THE BIG MUFF π - A HISTORY OF ALL VERSIONS - Part 2

Click on any Big Muff in the image below to go directly to that section

VERSIONS 7C, 8, and GREEN RUSSIAN REISSUE (1994 - 2017)

Last update March 2022. NOTE: This website is constantly updated as new information becomes available. Version, Edition, and Revision numbers listed here are not actual Electro-Harmonix identifiers. They are my categorizations, for identification purposes only. Permission required to repost any information from this site in any ebay listing. Website and contents ©Kit Rae.

Mithrodin Sword

THE SOVTEK “GREEN RUSSIAN” BIG MUFF π - VERSION 7C
A.K.A - Bubble Font and Tall Font Big Muffs

Circa 1994-2000
Circuit Board Numbers: BM-1-01.00.000 (first edition), BM-1-01.00.001(second and third editions)
Circuit Designer: Based on Bob Myer's original circuit
Editions: 3. First edition with cast metal ridge-sided box, second edition with graphics change but same box, and third edition with six screw all sheet metal box and metal battery door
True Bypass: No
Power: 9V battery only. To connect to a standard Boss type AC power supply, use a 9V 100mA battery adaptor like the 1 Spot CBAT. See POWER section below.
Enclosure Size (first edition): 6 1/2" long x 5 1/16" wide x 2 3/4" tall / 165mm long x 128mm wide x 70mm tall (not including rubber feet)
Enclosure Size (second and third editions): 6 1/2" long x 4 3/4" wide x 2 3/4" tall / 165mm long x 118mm wide x 70mm tall (not including rubber feet)
Packaging: Wood crate box with Russian lettering. There were two version of the box graphics. Third editions Muffs had "BM" added to the graphics.
Place of Manufacture: St Petersburg, Russia

The Green Russian Big Muffs Pi's are the most common Sovtek BMPs to be found from the 1990s era. Also known as the Tall Font and Bubble Font Green Russians. The tank-like military appearance made these very mean looking pedals, and very desirable. They shipped in the same military style wood crate with Russian lettering as the Mike Matthews Red Army Overdrive, and previous Sovtek BMPs, though the box graphics changed sometime during the third edition run. These were made in St. Petersburg Russia.

Contrary to popular belief, these Russian BMPs were not made with spare tank parts, ammunition boxes, land mines (!), or any other junk-scrap military weapons. They were made in a former Russian military equipment factory operated by two Russian colonels. Some of the circuit board components may have been stock that was made or purchased during the Cold War era, but that is as close to military parts as it gets. It is interesting to note that there actually was a Russian tank called the BMP. No, not for Big Muff Pi, but for Bronevaya Maschina Piekhota. It was an armoured personnel carrier developed during the Cold War for transporting Infantry on the battlefield. It was heavy, reliable, but it had relatively thin armour (sound familiar?). It was first seen in public in November 1967 at the Soviet Red Square parade.

The Russian BMP tank and the Russian BMP pedal - which, contrary to popular belief, was not built built from old tank or military scrap parts

GRAPHICS AND COLORS - Produced in the late 1990s, the two-tone Civil War Sovtek Big Muff color scheme had already changed to an all green colored box with black graphics. Now the graphics changed to use simpler Big Muff letters. There were three editions. The first edition in the die cast metal box, nicknamed the Tall Font Green Russian, had tall, condensed font for the Big Muff letters. In addition to the English MADE IN RUSSIA markings like the previous Muff, this version also had the the same words in Russian letters silk screened on the front end. The Russian letters were last seen on the Red Army Overdrive but never appeared on another Russian Big Muff until now. They remained on every Russian Big Muff until E-H stopped making them in 2009.

The second edition from around 1995 also used the same die cast metal box. The Big Muff font was changed to a type with rounded ends on the letters, nicknamed the Bubble Font Green Russian.

The third edition retained the same bubble-font graphics, but the box changed to a six-screw, folded sheet metal box with a metal battery door cover. The letters CE were added to the box end graphics. The CE marking certified that a product has met EU (European Union of 27 member states with an economic and political standard) consumer safety, health or environmental requirements. The enclosure transition and graphics transistion did not happen at the same time, so there are some cast metal boxes that have the bubble font graphics from the third edition.

The green color also varied during the production as you can see by the photos below, though some of the variation in color is due to different lighting and white balance conditions of these photos. Most were an olive-drab military green, though some were a shade lighter or darker, and some were bright grass-green. I assume the St. Petersburg factory must have had problems with consistency from the paint suppliers in Russia. The paint on the first edition Tall Font green Big Muffs was very poor quality and literally flakes off. Most Tall Font Russians are like this, but later Bubble Font Russians have better paint.

CONTROLS / KNOBS - Some early examples have been seen with the same gray knobs that were used on the version 7B Green Civil War Big Muffs described above, but most have the common black dimple topped knobs with ridged sides. There were at least four different large foot switches used during the production, with varying sizes and shapes.

CIRCUIT - First and second editions had the same circuit as the first edition Red Army Overdrive, V7 Civil War and transition Green Civil War Big Muffs. Some first edition Tall Fonts had the exact same pcb, parts, and clear/gray plastic jacks as the V7B green Civil War. Later first editions and the second editions used a new pcb trace (#BM-1-01.00.000) and new style jacks with black rings. A new pcb trace (#BM-1-01.00.001) was created for a third edition. Some third editions from 1995 had a different trace pattern on a "T" shaped PCB, with no PCB#.

