Big Muff Pi Distortion/Sustainer
Red Bull Music Academy tells the story of the “Big Muff: The Effect Pedal That Changed Music”.
© Maxwell Schiano
Alex Muzhikov shared this photo of his adorable daughter and Big Muff!
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
Here’s a great show of Big Muff Pi force from Jeff Bennett.
Take a trip back to 1976 for a look at one of the original Big Muff Pi ads and uncover even more Electro-Harmonix artifacts and history in our Flashback posts.
Designed exclusively for left-footed guitarists, the Left-Footed Big Muff was created to improve the precision, accuracy and tone of left-footed players.
This is an April Fools’ Day story, but click here for more information on EHX’s Big Muff Pi.
In an industry dominated by right-footed players and right-footed gear, EHX felt it was important to develop a pedal specifically for the legions of left-footed players worldwide.
Notable left-hand guitarists include Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Kurt Cobain, Tony Iommi, Joe Strummer, Dick Dale, and Albert King.
Speaking about the launch, Mike Matthews, Electro-Harmonix’s founder and CEO, said: “This pedal will not only improve the overall tone of left-footed guitarists, it is also the perfect pedal for the right-footed player’s weaker left foot. A left-footed guitarist finally has the benefits that a right-footed player has always had with the Big Muff and EHX pedals.”
Guillaume Ley stopped by the EHX booth at the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California to show Mike Matthews his Big Muff Pi tattoo!
Artist Bruno Bartkowiak sent Mike Matthews this tribute to the Big Muff Pi from his studio in France.
http://bit.ly/1u0sZne
Kris Munday sent this stop motion in showing what guitar pedals do while the guitarist is away!
Austrian director, Reinhold Bidner and the band M185 sent Mike Matthews this video featuring Big Muff Man. Watch what happens!
Reverb.com wrote a great article on the EHX Big Muff Pi. Enjoy!
http://reverb.com/blog/fuzzy-memories-a-profile-of-a-big-muff-master
Gaz Taylor wrote Mike Matthews to say: “Guitars and amps come and go, but the thing that’s always in my rig is my Big Muff. It’s all I need. So I got a tattoo to show the love.”
OTOYAMOVIE demo of the original Big Muff Pi. BTW, EHX just released the Nano Big Muff Pi. It’s identical to the original in sound and function, just in a smaller die-cast package. If you haven’t heard it, check out this demo.
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
Funky Muff tones made by combining the Big Muff Pi with Bassballs by The Funk Pumpkins on Bass
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Videosongster, JRENG!, checks in from Indonesia with his latest offering. The band’s (Lola Bangs the Drum) message is that love isn’t logical. JRENG! says he used a lot of EHX effects in this production, as follows:
HOG Harmonic Octave Generator: pianica, synthesizer
Stereo Electric Mistress Flanger: synthesizer
44 Magnum Power Amp: bass, Rhodes, guitar cabinet
Stereo Talking Machine Vocal Formant Filter: electric guitar
Deluxe Memory Man Echo/Chorus/Vibrato: electric guitar
Ring Thing Single Sidebande Modulator: electric guitar
LPB-1 Linear Power Booster: electric guitar
LPB-1 electric guitar
Big Muff Pi: electric guitar
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Back in the 1970s, EHX occupied two floors on West 23rd Street in NYC (the fifth and sixth) in an area of Manhattan known as Chelsea. Today Chelsea is home to numerous art galleries, but way back when it was the home of Mike Matthews and his crew who were cranking out Big Muffs, LPB-1s and this black & white catalog!
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JJ Likes Guitar created a cool video dedicated to the classic EHX Big Muff Pi.
BTW, well known knife and sword designer, Kit Rae, has created a truly comprehensive site dedicated to everything Big Muff Pi! You can find it here: www.kitrae.net/music/music_big_muff.html
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
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Guitar effects guru, Bill Ruppert, pushes the envelope (hard) of what is possible to achieve with “just” a guitar and a handful of EHX effects pedals. In this latest edition of Effectology Bill re-creates the synthesizers from the Pink Floyd classic “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” Check it out. This really is one of those things you have to see and hear to believe!
