bigchiefbc wrote:I've owned an NYC reissue, a black russian and a little big muff, found that I disappeared in the mix with them all because they're all mid-scooped pretty heavily (I play bass). I then got a Blackout Musket v2, which is based on the green russian I believe. I found that the mids and focus knobs let me slice right through the mix and be heard. It sounds fantastic, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a russian muff that cuts through.
But in the end, it wasn't THE muff sound I've always had in my head. So I decided to try an IC Muff, which is supposed to have a bit of a gnarlier, harsher, less wooly tone. I ended up having MadeByMike make me an IC muff in the small MXR enclosure, with a tone bypass switch. Voila, exactly the big muff tone I always wanted. And when I want to cut through the mix, the tone bypass switch kills the mid scoop and blasts right through the band.
You know, I really loved my Green Russian. So thick & squishy. Might have to try out a Musket one of these days... hmmmmmm...
No Pharaoh love? Did I jump on at the tail-end of the bandwagon or something? XD
Pharaoh, with the tone all the way up, with a strat and a solid state amp, is the best post-punk guitar sound I've ever gotten.
I want a giant bunny and I want a bunch of regular bunnies and they will form a hive mind and the giant bunny will be the queen bunny and they will attack in swarms.
Currently stocking Supercollider, Hoof, Pharaoh, LSTR, Green Muff, 3 big black Muffs, 3 small black muffs...and love 'em all for different reasons. The Hoof is subject to the same potential problem as the muffs. Scooped mids=disappearing tone. Beautiful TOANZ tho. If you use it less like a muff and BOOST the right mids (shift knob), it can be a much different animal. It is still fairly smooth sounding though...when it was on my board, I would use Monarch or the Supercollider in front of it for leads, and both of these combos SLAY. Supercollider CAN sound like a muff but is so much more versatile. I love the bottom end on these. I like it better for the distortion end of things than the fuzz, but again, SC can do ALOT of different sounds well. Pharaoh just kills. Plain and simple, this thing can be as huge as you want and is crazy versatile with the amount of options. The germanium position does massive wooly fuzz, and the diodes out position manages to bring huge open-sounding gain and clarity at the same time. I have never had a pedal perform so well at 100 tube watt full-stack volume. I haven't had as much time with LSTR; seems as if it can do Pharaoh-ish tones but can also be a scooped mid muff-killer with a few knob twists, and with the same massive bottom end. It sounds awesome...but I get the feeling my favorite tones are when it sounds like a Pharaoh. I almost feel like it may have too much gain; I like using the Monarch or some other OD as a boost in front, which seems to push LSTR into mush. This would be your balls-out-all-the-time tone...Jury's still out though. The later small sovteks are good for modifying...totally unreliable, so I have no confidence in them until I've gone through and replaced most everything. I've had five or six of these, and they do all sound different. The earlier big boxes sound noticeably better, regardless of what anyone tells you. Still plastic and shitty wire inside tho...and you probably don't want to crush the value of those by swapping all the guts out unless it's already broke. I've come into all the small boxes and two of the big boxes already busted, and ALL have been relatively easy fixes on the cheap. Play any of these boutique boxes at volume after messing with a later sovtek, and you'll hear where that extra money goes...immediately. I use any of the above for scary sludgy doom. A lot of ILF'ers seem to be more on the shoegazery tip, makes up less than 10% of my set, so keep that in mind. Your mileage may vary.
Bassboar wrote:IC Muff eh? Hey, bigchiefbc, how's the IC on bass? Also, how does it stack with other fuzzes?
I friggin love the IC Muff, but I'll admit it is not the bassiest muff. But my guitarist tends to scoop on his amp, so I go for a mid-heavy bass sound. I think it's the best-sounding muff, with a more crunchy and less muddy tone than most muffs. But knowing the tendency of a lot of bassists to freak out when something cuts the low lows, you might not be happy with it without a clean blend. Which I'm sure MadeByMike would do if you ordered your IC Muff from him.
edit:: I forgot to answer your second question. I haven't stacked it with any other fuzzes yet, but it plays real nice with my And Aardvarks overdrive.
heaviness and low end of the Civil War, grit of the Tall Font Sovtek, Smoothness of the Triangle and the tone control is far and away better... the Maxon is the same exact circuit and components as this:
