Green Big Muff true bypass ?

[yuzerneigm]

Anybody know how to make the 80's green muff true bypass?  

Thanks!

[cd]

I'm still working on this one.  So far it looks like there's a crappy push on/push off switch which is mounted to a tube type metal thing, which is then mounted to the case, and then there's the push button and spring on top of that.  Not as simple as just unscrewing it and putting in a shiny new 3PDT.  Most of the switch can be removed, but then there's a big gaping hole which is too big for a 3PDT.  BUT there's a little metal bracket inside which may be able to hold a regular 3PDT and maybe another spring... so you'll have a 3PDT inside and from the out it'll look stock.

Honestly I haven't bothered too much with it - if I drive mine from a low Z buffer, active pickups, or another effect (like a BOSS pedal) the bypass is good enough.  You might try that as a stopgap, or of course, build a true bypass looper box (easiest solution).

I'm also going to flip around the input/output jacks on mine... yet another reason I haven't gotten around to it yet, that's like a 2-5 hour project which I never have time for these days...!

[aron]

I did a true bypass on a black one. I had to cut one trace I believe.

[aron]

See this thread, it might help.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/sboxforum/viewtopic.php?t=26201&highlight=muff+aron

[dadude]

I would not mod that box out if I were you. Those green russian BMP's are running big bucks these days. I've seen the early 90's version (green with the "lost" plastic battery door) sell at over $300 on eBay recently.

Just use an A/B box to bypass or build one from scratch. If you build one, you tweak it till it sounds just like the one you got.

Just a thought.


:wink:

[cd]

I would not mod that box out if I were you. Those green russian BMP's are running big bucks these days. I've seen the early 90's version (green with the "lost" plastic battery door) sell at over $300 on eBay recently.

Are you f'n kidding me?  I bought one recently for $75, complete with the battery door, VG+ condition except for a two places in the paint where the knobs scraped the paint off (knob set too low).  And I thought that price was too high (I would have been pleased with $60) but I never see them around anymore, so I thought WTF, I'll buy it (it was a Friday too, which helped!)

Jeez!  Maybe I'll leave mine alone then.  There's a link in the thread that Aron posted with some neat pix:

http://www.voxblues.com/guitar/muff/page2.htm

This guy is rehousing the BMPs, but on the 6th page, you can see the little bracket that holds the switch.  I'm guessing a regular 3PDT will fit in there.

[dadude]

Yeah keep it. The ones that really cop the top bucks are the early sliding battery door types (they came stock with a black plastic battery door that always falls off, most are missing it). They had a really thick box with the silver stomp switch. The later green ones have a thin walled box. The early ones are made a lot better than the later ones. I think this is why they are so hot.

But the later green ones will in time command top cash as well I'm sure. They have been making them with the black box now for only a few years. Some day soon any green one will command top cash I'm sure.

What's funny is they originally issued it in a white box made the same as the green.  The circuit and components are the same as the early green one. And all the lost sheep seem to think that it's not the same as the "Green Russian".  And as a result don't sell anywhere close to the early green.

Heck paint one green and I'll bet you make a ton of cash!

[yuzerneigm]

Thanks for all the input guys!  Mine has a metal clip-in type battery door.  Maybe a later model?  Anyway, the damn thing just completely died on me without a warning.   Just plugged in and nothing.  Does the switch tend to go bad on these things?  I may have to replace it anyway.

[mrsage]

Jeez!  Maybe I'll leave mine alone then.  There's a link in the thread that Aron posted with some neat pix:

http://www.voxblues.com/guitar/muff/page2.htm

This guy is rehousing the BMPs, but on the 6th page, you can see the little bracket that holds the switch.  I'm guessing a regular 3PDT will fit in there.

Yeah, that's my page!

I rehoused a couple of beater green muffs. I have a little diagram on one of my pages that should show the traces you need to cut if you just want to make it true bypass.

Here's the link to the picture, but you might have to copy the link and paste into your web browser...I've been experimenting with anti-hotlinking countermeasures.

:lol:

http://voxblues.com/guitar/muff/bmpTB.jpg

Again, don't click that link directly or you'll probably get a bunny instead of a big muff.

Also, I've never used that diagram personally, so I can't verify 100% that it would work. I imagine it's fine, but I haven't tried it myself. I replaced the plastic jacks with Switchcraft ones when I did my rehousings, so I didn't need to splice anything or cut any traces.

Also, here's the front-page link to both of my Muff projects:

www.voxblues.com/guitar/muff
(you can click that one directly )

[mrsage]

What's funny is they originally issued it in a white box made the same as the green.  The circuit and components are the same as the early green one. And all the lost sheep seem to think that it's not the same as the "Green Russian".  And as a result don't sell anywhere close to the early green.

Heck paint one green and I'll bet you make a ton of cash!

That's not entirely true anymore, though...

Word is starting to leak that the white/blue Sovtek Muffs are very similar to the original Red Army Distortion that Mike Matthews made in very limited quantities. They're "woolier" than green muffs, and people are starting to pay upwards of $120+ for them.

You can still find cheap ones, though, just like the green muffs. I think I paid $70 total for the two that I rehoused.