All user reviews for the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff PI

Fuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, legendary, mythical same!
Editable if it has a thumb and an index (or major)
Given the size it must not float in a rack too: p
EHX analog inside!
Jack and that's enough! even the taking of power supply (-1)

It's big, huge even, I love this pedal format. Looking at the circuit inside one wonders why the case is so big, one-third would have been enough.

8 / 10 because of the power supply mini jack and the size of the housing that will interfere with many.

UTILIZATION

Oune little easier, just background and that's it ...
Nah, kidding, but make donf from time to time that describes the ears.

The manual so there is one, but for what it is ...

Again on August 1

SOUND QUALITY

For it is not very versatile against the effect (not even).
Done to send the wood, nothing else, it'll cradder your sound, make porridge, to go on feedback are no better, pair it with another type of distortion is even better with the effects of modulations (before or after) it is always good.

On a guitar is genial, a bass solo (alone in either) it's going it's cool, we realize that we as a group has more bass and suddenly it's less fun.

always 8!

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a long time (5-6 years I think)
I wish I could test the older models (mine is a reissue) or sovteck, but it's not easy to find.

The price is ridiculous for the quality of this pedal and I would definitely do it again this election (even with a bass).

And a 9 because I'm a fan!

Fuzz pedal / Disto arch known, used by David Gilmour, Santana ...
At the base was made thinking about Hendrix as a future user, but it would not have had time to play ...
3 buttons classsiques: Vol, Tone, Sustain (gain or drive)

It is a fuzz which draws on the distortion, ie the saturated portion is not a predominance of acute.

It uses conventional silicon components (diodes and transisors) here not as a Germanium Fuzz Face or the Factory.
A more right, more direct, less draft more balanced.

UTILIZATION

Not much to say, three buttons is childish.

The case is HUGE, that's means and the taking of power supply is not classic, a small jack end, not the Boss of 9v.

SOUND QUALITY

Big sound very heavy, not for the musette what

Here strong predominance of low, mid dug.

OVERALL OPINION

It's big and well packed, perfect for solos or power chords. In the long run I think the lack of mediums is heavy, there are alternatives to the pedals inspired by the muff and correct its flaws (lack of mediums, too much compression)

Pete Cornish P2
The Muff from Gilmour. Version, which buries the MUFF great but is very expensive: € 517 in 2011

http://www.petecornish.co.uk/index2.html

Classic 70's experience of JMB. MUFF-based sound is almost identical to a P2, very present, made in France.

http://jmb.experience.free.fr

Top DG1 or DG2 tone also quite expensive (Brazil), its identical to the P2 as well.

http://www.toptone.com.br

Fuzz pedal famous brand of analog Electro Harmonix: used by the greatest: Santana David Gilmour and Billy Corgan ...

UTILIZATION

Configuration is very simple: three buttons: Volume Tone Sustain: you turn the knobs change the sound ... add that on mine there at the top of the pedal a button to remove the His Tone but I play with the tone, note that we can feed it with a 9V battery but it is a good me a connection string and Visual Sound One Spot 2V and GO GO GO: no breath Slab: TFW taste of bowl. is a matter of taste after.

SOUND QUALITY

I was told that it sends and bin it sends sound Guedin: note that I play with earplugs since I was this big pedal too good: it sends a filthy well, it's going to Feedback, I can not control it with a Wah ... Sonic Youth fans will be thrilled as the fans exploded pumpkins (Smashing Pumpkins: The sound of Siamese Dream and Gish: it is a foot fetish Billy Corgan: For those interested: Here's Big Muff settings : Volume Tone to 13h to 13h and to sustain donf.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had about 3 weeks at the base I had to buy a new one but there was more in my store favorite but someone had put a deposit on sale: a 1983 model (with the black button at the top to remove the key) in good condition: we say that the model is old: better: bah is the case: OCCAZ purchased at 50E I made a deal. I play on a Mexico Start with a VOX AC 15 and AC sends frankly I'm having to play Cherub Rock and lots of other stuff.
I have one at the base of DS2 Boss: I like it but the Big Muff is something else.
Of course I do it again this election but I will not buy a new one: I will try to find a OCCAZ but this morning the search.

After it is a matter of taste: so we like it or not.
Me it does and it makes too much in a pedalboard.

Analog fuzz pedal with Standard 1/4" input and output jacks
Control knobs for volume, tone, and sustain (ammount of fuzz)
True bypass stomp switch, 1/8" power input, bottom battery box.
All housed in a huge enclosure.