  • The NPN Russian Silicon transistors were usually unmarked, in black plastic T092 cases with white and green dots painted on top and sides. Some third editions had TO92 cased tranys marked 3102, marked EF, or marked EE1. Occasionally metal can TO18 cased transistors were used on the first editions, marked NPN KT3102E 9108.
  • Dual feedback/filter capacitors in each of the first three circuit stages, usually unmarked, but each having a value of 1nF/1000pF. Those two caps in series are equivalent to 0.5nF/500pF, but sometimes a single 500pF cap would be used in each of the three places and a jumper wire would bridge the holes for each of the missing caps. Second and third editions changed the dual 1nF feedback/filter capacitors in each of those first three circuit stages to a single 470pF cap. This cut some of the bass from the tone and made them slightly grittier and less smooth sounding than the Civil War Muffs, but more like the first edition Red Army Overdrive with 430pF caps.
  • Film capacitors were used, as well as flat, rectangular green or red ceramic caps, and occasionally round ceramic disk caps. No electrolytics were used, other than the polarized 20-22uF power supply filter cap.
  • Resistors were metal film with some carbon film used.

POWER - Power was from a 9V battery only. A red LED light shows when the circuit is on. To connect to a standard Boss type AC power supply, use a 9V 100mA battery adaptor like the 1 Spot CBAT. If you intend to add a standard 9V power jack that works with standard negative tip power supplies, you can find out where to wire the + and - wires by looking at the wiring diagram for your version, or simply follow the red (+) and black (-) wires from the battery snap.

As on the previous Civil War version, a hand drawn/painted serial number appears on some of the circuit boards, though this is rare. I believe these are actual sequential numbers of the units as they were made. It is unlikely the number is sequential for the entire production of this version. The numbering was more likely repeated monthly or annually, or possibly repeated with each color or graphics change. Apparently the practice was discontinued for the second edition Green Russian, and all Russian Muffs that followed.

ENCLOSURE BOX - The first editions had the same four-screw, die cast boxes with ridged-sides and sheet metal tops as the previous Green Civil War version, and the same plastic battery door cover. Some of the first editions had the ridges polished off like the Civil War Muffs, although this was rare. These boxes were finished rough, with sloppy clean up of the mold flashing.

The second edition used the same die cast box, but the printed graphics changed. There were four rubber feet glued to the bottom of the box, prone to falling off, the same as previous editions.

The third edition changed to a less expensive, light weight, folded sheet metal box with six screws and a metal battery door cover. The rubber feet were screwed to the bottom of this edition. The pcb was mounted to the case top, rather than the bottom as on all previous Russian Big Muffs. For some reason, the pcb was mounted flipped over, causing the input and output jacks to be in the reverse of standard pedal jack positions. There appears to be no logical reason for this.

The plastic jacks on previous versions of the Sovtek Big Muffs were soldered directly to the circuit board and poked through holes in the back of the enclosure. For all three Green Russian editions the jack mounting was imrpoved slightly by using nuts to secure them to the enclosure back. Unfortunately, the nuts were plastic and broke easily.

All three Green Russian enclosure versions were very tough “tank” like boxes, but the plastic jacks were of poor quality and the plastic battery doors were notoriously loose and prone to falling off. The battery door changed from plastic to a metal door for the third edition sheet metal box, but some of the metal doors were also very loose. Costs for New Sensor to have these made in Russia were increasing every six months or so and these changes were made strictly to keep the retail price low.

CLONES OR SIMILAR PEDALS - The USA Bass Big Muff is very close to the Russian Big Muff tone. First edition: Stomp Under Foot CWM Fuzz, Blackout Effectors Musket, Montgomery Appliances Civil War Fuzz. Second and third editions: Stomp Under Foot GRM Fuzz, Blackout Effectors Musket, Earthquaker Devices Hoof, Absolutely Analog Green Russian. See DiscoFreq's Effects Database for a thorough listing of all the Big Muff clones and variants throughout the years.

THE SOUND - The Tall Font Green Russians have the same sound as the previous Civil War versions (V7A, V7B) described on the previous page. Less gain, fatter bottom end, and brighter mids than most vintage USA Big Muffs. The tone varies slightly from unit to unit, but the differences are usually minor. The Tall Fonts are a favorite among bass players due to the low gain and huge, mid range, and bass friendly bottom end they produce. That bottom end is also a reason some do not like the Russian Big Muffs. Listen to the Black Keys early live and studio recordings - like Your Touch - for some great examples of the Green Russian in use.

In general the Tall Font Green Russians had the same circuit and same sound as the Civil War Big Muffs, but some of the early green/gray Civil War BMPs (V7) and most of the second and third edition Bubble Font Green Russians (V7C) had a slightly different circuit with a bit more grit and bite to the sound, and less bass. Depending on the amp and speakers being played through, most people would not notice much difference between them. Most of these had slightly more sustain than the common Civil War version, but they are not as smooth sounding.

SOUND CLIP 1 - Wet solo lead tone with strat, Boss CS-2 compressor, a bit of CE-2 chorus, and TC Nova delay

SOUND CLIP 2 - On an Island solo played with a 2008 American Standard Strat, Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup, into a '65 Fender Twin

CLICK A PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Shown above - First edition V7 Tall Font Green Russian Big Muffs with the tall font, four-screw, three-piece, ridged-sided die cast boxes. The grass-green models with gray knobs were likely the first produced. As you can see in the photos, most of these have very poor paint jobs. The paint can begin to flake off after only a few years, making them appear to have been through a war. They shipped in the same military style wood crate with Russian lettering as the earlier russian Big Muffs and the Mike Matthews Red Army Overdrive.

