Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

[Diego]

It's freakin' awesome. Only tried it at bedroom volumes.
Maybe tomorrow I'll have the chance to try it really loud.

But so far, it's surprisingly versatile, the EQ is very responsive and well thought, and the Top Boost just makes it stupid heavy if you want it to.
I love that.

More gain than anyone will ever need onboard, too.

It's just heavy on top of more and more heavy, while staying reasonably transparent and very dynamic, very real.

It's THE pedal I would have loved to have when I was 15.
Except I'm 26 and I have it just now. Nice.

 

[Markk]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

It's THE pedal I would have loved to have when I was 15.
Except I'm 26 and I have it just now. Nice.

But the question is, do you still play like that 15 year old

Good to hear you like it. I've always wondered about the EXH muff pedals, maybe not so much the metal one, but the others. Maybe one day...

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

i really like mine.

i spent a lot of time trying to find a really "amp-like" overdrive...ended up spending the cash for a Box of Rock which I use for like 80% of my rock / blues and even metal playing.

but that Metal Muff does a very good, very refined-sounding high-gain distortion that's extremely flexible...I use it for modern metal tones and for 90's rock tones (nails Nirvana, Green Day, etc...)

Just a really good distortion unit...if you have a loud, clean amp and want a good, modern-voiced distortion that's extremely versatile, this box does it. If I don't know what sort of sounds I'm gona need (Mid-gain rock, high-gain metal, whatever) then this pedal is a safer bet than the Box of Rock just because it has more gain on tap.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

haha...washed-up mesa in a box...i dig it

 

[guitarkid]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

I have the Metal Muff w/ Top Boost too and I love it! Whenever I want to get some heavier mesa type tones that I can't quite get out of my Blackstar I use it. Its a lot of fun.

 

[Diego]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

After a few days I've found that the way to get THE tone I love out of this box is with the boost permanently on,
set on a very conservative setting, while the rest of the EQ is set for a warmer sound.
Something like Bass 7.5, Mids 6, Treble 4.

I don't like what the treble knob does by itself in this pedal, it reminds me of the stock Metal Zone buzz, but I love what the Top Boost knob does, but it's gotta be very moderate.
So I dial it around 2-3 out of 10, and keep it on all the time.
My amp is set for a warm sound too though, so these settings could be really fizzy and annoying through another amp.

Yesterday I tried it out really loud... it's fantastic.
And it keeps a lot of clarity even with tons of gain. That's a new one for me. Love it.

It's definitely a bit of a commonplace Mesa tone, and that's good sometimes.

 

[Diego]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

I've always wondered about the EXH muff pedals, maybe not so much the metal one, but the others. Maybe one day...

I also tried the Double Muff pedal. I still don't know what to make out of it.

In the single mode, it's a warm, sweet overdriven tone that didn't remind me of any famous tone in particular, but it's very nice, both for rhythm and lead.

In the double mode, it turns into a gritty, ferocious, fuzzy beast.
It sounds wild and out of control and that's good.
It would definitely work for a Smashing Pumpkins/NIN/Nirvana type of tone.

I'd love to have one!

I hate, however, how EHX loves to put as less knobs as possible on their pedals.
I tried the Small Clone today too. I prefered a Rocktron Chorus pedal instead.
More control of the basic parameters.

 

[GLJazz]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

I loved mine.

Then it quit with no warning.

I'll probably track down another someday...

 

[TwofacePimp]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

Grats Diego! The Metal Muff is fun to play, and it doesn't get enough credit. Definitely better than a metal zone. I like it for heavy riffing at home, but I've seen it on the pedalboards of a few non-metal players for their gigging rigs.

 

[donahue]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

+1 on the MM. My pedals come and go, but that one stays. Definitely a "if it broke I'd buy another" pedal for me. Hell, if it can make a Valve Jr. or a 1968 Sears/Silvertone amp sound like a washed up Mesa: Win.

 

[baritone]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

It's a fun pedal to have. I like to keep the distortion low and really dig into the EQ. To me, this pedal sounds a lot better through a tube amp.

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

Re: Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

It's a fun pedal to have. I like to keep the distortion low and really dig into the EQ. To me, this pedal sounds a lot better through a tube amp.