UTILIZATION

I think fuzz pedals should be kept simple and it does not get much more simple than the big muff. No instructions are necessary and I don't even remember there being a manual when I bought this. You just hook up your cables, put some power whether it's an adapter or battery, turn some knobs, stomp the switch and go.

SOUND QUALITY

There is a reason why this pedal has become such a classic. I have been through many fuzz boxes from run of the mill all the way through some of the most sought after boutique boxes and the classic big muff can run with all of them. Some may think the EQ is limited but there is actually a lot of range in that one tone control. From fizzy to huge it's all there. I have run this pedal with guitar, Bass, keys, and even vocals and been able to get some useable or even great sounds out of it. To this day it is still my favorite fuzz for bass. I mostly use it on guitar as that is m main instrument. The wall of sound is what I typically go for with a fuzz and it is easily achieved with this pedal. There is not much in the way of lower gain tones but I find that to be pretty common with most fuzz boxes.


OVERALL OPINION

For the money I just don't think this can be beat. I have other fuzz pedals that sound better in some situations and have a more refined sound but they cost much more than this. There are some inconsistencies with it though. I have played others that sounded quite different from mine. I wouldn't say worse but different. The huge size is also a turn off to some people. The size of the circuit could easily be crammed into a box half this size so if you're handy with a soldering iron it might be a good idea.

I went to Guitar Center one day looking for something to buy because I had money burning a whole in my pocket. Decided to pick the Big Muff up since I have seen so many players use or talk about this pedal. Took it home and wow!!!...This is the first time I have played a fuzz box before and very different than natural amp distortion or other OD pedals such as Boss or Ibanez. To my pleasant and utter satisfaction I was getting very cool sustain to which I had never gotten with regular OD pedals before. I was even getting a violin type sound with playing around with the Sustain knob.

The layout is as follows...

Volume,Tone, Sustain,

Volume is at is says. Tone will color your tone to dark or bright depending on how you dial it in. Sustain add the gain and violin like qualities to your tone.

What I like best about this pedal was how the sustain was very long and drawn out. Very useful in certain situations. I probably wouldn't use this as my everyday rig tone but it adds a cool and fun element to your arsenal.

UTILIZATION

Specs:

True bypass
Singing sustain with attitude
Crushing distortion
Adjustable tone
9-volt battery included
Optional 9DC-100 power supply available

Well it does not get much simpler than this. Maybe the easiest pedal to figure out. The manual was a mute point as anyone can figure out how to use this thing. It did help a little to find that violin setting which I did not know it could do until I read the manual. So that was a plus to add in the box.

SOUND QUALITY

When it comes to fuzz boxes I don't think there is anything better than the Big Muff. I have played a tone of fuzz pedals and nothing really comes close to the Big Muff. It is very warm and thick. Other pedals I have played seem to be thinner and more metallic sounding. This pedal is so simple and cheap at $80 it is not something that will necessarily break the bank.

I would use this with a Tele, Strat, and a Les Paul. Each instrument sounded very good and usable. It beefed up my Tele and just made my LP explode into sustaining saturation. I ran it in front of a Vox AC30 and a '74 Marshall JMP. The combo with the Vox was quite good and a tone that I actually miss since I don't have my Vox anymore. I have gone through a ton of pedals throughout my years and this is one that has stayed with me and I will never sell.

One downside is that I have an older one that is not true bypass which is a bummer now that the newer ones have this feature. However, I'm not going to shell out the extra $80 to get one with true bypass when I don't use it that much anymore

OVERALL OPINION

I love this pedal. Easy to use and the most classic fuzz box this world has ever known. I would say the only down side is the size of the box. It is HUGE and takes up a ton of space on your pedal board.

Another thing is the odd plug which is on the male side. It doesn't use a normal Boss or Ibanez plug so beware of that. It feels kind of hollow to which you would think it could break but I have never had a problem with mine.

At new these pedals come in at around $79, which is an excellent price for this item. I would recommend this pedal to any guitar player. It to me is a staple in rock n roll and should be owned by everyone. For the money some spend on gear this is one that will always sound the same and provide that irrefutable classic fuzz tone.

- Controls for volume, tone, and sustain (gain/clipping)

- Top mounted jacks

- Buffered bypass

- Large classic enclosure

- Lightweight

- Powered by 9v battery or standard Boss style adapter

UTILIZATION

This one is pretty simple and straightforward to dial in. Tone knob gives a pretty wide range of tones, its worth taking the time to tweak. The sustain knob is really just a gain/clipping control, but yes that obviously adds sustain. '

I wasn't really a fan of the construction on this one. Yes its lightweight, but the enclosure is very thin and doesn't come off as sturdy at all.

The internal build quality is not great. The wiring job is very shabby and I've totally seen these start to fall apart with use.

