Big Muff keeps killing signal.

[tylernolan]

I just got a big muff and upon inserting it into my pedal chain I notice that it reduces the volume significantly when I activate it. I am running a tele through first a Boss overdrive(yellow one), Big Muff, Boss digital delay, Danelectro reverse delay. I have the level on both the Boss Overdrive and the big muff on all the way. Everything is going into a Ampeg Gemini II. Thanks.-Tyler

[jmpizzoferrato]

while i'm sure there is a technical reason why that pedal is killing tone but i can give you others..
you have a shit load of pedals. what do you expect?
second of all, anyone here who owns or has used big muffs can agree, they are noisy and definitely dont have true bypass! they do fuck with your tone. it's part of using one.

[tylernolan]

Thanks for the response,
While I know four pedals is more than many use, I don't think that four qualifies as "a shitload of pedals". This isn't really a tone issue as I know big muffs have a unique one. My volume decreases by almost half when I clic mine on. Do other Big Muff users experience this?

[nick_a]

is the battery new?

[Rodgre]

Four is a shit load? I use fourteen, so what does that make?

I think there is another issue. It's not the fact that you have four pedals (which really, is that a lot? I'm a tone snob too, and I love the sound of guitar-cable-amp as well, but really!) There might be some strange impedance problem with the output of the Big Muff. Which version of the Big Muff is it? Original? original op-amp? army green Russian? Black Russian? modern NYC reissue?

Does it sound okay when you go guitar-big muff-amp? Try adding the other pedals one at a time and see where the problem starts.

If the output of the Big Muff is just never enough, then I would say that there is a problem with it.

Roger

[Rodgre]

while i'm sure there is a technical reason why that pedal is killing tone but i can give you others..
you have a shit load of pedals. what do you expect?
second of all, anyone here who owns or has used big muffs can agree, they are noisy and definitely dont have true bypass! they do fuck with your tone. it's part of using one.

I usually stay far away from these sorts of posts, but folks, don't listen to this nice gentleman.

1. Some of them are True Bypass, and the ones that aren't can EASILY be made to be.

2. For the record, NO Boss pedal or Ibanez TS-808 or TS-9 is True Bypass. Life goes on.

3. They are SUPPOSED to fuck with your tone. That's why you use them.

4. They're no more noisy than any other high-gain distortion box, and it's part of the territory. If you don't like pedals, don't use them.

I'm all for just cranking my amp to get the "killer tone" but sometimes I want the sound of a Big Muff. Works for J. Mascis.

I mean no disrespect. I just wanted to speak for the other side of the coin.

You can check out my article on the differences between distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedals on my Patchbay page at Volcanoboy.com

http://volcanoboy.com/modules/articles/

Roger

[StivBatorsWreckedMyCar]

Two pedals is a shitload in my book. If you're that disappointed with your sound, buy a different guitar, amp or choose another instrument.

I've got a big muff I use about once a decade. I bought it when I was really young thinking it would boost me above the other guitar player in my band. I discovered it's a magical pedal, it made my guitar disappear.

I do like it on my Farfisa, though, for some really f'd up sounds.

[thereminman]

Some distortion pedals act as very powerful compressors.

For this reason, I never put my Rat pedal at the END of the chain.


If I forget this trick, I'll have the Rat on for a bit of distortion, hit my pedal for some more boost during the solo....and fzzzt-----tone changes a bit, but no noticeable volume gain.

Could this be part of your problem?

[thereminman]

if it wasn't clear i the last post, the 'my pedal' for boost was supposed to impy a second pedal, not being the Rat, and it's also supposed to be understood, that the other pedal referred to as 'my pedal' was mistakenly put BEFORE the Rat in this example.

If I could spell and write, I could be understood without all this extra clarification.......sorry.

[thethingwiththestuff]

AGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DISTORTION IS COMPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!

[fremitus]

AGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DISTORTION IS COMPRESSION!!!!!!!!!!

that's just not true. while compression can rarely exist without artifacts of distortion. distortion can exist without compression. distortion is actually much like the word decibel, in that it defines a change. in the case of distortion. 'any' change in the signal between input to output is distortion. distortion is technically independent of level. when you compress a signal you affect level directly. i could go on here, but it would just sound even more pedantic so i'm going to have another drink and move on.

cheers!

oh yeah, and the big muff is just an awful design as far as pedal circuitry goes. a cool sound yes, but a flimsy and poorly designed circuit...

[thethingwiththestuff]

well, you're right, fremitus, i just meant in terms of distortion pedals. distortion (the guitar effect) is clipping of the wave form. when the signal is clipped in the pedal, the output has a more limited dynamic range. why is a big muff distortion control labelled "sustain?" because its clipping and squaring off of the signal compresses the hell out of it.

[Zeppelin4Life]

distortion isnt compression. but it gives that same 'effect'. if you have the same volume but one with distortion/heavy harmonics and one clean, the one with the dist. will sound way louder, yet being at the same volume. This is where the whole idea of 'many tracks of mild overdrive' vs. 'one heavy ass guitar' comes from (some dyanmics makes it punchier). this is basically what compression does. There is also less dynamic range. sorry about your pedal hope u fix it.

[Huntlabs]

We demand to know WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PAUL FUND!

[Zeppelin4Life]

drugs and girls

just kidding


new snare!
Ludwig black beauty