Electro Harmonix Big Muff PI USA Reviews

what a big beast.

I chose the Big Big Muf. I had the nano once and I wanted the more muffed, less clear sound from the big one. I'm happy with this guy. Big, that's true. But nice sound and it looks good. I keep it.

Sounds good but too big

Sounds great but the size is an inconvenience, I’d probably recommend going for the nano.

‘Cleaner’ distortion.

Bought this as an option over my Boss ds1 and ds2. Doesn’t give as much fuzz or sustain as either of those but very well balanced in its tones.

It's a big muff

It's a big pedal and it takes up a lot of real estate on your board. The circuit has a tendency to get noisy and be sensitive to "dirty" power coming from the power supply. Those are the downsides.

The upside is the absolutely iconic and unmistakeable sound of this legendary pedal. It's a wonderful and "brutal" fuzz sound!

And let's be honest, once the pedal is on and the amp is cranked - are you really gonna notice a bit of background hum?

The creamiest solo/single notes of them all?

Marshall DSL1, 2x12 v30, emg81 (volume pot only) = bright and cutting tone.

Ultra gain channel with a little gain (9 o'clock)

All muffs @ 12 o'clock, except for big box muff, slightly more as it is quieter

1. Russian = the fattest mofo around but still clear enough to hear chords and different strings. It feels like the 3rd channel I wish I had in my amp. Absolutely massive sound but it doesn't loose too much definition/ A little muddier Dual Rectifier kind of thing

2. Ram's head = very similar to Russian but it has less definition and goes more towards OG triangle in terms of mud. Still very powerful and bassy

3. op amp = thin/cutting like a razor, weird sounding offspring. Loved it because it had its own character and was amazing for cutting. It chocks on chords and notes definition

4. triangle = OG, super loud. I liked it the best on clean channel as it was super powerful sounding, fizzy fuzzy but still very punchy

5. big box big muff USA (writing only) = the reason I have ordered other muffs... It was just chocking all over the place on ultra gain channel (dirty). There was basically no definition of notes nor chords but... I loved it the most of single strings/notes solo stuff. Super creamy, very pleasant and compressed. I liked it so much that I had big trouble to let it go... For solos it was amazing.

I was seriously debating leaving all 5 muffs with me... They are all different, altought 4 & 5 very very similar with triangle having slightly more note definitions and more punch. Though 4 with super creamy solo/single string was super hard to forget about.

I don't think there's a wrong choice here. They behave/sound so different with different amps, guitars, etc. that it's just impossible to decide which to get...

If you have a dark very fat sounding amp like Dual Rectifier/similar I would definitely pick op amp as it cuts the best.

Mind you, this is all on ULTRA GAIN channel on my amp which has tons of gain on tap already.

On clean channel they all sound very similar. Op amp has its own character which is super cool and I already miss it (both on dirt and clean channel)...

Triangle was the punchiest and most powerful on clean channel. Big box muff was almost exactly the same. Ram's head and Russian too but they were much better on dirt channel for my FAT MASSIVE tone needs.

On clean channel I would go TRIANGLE. Op amp is cool on either, it has its own character but it chokes on already dirty channel not as much as big box muff and triangle but still, similar to ram's head but ram's head sounds more pleasant overall

Ram's head is like the best of both worlds TRIANGLE <> Russian.

It sits in the middle. Big bassy but chockes a little, but still define. I had a hard time deciding between Russian and Ram's head as they were super similar. Ram's head was a little less defined so I went with Russian as I am using it as a fake 3rd MASSIVE channel on my DSL1.

You can't go wrong with either~!! I was for days thinking about leaving all of them for different scenarios... They are all super amazing pedal with their own character. There's no better/worse. All lovely./

It's a muff

It's not really pedalboard friendly because it's huge but also cheap and with a great sound, built like a tank.

Everything is awesome

It sounds really great with my Fender Stratocaster. Nice thick and saturated sound!

Buzz

Exactly what I expected. Awesome

I mean... It's 'da Muff!

