I wanted a well rounded, raw yet creamy distortion in my rig. I read up on a lot of pedals, and I knew that Electro Harmonix was a great company to buy from. I decided to get the Big Muff Pi (which is the U.S.A. version). I bought it at a Guitar Center new for about $85.00.

I really liked how strong and sturdy it was. With a lot of other pedals I have they tend to break sometimes, or have their dials come off. The Big Muff never broke or had any chips in it. It was made w/ a die-hard heavy metal casing. I also loved the creamy overdrive that I could get out of it.

I expected more from the Muff. It is a great pedal, but the Pi is more of a fuzz pedal, not a distortion. I use it now for a little mix into my amp distortion, but its not a "stand alone" effect that I use much.

Like I had said before, this is a rugged unit. It is pretty light I guess for a pedal and how it looks. It also comes in a wooden box, the same ones that all Electro Harmonix pedals come in.

The bottom line is if you want a really, really great fuzz effect, there is no doubt that you should go w/ this pedal. If you want raw, heavy distortion, the Big Muff is NOT the answer.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com