Kit’s Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page
Guitar stuff, gear stuff, soundclips, videos, Gilmour/Pink Floyd stuff, photos and other goodies.
Contact: nasnandos@kitrae.net
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BIG MUFF π NEWS
Recent Big Muff Pi News and Updates to the Site
August 2010
• The V2 Ram's Head Big Muff section was due for an overhaul, so it has been revised in places in light of new info dates supplied by other collectors and some new discoveries I have made from recent V2 trades. To simplify identification I have named three "editions" based the ON and OFF labeling and ink colors used.
• The V4 and V5 Op Amp Big Muffs are no longer made by EHX, but Stomp Under Foot and Euthymia both make excellent replicas of these unique sounding Muffs. See my review and sound clips of each in the Vintage Muff Clones and Muff Inspired Pedals section, and get your fix of Smashing Pumpkins tones.
• Check out the Big Muffs currently listed on ebay here, the best place to find vintage and new Big Muffs for sale.
July 2010
• The Germanium 4 Big Muff is now shipping from EHX.
• Instruction for how to disassemble a vintage Big muff have been added to the site here.
• PCB pix and PCB numbers added to the Russian Big Muff section section showing the three different PCB's used for Green Russian Muffs. Some other PCB pix added to the Russian Big Muff section section as well.
• Several people have asked what the Big Muff block font is. It is a modified version of ITC Pioneer.
June 2010
• Information on the new Germanium 4 Big Muff is now in the Modern USA Big Muff section. Some interesting news is that Bob Myer, the original Big Muff circuit designer, is also one of the designers responsible for this version, along with Daniel Shin, who headed the project. Thanks go to Bob and Daniel for their time answering questions about this interesting new addition to the Big Muff line. Hopefully sound clips will be coming soon. Approximate availability date is late June.
• Added some clips in the Transistors and Other Components section comparing one of my favorite 1973 Big Muffs with an exact clone made using modern components made by Matt at Stomp Under Foot. Is there mojo in the old components that make it sound better than the new? Listen and judge for yourself.
• Sound clips and a review of the Pete Cornish P-1 pedal have been added to the Vintage Muff Clones and Muff Inspired Pedals section. The P-1 was based on several of David Gilmour's (of Pink Floyd) vintage Big Muffs that were sent to Pete from David in the mid 1970s to make an improved and road worthy Muff for David to tour with. It sounds very close to some to the best V2 Big Muffs I have played.
May 2010
• Raw V2 Ram's Head, "Violet" Ram's Head, and Civil War sound clips added to the Sound Clips page. Clips comparing the V2 to Pete Conrnish P-2, and Sovtek Civil War Muff added to the Pete Cornish P-2 section. Review of the Pete cornish P-1 Ram's Head Big Muff clone and sound clips added to the Vintage Muff Clones and Muff Inspired Pedals section, as well as info from Pete Cornish about how the P-1 came about, and other info about David Gilmour's V2 Big Muffs added to the V2 section. Due to the numerous questions I get about the Big Muff circuit I have added some easy to read illustrations about the circuit and it's components to the The Big Muff Circuit Guide.
• Sound clips and review of the Pete Cornish G-2 germanium Muff added to the Vintage Muff Clones and Muff Inspired Pedals section. New pcb pix added to the V1 and V2 sections. Info on reading Stackple pot codes added to the Reading Pot Date Codes page.
April 2010
• I rearranged the V2 Ram's Head section a bit so the photos are in better order to the realease dates, and updated some of th information regarding dates. I also added photos and circuit trace of a really nice sounding V2 with '73 pots.
• A dded clips to the Sound Clips page comparing the V8 Russian Big Muff (now discontinued) to the Bass Big Muff to illustrate how similar they are for guitar.
• Added more pix of J Mascis favorite Ram's Head Big Muff, courtesy of Tym Guitars. Tim at Tym is working on making a clone of this Big Muff for J. Tym Guitars also makes several vintage Big muff clones, as well as other vintage pedals clones, all with some of the coolest pedal art I have ever seen. They can be found in the pedal section on their website.
THANK YOU! - Thanks to everyone who has emailed this year about how much they enjoy the website, and thanks to all who have contributed so far this year.
March 2010
• I added more pix and info on Jack White's Big Muffs in the Big Muff Users section. Thanks to Mike at Analog Man for the pix and info regarding the Muffs he has worked on for Jack. If you ever wondered about the odd sized enclosures for Jack's Muffs, they are not stock. Analog Man reboxes them in sturdier enclosures because Jack crushes the stock EHX boxes. Also, Jack currently uses the V9 reissue Big Muffs. Stock, except for the Analog Man box.
• Soundclips for every Muff version are now complete for wet solo lead tones on the Sound Clips page. Raw Big Muff clips still in the works, hopefully I'll start posting them soon. I added updates to the "Civil War" and green Russian Big Muff circuit information. Added new photos to the Russian Big Muff section , and V1, V2, V3 Muffs on the Vintage USA Big Muff section, and the V9 in the Modern USA Big Muff section . More V1 and V2 alternate knob pix added to the Vintage USA Big Muff section.