Quite a few pedals are quintessential, But when you factor in price range, history, and character, not many are in the Big Muff category. You could, of course, get a few bucks more and get one of the variants, but if you're not that interested in pedalboard real estate, or after the very specific sound and are just interested in the Big Muff fuzz sound, this is arguably the best option for you, save maybe for some DIY clones. It's currently being used for some fun Seattle-style grunge sounds, but it fits right at home with anything that you want to do with a wall-of-sound type tone, or some very interesting dark, jazzy melodic work when the guitar shouldn't sound entirely like a guitar (just the tiniest bit alien).

It is, though, very full of character, and you can always recognize a Muff style pedal from a mile away in most mixes. Never met anyone who actually didn't like the sound, but I'm sure you're out there. It does play very well with synths as well as electric guitar (been using it also on some melodies with my Korg Minilogue XD, and it makes it sound like a very peculiar guitar some of the time).

And, as a cherry on the cake, it's also a fun pedal to mod, which is why I got two of them. The big box makes it so you can fit almost anything inside it and it won't get really cramped. So if you're not totally convinced on the sound, but get intrigued by it's spirit, change stuff around! Swap in resistors, take away diodes, or even take away one of the gain stages. All in all, in my opinion you can never go wrong with this piece of history, and everyone should have one in their arsenal.

Classic sound, difficult pedal

The sound you want.. but you must consider that is noisy and difficult to handle...also YOU MUST have one of sd-1,tubescreamer or eq to place it before the muff to tame it

Nearly 5 out of 5

Incredible sustain.

I was half expecting it to be noisy but it's not.

All in all it's a great sound.

I really like it.

I dropped one star because there's no English manual. Just German, even though the box has English writing on it.

When I opened the battery enclosure, I found a battery in there already fully connected. Also, there was no silica gel bag in the box. It did make me wonder if I had been sent out a used pedal, even though I paid for a brand new one.

Classic sound

Must have for '70s rock sound!

Easy handling and build like a tank!

DAMNNNNN

This thing is LOUD. This pedal is MIGHTY. Does the Hendrix, Gilmour, MUSE and Jack White and other standard fuzz tones with ease. BUY IT ALREADY! I use it paired with an AC30 and its beautiful...

Love the sound

Great classic sounds. Fuzz and sustain forever. The three big simple dials make it easy to adjust. I particularly love it when I pair it with my Whammy DT. Harmony effects scream through this thing.

Great budget fuzz pedal

The Big Muff Pi from EHX is a classic. You can make a great tone for your guitar only with this pedal and the controls you have on your guitar - Like Jack White did some times.

Been using it for years in my tone meant for solos, until I replaced it with JHS Muffuletta for more versatility. Also, if you are into Pink Floyd, you can get some tones reasonably close to some of Gilmour's with a single coil guitar.

The downside would be that it is quite a large pedal and it takes a lot of room out of your pedalboard. Also, the background noise is quite high. But you know.. it's a fuzz.

Brilliant

i bought this to replace a Boss Fuzz box. The Big Muff is an excellent fuzz box. All the excellent reviews you read about on the internet are true; this pedal is brilliant. It ranges in tone from 'subtle fuzz' to full on 'dirty boogie'. very easy to use and works well with all of my guitars.

Awesome fuzz sound

Use :

I use this pedal at home, combined with a small Blackstar Fly 3W mini amp and a Mex Stratocaster.

Pros :

Combined with a bit of bluesy distortion from a Boss BD-2 (or better from a tube amp) you get a fair Hendrix style sound. Which is pretty awesome.

Cons :

Well, just check that the size is no trouble for you pedal board.

Recommended article !

Classic fuzz

This pedal is great. Very heavy, full-throttle fuzz with a vast harmonic range. It's about as classic as a fuzz pedal gets. Used extensively by Jimi-Hendrix, Dinosaur Jr, Mudhoney etc. If you're looking for a hardcore sound, get one!

One of Big Muffs

Works for me in some cases (depends on a guitar I'm using) - I've never used it with a synthesizer tbh. It's definitely not for everyone.

There are many Big Muffs and it's probably not even the best of them, but it IS quite cheap. With little effort, it's possible to achieve interesting, somewhat unique sound, but you have to be careful - extreme setting are often just... too extreme.

I would recommend it for people searching for fatteness without breaking the bank.

Classic

All that fuzz! Classic pedal with great sound. Definately a must have for every board.