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
Stay tuned, more Effectology episodes coming soon!
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
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We are very pleased to inform you that Mike Matthews has been nominated for Vintage Guitar Magazine’s Hall of Fame. The category is “Innovators” and this is an unabashed solicitation for you to cast your vote for Mike, a guy who truly is one of the most innovative characters in the music equipment biz.
A hollow boast? Hardly! Here is a short list of just some of the innovations Mike Matthews has been responsible for in his career at the helm of Electro-Harmonix:
- First product to introduce the age of overdrive: LPB-1 Linear Power Booster
- First portable, battery powered, guitar amp; Freedom Amp
- First to introduce feedback with a phase shifter: Bad Stone
- First electronic flanger: Electric Mistress
- First with an analog delay: Memory Man
- First inexpensive digital delay: 2 Second Digital Delay
- First to pioneer an electronic looper: the 16 Second Digital Delay
- First to introduce inexpensive sampling: Instant Replay, then the Super Replay
In Mike’s 45 year history of relentless product innovation, he’s also been responsible for iconic effects pedals like the Big Muff Pi and the POG2 Polyphonic Octave Generator. More recently, he continues to redefine the landscape of effects with products like the Freeze Sustainer, Ravish Sitar Pedal, Superego Synth Engine and the ground-breaking Crying Tone Wah Pedal with no moving parts. His successful battles against violent Russian mobsters only spiked his creativity!
Voting is easy. Just go to http://www.vintageguitar.com/hall-of-fame/
Log in and cast your vote. Oh, there’s an added benefit to you. Voters are entered to win a beautiful new D’Angelico guitar, so do it now! And many thanks for your support.
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Effectologist extraordinaire, Bill Ruppert, defies the impossible to re-create the theme from the movie Blade Runner. Using “only” his Electro-Harmonix pedals and unbridled imagination, the maestro delivers an auditory tour-de-force.
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
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Effectology Volume 24. Soundscape for Dr. Frankenstein’s Laboratory.
Take a trip to the macabre with effects wizard, Bill Ruppert, as he transmorgrifies popular EHX effects pedals to create a chilling soundtrack fit for Frankenstein’s laboratory. Happy Halloween!
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
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proguitarshop.com does a great job demoing Classic Big Muff Pi.
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Guitar Buyer magazine created “The Shortlist” of five, must try, distortion and overdrive pedals. The legendary Big Muff Pi appears on the top of that list!
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August Guitar World magazine’s featured cover story is the “100 Greatest Classic Rock Guitar Songs of All Time!”
A panel of luminaries picked the tunes and talked about some of the gear used. Pink Floyd’s anthem, “Comfortably Numb,” scored the number 20 position right behind the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
What gear did David Gilmour rely on? Guitar World says: ‘69 Stratocaster, HiWatt DR103 amp, Big Muff distortion.
Click here to see the large size review
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Bill Ruppert is a Jedi Master at the art of creating soundscapes that are truly not of this world. Travel along with Bill, into the astral plane, as he explores the outer limits of “Paranormal Guitar Effects.” In this latest edition of Effectology, Bill once again uses “only” his guitar and Electro-Harmonix effects pedals to conjure aliens, poltergeists and more!
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
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Guitar World Magazine selects their Top 50 stomp boxes of all time and Electro-Harmonix scores with five winners.
Click here or the image below to read the review
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Them Fuzzy Monsters get heavy with the Big Muff Pi.
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Claudio VonBarbaz Traina posted this photo of his Big Muff Pi tattoo on our Facebook page and we wanted to share it.
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Want to put some thunder down under and some junk in the trunk? Check out the “Fuzz Bass” effect. It’s been used by The Beatles (“Think For Yourself”), Sly & The Family Stone (“I Want to Take You Higher”), U2 (“Get On Your Boots”) and countless others.
Running your guitar into an Octave Multiplexer and any one of the Big Muff pedals generates a thick, distorted, sub octave that will shake the walls. The Octave Multiplexer uses an analog flip-flop circuit to produces a unique, fat, grainy sub octave tone.
