Big Muff Building Spree

Started by col, June 14, 2005, 07:16:27 AM

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col

One of the earliest pedals I built was a 3 knob Foxy Lady clone to my own stripboard layout which has been my main gigging pedal ever since as it has such a powerful drive and long sustain with a great sound. At the time I understood that it was similar to the Big Muff circuit but it sounded quite different to the BM I had which was a re-issue. I recently sold the Big Muff and decided to make a clone using the layout that Torchy posted some time ago. I made the modifications suggested (cap replacements) and took it to our next practice. When our drummer heard it he immediately asked if I had built a Big Muff and asked if I could build him one. It sounded VERY similar to the re-issue. I decided to make him one with the stock componenets on Torchy's layout and another with the Foxy Lady values of resistors and caps to see if it sounded similar to mine. I have not put the circuits in boxes yet but just used them on my test rig. The Foxy lady was perfect with the same sound as mine despite the fact that the caps I used weere cheaper and probably lower quality (lots of 100n) and I had no BC184C trannies so used BC109C which have very similar properties. The Big Muff with the stock values however just didn't have the correct sound. I modified it to a hybrid of the re-issue and the original by swapping caps until I was happy with it and it now sounds much better. There are no elecrolytic caps left in it. I then found an article in an old issue of 'Guitar' which shows pictures of Big Muff circuit boards from the first issue right up to the present. The early versions look like they only use ceramic caps. This is probably the same circuit that EH used for Guild and Marveltone amongst others. There are a few resistor changes as well. I didn't have any of the old type resistors to try though, but then I don't want loads of hiss! The Millenium Bypass works with this circuit.
The Foxy Lady and the modified version both have much more bottom end and power than either the modern re-issue or the clone of it. I have not used an op amp version but may build one to compare with these if I get the time and I'm stuck for something to do.
Does anyone know if this version has the drive and sustain? Hit a chord and let it go on and on and on and on!

Col
Col

MartyMart

I have an oldish BM which sounds great ( early '80's ) if you want that
"FAT" fuzz that goes on for days, there's an RM "Mongoose" in my layouts
page above and also a sound sample here:
http://aronnelson.com/userfiles/

I think it will be right in your "ball park" - it blows away my BM  !!!

Cheers,
Marty.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"
My Website www.martinlister.com

col

I will try that one soon! I have built the RM Axis Fuzz twice, one on my own stipboard layout and one off the website but neither sounded as I expected, the RM Spitfire clone on the other hand is excellent althought mine is a bit noisy. I may try a different op-amp and see if that cures it.

Col
Col

Steben

Hmmm, where did you find layout/schematic of the spitfire fuzz?
anyone seen the stone fuzz?

are they better than the Axis?
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MartyMart

http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album03

Spitfire is here, I did the layout some 2 months ago, its a cracking good
Fuzz/distortion..... Mongoose beats it for "HUGE FUZZ" though !!
If you do a search, you'll find the schemo too, which i used to make the
layout ....

Marty.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"
My Website www.martinlister.com

col

Finished off an op-amp big muff last night. I'd built it about a week ago and couldn't get it to work. All that was missing was a small link between the tracks on the stripboard, and I'd not noticed it despite looking at it over and over.
The main effect on the sound of this pedal seems to be the tone control. Around the central point it does something magical and sounds great with either too much bass or too much treble either side. The overall sound is very similar to a re-issue muff but with slightly less sustain. Now I can compare a few different  versions of all the Big Muffs I have either built or owned my favourite is the triangular knob version, a variant of which is the Foxy Lady which is still my No1 gigging pedal.
Col

MartyMart

Glad that you got it working :D
I built the "Triangle BM" about two weeks ago, I LOVE IT !!
The use of the 0.1 caps everywhere, really takes all the "whoolie mush"
out of the circuit, I think its much more useable like this.
Its slightly less "Fuzzy" and not as Phat, but I like it that way

Marty.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"
My Website www.martinlister.com

petemoore

Ok...wolly Mush...I like but,
 Have to try one with the smaller value caps too...
 The green one is alot different and much coarse sounding than the Triangle.
 Yupp. first tiem I pplayed the triangle, I'm like : That's "wierd', then soon realized it's all about the well behaved bass output [bass note definition and power is great], the smooth Fuzz and sustain.
 Great Circuit, big power sounds. With a compressor or boost in front...MUCHO GRANDE'...
 So now I have this Green BMP board, soon to be pulled from it's box,  and want to try to shape it into more of a triangle'...
Convention creates following, following creates convention.

jimbob

i bought this and bagged the board for another enclosure down the road.  http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/s=effects/search/detail/base_pid/153300/
instead i built a triangle big muff (that i cant seem to get working right) to place in the enclosure. BTW- the stock 100k pots have these ultra skinny shafts ( ive owned there and never noticed that before)
"I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then after you camped at night, you could eat him. How about it, science?"