EH Big Muff - black vs silver

sthslvrcnfsn · Post by **sthslvrcnfsn** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:15 pm

I checked around the ol' internet, and couldn't get a straight answer on the difference between the black Big Muff and the Silver one. Is one made in 'Merika and the other in Russia? Are the circuits different?

I'm thinking of adding one to my long list of shit I want NOW. No, I'm NOT a massive consumer, I swear...

jim!

the riff · Post by **the riff** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:41 pm

Not sure of the difference but someone told me that every one sounds different, due to the way they are made. It's wise to try the one out you are buying..

trodden · Post by **trodden** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 6:31 pm

I've only had/seen/heard the green one. THE punk rock distortion pedal in the years of 17 - 25. Great weapon as well.

linus · Post by **linus** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 6:52 pm

There are numerous versions of the Big Muff at this point.

If you are talking about comparing the Black one verses the Silver one I can tell you a little bit about them. Both are in current production. The black one is made in Russia, the silver one is made in the USA. The Silver one is supposed to be a reissue/copy of the most common Big Muff PI from the late 70's (version III). There is already a really good history of Big Muff pedals and the various versions http://electroharmonix.ronsound.com/ so I won't recap. Just look at the "articles" section of the site.

The ones that aren't in production any more (the green russian one and the older USA ones) are more expensive. Figure $100-$600 depending on which version, condition, and if there are extra things with it (original box/materials).

The only thing to do is go try them out and see which you like better. Try them both with various amounts of gain and volume and see how they react to the guitar and amp.

You'll probably find they are different from each other. Hell, 2 Big Muffs of the same style/model often sound different from each other.

Electro-Voice 664 · Post by **Electro-Voice 664** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:26 pm

Another, vote for try 'em out first. I had an old silver one for years and then I got a cheap green sovtech and I liked it better, so I'd say don't give into the idea that price or the vintage dictates good fuzz.

Spiderhead69 · Post by **Spiderhead69** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 9:40 pm

I compared a used green one to a new out of the box muff at the store. With my eyes closed I had the sales dude switch back and forth betweeen the two....The one I choose as sounding better, getting that deep growl with a bite...was the green one...your mileage may vary...

nacho459 · Post by **nacho459** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:56 pm

Yeah there have been a dozen or so different Big Muffs, and several different circuits I have one that looks like this.

And have never heard another Big Muff like it.
My buddy tells me it's the same thing as this guy.

They're all different especially the Sovtec ones since Commie QC isn't the best. The Sovtec Mig amps are all over the place, there were like 3 different Mig 100's but none of them match their schematic. There's always a few components that are off.

doc · Post by **doc** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 9:26 am

The biggest difference between the new ones (black vs. silver) is that the silver has germanium diodes in it and the black one does not. That's what makes the silver one a closer copy of the 70's silver ones. I love my Green one though. I'd search for a vintage one personally, but between the two new ones, I think the silver one is well worth the extra $30.00 or so retail.

-doc

Coco · Post by **Coco** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:53 pm

The Big Muff I used to have looked nothing like the ones posted. The one I had was big and black and looked like a Dunlop wah pedal. I thought it sounded like absolute shit so I gave it to a friend. Paper weight.

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 4:07 pm

nacho459 wrote:Yeah there have been a dozen or so different Big Muffs, and several different circuits I have one that looks like this.

And have never heard another Big Muff like it.
My buddy tells me it's the same thing as this guy.

They're all different especially the Sovtec ones since Commie QC isn't the best. The Sovtec Mig amps are all over the place, there were like 3 different Mig 100's but none of them match their schematic. There's always a few components that are off.

I have one like the one at the top of this post, and a black one.

Bay3Mike · Post by **Bay3Mike** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 4:47 pm

I have the black one with yellow letters. It doesn't work and has been broken twice now. I really liked that saturated fuzz sound but I refuse to pay to fix it anymore. I want a green one. The muff to me is a good way to stay away from metal without compromising massive distortion.

linus · Post by **linus** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 1:59 pm

Bay3Mike wrote:I have the black one with yellow letters. It doesn't work and has been broken twice now. I really liked that saturated fuzz sound but I refuse to pay to fix it anymore. I want a green one. The muff to me is a good way to stay away from metal without compromising massive distortion.

The black ones and the green ones are both russian. They should be pretty similar in sound (well, as similar as two big muffs can be...) and build quality but for some reason people seem to be worked up about the green ones right now.

New green ones are $54.00 in the music123.com catalog that just showed up in the mail this week.

sthslvrcnfsn · Post by **sthslvrcnfsn** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:19 pm

Well, I bought a green or black one - not sure - on Saturday night for a bottle of Stoli vodka. Maybe that's why I'm not sure. And it's very appropriate I traded vodka for it, I know. My friend should be here in a little bit to drop it off. I'm psyched.

jim!

s00p3rm4n · Post by **s00p3rm4n** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 11:05 pm

Anyone have a Sekova Big Muff?
It's apparently pretty rare... and sounds wonderful.

Just wondering.

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Thu Nov 24, 2005 2:25 pm

What about the Double Muff? What does that sound like? I hope its like if you have two Big Muffs going at once and it is just massive abmounts of gain.

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EH Big Muff - black vs silver

EH Big Muff - black vs silver

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