Shown above - First edition V7 Tall Font Green Russian Big Muff with the ridged-side box, stock knobs, and rare intact plastic battery door. Note the black plastic washers securing the jacks to the box, a new feature for this version.

2000 Electro-Harmonix Catalog

Shown above - Big Muff Pi from the 2000 Electro-Harmonix catalog.

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Shown above - First edition V7 Tall Font Green Russian Big Muff with the ridged-side box. Note the poor paint that is literally flaking off.

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Shown above - First edition V7 Tall Font Green Russian Big Muff with the ridged-side box. Nearly identical to the example above. Many first edition greens had blue wire or blue mixed with other colors. Though component brand types varied, components values were generally the same from unit to unit. The circuit on the right shows slightly different color banded resistors, which were a bit uncommon at this time (thanks to Paul Setzer for the photo).

Shown above - First edition V7 Tall Font Green Russian Big Muffs with the die cast ridged-side box and aftermarket knobs. Muff on right is a transistion Bubble Font Green Russian, with second edition graphics on a first edition box.

Shown above - Another second edition V7 Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muff with with new "bubble-font" graphics.

Shown above - Another second edition V7 Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muff with with new "bubble-font" graphics. Note the change from the green resin filled pots to metal shell pots.

Sovtek Dimple Knobs.

Shown above - Sovtek dimple top knobs used on V7 Civil War, Green Russian, and Black Russian Big Muffs. Some had the indicator mark filled with white paint.

Shown above (left to right) - A second edition V7 Bubble Font Green Russian box, and a third edition from around 1995 with the new six screw, all sheet metal boxes, and much improved paint. For the third edition the enclosure box bottom and battery door cover were changed to all sheet metal and the input and output jack positions were reversed. The graphics on the wood crate box also changed around this time to the "BM SOVTEK " version shown above.

Shown above - A few third edition V7 Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muffs from 1995, sporting a rare "T" shaped circuit board with a new, unumbered PCB trace pattern, and two-piece, six screw, all sheet metal box. The third edition also included a new metal battery door, though the doors loosened up over time and often fell out just like the previous plastic doors. The third editions had a much thinner enclosure than the previous Russian Muffs, although still quite durable. Note that the pcb has been mounted upside down for all third editions, making the input and output jacks in reverse order.

Shown above - Various third edition V7 Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muff circuit boards

Shown above - A pristine V7 third edition Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muff with two-piece, six screw, all sheet metal box, and wood crate. Transistors marked 3102. Note that the pcb has been mounted upside down for all third editions, making the input and output jacks in reverse order.

Shown above - A V7 third edition Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muff with two-piece, six screw, all sheet metal box. This one sports a new PCB trace pattern, the third for the Green Russian Muffs. You will find this same PCB trace in the black boxed V7 Big Muffs, shown below. Two transistors are dot marked, and the other two simply EF. Sometimes they are marked EE1.

THE CREAMY DREAMER MODIFIED RUSSIAN BIG MUFF - In the mid 1990s Billy Corgan's guitar tones from his band Smashing Pumpkins were all the rage in the guitar world. Specifically, many guitarists were after the tones heard on the 1993 album Siamese Dream, arguably the Pumkin's best album (although I like all of them!). Billy has stated he used a vintage Big Muff on SD, but no one knew which version, or how it was used. In 1998 a high school student from Ontario, Canada named Jeff (I'll leave the last name out to protect the guilty and/or innocent) was modifying Russian Big Muffs with a combination of several mods for the circuit. It seems he gleaned his Muff knowledge mostly from questioning other DIYers on the AMPAGE forum (which I was also a member) and his own experiments, in an attempt to make it sound like the SP Big Muff tone. Jeff began offering to mod the Russian BMP pedals online through a Smashing Pumpkins fan site, and eventually sent one to Billy Corgan in 1999, who sent an email back to him complementary of the pedal. Jeff then began offering a new "Creamy Dreamer" pedal for sale through his Sustain Punch website for around $250, which was very high for a boutique pedal at the time. The Sustain Punch website noted Billy's email about the pedal, and implied that the Pumpkins liked it and that an authorized signature series was in the works. Many people thought the website implied the pedal was something new, endorsed and currently being used by the Smashing Pumpkins on their new album, Machina.

Creamy DreamerCreamy DreamerCreamy Dreamer.

I saw the old website, and I have to say, that is exactly how I remember it, and it was implied this pedal was all the work of Jeff, with no mention that it was a modified Russian Big Muff. I do think the consumers who bought and promoted the pedal on various websites did blow the SP relationship more out of proportion than what was actually stated, but the hype spread, and the pedal became very popular for a few years as THE pedal for the Smashing Pumpkins tone. A story appeared in the Toronto Sun about Jeff, claiming the pedal created by the 19 year old was responsible for the Smashing Pumpkins sound. Even Rolling Stone magazine reported the sound on the new Smashing Pumpkins album was created with Jeff's Creamy Dreamer pedal. Some were even stating that this was the pedal used on Siamese Dream (!), an album recorded years before the pedal was even made! A few major music gear chains picked up the pedal and thousands of units were sold. Billy Corgan has since stated he did strum a few chords on the pedal he was sent, and did send an email to Jeff complementing him as a matter of politeness, but nothing more. I have read in a few places that one of the Pumpkins crew revealed that they did use the pedal at some point on the Arising tour in '99, but that it was never used on any recording prior or since. I have also read that there is film footage of the pedal on SP's touring board in one of the live videos, though I have never seen this. At this time no one really knows for sure the extent of it's actual use by SP. Billy's statements indicate he feels that his comment was exploited, as he never endorsed, or used this pedal on any Smashing Pumpkins recording, and that he was just being nice to a kid who sent him a free pedal. When word about the real story behind the CD pedal spread quickly on the internet the hype soon died down. There was a lot of backlash against Jeff on the DIY forums over the whole affair, to say the least, but in the end, this was simply another modded version of a Big Muff made by a boutique pedal builder, no different that what dozens of other builders have done since then. It was also perhaps a good lesson on attemping to run a business based on one product that was not terribly original. The Sustain Punch website was closed down in 2000, though the pedal mod was still offered by Jeff later. I'm sure he has moved on, hoping to put the whole thing behind him, but the myth of the Smashing Pumpkins' use of the Creamy Dreamer pedal remains. At the time I wrote this article (2008), it was still being perpetuated on various websites and ebay auctions. I even pulled this silly tidbit off of Amazon.com's Pumpkins' bio.

