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I have really been wanting a Big Muff for a while now. Finally after a lot of research, I ordered two MBM Big Muffs. I am going for the IC Muff and the Rams Head Muff. It will be a long wait but I know it will be worth it.

It got me to wondering what Big Muffs that Shortscalers like most.

Post what Big Muffs you have owned, your favorite Muff, and which guitar sounds best with your favorite Muff.

Current fav is the rams head mike made me, sounds lovely with everything.

Black Russian w/ tone at noon + both pickups on anything with two P90s.

I own a current run NYC Muff that I modified for germanium diode clipping which sounds good when it wants to (probably due to my shitty handiwork) and an old Green Russian that I only like on bass.

Edit: I keep forgetting some.

I had a Metal Muff for a while but I thought it sounded cac with my setup, so I traded it for a nano muff which sounded almost exactly like my NYC did before I hacked it.

I also like the Black Russian with the tone set low. Works well with 'buckers and sounds good boosted with an O/D pedal.

Eau Claire Thunder.

I have had too many of these. I've had 3 green muffs, 4 black ones and 1 nyc muff. Out of all of them, I kept the best sounding one, an early 90's greenie with no paint on it. Out of the Russians, the best sounding ones were usually the ones in the heavier boxes, even an early large box black one. The later smaller case black ones just don't sound the same, a bit flat IMHO. I really didn't like the NYC muff at all stock, so I modded it to sound like the Russian ones and it was a big improvement, I also changed the diodes too to match the original type, for some reason they use a completely diff type in the NYC muff. I should add that these all sound the best with my SC Fender guitars, humbuckers seem to just be too compressed sounding with the BMP circuit.

I saw a Black Russian Muff on Guitar Center's used site for $40 but someone snagged it first. They usually go for over $100 new.

I definitely want some of the Russian Muffs at some point.

I was reading a really good website on Big Muffs and discovered the new Bass Big Muff is basically the Black Russian Muff that was discontinued with a couple of tweaks for Bass.

Pretty good read if you are interested: http://www.kitrae.net/music/music_big_muff.html

I have built and modified all the "known" versions of the BMP and without a doubt my favorites are the Green Russian and the Violet Ram's Head...

They are the 2 must own BMPs in my book....

71Smallbox wrote:I really didn't like the NYC muff at all stock,

Me neither. Although i did have a 1980 Big Muff Deluxe (that was basically a NYC with built in Compression) which to my ears was way better than the reissues.

Ive currently got a Big Muff with Tone Wicker, but dont really use the tone wicker to much. I love it with my fender bullet w/ a seymour duncan ssl 3, or the hot for strat one. It just sounds magnificant.

Fran wrote:I also like the Black Russian with the tone set low. Works well with 'buckers.

This... black Sovtek + epiphone Riviera = one of the best sounds in the known universe.

I have a black russian, used to own an NYC, and had a MBM green muff for a time. I like the Black best. Sounds great with most guitars I own (HBs mostly) and the tone knob gives a great range.

MaMo uses a Bass BMP for his guitars in Run Amok. Sounds pretty close to the Black, but we haven't done an A/B yet.

i'm waiting on a MBM Dreambox, but needed something a little hotter than my Keeley DS-1, so I got a modern USA Big Muff for cheeps off craigslist to tide me over. Just the regular ol' NYC Reissue one, circa 2000+
It sounds great, and i got it for $35.

damienblair17 wrote:I have a black russian, used to own an NYC, and had a MBM green muff for a time. I like the Black best. Sounds great with most guitars I own (HBs mostly) and the tone knob gives a great range.

MaMo uses a Bass BMP for his guitars in Run Amok. Sounds pretty close to the Black, but we haven't done an A/B yet.

I would love to see a shootout between the Black Russian Muff and Bass BMP. The website had some sound clips and they sound almost identical to me. Nothing on Youtube comparing them though. Honestly, the Bass Bmp is probably better since it has all the modern features and the cool dry mode, but the Black Russian is such a cool looking pedal. I may eventually want to try both out.

crumpler wrote:i'm waiting on a MBM Dreambox, but needed something a little hotter than my Keeley DS-1, so I got a modern USA Big Muff for cheeps off craigslist to tide me over. Just the regular ol' NYC Reissue one, circa 2000+
It sounds great, and i got it for $35.

I am in the same boat waiting for my MBM Muffs, so I am annoyed I missed the cheap Russian Muff. I might have found another one but we will have to see. I might even pickup the Bass BMP if I can find it cheap. I have a friend with the regular NYC muff I could always go after as well.

Original 1979 IC big muff ... bought off ebay ... use with a bypass pedal and good to go!

I have not found a knock off that sounds quite as good, but have yet to try a MBM.

Second fav is the Euthymia ICBM, made right here in the Bay Area.

I usually pair with Fender single coils.

I use to have an early 90ies green russian muff which sounds great with singlecoils and humbuckers. A friend of mine uses a black russian. I think it sounds a little brighter. I don't know, which one sounds better - i like both.
By the way – I think about ordering a MBM 78 IC Muff so long... its certainly a great pedal.

Fran wrote: i did have a 1980 Big Muff Deluxe

That's the IC Muff in there, which sounds way different to other muffs.

I like my trusty NYC muff, although I suspect I'm in a minority. I haven't tried many, though. When I was a nipper, word on the street was that the Russian ones were slightly inferior, and look at us now!

Mine has a wooden box, possibly the best thing about it.

stewart wrote:When I was a nipper, word on the street was that the Russian ones were slightly inferior

The black ones definately, the green ones have always been sought-after round are way.

When I was a nipper, people eulogised about something called a 'Creamy Dreamer'. Sounds positively obscene.