The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi is arguably the most used fuzz pedal in the world. It is well used by guitarists, bassists and even keyboardists the world over. The first Big Muff models went into production in 1971. Things were going alone nicely for the Big Muff until 1982 when Electro-Harmonix went out of business. Demand for the vintage Big Muff’s went through the roof.

The Big Muff was used by a number of “alternative” bands in the early 90’s, most notably the Smashing Pumpkins, so when Electro-Harmonix opened its doors again, the Big Muff was one of the first effects pedals to go back into production. Initially the re-issue Big Muff was made in Russia, and carried the Sovtek label. These Muffs were either housed in a green or black casing. I’d heard speculation that they were built from old tank parts, but I can’t confirm that. Although I owned a black Sovtek Big Muff, and having opened it up, the tank parts rumor would not surprise me at all.

Currently the Big Muff Pi is available in three variants. The US made Big Muff Pi re-issue, housed in a large aluminum casing, that looks a lot like the original. The US made reissues feature true bypass, so they don’t color your sound as much when engaged. There is the cheaper Sovtek Big Muff Pi, housed in green or black metal casing. These versions don’t feature true bypass. Finally, there is the Little Big Muff Pi, it is US made, but housed in a smaller aluminum casing.

If you want to know what the Big Muff Pi is capable of you could give the following albums/tracks a listen.

• Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream - The Big Muff Pi is featured all over the album. Billy Corgan used the Big Muff to slam the front of his JCM800 Marshall head. The creamy lead sounds heard on the album owe a lot to the Muff.
• Muse - Hysteria - Muse bassist Chris Wolstenholme uses a Russian Big Muff Pi with the most obvious example being “Hysteria”.
• Nirvana - Lithium - Butch Vig, producer of Nirvana’s Nevermind album, has gone on record saying that the Muff was used on the track, Lithium, due to it’s ‘darker’ sound.

What are the key differences between the US made Big Muff Pi re-issue and the Sovtek Big Muff Pi?

The obvious difference is that the US model features true bypass switching, whereas the Sovtek version does not. It should be said though, that modifying the Russian model to true bypass is not a big project. Having owned both, I would describe the Russian model as sounding, rougher and less defined in the high end than the US made model. I would also suggest that higher quality components are used in the US model, but that is only based on me having opened the Russian version.

The Big Muff Pi is a relatively simple electronics circuit, so it has become very popular with the pedal modding crowd. A lot of people also like to ‘re-house’ the Big Muff into a smaller casing. Electro-Harmonix probably released the Little Big Muff Pi to capitalize upon this.

Personally, I prefer the US re-issue. It’s sounds so smooth for leads, and great for some fuzzed out craziness. One criticism I have is that sometimes I find it can have trouble cutting through in a mix. It’s not strong in the mids. But in saying that, for what it does, it’s fantastic. If you’re a guitarist, and you don’t already have one, pick one up.

If you’re interested in the Big Muff, you might also be interested in how to get some of those classic Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins guitar tones. I may post some Pumpkins gear related information in the next few days. Just digging up a few photos and scans from over the years.