Big Muff shootout!

Which Muff do you prefer?

  • Muff 1

    Votes: 5 31.3%

  • Muff 2

    Votes: 9 56.3%

  • Muff 3

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Muff 4

    Votes: 1 6.3%

  • Muff 5

    Votes: 1 6.3%
  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .
J

Josetxu

Inspired
Hi everybody,

last monday I finished a built of a Ram's Head Big Muff (using Kit Rae's page 1973#3 schematic that according him is the closest to Gilmour's one), so I've made some clips of it, my green russian RI, and three "settings" of the AX8's big muff emulation: one using the settings that @DLC86 posted of his matching of a Cornish P1, one of the stock advanced settings (only volume, drive and tone adjusted) and one block trying to match the ram's head.

Guitar is a Usa Custom Guitar Strat built to Gilmour specs but fatter neck (0.9-0.99") using the bridge pickup (Duncan Custom Shop SSL1C-DG)







Please let me know what do you think ;)
 
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2 is the clear standout to me, not necessarily in terms of Muff re-creation, but it just sounds the best. Smoothest and most defined at the same time.
 
mbrown3 said:
2 is the clear standout to me, not necessarily in terms of Muff re-creation, but it just sounds the best. Smoothest and most defined at the same time.
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I agree. The second best is #3 for me

PS: I'd be curious to hear a similar comparison done with the new muff model on the axe III
 
mbrown3 said:
2 is the clear standout to me, not necessarily in terms of Muff re-creation, but it just sounds the best. Smoothest and most defined at the same time.
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DLC86 said:
I agree. The second best is #3 for me

PS: I'd be curious to hear a similar comparison done with the new muff model on the axe III
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Yeah, 2 is also my favourite, followed by #3 and then #1... Would nice to hear more opinions, although #2 is wining also in the poll. When the Poll ends I will say which is which ;)

I would also love to hear a comparison with the new muff model on the III but I don't expect to get one anytime soon :(
 
Gigidy

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2 is harsh.
3 and 4 there aren't Ram's Head sound.
5 it's too boomy for me... it is closed to Sovtek Civil War.
1 is near the Ram's Head
 
My hope is that the Fractal model lets us switch tone stack and clipping caps someday. The Axe3 model was improved in my opinion recently. A big overhaul on all drive units.
 
Well, seems that #2 has won the poll. It makes me a bit proud because is the clone of the Ram's head muff I've made. As I said I've used the 1973#3 schematic from Kit Rae's website and and aionelectronic PCB (halo project). I've installed a 3 way mini toggle to switch between stock circuit, flat mids and mid boost (I used the stock setting in the clip). I think that it sounds and feels great playing with the band.

#1 is the AX8 using @DLC86 settings:

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/sovtek-big-muff-settings-anyone.124324/#post-1480370

#3 is the AX8 again trying to emulate the pedal.

#4 is the AX8 with the stock advanced parameters (only drive about 6, tone about 5.5 and volume to get unity gain)

#5 is the EHX green russian RI (@Roby Rocks, you were almost correct, good ear). I bought it several months ago and when I tried a like it a lot but I think I prefer the ram's head sound. I have another PCB and was planning to make a Civil War clone but maybe I will try a slighty tweaked version of the one I've already made.

As @chrisjnyc has said what I found in the real pedal is more bite. Not only with the muff but with other pedals I've tried to "clone" in the AX8: KoT, Amp11, Boss BD2... the drive block always sound blander and more lifeless. I hope one day would get some of the new improvements made in the III drive block.
 
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@Josetxu nice poll. @DLC86 ’s settings are really good. That Ramshead has a bit more bite. Another varation to try from the Kit Rae site would be the Brick Muff. And a Skreddy Pink Flesh circuit might be worth building. There are websites with circuit theory descriptions that are very interesting. Normally the tone stack on a muff gives a mid scoop at noon setting. I suspect Gilmour EQ’d some of that mid scoop out. So a flat mid and mid hump switch may be usefull.
 
Josetxu said:
As @chrisjnyc has said what I found in the real pedal is more bite. Not only with the muff but with other pedals I've tried to "clone" in the AX8: KoT, Amp11, Boss BD2... the drive block always sound blander and more lifeless. I hope one day would get some of the new improvements made in the III drive block.
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Yes, I thought the same when trying to simulate that P1, even though I could match the frequency response and the "voicing" of its distortion, there were still some differences in the feel of the pedal and in the high end, it seemed the P1 always had more highs but not fizzy like the ax8 model gets when you crank the high cut.
And the same applies for other drive pedals I've tried to match.
 
The updated "Pi" in the III is night and day better sounding that the old model. The old one was really tough to try to dial in and always was lacking a little body, a little clarity, or a little fuzzy cutting edge. The new one comes really, really close to my favorite Muff, the Buffalo FX Patriot, which is based on a Civil War era muff, with a few tweaks of the voicing. It sounds huge, but not muddy. Not worlds apart from my Green Russian re-issue but tighter and clearer. Its been tricky to match it exactly and get the proper smooth yet soaring tone higher on the neck yet still sound massive on the lows. Steve from Buffalo FX put in a ton of work voicing the pedal perfectly. The III can come very very close though and probably with a little graphic EQ really mimic the response.
 
lqdsnddist said:
The updated "Pi" in the III is night and day better sounding that the old model. The old one was really tough to try to dial in and always was lacking a little body, a little clarity, or a little fuzzy cutting edge. The new one comes really, really close to my favorite Muff, the Buffalo FX Patriot, which is based on a Civil War era muff, with a few tweaks of the voicing. It sounds huge, but not muddy. Not worlds apart from my Green Russian re-issue but tighter and clearer. Its been tricky to match it exactly and get the proper smooth yet soaring tone higher on the neck yet still sound massive on the lows. Steve from Buffalo FX put in a ton of work voicing the pedal perfectly. The III can come very very close though and probably with a little graphic EQ really mimic the response.
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I bought a Buffalo FX Evolution and Steve sent me a Patriot by mistake. Was hard to return it, one of the best muffs I've ever played.
 
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