• I added links to Dana's Big Muff schematics, articles, and mods website. He has schematics for all the vintage USA and Russian made Big Muffs, as well as instructions for many mods.
February 2010
• Updates to the Hendrix and Sovtek Big Muff sections with new info and history supplied by EHX founder and owner Mike Matthews himself. New info added to the V1 section from THE man behind the original Big Muff, Bob Myer, inventor of the Muff circuit (thanks Bob!). New info added to the Bass Big Muff section, including some information about the design of the Bass Big Muff graciously supplied by E-H designer John Pisani. Russian Big Muff battery door pix added to the Russian Muff section. Lots of soundclips added to the Big Muff Sound Clips section, with many more to come.
• Soundclips and gear reviews of some vintage Muff clones by Stomp Under Foot, Blackout Effectors, and Pete Cornish have been added to the Vintage Muff Clones and Muff Inspired Pedals section.
January 2010
• Happy New Year! I added some details and regarding different foot switches used on the Russian Muffs, pix of vintage USA muff knobs, noted which Muffs were true bypass and which were not, and some info about power supplies. Mike Matthews clarified a confusing details about some of the last Russian Big Muffs made. The reason the foot switches were changed from the large Russian switches to the small USA/Mexican made switch was due to the Russian foot switch factory going out of business. Mike also shed some light on why the Russian pedals were discontinued.
• I added some new V1 and V2 circuit pix, showing the wide variety of values used. I revised some details about the V1 and V2 "editions", including the "violet" Ram's Head edition. I think this was likely not a real factory schematic change, but just a color change. There are many violet V2 Muffs with varying component values, just like any other V2 Muff, though I have seen a few that have values close to the schematic. I added some pix of those different circuits.
• NEW BIG MUFF IN THE WORKS!!! Mike Matthews spilled the beans about a soon to be released germanium based Big Muff to Guitar Player magazine at the 2010 Namm show. Mike called this the Germanium 4 Big Muff. I'll post news about it as info becomes available. Mike Matthews and Bob Myer also confirmed that the first production Big Muffs were made in 1969, and Mike lays the blame for the 1971 date popularly used on himself.
December 2009 - Mini interview with Big Muff/Deluxe Big Muff op amp circuit designer Howard Davis added to the Vintage USA Big Muff section.
Was there a TONE BYPASS V3? I have seen three examples of V3 transistor "3003" Big Muffs with tone bypass switches, and both "AC" and "TONE BYPASS" printed on the face. Is this a legitimate version, or are these just Muffs cobbled together from different versions? I am trying to determine the answer to that mystery. Howard Davis, Manager of Analog Circuit Design for E-H from 1976-1981, thinks the tone bypass may have already been in use by E-H before he designed his op-map V4 Big Muff. If that is the case, why did E-H drop the bypass for the V4, then add it again for the V5 around a year later? Stay tuned, and if anyone can shed any light on this one, or if you have one, let me know.
November 2009 - The mystery is solved! The first Big Muff was manufactured and sold by 1970, not 1971. This means Jimi Hendrix could have used one before he died in the Foxey Lady studios, just as Mike Matthews has always claimed. The actual first production year was confusing because of conflicting dates stated in various websites and books, most stating 1971. Thanks to all the V1 owners who chimed in verifying the year they bought theirs as 1970, and thanks to Carlos for his 1970 Manny's Music reciept for his V1 Triangle, pictured in the Vintage USA Big Muff section .
The Siamese Dream Muff - Another mystery has been clarified - Billy Corgan's huge sound on the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream appears to have been created with the much maligned V4 op-amp Big Muff, or possibly a modded V3, though NOT a V1 Muff or creamy dreamer modded Muff as popularly believed. Billy has finally cleared this up and I have photos of his actual Big Muff with his typical settings in my Big Muff section. I also added some Pumpkins sound clips of that version.
I have also verified that E-H did ship some early V9 reissue Muffs with old style V3 knobs as late as 2001. Later V9 Muffs have the common flat topped, hockey puck knobs. Photos of the knobs used are in the Modern USA Big Muff section
October 2009 - The Big Muff Page was getting too large for one page so I have split it up into three sections - one for vintage USA Muffs, one for modern USA Muffs, and one for Russian made Sovtek Big Muffs.
Sovtek Big Muffs are Discontinued - It appears the rumor is true. The Sovtek Muffs have not been available for quite some time in Europe and the are now no longer being offered by EHX in the USA. Many other Russian made EXH pedals are bing discontinued as well. I have seen no official reason from EHX yet. Many dealers still stock them, but prices are sure to go up in coming years.
September 2009 - I added some soundclips to the Muff Inspired Pedals and Clones page. Marc Skreddy was kind enough to send me a prototype of his new Pig Mine pedal to test while I was waiting on the one I ordered from him to be made. Some of my demos can be found on the Skreddy Pedals website.