The bypass is a pretty mediocre buffer, love it or hate it.

SOUND QUALITY

To be honest, it doesn't sound that great, especially for the amount that this pedal is hyped up. Yes some of the old ones could produce fantastic tones, but they were also built a lot less consistently. The reissues really just aren't that great. Harsh and gritty, yes its a fuzz, but muffs are a pretty mild fuzz variation and this one fails at creamy tone.

It can do the wall of sound thing pretty well, and as mentioned, the tone knob is pretty versatile. The gain knob will take you from very mild compression to a wall of sound type deal.

OVERALL OPINION

Not the best Muff type pedal I've come across. They sound decent, nothing more, nothing less. They go for quite cheap used, so if you are on a budget, its not a bad choice. But personally I would pass. The mediocre, bland sound, coupled with the shoddy build quality and flimsy enclosure just don't do it for me at all.

If you are after a serious nice sounding muff, take a look at Stomp Under Foot. Matt makes great pedals, and has a few modeled after good sounding vintage ones.

As far as I can tell, the hype about the reissue Pi is more about image and reputation than anything else. The sound just isn't there.

FUZZ pedal type.
100% analog!
Knob 3: volume, tone and sustain. is simple.
for the connection, an input, output and power supply mini jack.
the pedal is HUGE! that even I had expected, I was surprised by its size.

8 / 10 for size really outsized and PSU.

UTILIZATION

I use it with a bass.
the sound is really great, nothing wrong. serious loss, it's really to quibble. it sounds really nickel).
the sound editing is really easy, really nickel.

10/10

SOUND QUALITY

well then, wow!!
it's bold, it drips, it goes in all directions and it denies!
that's exactly what I wanted.
the pedal is not versatile, but you buy it for her muff and nothing else!
I tested the bass big muff, but the sound was too precise and too clean. U.S. IP with it goes in all directions, is not "square" and that's what she got more expensive.

9 / 10 for lack of versatility, but I quibble

OVERALL OPINION

fuzz pedal that really makes nickel on bass. I love me!

10/10 beautiful richly deserved

This is a Big Muff. You know what you're getting when you but it. Thick, Hairy, distortion somewhere between a Fuzz and distortion. A Volume Knob, a Tone Knob, and a Sustain knob are all this has, keeping things simple and making it easy to find a good tone. It uses a, 1/8" plug for it's 9V DC instead of the normal BOSS style, so it needs a special adapter if you want to daisy chain it with other pedals.

UTILIZATION

It is very easy to use this pedal. Set the sustain and tone where you want 'em, set the volume so it's the same bypassed as on, and you're ready to rock.

SOUND QUALITY

This is one thick and hairy pedal. It lies somewhere between a distortion and a fuzz, but is neither. Thick, mean, hairy, and aggressive are all words that can be used to describe this pedal. I find this is one of those pedals that you either like it's sound or you don't.
The input is connected to the output via a buffer. Being an Electro Harmonix pedal, it's a good buffer. There's almost no treble loss while bypassed, meaning what you hear while bypassed, is your guitar tone.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a quality pedal. Great sounding (if you like the sound of it) and decently priced. I personally don't find myself much of a Muff fan. I like a thinner, treblier and fuzzier fuzz. I am being unbiased in my rating and not rating it low because I don't like it. This is a great pedal, but I just don't like the Muff tone. This is one of these pedals that you either like it's sound, or don't. If you like the Muff sound, you will love this pedal. If not, don't get it. It's as simple as that.

Standard stomp-box effect set up of 1/4" input, 1/4" output, 9V power supply input, 9V battery snap inside and a bypass stomp switch. Three knobs, Volume, Tone and Sustain.

UTILIZATION

Simple to set up, just stick a battery and plug your guitar to the input and the amp to the output and you're ready to go. The three knobs are pretty self explanatory and there's not a great deal of need for a manual, just playing around with the knobs until you find a sound you like is the best idea for effects pedals like this in my opinion.

SOUND QUALITY

I use this pedal with my Squier Duo-sonic and Epiphone Valve Junior amplifier and they make a great sound together. I really like the tone of all the big muff variants that I have tried although this is my least favorite of them. One problem I have with this pedal is that it can be quite noisy when in operation, but it's true bypass so when it's bypassed their is no effect on your tone.

The way that the knobs interact with each other on this pedal allow you to have quite a versatile range of tones as well as THE Big Muff wall of fuzz sound. By dropping the sustain knob to 0 and the volume knob to maximum a lightly distorted overdrive type sound can be achieved which I really like. I find this pedal to be too mid scooped for my liking to be used as a rhythm tone in a band situation but I love the sound of it as a lead boost on top of an already overdriven amplifier.