'After Gish, the band toured, enjoying a cult following from the release of Gish, which sold close to a half million records in a couple of years. Billy began some experimentation with the band's sound, often setting up multiple effects loops for one guitar alone. The sweetheart of this era is the "Creamy Dreamer" Sustain distortion, behind some of the band's "wall of sound" that defines this era of the band.' - Smashing Pumpkins bio on Amazon.com

While working on the Smashing Pumpkins' massive Teargarden by Kaleidyscope project in 2009, Billy Corgan revealed in a blog that he used a vintage late 1970s Big Muff for Siamese Dream, which appears to be an op-amp Big Muff. I have written about it in this section. So how does the Creamy Dreamer pedal actually sound? Read my review HERE

 

THE BIG MUFF IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

I have alwasy been interested in science and astronomy, and occasionally read Scientific American magazine back in the 90's, and still do today. Imagine my surprise when I picked up the July 1997 issue and found an article by Big Muff circuit designer Bob Myer and Electro-Harmonix president Mike Matthews! It was a short piece about how effects pedals alter the sound from a guitar, which includes the Big Muff, of course. Click the image below to read the full article.

Scientific American Big Muff Article

Shown above - Bob Myer and Mike Matthews brief article in the July 1997 issue of Scientific American about effects pedals (© Scientific American)

 

THE SOVTEK “BLACK RUSSIAN” BIG MUFF π (LARGE BOX) - VERSION 7D

Circa 1998-2000
Circuit Board Number: BM-1-01.00.001
Circuit Designer: Based on Bob Myer's original circuit
Editions: 2. Graphics changed for the second edition
True Bypass: No
Power: 9V battery only. To connect to a standard Boss type AC power supply, use a 9V 100mA battery adaptor like the 1 Spot CBAT . See POWER section below.
Enclosure Size: 6 1/2" long x 4 3/4" wide x 2 3/4" tall / 165mm long x 118mm wide x 70mm tall (not including rubber feet)
Packaging: Wood crate box with Russian lettering
Place of Manufacture: St Petersburg, Russia

GRAPHICS AND COLORS - These transition models are fairly rare. The military green colored heet metal box from the previous version changed to all black with yellow graphics. Otherwise, this was identical to the green, six-screw version. This solved the problem of inconsistent green color from the Russian paint suppliers for the previous version. Both editions were made with both large and small foot switches. A second edition production model changed graphics to the ITC Pioneer BIG MUFF font, the same font used on the vintage USA V3 Muffs and later USA Muffs. The words INPUT and OUTPUT and DISTORTION-SUSTAINER were also added to the box top graphics. The word DISTORTION was changed to SUSTAIN below the center knob. The word SOVTEK was also removed from the graphics and never appeared again on a Russian made Big Muff. The black color varied from shiny black to dull black. The yellow ink shade also varied during the production runs.

CONTROLS / KNOBS - Russian made foot switch supply had started to become a problem at this time so smaller foot switches had to be imported to St. Petersburg from the USA and Mexico. That is the reason you see some of these with the smaller switch. Eventually the Russian foot switch factory went out of business. Knobs were the black dimple topped type with ridged sides like the previous version, though later production switched to a chicken-head style knob.

CIRCUIT - Same circuit and PCB trace as the third edition Bubble Font Green Russian. PCB #BM-1-01.00.001. Transistors were unmarked Russian Silicon, in black plastic T092 cases, some with white and green dots painted on. The input and output jacks remained in the reverse position like the previous third edition Green Russian Big Muffs, due to the pcb being mounted upside down. Resistors were a mix of carbon film and metal film.

POWER - Power was from a 9V battery only. A red LED light shows when the circuit is on. To connect to a standard Boss type AC power supply, use a 9V 100mA battery adaptor like the 1 Spot CBAT. If you intend to add a standard 9V power jack that works with standard negative tip power supplies, you can find out where to wire the + and - wires by looking at the wiring diagram for your version, or simply follow the red (+) and black (-) wires from the battery snap.

ENCLOSURE BOX - Identical to the green, six-screw sheet metal box from the previous Bubble Font Green Russian Muff, though some second edition boxes have longer metal ridges welded inside the box bottom than others. Jacks had plastic nuts to secure them to the box back. These had four rubber feet screwed to the bottom. Some of these boxes have four digit date stickers inside the box lids. The first two digits are the week of the year and second two are the year. It is unknown if these are final build dates or dates the lids were made or coated. Regardless, the date indicates the pedal could not have been built any earlier than this date.

CLONES OR SIMILAR PEDALS - The USA Bass Big Muff is very close to the Russian Big Muff tone. Stomp Under Foot GRM Fuzz, Blackout Effectors Musket, Earthquaker Devices Hoof, Absolutely Analog Green Russian. See DiscoFreq's Effects Database for a thorough listing of all the Big Muff clones and variants throughout the years.