Settings and sample video are below:
Previous Tone Tips posts:
Stay tuned, more Tone Tips posts coming soon!
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
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Blondegraemey does six Big Muffs in seven minutes…
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EHX’s Mike Matthews appeared live recently on the popular NPR Soundcheck radio show to talk about distortion in popular music and legendary Electro-Harmonix products like the Big Muff Pi.
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From France, a nice demo of bass guitar played through a Big Muff Pi USA. The Bass Big Mufff Pi, which is tailored especially for bass, is, in our humble opinion, even richer sounding!
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Bill Ruppert rises to the challenge in recreating one of the most respected musical instruments of the 20th century, the Modular Moog synthesizer. Using only EHX pedals, Bill reproduces analog filters, specific ADSR enveloping as well as the sweeping modulations that redefined the way people think about tonal creativity.
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Moog is a trademark of Moog Music, Inc.
Previous episodes:
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
When Premier Guitar magazine decided to do a special pedal issue, the iconic Big Muff Pi was a natural. Inside the issue, I relate the topsy turvy history of Electro-Harmonix, with some never told tidbits.
Click here to see the interview with Mike Matthews
Click here to see the issue cover
Renowned artist, fantasy knife and sword designer, and self-avowed Electro-Harmonix historian, Kit Rae, has created this very unique website documenting the history of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi.
http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff_history.html#TriangleBigMuff
This is part of an interview in Guitar World Magazine with Phil Taylor, David Gilmour’s guitar tech.
GW: I notice David tends to use stomp boxes instead of rack-mounted effects. What is his reasoning?
PT: I think his general feeling is that while rack effects tend to cover a lot of areas, they don’t cover any of them particularly well. He feels that foot pedals such as a Big Muff tend to have more character.
GW: How does Dave achieve the classic sound that we hear on the solos of songs like “Comfortably Numb”?
PT: It think it’s just pretty much him. He is obviously using a couple of effects, like a Big Muff and a delay, but it really is just his fingers, his vibrato, his choice of notes and how he sets his effects.
Sonic sleuth, Bill Ruppert takes his EH pedal army to the forefront of Alien invasion. Bill’s creative combinations capture the eerie nuance and the tense attitude of the 1963 Dr. Who theme song. Integrating Electro-Harmonix pedals, Bill proves that EH designs deliver an amazing power whose outer limits are yet to be invaded.
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
Guitarist Bill Ruppert recreates Aaron Copeland’s elegant trumpet and French horn sections with the restrained grace that only Electro-Harmonix pedals can deliver. Dynamic Tympanis thunder in a CATHEDRAL concert hall environment where even the Big Muff Pi adds a realistic edge. to this powerful EH pedal orchestra.
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
In Effectology 14, pedal guru Bill Ruppert takes us on a journey to previously unchartered sonic territory. Using only Electro-Harmonix pedals and his guitar, Bill creates a series of “believe it or not” soundscapes. Whether it’s the sound of songbirds singing joyfully by a babbling brook or a vintage vinyl “lo-fi” recording complete with clicks and scratches, Bill’s mastery of effects will amaze you. As he says, “Never judge what an effect pedal will do by what you have heard it will do. Experiment and you will find new sounds not yet discovered!” Indeed!
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
Sonic master Bill Ruppert reproduces the legendary Pink Floyd synth textures from “Welcome To The Machine .” Using only his guitar and the perfect blend of EH pedals, Bill re-creates the amazing sound-scapes that made this recording special. Each EH pedal provides its own magic to reveal the complexity and textures of the EMS VC3 synthesizer with stunning accuracy.
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
Deluxe Memory Man, Big Muff Pi and Small Stone.
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins discusses his “first recognition of the power that the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi” had in establishing his sound and early tonal foundation.
The established identity of the Big Muff Pi is well known throughout the music world. When it is talked about, first hand, the weight and humor of Billy’s recollection deliver one more powerful endorsement of just how important the Big Muff Pi and the Deluxe Electric mistress have had and continue to have to the entire guitar playing world. Special thanks to Kerry P. Brown of Coldwater Studio for his permission to present this insightful article.
