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I've owned a bunch of Big Muffs over the years. Here are some conclusions I've come to:

1) they sound better on cleaner amp settings
2) that tone control on the them KILLS mids, which is why you think you disappear. I had a vintage one I used in bands that had the tone bypass. I always used it in bypass because it was less scooped. I recommend finding some sort of clone that has a mids knob. Like an EQD Hoof. I didn't bond with it, but maybe you will.
3) Turn that Big Muff volume a little higher in a band setting than you would on a different pedal.
4) I've settled on direct clone of J Mascis favorite Big Muff - Wren and Cuff Garbage Face Jr. It's great. The tone knob is way different sounding in it's sweep. Maybe the EH Ram's Head sounds similar, I haven't tried it.
5) The MOST usable Muff sound I've found is actually a Double Muff (which isn't a Big Muff at all, but that Muff Fuzz/Overdrive circuit cascaded into that second one goes there with a lot more mids. I cannot recommend this pedal enough. This pedal needs to be first in your chain before any other buffered or "on" pedals though (compressor and tuner included) otherwise it sounds shrill. Something about impedance/loading.

Tom Wanderer wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:32 am

mdc wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:43 am Another option would be to get into the supa/jumbo/bum fuzz world of tone benders. They're muff-adjacent (circuit-wise), but have their own thing going on and a much different tone stack. I have one of these and I love it so much I traced it and built a bunch of them for pals. The B&M fuzz is in the same wheelhouse (see: edwyn collins' 'girl like you').

Would you mind sharing the schematic?

FWIW I highly disagree with the comment that these have a much different tone stack. They're essentially the same.



For reference a Muff schem of around the same era:

Also, here's this if you wanna see how the profile looks and how different values change it up: https://www.guitarscience.net/tsc/bigmuff.htm

If I was in the market for a modern BMP clone I’d be looking at the Way Huge Russian Pickle and the EQD Hizumitas. Haven’t used either personally, but that’s where I’d start based on build quality and reputation.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 10:07 am Also, here's this if you wanna see how the profile looks and how different values change it up: https://www.guitarscience.net/tsc/bigmuff.htm

Whoa that guitar science page is cool!

And thanks for the schematics. I was more specifically interested in the version that mdc mentioned. Following his link and reading about it on the Macari's site, this one was done up with a mix of silicon and germanium and has a more "nasally" tone.

I've never used my Big Muff (early 2000s reissue w/ Bakelite knobs) in a band setting, just solo and overdubs, but the band is getting back together tomorrow for the first time in over a year. I'm on bass and I wanting to try a fuzz again. Gonna A/B a Shin Ei 6TR (which I quite like on bass in the "soft" setting) and an early 70s Univox Super Fuzz that I'm borrowing. I know these circuits are very similar, but I've never tried them back to back. I know conventional wisdom is to go for something with a blend, or to make it blend-able like Penningtron suggested, but I'm gonna start all-in.

Tom Wanderer wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:32 am

mdc wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:43 am Another option would be to get into the supa/jumbo/bum fuzz world of tone benders. They're muff-adjacent (circuit-wise), but have their own thing going on and a much different tone stack. I have one of these and I love it so much I traced it and built a bunch of them for pals. The B&M fuzz is in the same wheelhouse (see: edwyn collins' 'girl like you').

Would you mind sharing the schematic?

No problem - it's here.

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 10:00 am

Tom Wanderer wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:32 am

mdc wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:43 am Another option would be to get into the supa/jumbo/bum fuzz world of tone benders. They're muff-adjacent (circuit-wise), but have their own thing going on and a much different tone stack. I have one of these and I love it so much I traced it and built a bunch of them for pals. The B&M fuzz is in the same wheelhouse (see: edwyn collins' 'girl like you').

Would you mind sharing the schematic?

FWIW I highly disagree with the comment that these have a much different tone stack. They're essentially the same.

For reference a Muff schem of around the same era:

Sorry, I just meant that the values were pretty different and consequently they sound quite different (to my ears at least). The topology is basically exactly the same, yes.

The Fuzz War is a great Muff-inspired fuzz that doesn't dissappear in live scenarios.
When I use a regular Muff, most often I will run a Proco Rat before it to bring back some of the mids.

mdc wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:07 pm

Tom Wanderer wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:32 am

mdc wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 8:43 am Another option would be to get into the supa/jumbo/bum fuzz world of tone benders. They're muff-adjacent (circuit-wise), but have their own thing going on and a much different tone stack. I have one of these and I love it so much I traced it and built a bunch of them for pals. The B&M fuzz is in the same wheelhouse (see: edwyn collins' 'girl like you').

Would you mind sharing the schematic?

No problem - it's here.

Thanks!!

No problem! If you're curious, the B&M schem is here.