I love mine, too. My go to distortion. It does sound better through a tube amp. A good tube-esque amp is really good too. Sounds very good with my Fender Frontman 65R. Sounded very harsh and fizzy through my old Crate head with 2x12 v30 cab.

I'm thinking about getting another and turn the gain down for a mid-gain tone. (Note: if my gain is set at 11:00, its too high)

 

[Diego]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

Same here. Mine is awful through the Roland JC120 model, which of course is as clean as it can be.

But it sounds right through the Fender Blackface model, which is more tube-like.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

If I had to do the brootalz, I'd be all over that. I played one for the first time about 95ish or so, maybe?

Haven't heard any metal box better since.

 

[gvis]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

I'm still looking for a heavy pedal to replace my rarely used nor liked metal zone and to compliment the hyde side of my VS jeckyl/hyde, which I think is based on the marshall shredmaster circuit and can get pretty heavy. By compliment I mean give a similar level of heavy (or heavier) but with a different tone, not on the Marshall side of the spectrum; more modern.

I've been considering the metal muff for awhile now, and after hearing here that it cops a decent Mesa tone, I'm more encouraged. The hyde doesn't really sound part of the marshall spectrum to me and seems a little more modern. Has anyone here ever played both the hyde and metal muff? Are they similar? A comparison would be nice so that I don't waste my time trying out the metal muff. Although it may be worth it anyway if I can tweak the muff enough to get a noticeably different tone.

If they are similar, I guess I could hold off till I get the dough for the wampler train wreck....which leasds me to ask the same comparison question of train wreck vs metal muff.

Much appreciated.

 

[Diego]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

I'm still looking for a heavy pedal to replace my rarely used nor liked metal zone and to compliment the hyde side of my VS jeckyl/hyde, which I think is based on the marshall shredmaster circuit and can get pretty heavy. By compliment I mean give a similar level of heavy (or heavier) but with a different tone, not on the Marshall side of the spectrum; more modern.

I've been considering the metal muff for awhile now, and after hearing here that it cops a decent Mesa tone, I'm more encouraged. The hyde doesn't really sound part of the marshall spectrum to me and seems a little more modern. Has anyone here ever played both the hyde and metal muff? Are they similar? A comparison would be nice so that I don't waste my time trying out the metal muff. Although it may be worth it anyway if I can tweak the muff enough to get a noticeably different tone.

If they are similar, I guess I could hold off till I get the dough for the wampler train wreck....which leasds me to ask the same comparison question of train wreck vs metal muff.

Much appreciated.

Can't help you with that, never played the Jeckyl/Hyde.

However, if you try the MM + TB, do take your time.
It's just as easy to get a bad tone than a good one out of it.

 

[gvis]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

Maybe I'll just try it. GC has been pretty good to me with pedal exchanges and store credit. They took my distortron and after burner back after a week of use, no questions asked. Hell, they should, given how much dough I've spent there the last ten years.

I like hearing that the metal muff has tonal range. I don't have that with either the jeckyl or hide. The gain setting is about the only thing makes a meaningful difference, and for the hyde its maxed...lol.

I almost bought it when I returned the after burner, but google searches were fidning a lot of people saying the metal muff eventually busted on them. I've never had a pedal bust in any way, so that worries me a bit.

 

[Markk]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

Wow, amazing what a small bump to the top will do to liven a thread

All this talk is making me GAS for a metal pedal now

 

[gvis]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

Yeah, me too. Played the hyde today and it is heavier than I recall, but these other pedals seem to be heavier. Viewed some you tube demos of the metal muff and triple wreck (just realized I had posted previously as train wreck...lol). I'm leaning towards the triple wreck.

Funny thing is, I really don't play in the metal style seen in demos, as far speed and chords (or lack thereof). I just like the heaviness of the tones, using slower tempos and more melodic chording. Not really sure what I sound like...lol. But I know I prefer perfect circle, tool, etc over typical metal bands. Not sure where I'm going with this....just need a heavier pedal...just because.

 

[Diego]

Re: Bought a EHX Metal Muff + Top Boost.

I'm not a Metal player either. Sometimes a bit of Metallica, Dream Theater, and other bands.

But it feels so nice to know you have a nuke sitting on your pedalboard.