The secret to David’s huge tones are his loud Hiwatt amps. It terms of David Gilmour’s tones, to achieve those silky smooth sustained notes, you need volume and lots of it. Obviously, it depends on what tones you want. There are no rules on how you should operate or use a Big Muff.
See the Buyer’s Guide for recommended fuzz models. However a Muff is far too aggressive and saturated for the 1968-70 tones so for authenticity you might want to consider a germanium fuzz or simply an overdrive. The difference, apart from the circuit, is that Big Muffs generally has a more saturated tone, more sustain and a tad more compression.Īlthough most Muff models will cover David’s Pompeii and Dark Side tones, the triangle and ram’s head are closer to the silicon transistor fuzz, with much of the same edgy and raw fuzz tones. It may be hard to tell the difference between a fuzz and Muff especially in terms of David’s tones because his fuzz tones on Live at Pompeii and Dark Side of the Moon are almost as smooth and sustained as a Muff.
See the Buyer’s Gear Guide for recommended Big Muff models. They have a wast line of different models that may not be ideal for replicating David Gilmour’s tones but then again, the Big Muff appeals to many different guitarists. It’s understandable, as Electro Harmonix has always been about evolving and coming up with new designs.
The current reissues from Electro Harmonix has little in common with the original models. If you can’t find the exact specs you’re looking for you can even ask nicely and most builders will accommodate your needs. And the pedal is considerably more reliable. While owning an original early 70s Big Muff might be a dream come true I would say that it’s a much better investment tonewise to go for a clone. Some try to nail the classic design, while others are offering something new, with varying success. Literally every brand has at least one clone in their portfolio. Unless you’re very sure of what you’re doing, my best tip is to stay away from EBay and the whole vintage hype.įew pedals has been as much cloned as the Big Muff. In most cases you never know what you get when buying a vintage Big Muff and you may end up being very disappointed and broke. These have better parts and build than the vintage models and they sound much more authentic to the early 70s versions compared to the current reissues. Add 40 years of ageing in different climates and you have a very fragile circuit.Īny Colour You Like! An original early 70s Ram’s Head (left), the current US reissue (middle) and one of the many clones, the Caprid from Wren and Cuff (right). They also used parts of varying quality, which often meant that the pedals often sounded different and couldn’t handle much abuse. New models would sometimes feature old parts and there were a lot of so-called transition models. Especially those pre 1980 models but the prices on the Sovtek models are also rising fast.Ĭommon for the pedals Electro Harmonix produced in the 1970s was they were often inconsistent with their designs. When the grunge bands appeared in the early 90s, the Big Muff was back in favour and since then they’ve pretty much been some of the hottest items on the vintage market. Vintage, reissue or clone?īack in the digital era of the 1980s, the old Big Muff pedals were considered very uncool and was either thrown away or stashed away in an attic somewhere. See the Big Muff Pi Page for a complete history on the Big Muff. Today, Electro Harmonix, with Matthews in charge, is as successful as ever and the Big Muff is surely one of the most popular pedals of all time. The Big Muff has gone through many changes since then, with the so-called “triangle” and “ram’s head” models as the most recognisable.Īfter closing doors in the mid 80s, Matthews moved to Russia and founded Sovtek, which produced tubes and a new version of the Big Muff housed in huge tank-like boxes. The initial goal was to create a sustain pedal, which would sound different from contemporary fuzz circuits. The Big Muff was designed by Mike Matthews, who in the late 60s formed Electro Harmonix and went on to produce some of the most iconic pedals in the business. Still, the pedal has put its familiar stamp on countless recordings, including perhaps the greatest solo of all time, – Comfortably Numb. It’s actually quite limited in its use and having a Big Muff paired with the “wrong” guitar and amp can sound pretty horrible. Nothing sounds quite like it and it’s certainly not for everyone or every musical style.
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In this feature you’ll learn how to choose the right Big Muff model for your setup and how to achieve those killer tones. Whether you’re set on nailing David Gilmour’s huge lead tones or just want something that will make your listeners jump in their seats, you got to love the Big Muff.
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