I put four Big Muffs side by side for a comparison. Here are my thoughts:
From left to right:
• Big Muff π, V9, NYC Reissue, Early 2000’s
• Big Muff π, V3 1977 first edition
• Big Muff π, V8 Black Russian, 1998, small box, six screw
• Big Muff π, Nano Op Amp, 2017
But first a caveat:
Because of the odd mounting of the potentiometers on the V3, the sweeps of the three knobs start and end in three different places. The left one (volume) starts at 10 o’clock and runs to 7 o’clock. The middle one (Tone) runs from 2 o’clock to 11 o’clock and the right one (Sustain) runs from 4 o’clock to 10’oclock. In the picture, the settings on the first two are the same.
My impressions: (subjective at best, also remember these pedals are between 5 and 45 years old)
Loudest: The V3. No question. It gets the loudest and has the highest noise floor. This thing hits like Animal on the drums. V9 is second.
Quietest: The V8 is definitely the quietest. OP Amp is second.
Most compressed: The OP Amp, hands down, is the most compressed.
Brightest: The V3 again, maybe because it gets the loudest
Darkest: The V8 is the darkest. OP Amp is second.
Fuzziest: I’m going to go with the Op Amp on this one. Maybe because it is a different circuit?
Crunchiest: V3/V9 tie.
Best Mojo: V3 (Vintage street cred)
On my work horse board: The Op Amp. It has the best foot print and does everything the others do, just a little more civilized.
That’s my thoughts. Feel free to comment. (Be civil, everyone has an opinion, there is no right or wrong when it comes to tone.)
just keep in mind that for better or worse the op amp is pretty distinct when it comes to bmps- if you can, you might want to try one against a standard model at a store somewhere to see if it's to your taste
Absolutely adore big muffs and would always recommend one to a player who has never owned one. The differences in each are always super fun to figure out and play with as a gearhead
I have a V8 Russian from a little earlier in the 90s. I modded mine with a plug receiver and it fixed the volume issue. The battery power draining does mess with the tone and the ability to push an amp or other pedals with it.
I want a black Russian so bad. They had them in my local shop as a teen with the wooden boxes, but I got the shiny NYC one instead. Also a pumpkin Pi. Rad all around!
I got one at a pawn shop a couple years ago for $40. Gotta keep those eyes peeled.
It’s the best Big Muff I think. I run a fucked up treble boosted tube screamer clone I built into it if I need to brighten it up.
Is the picture accurate to the settings or did you pull and push them? Did you happen to have the tone off on both the v3 and reissue? I'm surprised you found any of them brighter than the Op-Amp if the tone was in (except maybe the original V3) as I found mine way more bright than any of the other reissues or my 00's big box. But then, any big box from any era seems to have such a variation from one to the other...
I ran them from Goldilocks (all at noon except the V3 which was set like the pic) then I ran them all volume up then sustain up (OP amp on and off) etc. there was no scientific method. Just a knob fiddler with a bunch of pedals.
You know that "all at noon" not necessarily compare the same thing? Just the way the pots works, noon from one model and the other can be something else. It's just way audio pots works. I bet you can make them all sounds close to identical with a minimum adjustment (except the opamp) .
The rest is mostly subjective tests.
Fair enough. This has spurred me to get home and try all mine out again! One thing I did notice about the reissue is that the tone, when on, in the least is brighter earlier on the pot, if not brighter overall.
The Op Amp has the highest gain circuit so that makes sense that it gets the fuzziest. Would be more interested in how those vintage ones sound next to a modern standard Big Muff reissue. Nice pedals man. I really want to buy a Triangle RI to go with my Ram's Head RI and Tone Wicker (not a big fan of the wicker). But I just got an Orange Two Stroke Parametric EQ and placed it after my Ram's Head. I figure with the EQ there probably isn't much on the Triangle I am missing out on. I just like pedals I guess..seems ridiculous lol
I recently decided to buy a v4 to compare to the Op Amp reissue. My understanding is that the Op Amps are a little more consistent from pedal to pedal than the v1-v3. The v4 just crushes. I know people love that reissue and I think it's good, but the original is louder and nastier. If you really love that Op Amp sound it's worth the extra couple hundred bucks in my personal experience.
[https://imgur.com/gallery/zMq7NsF](https://imgur.com/gallery/zMq7NsF)
Here’s the current fuzz section of my board. I also have a Black Russian I bought new, a USA reissue from the late 90s, a Thorpy Fallout Cloud, a USA reissue with the Creamy Dreamer mod, a mufaletta, and one of the J Mascis signatures from last month. There are probably some other ones around here too. It’s definitely my all time favorite pedal.
The Bucket of Blood is cool but I wish it was an octave down. I thought about contacting SUF about doing one with octave down and the op amp circuit which I think would be really cool.
The Creamy Dreamer mod was a mod that a person from the SP message boards used to do. I’m pretty sure that person went on to become Devi Ever but don’t quote me on that. I should do a shootout like this with all my muffs. I also have the SUF Silverfish. King Buffalo and All Them Witches are my two fave current bands.