THE SOUND - The tone is the same as the last V7C Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muffs. Just different box color and graphics. The tone varies slightly from unit to unit for each edition, but the differences are usually minor.

CLICK A PHOTO TO ENLARGE

Shown above - V7 first edition "bubble-font" Black Russian Big Muff, still in the large six-screw box with large Russian made foot switch, and one with small switch, imported from the West. Other than the box color change, this was identical to the last Bubble Font Green Russian Big Muffs.

Shown above - V7 second edition Black Russian Big Muffs in the large six-screw box, with large footswitch. Note the change to the USA Big Muff font, the word "DISTORTION" changed to "SUSTAIN", and removal of the word Sovtek from the graphics (some may have the previous graphics due to production crossover time). Also note the wider metal ridge tabs inside the box bottom. These are different than the short ridges in other Black Russians and sheet metal boxed Green Russians. The PCB trace pattern is the same as the last Green Russian Big Muff PCB.

Shown above - V7 second edition Black Russian Big Muff in large six-screw box, with short metal tabs inside, chicken head knobs, and small foot switch

 

THE “BLACK RUSSIAN” BIG MUFF π (SMALL BOX) - VERSION 8

Circa 1999 to 2009
Circuit Board Number: BM-1-01.00.001, 3.000.0001
Circuit Designer: Based on Bob Myer's original circuit
Editions: 2. First edition with heavy six screw box, and second edition with four screw light weight box
True Bypass: First edition-no, late second editions-yes
Power: 9V battery only. To connect to a standard Boss type AC power supply, use a 9V battery adaptor like the 1 Spot CBAT. See POWER section below.
Enclosure Size: 6 1/2" long x 4 3/4" wide x 2"tall / 165mm long x 118mm wide x 50.5mm tall (not including rubber feet)
Packaging: Wood crate box with Russian lettering. Graphics were different than the previous wood box. Later changed to a corrugated cardboard box with orange printing
Place of Manufacture: St Petersburg, Russia

This small box black Big Muff was the final version of the Russian made Big Muffs. The circuit was a favorite for modders because it was very easy to change components for customizing the tone and gain. It was essentially the same circuit as the Large Box Black Russian and the Bubble Font Green Russian that preceeded it. It sold for much less than the reissue USA Big Muffs that were made at the same time, but the costs for New Sensor to have these made in Russia had increased over the years. This resulted in smaller, cheaper, and less expensive enclosure boxes than all the previous Russian Big Muffs. Unfortunately, the manufacturing costs the St. Petersburg factory charged New Sensor eventually outweighed the demand, so the V8 was discontinued in 2009. The introduction of the USA made Bass Big Muff, based on the Russian circuit, was one possible cause for the decline in sales for the Russian made Big Muffs, but overall E-H was not happy with the Russian build quality. A future collectible? Almost certainly.

GRAPHICS AND COLORS - For the Version 8 first edition, the graphics remained the same as the later production large-box V7 Revision D version listed above. For some first editions and all second editions, MADE IN RUSSIA on the back panel was moved under the input jack and the fonts changed. The graphics on the wood crate these shipped in changed to the "CE" version pictured below. The CE marking certified that a product has met EU (European Union of 27 member states with an economic and political standard) consumer safety, health or environmental requirements.

CONTROLS / KNOBS - The V8 used the same “chicken head” style knobs as the previous version. All V8 Muffs used the small foots witches, which were imported from the USA.

CIRCUIT - Same circuit as the third edition Bubble Font Green Russian, and Large Box Black Russian, with new PCB trace art. The PCB number remained the same as before on early units (#BM-1-01.00.001), but later changed to Russian letters for RBEM (Russian Big Muff) and #3.000.001.

  • Transistors used were NPN BC549Cs or C547C type.
  • Capacitors were usually film type. No electrolytics were used, other than the polarized 20-22uF power supply filter cap.
  • Resistors were mostly carbon film, with some metal film type used.
  • Some second editions are true bypass according to EHX. "True bypass" was added to thier Russian Big Muff web page in 2008.
  • The input and output jacks remained in the reverse position like the previous third edition Green Russian Big Muffs, due to the pcb being mounted upside down.
  • Some early pcb's have a hand written serail number and date on them. The number (up to four digits) is the number for that production run, then there are two digits for the week or month of the year, a period or foreward slash mark, then two digits for the year.

POWER - Power was from a 9V battery only. A red LED light shows when the circuit is on. To connect to a standard Boss type AC power supply, use a 9V 100mA battery adaptor like the 1 Spot CBAT. If you intend to add a standard 9V power jack that works with standard negative tip power supplies, you can find out where to wire the + and - wires by looking at the wiring diagram for your version, or simply follow the red (+) and black (-) wires from the battery snap.

ENCLOSURE BOX - For Version 8, the black and yellow Big Muff moved into a slightly smaller box. The first edition of this box was a heavy duty six screw box, nearly exactly like it's predecessor, but not as tall. Later a second edition came out with an even lighter weight, four screw box design. The input and output jacks remained in the reverse position like the previous Green and Black Russian Big Muffs. Four rubber feet were screwed to the bottom. Some of the later boxes have four digit date stickers inside the box lids. The first two digits are the week of the year and second two are the year. It is unknown if these are final build dates or dates the lids were made or finished. Regardless, the date indicates the pedal could not have been built any earlier than this date.

V8 Big Muffs, both first and second editions, shipped in a wood crate with "CE" version graphics, different from the previous version 7 Big Muffs. Packaging later switched to a less expensive corrugated cardboard box until the end of production.