OVERALL OPINION

For the price of a used one I believe it's worth it, definitely a good first pedal to dip your toe into the world of fuzz. Although I think there are better Big Muff variants available, I much prefer the tone stack in the Sovtek built Big Muffs.

I think this model of muff is a great pedal to modify to provide more versatility and a more unique tone, even a mod as simple as bypassing the tone stack or adding a voltage sag knob can open up the sonic possibilities a vast amount.

I went to Guitar Center one day looking for something to buy because I had money burning a whole in my pocket. Decided to pick the Big Muff up since I have seen so many players use or talk about this pedal. Took it home and wow!!!...This is the first time I have played a fuzz box before and very different than natural amp distortion or other OD pedals such as Boss or Ibanez. To my pleasant and utter satisfaction I was getting very cool sustain to which I had never gotten with regular OD pedals before. I was even getting a violin type sound with playing around with the Sustain knob.

The layout is as follows...

Volume,Tone, Sustain,

Volume is at is says. Tone will color your tone to dark or bright depending on how you dial it in. Sustain add the gain and violin like qualities to your tone.

What I like best about this pedal was how the sustain was very long and drawn out. Very useful in certain situations. I probably wouldn't use this as my everyday rig tone but it adds a cool and fun element to your arsenal.

UTILIZATION

Well it does not get much simpler than this. Maybe the easiest pedal to figure out. The manual was a mute point as anyone can figure out how to use this thing. It did help a little to find that violin setting which I did not know it could do until I read the manual. So that was a plus to add in the box.

SOUND QUALITY

When it comes to fuzz boxes I don't think there is anything better than the Big Muff. I have played a tone of fuzz pedals and nothing really comes close to the Big Muff. It is very warm and thick. Other pedals I have played seem to be thinner and more metallic sounding. This pedal is so simple and cheap at $80 it is not something that will necessarily break the bank.

I would use this with a Tele, Strat, and a Les Paul. Each instrument sounded very good and usable. It beefed up my Tele and just made my LP explode into sustaining saturation. I ran it in front of a Vox AC30 and a '74 Marshall JMP. The combo with the Vox was quite good and a tone that I actually miss since I don't have my Vox anymore. I have gone through a ton of pedals throughout my years and this is one that has stayed with me and I will never sell.

One downside is that I have an older one that is not true bypass which is a bummer now that the newer ones have this feature. However, I'm not going to shell out the extra $80 to get one with true bypass when I don't use it that much anymore

OVERALL OPINION

I love this pedal. Easy to use and the most classic fuzz box this world has ever known. I would say the only down side is the size of the box. It is HUGE and takes up a ton of space on your pedal board. Another thing is the odd plug which is on the male side. It doesn't use a normal Boss or Ibanez plug so beware of that. It feels kind of hollow to which you would think it could break but I have never had a problem with mine.

I would recommend this pedal to any guitar player. It to me is a staple in rock n roll and should be owned by everyone. For the money some spend on gear this is one that will always sound the same and provide that irrefutable classic fuzz tone.

Fuzz pedal / analog ditortion

UTILIZATION

Configuration is very simple, 3 knobs, not difficult to settle, and not need the manual either

SOUND QUALITY

We find the grain of the big muff, there is no doubt about it, for or against the lower AC is on quality, the sound is not very well defined, AC sorely lacking precision not obvious to conclude agreements with clarity when you push the gain.
With this pedal is the big riff in octaves, with power chords or note to note ... you have to forget agreements (7th etc ...)

OVERALL OPINION

The sound is okay for a pedal of this price, I realized the mediocrity of this pedal when I got my first "big muff clones", as the UNDER FOOT STOMP ram's head, civil war, or hoof EARTHQUAKE DEVICES, BLACKOUT Effector or even the musket, since I have these models, I can finally use the "his big muff" while recording with the electro harmonix model, it was impossible ...
Basically a good pedal for the beginner who can become familiar with the sound of the big muff

analog pedal, aluminum big thing with three big plastic button that looks like something out of a film of the 80 sf
connectors, bin in and out through the PSU cons mini jack is annoying
Brief for a very large pedalboard and need an adapter for the PSU
ah yes you can put a stack, but "get out your screwdriver" as the boring but good it consumes very little ....

