What Big Muff is this?

[manson]

Hi,

who can see what kind of muff this is. It's probably from 1977. The owner thinks it is an opamp version   Anyone here to confirm or deny?






Thanks!

[petemoore]

  Could If I could see the top or bottom of the board, maybe someone can get a bell to ring...
  All you really need to look for is 4 pads in a tight row, across from 4 pads IATR...the footprint of an opamp [not near board edge].
  Three pronged prints toward the center line of the board would be the transistors tracks.
  If i was a better, I'd place on OA BMP, simply because of the pic angle.

[manson]

I hope to have more pics later today. It's a difficult angle to be sure now, I know. Thanks anyway!

[Mark Hammer]

The switch in the back is a power switch I gather.  That oughta place it historically.  There is a history of the BMP at the E-H Man's site.  http://electroharmonix.ronsound.com/articles/bigmuff.html

[manson]

Yeah I came across that site earlier today Mark. They only say that the powerswitch is a leftover from the previous versions of the big muff. That does not say anything about the circuit I think. That switch was later made into a tonecontrol bypass switch. They do say that IC muffs where made in that time, so this one here could be either..

[Sir H C]

Here is an op-amp BMP PCB shot from the back.

[birt]

the pic sir HC posted is definatly the same pedal

[blanik]

we can clearly see the 8 solder tacks in two tight rows... around the same place as on the last picture...
i'd say op-amp without a doubt.......

[manson]

Now that's a real shame. I just want a regular old big muff, with transistors!

[blanik]

make one!! it'll cost you next to nothing and you can make it with high quality parts and true bypass and a LED and.... etc...  lol

http://www.tonepad.com/getFileInfo.asp?id=94

R.
i did one (triangle) and own a 7X's little Big Muff and my TonePad one is a thousand times better than the old one... no noise on the TP and it's much more solid... and it sounds somehow more transparent (i.e. you can actually ear more of the natural strings sound through the fuzz...)

[aron]

Now that's a real shame. I just want a regular old big muff, with transistors!

Yes, you can make one easily but keep the op amp version!

[manson]

Hmm yeah well I'm a bit done with building my own things. Doing a fuzzface was fun but I'd rather just buy a real one and perhaps modify it a little. I am not that much of an electronics wizzard.

I've been offered this particular BM, but it's a little too expensive to buy it, knowing I'd rather have a different one.

[Sir H C]

The op-amp ones have an extra "edge" that is not in the bipolar BMPs.  It is a bit more "raggedy" and these are now in vogue and getting more than the comprable era transistor BMP.  Got this era bipolar BMP needing work for about $20 off the bay.  So you can look there for one.

[dxm1]

Interesting - it has graphics similar to my four transistor Muff...

http://home.surewest.net/dxm1/images/103-0315_IMG.JPG

[Sir H C]

Interesting - it has graphics similar to my four transistor Muff...

http://home.surewest.net/dxm1/images/103-0315_IMG.JPG

Externally they look identical, it is the PCB that is different.  You can not tell unless you open it up, you can just guess by the difference in sound.

[manson]

Yep it's an op-amp muff indeed. Pitty it is but I'm gonna let it pass. The guy might put it on Ebay so keep an eye out if you're interested.

Here are some more pics of it's internals:

[theehman]

Hi,

who can see what kind of muff this is. It's probably from 1977. The owner thinks it is an opamp version   Anyone here to confirm or deny?






Thanks!

Looks like another variant where they've used a leftover Ver.2.5 chassis and put a Ver.3 op-amp Big Muff in it.   Always something new popping up.  MInd if I add the pics to my Big Muff page?

[tcobretti]

BTW, the switch is a tone knob bypass switch, and for some reason the BMPs I've heard with the switch always sound better in the "bypass" position.

[manson]

Looks like another variant where they've used a leftover Ver.2.5 chassis and put a Ver.3 op-amp Big Muff in it.   Always something new popping up.  MInd if I add the pics to my Big Muff page?

Sure you can. I think there's some more pics at home, I'll post those too if I can find them. What's your Big Muff page exactly?

BTW, the switch is a tone knob bypass switch, and for some reason the BMPs I've heard with the switch always sound better in the "bypass" position.

The early ones had an on/off switch, the later ones a tone bypass. Isn't it just what it says on the box?

[tcobretti]

It's not a "tone on/off" switch?