CLONES OR SIMILAR PEDALS - EHX Bass Big Muff, Stomp Under Foot GRM Fuzz, Blackout Effectors Musket, Earthquaker Devices Hoof, Absolutely Analog Green Russian. See DiscoFreq's Effects Database for a thorough listing of all the Big Muff clones and variants throughout the years.

THE SOUND - Nearly identical tone to the V7C Bubble Font/V7D Black Russian, but slightly less clarity and slightly less bottom end on the examples I have played. Compared to the Civil War/Tall Font Green Russian circuit, these are not as smooth sounding, have a bit more grit and bite, and have less bass. Most people would not notice the difference. The tone varies slightly from unit to unit, but the differences are usually minor. These are discontinued, but the V11 Bass Big Muff sounds very similar.

CLICK A PHOTO TO ENLARGE

V7, V8 Big Muff EnclosuresV7, V8 Big Muff Enclosures

Shown above (left to right) - The final four-screw V8 enclosure, the previous six screw V8 enclosure, and the large V7D enclosure. The smaller V8 box and fewer screws were an attempt to keep the cost down.

Shown above (left to right) - V8 Black Russian Big Muffs (first edition) in the new, smaller sized six-screw enclosure box, with small footswitch imported to Russia from the West, made around 1999. These shipped in a wood crate with the "CE" version graphics, then changed to a corrugated box to reduce the cost.

Shown above (left to right) - The V8 second edition changed to a four-screw box. For a while it came in the same wood crate as the first edition, but then changed to a corrugated card board box shown above. Both changes were made to reduce costs. Note the new position for Made in Russia (some 4 screw boxes may have this in the previous position due to production crossover time) . The AC power jack on the one on the right is an aftermarket modification.

Box Ends

Shown above (left to right) - The last V8 second edition four-screw enclosure, crossover version of the same enclosure with first edition graphics, and a first edition, six-screw enclosure. The main difference in the graphics is the position of Made in Russia.

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Shown above - A 2004 V8 Black Russian Big Muff in the small second edition four-screw box with 547C transistors, and true bypass switch. Note the lack of an AC power adaptor jack. Versions 7-8 only run on 9V DC power. This was the last Big Muff ever made in Russia

E-H BECOMES EHX

Electro-Harmonix usually shortened its name to EH or E-H. It even had an E-H logo back in the 1970s, and EH was marked on the 1970s Big Muff circuit boards. Electro-Harmonix launched a new website sometime around 2000, https://www.ehx.com/. Around 2006 I began to notice people shortening the name to EHX on forums and websites and it soon became the common nickname for Electro-Harmonix. Around 2008 or 2009 I noticed the company began referring to itself as "EHX" on their own website, and that is now the common shortened name of the company.

THE GREEN RUSSIAN BIG MUFF π REISSUE

Released August 2017
Reissue Engineer: Gino Maisano

PCB Number: EC-D155 Rev. C
True Bypass: Yes
Power Supply: 9-Volt battery or optional 9V power supply from Electro-Harmonix, 9.6DC-200BI (same as used by Boss™ & Ibanez™) 9.6 Volts DC, or other AC adapters capable of delivering at least 30mA.
Current Draw: Approx 2.2 mA
Packaging: green and black corrugated box
Place of Manufacture:
Not specified. EHX uses parts sourced both domestically and foreign. Assembled and tested in Long Island City, New York, USA

Instructions Manual PDF

Shown above - (left) An original Sovtek Green Russian with the Green Russian reissue, and (right) EHX engineer
Gino Maisano holding an original Green Russian and his reissue in Long Island City, New York

In August 2017 Electro-Harmonix released the first in a series of nano sized Big Muff reissues housed in their small aluminum enclosure - the Green Russian Big Muff. This reissue was marketed as "the authentic reissue of the legendary Green Russian Big Muff Pi. We should know, we built the original. Now you’ve got the exact same sound beloved by guitarists and bassists alike at your fingertips, but in a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly enclosure. So, throw off your chains and unite with the finest harmonic distortion-sustain device ever made." It was an immediate hit for EHX.

The after-market prices for original "Civil War" and green "Tall Font" Sovtek Big Muffs had skyrocketed in recent years, making them unattainable for the average guitarist. Originals were also very prone to breaking down. There were many clones made by small builders to fill the void on the market, but most did not capture the sound or the feel of playing through an original. EHX solved that problem by getting their reissue right, and at a very affordable price. In my many years of collecting Big Muffs and clones, I don't think I have heard as much positive feedback from happy owners as I have about this reissue. It managed to satisfy guitarists playing across a wide spectrum of styles.

NOT THE FIRST REISSUE - This was technically the 3rd reissue of the Big Muff, and in fact, this is a reissue of the first reissue! In 2000 Electro-Harmonix reissued the Big Muff in the same type of enclosure as the last New York City version from 1984, marketing it as the "NYC original", but that was not the first reissue. That original EHX company went out of business in 1984. New Sensor resurrected EHX under the Sovtek brand in the 1990s and the first pedal reissued was the Big Muff. It was marketed as a Russian made "reissue of the legendary Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi."

DEVELOPMENT - Consumer demand for Electro-Harmonix to make reissues of various versions of the Big Muff had been growing for years and years, with small boutique builders taking up the slack by making numerous clones of Ram's Heads, Civil War/Green Russians, and Op-Amp Big Muffs. Even Dunlop, a major EHX competitor, got into the game with their Way Huge Russian Pickle, a clone of a "Tall Font" Big Muff.