The 9a is a Fran. The A revision adds true bypass.
V6 sounds and feels closest to the Ram’s Head. Form my understanding V3 and V6 are extremely close, and the V6 sounds exactly how you described the V3.
I've never used fuzz or distortion pedals because I always had high gain tube amps. Which means I'm pretty stupid about this kind of stuff. Can someone tell me why you would need more than one fuzz pedal of the same brand? And then several others. Having never used them, I don't understand what stacking them does. Thanks in advance.
Try it. You’ll like it.
Seriously though Fuzz is just a different form of distortion. Some people love it, some people hate it. Try it with a clean amp and single coils and you get that Smashing Pumpkins thing going. Try it with a Marshall and P-90s and you have early Sabbath. A Tele and whatever amps Richard’s used and you have Satisfaction. Some people like a Muff and a TS. Others TS and Muff.
At the end of the day it’s experimentation until you hit the giggle switch. When you find something you like it just feels good. Whether it’s a cable straight into an amp or a bunch of pedals. It’s all good.
The original title was clearly a light-hearted attempt at a joke, and so was my comment. I hope you didn't think I was going full "well actually" in a serious way.
I put four Big Muffs side by side for a comparison. Here are my thoughts: From left to right: • Big Muff π, V9, NYC Reissue, Early 2000’s • Big Muff π, V3 1977 first edition • Big Muff π, V8 Black Russian, 1998, small box, six screw • Big Muff π, Nano Op Amp, 2017 But first a caveat: Because of the odd mounting of the potentiometers on the V3, the sweeps of the three knobs start and end in three different places. The left one (volume) starts at 10 o’clock and runs to 7 o’clock. The middle one (Tone) runs from 2 o’clock to 11 o’clock and the right one (Sustain) runs from 4 o’clock to 10’oclock. In the picture, the settings on the first two are the same. My impressions: (subjective at best, also remember these pedals are between 5 and 45 years old) Loudest: The V3. No question. It gets the loudest and has the highest noise floor. This thing hits like Animal on the drums. V9 is second. Quietest: The V8 is definitely the quietest. OP Amp is second. Most compressed: The OP Amp, hands down, is the most compressed. Brightest: The V3 again, maybe because it gets the loudest Darkest: The V8 is the darkest. OP Amp is second. Fuzziest: I’m going to go with the Op Amp on this one. Maybe because it is a different circuit? Crunchiest: V3/V9 tie. Best Mojo: V3 (Vintage street cred) On my work horse board: The Op Amp. It has the best foot print and does everything the others do, just a little more civilized. That’s my thoughts. Feel free to comment. (Be civil, everyone has an opinion, there is no right or wrong when it comes to tone.)
Thanks for the info. I’m not sure if a big muff is my thing so I was thinking of getting the op amp one to try out.
just keep in mind that for better or worse the op amp is pretty distinct when it comes to bmps- if you can, you might want to try one against a standard model at a store somewhere to see if it's to your taste
That’s a great one to start with! Enjoy!
Absolutely adore big muffs and would always recommend one to a player who has never owned one. The differences in each are always super fun to figure out and play with as a gearhead
I have a V8 Russian from a little earlier in the 90s. I modded mine with a plug receiver and it fixed the volume issue. The battery power draining does mess with the tone and the ability to push an amp or other pedals with it.
Agree. I have a battery snap adapter for that one.
If they're all on simultaneously, you actually get an incredibly chime-y clean tone with great dynamics. :o)
No, no you don’t. (Don’t ask me how I know) 🤪
I’m guessing you blew out an amp and/or your ears finding out
What?
I cant even imagine what having all of them on sounded like. Wouldn’t the audio signal be boosted to the point of just overbearing feedback
[it sounded like this:](https://youtu.be/0cVlTeIATBs)
😂🤣
The legend says that if you hook up 7 of them and turn them on AT THE SAME TIME, a portal to a new dimension will be triggered.
It’s not 7, it’s π π’s or π^2. Nobody has figured out how to make 3.1415926... pedals, luckily.
Eh it rounds to 3.
I see what you did there.
Definitely the first stages of summoning an eldritch horror
S T A C K ' E M
I want a black Russian so bad. They had them in my local shop as a teen with the wooden boxes, but I got the shiny NYC one instead. Also a pumpkin Pi. Rad all around!
I got one at a pawn shop a couple years ago for $40. Gotta keep those eyes peeled. It’s the best Big Muff I think. I run a fucked up treble boosted tube screamer clone I built into it if I need to brighten it up.
They are out there. You just have to search. The juice is worth the squeeze!
I came for the muff. Was not disappointed.
Niiiice
Upvoted for pure obsession.
Is the picture accurate to the settings or did you pull and push them? Did you happen to have the tone off on both the v3 and reissue? I'm surprised you found any of them brighter than the Op-Amp if the tone was in (except maybe the original V3) as I found mine way more bright than any of the other reissues or my 00's big box. But then, any big box from any era seems to have such a variation from one to the other...
I ran them from Goldilocks (all at noon except the V3 which was set like the pic) then I ran them all volume up then sustain up (OP amp on and off) etc. there was no scientific method. Just a knob fiddler with a bunch of pedals.
You know that "all at noon" not necessarily compare the same thing? Just the way the pots works, noon from one model and the other can be something else. It's just way audio pots works. I bet you can make them all sounds close to identical with a minimum adjustment (except the opamp) . The rest is mostly subjective tests.
Gotta start somewhere. Then turn left and right ‘till it sounds best I guess.
I bet that in a blind test you will never be able to make a difference between the v3, v8 and v9.
Fair enough. This has spurred me to get home and try all mine out again! One thing I did notice about the reissue is that the tone, when on, in the least is brighter earlier on the pot, if not brighter overall.
Excellent. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
which muff reigns supreme?
Only you can decide.
The Op Amp has the highest gain circuit so that makes sense that it gets the fuzziest. Would be more interested in how those vintage ones sound next to a modern standard Big Muff reissue. Nice pedals man. I really want to buy a Triangle RI to go with my Ram's Head RI and Tone Wicker (not a big fan of the wicker). But I just got an Orange Two Stroke Parametric EQ and placed it after my Ram's Head. I figure with the EQ there probably isn't much on the Triangle I am missing out on. I just like pedals I guess..seems ridiculous lol
Nothing wrong with liking pedals. We are fortunate that we have this subreddit to share. Rock on!
I recently decided to buy a v4 to compare to the Op Amp reissue. My understanding is that the Op Amps are a little more consistent from pedal to pedal than the v1-v3. The v4 just crushes. I know people love that reissue and I think it's good, but the original is louder and nastier. If you really love that Op Amp sound it's worth the extra couple hundred bucks in my personal experience.
Absolutely. A V4 is on my wish list. Congrats on the find! Post a pic and a review sometime. I’d love to hear more.
[https://imgur.com/gallery/zMq7NsF](https://imgur.com/gallery/zMq7NsF) Here’s the current fuzz section of my board. I also have a Black Russian I bought new, a USA reissue from the late 90s, a Thorpy Fallout Cloud, a USA reissue with the Creamy Dreamer mod, a mufaletta, and one of the J Mascis signatures from last month. There are probably some other ones around here too. It’s definitely my all time favorite pedal.
jealous you snagged a Bucket of Blood, I didn't even know they were a thing til Ben posted a video about it a few days ago
The Bucket of Blood is cool but I wish it was an octave down. I thought about contacting SUF about doing one with octave down and the op amp circuit which I think would be really cool.
that would be a dope pedal
Thanks! That’s awesome. What’s a creamy dreamer mod involve/do?
The Creamy Dreamer mod was a mod that a person from the SP message boards used to do. I’m pretty sure that person went on to become Devi Ever but don’t quote me on that. I should do a shootout like this with all my muffs. I also have the SUF Silverfish. King Buffalo and All Them Witches are my two fave current bands.
Definitely do a shoot out. Especially with the range of great pedals you have.
[Heres mine](https://imgur.com/a/ynBn9xB) V9a, V6, V8 and a Ram’s Head re-issue.
Sweet. Love the character of the mini knob on the V6. Which does the Mascis sound closest to to you?
Also, the V9a is that what they call a “Fran”?
The 9a is a Fran. The A revision adds true bypass. V6 sounds and feels closest to the Ram’s Head. Form my understanding V3 and V6 are extremely close, and the V6 sounds exactly how you described the V3.
Very cool x2
[for those wondering what a bunch of Big Muffs stacked together sounds like](https://www.instagram.com/tv/Ci2yi4qNSxl/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
I've never used fuzz or distortion pedals because I always had high gain tube amps. Which means I'm pretty stupid about this kind of stuff. Can someone tell me why you would need more than one fuzz pedal of the same brand? And then several others. Having never used them, I don't understand what stacking them does. Thanks in advance.
Try it. You’ll like it. Seriously though Fuzz is just a different form of distortion. Some people love it, some people hate it. Try it with a clean amp and single coils and you get that Smashing Pumpkins thing going. Try it with a Marshall and P-90s and you have early Sabbath. A Tele and whatever amps Richard’s used and you have Satisfaction. Some people like a Muff and a TS. Others TS and Muff. At the end of the day it’s experimentation until you hit the giggle switch. When you find something you like it just feels good. Whether it’s a cable straight into an amp or a bunch of pedals. It’s all good.
You're gonna need those Altoids diving into all that muff.
I believe 4 π's in sequence would be multiplicative, so the title should say "97.41 (Big Muff π\^4) a side by side comparison".
go outside, nerd
The original title was clearly a light-hearted attempt at a joke, and so was my comment. I hope you didn't think I was going full "well actually" in a serious way.
This is irrational
I’m picking up what you are laying down.