[Heeplist] An article about 3 Muffs

[Igor Shveitser]

 My short story won't reflect all he had to say, so please try a joke first :)))))))))))
  
Reviews 
Electro-Harmonix Double Muff, Big Muff and the Russian Muff - guitar distorters
       Author: Vladimir Shlyakov 
       Publication Date: October 27, 2004 
Hi, guitarists! I was very pleased to learn that not only abroad, but we have a lot of fans of the glorious effects of firm Electro-garmoniks. Finally, I managed to get just three legendary "hummers", listen to them, compare, and so I can not wait to share his impressions of what he saw and heard! I want to warn that the article does not carry advertising, and all estimates are highly personal.
About Russian Big Muff I wrote, so start this time with the Americans: polished steel brushes and silkscreen, then all varnished - registration is perfect! Of course, forged or boot using a nail is very easy to destroy this beauty, but personally I'm not one of those who ruthlessly kicks their gadgets. Each pedal is carefully packed in wooden coffins unchanged - corporate identity, though cumbersome.
DOUBLE MUFF
Guitar Effects Pedal Electro-Harmonix Double MuffSnachala hands themselves drawn to the Double Muff. Neo-retro two classic fuzz Muff in one small package (such as Small Stone phase-shifter). Muff Fuzz was born in the '60s, before the Big Muff and is quite different from his older brother. Incidentally, the first Muff Fuzz pedals were not even - they were stuck right in the slot and had a guitar manual bypass switch.
Double Muff is available since January 2004 and has two controls: volume (Muff 1) and the sensitivity of the dual-mode (Muff 2). There are manual shift modes - single or double fuzz fuzz and foot-operated bypass operation.
Single mode - very light, but very colorful overdrive, even across the entire spectrum of sound and clearly readable. There is something I heard about emulators tube sound and Tube Screamer with a curved-bypass, and there are only two transistor fuzz (no chips) and an impressive result! Instrument sounds and combos as if he had not changed, only became noticeable podgruzhenny (similar sound I watched loading booster input amplifier tube) - rock and roll!
In this mode, only the volume control works. "If you want to clean up the sensitivity, use the volume knob on the guitar" - teaches applied to effect management. As normal position fuzu rollback volume weakens the effect of fuzz and tonal balance shifts to higher frequencies.
Dual Mode - juicy crunch distortion with sugar to the crown. Operate both controls, allowing to change color, intensity and loudness - rock! Added sustain - sings tool can dobitsya "yelps," but the sound is very well managed, there is still the whole dynamics of the game. Sound goes perfectly in virtually any mix.
Incidentally, in all the "Muffy" to limit signal transistors are not only used, but diodes (hence fatter sound compared with other models fuzov), and themselves "Muffy" seem hateful transitional stage from the actual fuzz to overdrive / distortion. This allows a more open sound is achieved, while maintaining good handling effect.
Most classic fuzov sound better already podgruzhenny tube amplifier. Double Muff versatile: if you use the pedal already podgruzhenny tube amplifier, Muff1 regime will be enough to get a "solo" flight. If you work for a small volume on a clean sound or a transistor combo without reloading, the mode Muff2 allow a richer solo sound.
Management of an exotic, like Double Muff I had never met, but it is quite suit me, the more that Double Muff sound met my expectations a hundred percent, I been looking for a pedal that the nature of the sound would be Fuzz unit played no undercut "bottom "and" top "of the tool did not change the nature of its sound was quite dynamic, have the capability for boost amplifier (solid margin: 45-50% of the volume of the first stage was enough for me to equalize pure sound of an instrument with an overloaded), has true bypass and so that it has more than two basic sounds ...
Of course not everyone fits this pedal. I assume that Double Muff more likely to appeal to those who are focused on blues, classic rock, early psychedelic, fusion, funk, although headroom overloading her enough for the more extreme things. But this is clearly not Big Muff.
In their passions by nature I am guided by sound sixties-seventies, using a tube amp and guitar with a set-in neck and two humbucking pickups - Seymour Duncan '59 neck and Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck bridge - and the attack in the sound is, and sustain enough! How to behave with other types of pedal guitars difficult to predict. However warn that own at Double Muff sustain much smaller than Big Muff. Basically, sustain obtained by the instrument and amplifier. Structure in overdrive Double Muff in any mode impressive smoothness and pleasant to the ear grit - admit anything like this before heard!
Who loves to indulge in "wah" knows that "The neck" pickup is difficult to get a decent effect, if you work with distorters. Here again, plus Double Muff - wah effect is not masked at all, even a little more enhanced, though obkvakaysya on any of the provisions of the toggle switch guitars!
Loves pedal is at the beginning of the chain effect, skipping ahead of him only Crybaby (again plus - Fuzz Face would not forgive such disrespect). This here is a neo-retro bridge between classic and contemporary. Highly recommended. Well, for fans of heavier, perhaps, the next section ...
BIG MUFF USA
Guitar Effects Pedal Electro-Harmonix Big Muff reissue USAEto modern classical model 70s. "It's hard sounding fuzz with treble sustain" - everything as it is! In truth, even scary was included in this thing, so I heard about it and read on the net. Size he was Pobol its Russian namesake. Russian Muff I used before, and as though, was ready: he says that the American sound and transparent podinamichnee.
"Low" and "mean" really equal, than Russian production models. Sustain knob (more like a gain) more than 11 hours did not have to twist - and so all the sustain and distortilo. "To achieve great sustain Big Muff has a very strong sensitivity, so in order to avoid interference, use only carefully shielded wire pickups" - reminds manual.