EHX founder Mike Matthews had also been wanting to make a true Big Muff reissue for some time. The last EHX reissue was the NYC Big Muff made in 2000, but technically it was not an exact reissue of any previous version of the circuit. The Russian made Sovtek Big Muff sound, while a favorite among bass players, was arguably the most versatile and amp friendly Big Muff EHX ever made for guitarists. The most desireable Sovteks had been out of production for around twenty years, and Sovtek Big Muff production completely ended eight years earlier. The Bass Big Muff and Deluxe bass Big Muff worked as a suitable replacement for bass players, but many guitar players were still after the exact sound of those mid 1990s Sovtek Big Muffs in the green boxes - the Green Russians! It was the sound of David Gilmour's soaring 1990s leads, early Black Keys' blues grooves, and numerous grunge, shoegaze, and stoner rock bands. Even legendary Creedence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty loves them.

In early 2017 Mike Matthews gave his team the go ahead to start work on a reissue of a Sovtek Green Russian. The version chosen to replicate was the "Tall Font" Green Russian, which was also the same circuit used in the "Civil War" version. It was not simply a matter of making a pedal based on that old schematic. I t needed to sound like an original Tall Font, which required dissecting an original, mesuring its parts, and listening to it. Gino Maisano, who has been with Electro-Harmonix since 2010, was the engineer tasked with the project. I asked him about his background and how he got into engineering effect pedals.

"I got my degree in electrical engineering and was working for an engineering design firm in Metro Detroit starting in 2005. I’ve also played guitar since I was about 13 and got into modding and building pedals when I was 24. My band was gigging regularly so word got around to the other bands I was friends with and before I knew it I was fixing their gear and doing custom builds.” Gino got his start in the field working for Detroit's legendary Egnater Amplification. "I was also moonlighting for Bruce Egnater, helping build some of his MOD100 amps. That was a great experience and I learned a lot from Bruce and his partner, Frank Lamarra. At that point (late 2009) I started my own business, Pitch Black Electronics, and between that and my day job I was very busy."

The economic recession resulted in the end of Gino's day job and the struggling economy made it difficult to earn a living with his PBE business. "I’d always wanted to move away from Detroit, and I saw that Electro-Harmonix was based in NYC, so I e-mailed the company. Sure enough, I got an e-mail back from Mike Matthews himself. Fast forward a few months and I was going to visit my friend in NYC, so I dropped Mike a line saying I’d be in town and asked if he wanted to grab lunch. He told me to come by the factory and I ended up having an impromptu interview with chief engineer John Pisani. Two weeks later Mike sent me an offer. About six weeks later I had moved to New York City to work for a company I had idolized since I was a teenager. Eight years later Mike Matthews still gives me the middle finger in the hallway. It’s great."

One of Gino's first projects with EHX was the Ravish Sitar. "I designed the hardware and developed the sounds while our chief software engineer developed all of the algorithms, so it was a collaborative effort. I also worked on the Bad Stone (2015 reissue) and I really like that phaser. I’ve worked on a lot of other projects like the Op-Amp and Triangle Big Muff reissues and the upcoming Switchblade Pro and Dirt Road Special." I asked Gino how the Green Russian reissue came to be. "We’ve been wanting to do this for a while now and Mike felt that the time was finally right. We began work on this in the middle of February (2017). Mike wanted a quick turnaround on this project so referencing multiple different vintage Muffs was not an option.”

Electro-Harmonix has always been a forward-looking company, focused on new ideas and improvements. As such, it has not kept a library of all of their older pedals on hand. "People think we have a “Muff Museum” or a vault of vintage units. We don’t; we usually need to borrow vintage units from friends to dissect. We have had a Tall Font Green Russian kicking around engineering for a while now... everyone really liked how it sounded so I knew it was a good baseline tone. I used your website (www.BigMuffPage.com) in my research, which has been an invaluable resource over the years, and felt confident about the quality of the Tall Font Green Russian I had as a reference. Later, after I had my first prototypes, someone brought in their Bubble Font Green Russian that I was able to check out as well."

Many modern replicas of vintage pedals are simply based on a schematic. When making a reissue requiring an accurate representation of the sound, a schematic only tells you part of the story, as Gino explained. "Part of the process of dissecting vintage units to replicate them is measuring components to get their actual value. Sometimes these components, due to age or defects in manufacture, are outside specification so modern components with tight tolerances are used to get as close to those vintage values as possible. It’s one thing to copy a schematic found online and say you’ve got an exact clone; it’s another thing to actually get inside an old unit to measure and take note of not just the actual values but the part types as well. I think what separates this reissue from some of the clones out there is that attention to detail."

In a first for a Big Muff, there is a song lyric printed on the circuit board inside the pedal that seriously adds to the coolness factor of the reissue - 'Follow the smoke toward the riff-filled land'. "Over the years, our engineers have hidden little Easter eggs in the silk screen on our circuit boards. Some stay better hidden than others. This quote is from the song “Dopesmoker” by Sleep, which we play often at work. To my knowledge, [Sleep’s guitarist] Matt Pike never used a Green Russian Big Muff, but the quote is more of an homage as the Green Russian has become a favorite of stoner metal guitarists. “Dopesmoker” is the “Stairway to Heaven” of stoner metal so I had to reference it."