UTILIZATION

Volume, tone, sustain (gain / distortion)
if you're doing not to find a sound with AC will see an ENT or arreyte music, extremely simple

SOUND QUALITY

quality .... well it's dirty, aggressive, and sparkling low we look synthtique, this is what is scary but this is nothing pejorative, it is huge, the sound is something obscene, disgusting and ca ca has the mouth, so versatility is not necessarily its thing, it happens in many different styles, ehx sells it as the pedal Floyd and Santana, and it is true that for this style solo torn it, but must add that this is the main disto jack white, and if my memory is good nancy boy was saved with a big muff ... there is always something to do with ....
I test with: gibson les paul studio premium plus, gibson les paul dc pro, gibson sg standard, fender mustang competition cij, fender telecaster std us, ja90 telecaster, classic player jaguar and a double on Fender amp superfield xd, orange rocker 30, vox ac 4TV (bad cocktail) Vox AC15 and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe head ...... if the guitars sounded is not the case for amps, I strongly advise to have a good clear sound and lamps
I have added a note to turn the sound equalizer (more aggressive)

OVERALL OPINION

since I did I do without it anymore, I try to distortion pedals bcp / fuzz / oeverdrive before her (mt2, md2, ds1, you dirty rat, fuzz factory, metal muff, Bloody Mary) and although some of these models bcp me more (the fuzz factory ... mmmmm) it remains my favorite porn
well to recognize its limitations (very very dirty not very precise) it's a hit with a grain of nature, simple to use, cheap and legendary ...
I'll always have a big muff that the, or vintage, or Russian, then it is a must
we like it or not there has to do with tjs qqchose
it's a bit like a busty actress vulgar, she is still indeed the film qqsoit

As far as the characteristics go, this is a standard analog distortion pedal. It's not rackable, and it predates computer editing so it's not Mac/PC compatible. It's got your basic 1/4" connections, input and output. 

UTILIZATION

This is one of the all time standards of distortion pedals. It's very easy to use, with only three knobs. There is one for volume, one for tone, and one for sustain. Even with a basic setup like this, it's possible to get a lot of good sounds very easily. If you know what sustain means, then you don't need a manual. Otherwise, just look it up, a manual isn't really needed. 

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality of this pedal can't really be underestimated. It's been used since the early 1970s and it's responsible for many of the classic tones and sounds of rock music from that era. It's got one of the richest, most consistently rewarding tones I've ever heard. The sustain on it is really great. It crunches in a very distinct way. It gives a great, fuzzy, creamy tone that sounds amazing. It's better than most pedals of its nature in that it doesn't hide the musical elements of the guitar, and it lets notes ring through really well. Many distortion pedals nowadays mangle the sound until you can't even tell what you're playing anymore. This pedal avoids that problem well. It's almost bafflingly straightforward, which makes editing sounds a piece of cake. I feel like there's always a good use for it, and I never find a sound I don't like. For some notable examples of the pedal on record, you can check out Pink Floyd's Animals or The Wall, as David Gilmour used it on those records. A somewhat more modern sounding example can be found on almost every Dinosaur Jr. album.

OVERALL OPINION

I like the tone of this pedal the most. I don't have any particular qualms about the sound. It is reliable, durable, and consistent in its performance. It gets noisy, but not excessively so. It will really rock when you push it. I think that nowadays, it's probably a little bit more expensive than it used to be, but I definitely think it's still pretty affordable. I've seen it go for around $60 online, and that's a steal. You'll definitely get your money's worth at that price. I highly recommend it. 

The Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi (USA) is an analog distortion pedal. It has a 1/4 inch input for your guitar and another 1/4 inch output to go to your amplifier. It is not a rackable unit as it is a stomp box.

UTILIZATION

The configuration of the pedal, like most Electro Harmonix pedals, is extremely easy to follow and is easy to use. It has three knobs - one for volume, one for tone, and one for sustain. It is easy to manipulate the pedal to get a number of different distortion sounds as it only has three knobs that control pretty straightforward things. I don't have a manual for this, but never was in a situation where I wish I did.

SOUND QUALITY

The Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi has one of the fattest tones I have heard from a distortion pedal. It really rips and when the sustain is up, you can hold your note out endlessly. I have only used this for guitar, which is really what it is aimed for using with. One of the guitars I use this with is a Fender Stratocaster and I usually use it with a 1976 Fender Twin Reverb amplifier. I love using this for both rhythm and lead tones, but have found it most effective as a lead tone. The thickness from this pedal is unlike any I have heard.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi for about three years. While I can't get every distortion sound I would like out of this, the sound it does produce is pretty great. It is thick and rich in tone and is quite easy to use. Compared to a pedal like the Boss DS-1, it sounds better overall to me as it produces a much fuller tone. The price won't blow you away, but it isn't too expensive. Electro Harmonix makes great guitar pedals, and this is a great example of the craftmanship they deliver.