Everything you ever wanted to know about Big Muffs (and their clones!)

[Steve A.]

In searching for schematics of the WHSP I found this web site which explains how the Big Muff circuit has been modified over the years by EHX and the various cloners. Very informative!

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Here is link to the big_muff_guts webpage:

BIG MUFF TRANSISTORS AND OTHER COMPONENTS

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Here are links to the main Big Muff pages at that site:

The Big Muff Pi Home Page

http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff...p_history.html


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Here is link to attached PDF file to download (better resolution than JPG listed above):

BIG MUFF CIRCUIT GUIDE.pdf

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Steve Ahola

[bob p]

Interesting link, thanks. Looking at the PCBs, it looks like they've left out one of the models -- when EH was still in NYC they made a Big Muff that had opamps in it instead of transistors. I remember that I had bought my V2 in 1976 or sometime shortly thereafter. It was the V2 version with the NPN BC239 transistors. (Still have it sitting in a box somewhere, virtually unused.)

After I bought mine, a friend of mine liked it and bought one. The first thing we did was to take them apart and compare them! Back then we both had a copy of Anderton's EPFM and we were way ahead of the curve. We actually gave serious thought to cloning them, but we couldn't find a way to get the price low enough to beat the $35 price from Music Emporium USA out of Texas so we gave up on the idea.

After another friend bought one and we compared it as well. Mine was an NPN, my friend's was a PNP, and the other friend's was the dual opamp version. The Big Muff changed a lot during the early years. There wasn't much consistency ... boxes with the V2 cosmetics were revised several times internally. PCBs changed to accommodate whatever parts they could source the cheapest. Funny thing that the web site doesn't even mention the opamp version. EH must not have made it for very long, as it seems to have been forgotten. It was the red over black version with the Pi in the middle.

[Steve A.]

Interesting link, thanks. Looking at the PCBs, it looks like they've left out one of the models -- when EH was still in NYC they made a Big Muff that had opamps in it instead of transistors...

Funny thing that the web site doesn't even mention the opamp version. EH must not have made it for very long, as it seems to have been forgotten. It was the red over black version with the Pi in the middle.

Which link were you looking at? Plenty about the op-amp version on THIS page:

http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff...p_history.html

THE OP-AMP BIG MUFF π - VERSION 4

Circa 1978 (Pots typically date as early as 1976 and as late as 1978)
Model Numbers: EH3003A, EH3003B, EH1322, EH1322B, EH3003
Circuit Designer: Howard Davis and Michael Abrams
Edition Versions: 1
True Bypass: No
Power: 9V battery or AC power jack.
Packaging: White corrugated cardboard box with red printing
Place of Manufacture: Manhattan, New York, USA

After that it goes into much detail about the op-amp version.

Steve Ahola

[bob p]

Somehow I missed that, Steve. I followed the links in your first post but didn't find the opamp page.

The unit I mentioned was the pre-78 version, as we all bought our Muffs in 76. It had the same inconsistent orientation of the pots on the board as did the earlier models. The opamp version definitely had the grungy sound mentioned in the article. It was not as sweet sounding as the transistor versions. I didn't like it.

Back in the 70s I had to replace the volume pot on my Muff because I used to use my foot to twist it, and the pot contacts failed under "the boot." I contacted EH by mail (long distance was prohibitively expensive back then) about a replacement and they wanted $5 to mail a replacement pot. I still have their reply letter stuffed in the box with the pedal. That price was ridiculously high in 1976, and as a kid I didn't have $5 to spare for the sake of authenticity. I ended up replacing the pot with a locally sourced pot that had a round shaft, and using a taller flat-topped knob that was easier to adjust with my foot without touching the other knobs. Who would have predicted that 40 years later people would think old Big Muffs are something special?

[drewl]

Still have my early 70's muff I bought from some stoner in high school for $15!