This is the full article Billy Corgan “first recognition of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi”
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
Welcome to the fifth installment of EHX Effectology. In today’s episode Genius sound producer Bill Ruppert has produced another amazing “Effectology” sound clip. Using only Electro-Harmonix pedals and NO synthesizers, Bill recreated of Kraftwerks’s classic “Autobahn.”
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
This pedal was conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
The great Bill Ruppert creating remarkable collection of sounds.
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
These pedals were conceived of and designed by EHX from globally sourced components. Every EHX pedal goes through a stringent testing process by musicians and technicians in NYC before packing.
Yet another great Effectology episode by the great Bill Ruppert.
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
Stay tuned, more Effectology episodes coming soon!
The gear is left plugged in, and the birds actually "play" the guitars when they land on the strings. Michael wasn't too keen about the bird guano on the instruments, but c'est l'art:
For more Big Muff Pi art, see Robin Rose's "Cypher" Exhibit, Washington, DC and also Big Fluff Pi vs. Music-Industrial Complex. For even more, see the Big Muff Pi page.
Here's how producer Thomas Tull describes it: "I wanted to see a movie that captured the essence of why people are so fanatic about the guitar. While there have been a lot of performance documentaries, this one is really about the relationship between these three men and their instruments. We tried to show what drives the artists, what got them passionate as players, what made them pick up the guitar in the first place."
As for me, I was especially chuffed to see the movie's trailer, which begins and ends with Jack White playing a hand-made instrument through a Big Muff Pi. The trailer also includes the White Stripes' "Blue Orchid," one of the first tracks to feature the then-new POG (recently replaced by POG2):
But that's not all! You'll also get a quick look at The Edge sharing a tender moment with his Deluxe Memory Man at the beach:
You can watch the full "It Might Get Loud" movie trailer here:
Today Bill Ruppert, Professor of Effectology, recreates the sound of Pink Floyd's "On the Run" from "Dark Side of the Moon" (pedals used: Micro Synthesizer, Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai, Frequency Analyzer, Big Muff Pi, Stereo Pulsar).
Please note: Bill will be in the EHX Forums to discuss his sounds, settings, and process. We hope you join us there.
Previous episodes:
Stay tuned, more Effectology episodes coming soon!
btw, Jack's videosong rules are: 1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice). 2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds).
For Robin's new exhibit, titled "Cypher" (April 7-May 17, American University Museum, Washington DC, info/pics), he changes gears and revisits those roots.
"Ascendant" (below, starting top-right) captures the skyward joy that comes when you catch a good groove. Gearheads, from top to bottom: that's a 1965 Fender Stratocaster with reverse tremolo, gold guitar cable, Marshall 800 Lead Amp Head, 1960 Slant speaker cabinet.
And I catch that lonely vibe: I first imagine myself standing in the middle of a dream pedalboard, but then I realize they're all turned away from me.
guitar tone knobs down and use either the middle or neck pickup so the original source sound is really dark and plain. If you blast the tone controls on the effect, you get a really thick, beautiful sound that reminds me of an exaggerated Eric Clapton tone in cream, where you have this really smooth fuzz."In addition to the English Muff'n, John has also toured and recorded with the Micro Synthesizer, Big Muff Pi (both USA and Russian), POG, Metal Muff, HOG, Holy Grail, and Deluxe Electric Mistress. That said, I'm sure you fru-heads are still going to email and tell me what I left out.
However, there was a touchy complication: the Big Muff Pi is a registered trademark, and if we discover unauthorized uses of our trademarks, we're legally obligated to do something about it (we have no choice about that).
We're all too familiar with the endless lawsuits suffocating the world of music, and so we decided to do something different. Instead of threats, demands, and legal letters, we contacted Gwendolin, told her we loved her work, and offered a formal license in exchange for an option to purchase them at discount. So, rather than a new enemy we now have a new friend, and a beautiful Big Fluff Pi. Take that as a lesson, music-industrial complex!
(Thanks for the tip to 'Ned Flanders' over in the EHX forums)
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