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HorrorshowMusic « King of Muffs »
Published on 03/25/11 at 14:06With the original Musket fuzz Blackout Effectors redefined what a Muff could be, creating an unparalleled level of control over the tone. With the second version Blackout not only stepped up the design, but changed the direction of the Musket. While the first version was a magnificent lead pedal (Pink Floyd anyone?) the latter incarnation is much more aimed at the classic wall of sound Big Muff tone that we all know and love. And while both are superb at what they do, one should not expect one to take on the others forte as its own. This is a big sounding fuzz, think Black Keys and White Stripes, and while it can be molded and shaped to do just about anything, there is the sweet spot, a big, hairy, obnoxious sweet spot.
UTILIZATION
The beautiful thing about the Musket when put next to other muffs is the tone sculpting one can do between the "Tone" "Mids" and "Focus" knobs. The issue I always had with muffs was the way they could get lost in a mix, but this issue has never presented itself with the Musket. I prefer a heavy does of upper mid range in my tone and with the right settings I can almost always get this. The only time the tone has not been to my liking is with the neck pup on my tele, as it can lose some of it's aggression, but that's just the nature of the pickup rather than the pedal itself.
SOUND QUALITY
As you astute readers have probably gathered by this point, I honestly don't have much of anything negative to say about the Musket, it sounds great with every guitar it has been paired with in my experience. One must also note that due to it's tweak-ability it can be very easily manipulated to lay down thunderous bass lines ala Death From Above 1979. The only thing word of caution I must present is that it can be noisy, but this is fuzz we're talking about here people, it's not supposed to be quiet, especially not a muff.
OVERALL OPINION
An ultra controllable muff with a boost in front? What's not to love. Anyone muff fan, or even any true general fuzz fan, needs to try one of these out. It is my go-to distortion box, and will be for all of the foreseeable future. Don't let all the knobs scare you, it's not like trying to dial in a Fuzz Factory. Every sound is usable, but take the time to play with the controls enough and the King of Muffs will reward your efforts.
UTILIZATION
The beautiful thing about the Musket when put next to other muffs is the tone sculpting one can do between the "Tone" "Mids" and "Focus" knobs. The issue I always had with muffs was the way they could get lost in a mix, but this issue has never presented itself with the Musket. I prefer a heavy does of upper mid range in my tone and with the right settings I can almost always get this. The only time the tone has not been to my liking is with the neck pup on my tele, as it can lose some of it's aggression, but that's just the nature of the pickup rather than the pedal itself.
SOUND QUALITY
As you astute readers have probably gathered by this point, I honestly don't have much of anything negative to say about the Musket, it sounds great with every guitar it has been paired with in my experience. One must also note that due to it's tweak-ability it can be very easily manipulated to lay down thunderous bass lines ala Death From Above 1979. The only thing word of caution I must present is that it can be noisy, but this is fuzz we're talking about here people, it's not supposed to be quiet, especially not a muff.
OVERALL OPINION
An ultra controllable muff with a boost in front? What's not to love. Anyone muff fan, or even any true general fuzz fan, needs to try one of these out. It is my go-to distortion box, and will be for all of the foreseeable future. Don't let all the knobs scare you, it's not like trying to dial in a Fuzz Factory. Every sound is usable, but take the time to play with the controls enough and the King of Muffs will reward your efforts.