Effect rather weakly responsive to the dynamics of the game. No matter what you're playing, the output bright powerful melodious sound. Even notes with palm-muting (muffled hand) sing like priests in the church. Apparently, the pedal is designed to ensure that powerful sound with any tool. Solo on thin strings sounds very impressive on The neck pickup, thick strings in fuzovski little lock. On the bridge pickup all the strings sound worthy, only the bridge turns into something more grandiose and pathetic. This is understandable: the sweet harmonics pouring over the edge.
Generally, the pedal quite demanding for a good tonal: the negligence of notes sound blurry. Likely Big Muff is designed for use with clear sound amplifier, hang it on the already podgruzhenny sound, I would not, though some sound perverts do just that.
If the ensemble is not too many tools, arrangements are not too rich, if you want to hit all the power and breadth of sound - you will help Big Muff USA! Do not misunderstand my irony. This thing is really unique and worthwhile, but just as Double Muff, not for everyone. For example, I could find use Big Muff in many compositions, but as a workhorse still choose Double Muff. Besides, my pedal board and so will soon have to carry a separate trailer!
Alternatives to "gravity" Big Muff not. Definitely, the most "severe" by the sound of the pedal has been for more than thirty years! But at the same time and quite "slow" - fast passage on it does not hurt a run up, but tapping sounds nice.
RUSSIAN MUFF
Guitar Effects Pedal Electro-Harmonix Muff MuffStarina Russian, sorry! But here is your hour, and broke. I played on you kind of half-year and during that time had become the banner of Electro-Harmonix and say goodbye to the boss. But let's start with the shortcomings.
First of all, of course, rustic exterior design - rough to the touch black paint collects fine dust input connector located on the left and the output - right, as opposed to the traditional line-up; plastic connectors, though in harmony with the body color, but still cause mixed feelings. No external power connector. As an American, pedal sounds better with underused amplifier, although the taste and color of the you know what.
But in terms of sound Russian version is even nothing, although the "bottom" is much weaker than the USA Big Muff, the harmonic component is slightly less saturated. But I would say that it is good for more versatility effect. Oddly enough, but less sensitivity Russian version (but its still missing!) And it gives you the opportunity Narula not only extreme, but also more traditional versions sound. A little too much pedal dynamics extends to maneuver. The neck pickup on the bottom less viscous. Pedal less "American" in size, although the crumbs still call it hard! A lower price compared with overseas fellow automatically display effect in rank if not the winner, then at least a worthy opponent. And, in general, it becomes clear why the Russian model worldwide about as many supporters as and American.
Incidentally, I happened to compare several Russian Big Muff and they all sounded slightly different, and was spread in the control knobs. However, differences were observed and the original models flanger Deluxe Electric Mistress, the extraordinary beauty of the sound effect. We can assume that this is quite a natural phenomenon, if you are dealing with analog guitar pedals, allowing a more "lively" and "soulful" sound.
Some believe that this deficiency deprived so-called "boutique" model distorters sound ("foreign samopal"), but in my opinion it is not so. Especially because many of them use germanium transistors, different to all other high temperature instability. And if you can still understand the fans vintage sound, laying out their blood for a matched pair of vintage NKT 275 (one of the first publicly available germanium transistors, which was used in earlier models Fuzz Face), is a boutique high-silicon tyuning geynovyh fuzov seems more than doubtful occupation.
If you want more stability and predictability of your pedals, you should pay attention to digital models, but you will inevitably lose the very "liveliness" to the sound. The situation is strikingly reminiscent of replacement "drinking" drummer "teetotal"!
That's all
All three of the family Muff fuzz company Electro-Harmonix, despite the fact that they are mass-production models have a high-quality sound, its own distinctive sound and "honest" cold bypass. Electro-Harmonix, as in the good old days, uses silicon transistors for incredibly musical saturated pleasant to the ear sound harmonics and not chip, like most modern producers of sound distortion effects. Many foreign boutique shops, appreciating the build quality and sound Muffy disseminate them along with small series sverhdorogimi models from other manufacturers, sometimes not sparkling originality, or even simply exploiting other people's inventions.
If you loathed your overdrive or distortion, if your rock-n-roll muse suddenly left you - includes Muff and set all the heat!


Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:40:19 +0200 от Terje Pedersen <terjped at hotmail.com>:
>As I know Google translate mostly makes articles into jokes would it be possible for you to just give us the short story Igor?
>
>Terje
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Heeplist [mailto:heeplist-bounces at travellersintime.com] On Behalf Of Igor Shveitser
>Sent: Monday, July 28, 2014 1:56 AM
>To: Heepsters Mailing List (Travellers in Time)
>Subject: [Heeplist] An article about 3 Muffs
>
> Gentlemen,
>For those who love messing around with grown-up boys' toys - and I mean electric guitars here, nothing else - I give a link here.
>http://guitar.ru/articles/tests/tests_229.html Its a comparison test, written in Russian 10 years ago, but if you have google translator it might solve the problem and you'll learn what's the difference between the 3.
>
>
>-- 
>Igor Shveytser
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