brother was playing guitar at his house so he also learned how to play the guitar at the same time...
, Bassist of the since disbanded group Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds , Robert Sledge , and Darren Jessee . The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes...
, used the pedal during recorded and live performances. Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
of the White Stripes has also made the Big Muff an integral part of his garage rock sound. Chris Ross
Chris Ross
Chris Ross is an Australian musician from Erskineville, New South Wales. Best known for his former role as bassist and keyboardist of hard rock band Wolfmother, Ross was formerly a digital designer and has two children...
, the bassist of Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
uses the New York version of the Big Muff. The pedal has also been used in stoner rock
Stoner rock
Stoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, combining elements of psychedelic rock, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production...
. Chris Martin of the Seattle band Kinski
Kinski (band)
Kinski is a rock band from Seattle, Washington, in the United States. They formed in 1998 in a pub, when bartender and drummer Dave Weeks overheard a conversation between two customers, Chris Martin and Lucy Atkinson about analog recording. Weeks joined the discussion, and they found they also...
, Lee Ranaldo
Lee Ranaldo
Lee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
and Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
of Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
all use the Sovtek
Sovtek
Sovtek is a brand of vacuum tube owned by Mike Matthews's New Sensor Corporation and manufactured in Saratov, Russia. They are often used in guitar amplification and include the popular variants of the 12AX7, EL84, EL34, and 6L6 models...
version of the Big Muff . The Big Muff remains a favorite among guitarists and bassists for its distinctive sound.
Aside from the Big Muff, Electro-Harmonix have made what could possibly be called "derivatives"and "new iterations" of the Big Muff, such as the Metal Muff, which has a 3-band EQ and is a distortion; the Little Big Muff, a smaller variation of the current NYC model, the Deluxe Big Muff, the 77/78 op-amp Big Muff, designed by Howard Davis, which uses IC's to create the Fuzz whereas all others, except the Deluxe Big Muff, use transistors. There also exists a customized limited edition Big Muff, called the Mogwai Big Muff. This pedal was designed for the Scottish band Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
, and has a slightly more extreme sound. Electro-Harmonix produced only one hundred Mogwai Big Muff pedals.
Two pedals which are often mistaken for Big Muff variations are the Double Muff, where two Muff Fuzz (the predecessor of the Big Muff) circuits are placed into one housing and can be cascaded, and the English Muff'n, a tube-based distortion/pre-amp pedal, which is aimed at getting a Marshall type sound.
Technology of the Big Muff
Most versions of the Big Muff use four transistorTransistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
stages. The first stage is a clean boost which drives the next two clipping stages which create the distortion. The final stage is a tone recovery stage which recovers volume loss as the tone stack in the big muff is passive and the pedal loses some volume because of this. For a short time in the late-70s the Big Muff used op-amps, which at the time were not as highly regarded as the discrete transistor versions. However, the op-amp (or IC) Big Muffs have lately seen a revival among collectors and players alike. The IC (op-amp) Big Muff has a slight variation in sound to the transistor version, it is not as scooped and seems to cut through more in a band situation which is desirable among some.
Electro-Harmonix also released a large-box version of the Big Muff known as the Deluxe Big Muff Pi. This version included an onboard compressor in addition to the standard Big Muff features. It was available in 2 versions: one with a BLEND switch and another with a SERIES/PARALLEL switch.
Many current guitar effect manufacturers produce clones of historical versions of the Big Muff Pi, ranging from a less expensive Behringer VD-1 to higher-end products offered by Skreddy, RonSound, Euthymia, Blackout Effectors, Fredric Effects and others.
Electro-Harmonix themselves have joined the fray with a reissue version of their original Big Muff Pi as well as a smaller "Little Big Muff Pi" that incorporates true-bypass switching, surface-mount components, and a smaller enclosure.
Variants
Until recently the Big Muff Pi was offered in five versions: the US-made Big Muff Pi, which can be identified by its silvery metal casing; the US-made Bass Big Muff Pi Distortion/Sustainer; the less expensive Sovtek Big Muff Pi, made in Russia (discontinued); the Little Big Muff Pi which is a variation of the NYC Big Muff, and the latest incarnation, the Big Muff Pi with Tone Wicker. The Tone Wicker version is virtually identical to a standard 2008 revision NYC Big Muff except that it has a tone bypass switch which completely bypasses the tone-stack and a high frequency filter switch which mixes in a higher frequency that would normally be filtered out. These features allow the user more control of the pedal, being able to shape the tone with more freedom. Likewise the Bass Big Muff has a second dry output jack and three-position switch that selects between standard Big Muff circuitry, a bass boost mode, and a 'dry' mode which mixes the fuzz tone on top of the clean tone.The company also offers the Double Muff which is two separate Muff Fuzz circuits, one of the company's early distortion effects better described as an overdrive not a fuzz. Electro-Harmonix also offers a "Metal Muff," which adds a 3-band active EQ to a high gain distortion circuit in order to modify the mid-range tone for a tone closer to that of many heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
guitarists, as well as a treble booster to provide more gain, the Metal Muff has little in common with the Big Muff Pi as far as sound is concerned as the latter is a Fuzz, the former a Distortion. There's also the Graphic Fuzz, a multiple-effect unit containing a light Fuzz (which is more of an Overdrive than a Fuzz), Graphic EQ, and envelop filter, and English Muff'n, a tube-based muff derivative with 3-band EQ that gives the user that classic British Amplifier sound.
The newest member of the Muff family is the Germanium 4 Big Muff; Combining four classic germanium transistors. An independent overdrive and distortion each have their own sets of two germanium transistors as well as independent controls. The ability to stack and use both the overdrive and distortion together delivers the power of a four germanium transistor circuit with a lot of control flexibility.
External links
- Official Electro-Harmonix website - Big Muff Pi page
- http://www.kitrae.net/music/music_big_muff.html Website about history and development of Big Muff Pi