different eras of the big muff

[scottish]

so im gonna build this kit: http://www.generalguitargadgets.com...facturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=45

as you can see, it includes components to build the big muff to different specs of different versions....which i know nothing about, lol.

any muff experts here who can educate me on the differences, if there are any significant ones, on these different era big muffs?

* Triangle Version
* Ram's Head Version
* Violet Ram's Head Version
* Late 70's (3rd) Version
* Green Russian Reissue Version
* Black Russian Reissue Version
* GGG Tuned Version

 

[millsart]

Re: different eras of the big muff

they really all sound pretty much the same. I've played the new ones, the old ones, the NYC reissues, the ram's head clones, the triangle clones, you name it. Very minor sonic differences as far as I could tell. They all were still quite "muffy" in character

 

[jmh151]

Re: different eras of the big muff

Well I just bought the lil'Big Muff and love it, but I looked into each of them. Particularly since I wanted to try to copy David Gilmour's early sounds.

The most desirable, or rarer one, is the triangle head. That's the earliest. The Ram's head came after and has more bottom end, supposedly less sustain. All I know is Gilmour had his rams head modified by Pete Cornish to sound more like the triangle

All the others are like the reissues out there. I really can't say from experience if there is a big difference in each

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: different eras of the big muff

Gilmour didn't start using Muffs until the Animals era.

I think it's mostly tone stack changes in the kit. Check out the Muff tone stack claculator on the Duncan Amps site. It lets you plug in different values and get different mid scoops. Real vintage Muffs have differences in transistors, they really had some variance, substituting components when others ran out.

Russian Muffs are more distortion like and US ones are fuzzier. There's a few good sites out there, google big muff mods.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: different eras of the big muff

I disagree completely that they all sound the same...similar but not the same...thats like saying all Fender amps sound the same, no they dont!

HOWEVER...that is a VERY in depth question, best to sit down and do a lot of internet research...

 

[jmh151]

Re: different eras of the big muff

Gilmour didn't start using Muffs until the Animals era.

I think it's mostly tone stack changes in the kit. Check out the Muff tone stack claculator on the Duncan Amps site. It lets you plug in different values and get different mid scoops. Real vintage Muffs have differences in transistors, they really had some variance, substituting components when others ran out.

Russian Muffs are more distortion like and US ones are fuzzier. There's a few good sites out there, google big muff mods.

I'm aware of that- he used fuzz facs before then- specifically the early blue and later red ones- as is seen on Echoes.

Dunlop had made the red reissue for years- and the recent hendrix reissue is the early blue

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: different eras of the big muff

I'm aware of that- he used fuzz facs before then- specifically the early blue and later red ones- as is seen on Echoes.

Dunlop had made the red reissue for years- and the recent hendrix reissue is the early blue

The new blue JH Fuizz Face is a colour that NEVER was on a FF until a fe months ago...

Old FF pedals were red, a different blue, silver/grey and a fdew other colours in very small numbers.

Also...FWIW a FF and a Big muff sound NOTHING alike andmost of the Dunlop reissues are junk. Howver the newest JH one (the light blue one) is pretty good is you dig the silicon FF tone...

 

[scottish]

Re: different eras of the big muff

jeez...i just googled big muff.

anyone wanna take some guesses as to what i got a whole ton of hits on? lol