Electro Harmonix Deluxe Big Muff Pi

Deluxe version of the classic Big Muff with added features and flexibility

By Phil O'Keefe

Few pedals can claim the kind of longevity, popularity, and influence that the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi has enjoyed. First released way back in 1969 and embraced by big name players including Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, David Gilmour and countless others, the Big Muff Pi is known for its thick, wooly distortion and seemingly endless singing sustain. The Big Muff Pi has been re-designed and tweaked numerous times since its introduction 45 years ago, but has mainly kept a classic three knob design. One glance at the new Deluxe Big Muff Pi will tell you there's a lot more knobs on the new pedal, so let's dig in and see if anything has been changed, and what has been added to the Deluxe model. 

What You Need To Know

• Using the classic three-knob NYC Big Muff Pi as a foundation, the Deluxe Big Muff Pi builds upon that with added features and capabilities that greatly extend the amount and types of sounds it can create.

• The die cast case measures approximately 6" W x 4.5" D x 2.5" H and unlike the Nano series pedals, it is fully painted in white with the top graphics silkscreened, as opposed to being a add-on label. This gives the pedal a more deluxe look.

• The 1/4" input and output jacks are side mounted. Input impedance is 130kOhm, and the output impedance is 300 Ohm.

• The 2.1mm center-negative power receptacle is located at the top of the pedal. This is designed for use with an optional 9.6VDC power adapter. Current draw is 22mA at 9VDC. Alternately, you can use a 9V battery to power the Deluxe Big Muff Pi, and one is included with the pedal; the battery compartment is accessed by removing the four screws that hold the bottom plate in place.

• The main bypass footswitch is on the right side of the pedal, and the switching is true bypass. A red LED illuminates when the pedal is active.

• The three fundamental controls of Volume, Tone and Sustain that you'll find on the standard NYC Big Muff Pi are all here, and function just as they always have, with Sustain setting the amount of fuzz and Volume controlling the overall output level. The Tone control is also similar, but there's an added toggle switch, with Normal and Bass Boost settings. The Normal setting is identical to the NYC Big Muff Pi, while the Bass Boost adds a touch more bass to the signal going through the BMP circuit. It is subtle, and most noticeable when setting the Tone knob above 12 o'clock.   

• That's not the only new addition - not by a long shot. You also get an Attack control that increases the emphasis on your note attacks the further clockwise you turn it, giving you more punch and definition. Turning it fully counter-clockwise turns the Attack function off. A bit of added attack can really help keep your note attacks from getting lost, even when you're cranking the Sustain knob way up.

• Of course, when you crank up that Sustain knob to get the long-sustaining, sweet violin-like fuzz that the Big Muff Pi is so famous for, noise can become an issue - especially hum when you're not playing. To help combat that, the Deluxe Big Muff Pi comes equipped with a noise gate. The Gate knob sets the gate threshold, increasing the threshold level as you turn the knob clockwise. Turning it counter-clockwise all the way disables the gate. It's a well-designed gate and as long as you set it appropriately, it effectively removes the noise and hum when you're not playing while presenting minimal to no side-effects; gate "chatter" and cut-off note tails were never significant issues for me.

• The big news is that the Deluxe Big Muff Pi has very cool and comprehensive midrange controls that the NYC Big Muff Pi lacks. A Mids Freq knob allows you to select the midrange frequency you want to control; anywhere from 310Hz to 5kHz. A Level knob lets you set the amount of boost or cut (+/-10dB maximum) at that center frequency. The two-position Q toggle switch sets the bandwidth, with preset Low and High Q settings that provide wide and broad tonal control, or tight, narrow resonance respectively.

• A second footswitch on the left side of the Deluxe Big Muff Pi turns the Mids EQ section on and off. A white LED illuminates when the EQ is activated. While you can turn this on or off at any time, the Mids EQ has no audible effect when the pedal is bypassed.

• You'll also notice a jack on the right side of the pedal labeled EXP. This is for connecting an optional expression pedal or control voltage (CV) source. The expression pedal then sweeps the Mids Frequency. The Mid Freq knob position sets the maximum sweep point; the toe-down position on the expression pedal. If you plug a  CV into the Exp Pedal input instead of an expression pedal, the Mids Freq knob position sets the maximum frequency.

• Electro-Harmonix suggests using their own EHX Expression pedal. Other suggested pedals include the Boss FV-500L, Roland EV-5, M-Audio EX-P and Moog EP-2. Yes, if you use the High Q setting and a heavy amount of Mids Level boost and sweep the mids with an expression pedal it results in a somewhat wah-like effect.

• For those who want to make it sound a bit more wah-like, three internal trim pots allow you to tweak the EQ section even further. Electro Harmonix recommends taking a photo of the factory settings before making any adjustments so you'll be able to return to them later if you wish. The three trim pots are marked with red arrows in the photo. They allow adjustment of the High Q bandwidth (labeled "HI Q AMT" on the PCB), the High Q output volume ("HI Q VOL"), and the overall EQ output level ("MID EQ OUT VOL"). 

Limitations

• As with a NYC Big Muff, there's a huge amount of gain on tap which can highlight any noise from elsewhere in your signal chain, so any weak areas in your shielding and grounding can cause issues when using this pedal. This isn't a fault with the pedal, but something that any high-gain pedal would exacerbate.

• While you can turn the Mids EQ section on or off at any time with its dedicated footswitch, the Mids EQ will have no audible effect whenever the pedal is bypassed.

Conclusions

How do you make a classic even better? Add the features and capabilities people have requested for extra versatility, keep the price reasonable, and most importantly, make it sound fantastic - and that's exactly what Electro-Harmonix has done with the Deluxe Big Muff Pi. By building on the classic tonal foundation of the legendary NYC Big Muff Pi and adding increased tonal range, they've created a fuzz masterpiece. The ability to add more mids to the sound will no doubt create many new Big Muff fans; even if you've felt that previous Big Muff models lacked sufficient mids to cut through a busy mix to your satisfaction, you owe it to yourself to give the Deluxe Big Muff Pi a try. It is capable of all the classic tones as well as many hot new tones that were previously unavailable from a Big Muff.

Resources

Musician's Friend EHX Deluxe Big Muff Pi online catalog page ($159.54 MSRP, $119.70 "street")

Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Big Muff Pi product web page

Demonstration Video