Rather than having a modern, multi-colored, graphic-designed look like many recent EHX products, the Green Russian retained the more simplified, militarized look of the original Sovtek pedals. "I was actually quite heavily involved in the aesthetic of this pedal from the beginning. I knew this reissue would be a big deal in the pedal community and I wanted us to give it the proper treatment. In speaking with the graphic designer, I told him this pedal needs to have an all-over matte army green finish, needs to have only black silk screen, and should have the “dove star” logo somewhere as a callback to the old Sovtek units. I worked hard on getting our chassis vendor to make the right color and this is what took us the most amount of time to get right. It had to have that dark army green and be matte or else it wouldn’t look authentic." The original version of the Sovtek Russian Big Muff was actually branded as the 'Red Army Overdrive'. The name later changed to Big Muff, but there is an acknowledgment to that origin on the reissue. "Mike wanted the Cyrillic font used for the Big Muff Pi logo and he insisted on “Overdrive” being added in Russian."

So which EHX product is the one Gino is most proud of? "Honestly, it’s probably the Green Russian Big Muff reissue. I’m really happy with how it turned out. The positive response has been overwhelming and I hope to have more Big Muff projects come my way in the future!" Gino went on to engineer the Op-Amp and Triangle Big Muff reissues.

CONTROLS - Standard volume, tone, and sustain controls as on the classic Big Muff.

GRAPHICS AND ENCLOSURE - Housed in the standard EHX nano sized cast metal enclosure, 4 3/8" (L) x 1 3/8" (W) x 2 1/8"(H). Although the reissue has a similar design aesthetic the original Green Russians, the only exact graphic design element taken from the original Sovtek Big Muff is the "dove star" graphic placed in between the knobs. That graphic was used on every incarantion of the Sovtek Big Muffs. Under the foot switch is the Russian word for "overdrive" written in Cyrillic letters. The Big Muff font used is different from the fonts used on the original Green Russian BMPs. I do not know the exact font, but it is similar to Kensai Zhivago, USSR Stencil, and Red October fonts.

CIRCUIT - The circuit uses normal through-hole style transistors, capacitors, and diodes. All resistors are small surface-mount type. Transistors are BC547.

PACKAGING - 2-color corrugated cardboard box. Printed on the inside box lid flap are cyrillic letters that say 'From Russia With Love' in Russian.

THE V1 REISSUE SOUND - See the Version 7A "Civil War" and "Tall Font" Big Muff description above. This is a replica of that circuit. The original Sovtek Green Russians hold a special place in my heart, as those were the first Big Muffs I really learned how to use properly, and what led me into collecting all of the other various Sovtek versions. I was anxious to hear how the reissue compared. It did not disappoint. I compared the reissue to six original 1990s Civil War and Tall Font Sovteks in my collection. The sound varies slightly among those, but in general they all sound very close. The Green Russian reissue fits right in with them and sounds practically identical to two of my originals. In a blind test I could not pick the reissue out. I have played many clones of the Green Russian over the years. Most of them sound only 75-85% the same as the originals. This reissue not only sounds like an original, but it "feels" the same when I play it. It is a very faithful replica, and one of my favorites. It earned a spot on my pedal board, replacing one of my original Sovteks.

mp3 In Any Tongue solo - Green Russian Big Muff, TC Booster + Line Driver, Future Factory Delay, into a Reeves Custom 50 with Hi-Tone Crescendo and Celestion 75 Speakers (left) and Fender 59 Bassman (right). Strat with Symour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup

mp3 Fat Old Sun solo - Green Russian Big Muff and Future Factory Delay, into a Reeves Custom 50 with Hi-Tone Crescendo and Celestion 75 Speakers (right) and Fender 59 Bassman (left). Fender Telecaster

mp3 Sorrow intro - Demeter Compulator, Green Russian Big Muff, Future Factory Delay, into a Reeves Custom 50 with Hi-Tone Crescendo and Celestion 75 Speakers (left) and Fender 59 Bassman (right). Strat with EMG-SA pickups

mp3 Sorrow intro - EHX Green Russian Big Muff, BK Butler Tube Driver, Boss CE-2, Future Factory Delay, Boss RT-20, into a Reeves Custom 50 with Hi-Tone Crescendo and Celestion 75 Speakers (left) and Fender 59 Bassman (right). Strat with EMG-SA pickups

mp3 Sorrow First Solo - BK Butler Tube Driver, Green Russian Big Muff, Boss CE-2, Future Factory Delay, Ambi Space reverb, Reeves Custom 50 into a Hi-Tone Eclipse cab. Strat with EMG-SA pickups

mp3 On the Turning Away solo - BK Butler Tube Driver, Green Russian Big Muff, Boss CE-2, Future Factory Delay, Ambi Space reverb, Boss RT-20, Reeves Custom 50 into a Hi-Tone Eclipse cab. Strat with EMG-SA pickups

Shown above - The Green Russian Big Muff reissue from 2017. Note the Russian word below the foot switch that translates as "overdrive".

Shown above - The Green Russian Big Muff circuit. Note the "Follow the smoke toward the riff-filled land" lyric on the pcb.

Shown above - The Green Russian Big Muff packaging. The Russian text on the box lid says "From Russia with love"

I compared the reissue to several originals in my collection. The sound fits right in with them and it sounds practically identical to two of my originals

Shown above - A customized Green Russian Big Muff fitted with Russian made knobs of the same style as the vintage knobs used on the original Sovtek Big Muffs. Original knobs with brass set screws can sometimes be found for sale on ebay. Re-casts of the original knobs (without the set screw) are also available.

CONTINUE - HISTORY OF THE BIG MUFF PART 2 - The Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff

 

HISTORY OF THE BIG MUFF PART 1 (vintage USA)

HISTORY OF THE BIG MUFF PART 3 (modern USA)

A FUZZ AND MUFF TIMELINE

BIG MUFF PAGE HOME

Sovtek Muff Collection

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