Dynamic Muffs with Mids

[popvulture]

I'm in no rush to find the muff, just wanted to play one last night and realized I didn't have a muff again.

Dude, do you even want a muff?

I ask myself that every time I look at muffs. I may like hearing others playing muffs more than I like playing them.

I feel like a lot of people sort of pigeonhole muffs to a singular kind of round, saturated sound, or at least I know I did. One thing that opened my eyes a bit was a friend telling me he always plays them with the tone dimed to full treble, which seemed so counter everything I had in my mind. Tried it and it rules, nasty and aggressive. I also love playing them at lower gain. Additionally quite a bit of fun to be had with the guitar volume knob, which was another degree of subtlety that surprised me.

In short: maybe spend some more time with em. And I'll throw down another vote for a green being a good option for what you're after.

[Mudfuzz]

Katana Sound Thunder Cloud - less gain, more mids - based on a rams head

[Iommic Pope]

I am going to make you love the Pharaoh, Swede. I used to think as you do.

Comma added unless we're starting a band called The Pharoah Swede

I'm in.

[Blackened Soul]

you just put the tone knob in the middle and turn the gain way down, that's what works with all my russian made muffs

[goroth]

I'm in no rush to find the muff, just wanted to play one last night and realized I didn't have a muff again.

Dude, do you even want a muff?

I ask myself that every time I look at muffs. I may like hearing others playing muffs more than I like playing them.

Algal bloom, or Ab Synth if you want more saturation?

Algal Bloom rules, but it's a very different sound. Huge fan of it though. Also have incoming modified Sonic Shroom(x2) and Doom Bloom incoming.

Good man!

I always gas over muffs because there is a lot of hoodoo around them, and some iconic records , but I just don't dig them. Yet.
But as our blackened friend suggests, I've had the best results with zero gain. Then it sounds more like a fuzz and less like a loose distortion.
Meh. I'm a noob on muffs. Not sure my opinion is super valid.

[Iommic Pope]

Muffstortion is best distortion.

Loose is good, tight has been done.
Hesh it all over the shop.

[frigid midget]

I'm in no rush to find the muff, just wanted to play one last night and realized I didn't have a muff again.

Dude, do you even want a muff?

I ask myself that every time I look at muffs. I may like hearing others playing muffs more than I like playing them.

Algal bloom, or Ab Synth if you want more saturation?

Algal Bloom rules, but it's a very different sound. Huge fan of it though. Also have incoming modified Sonic Shroom(x2) and Doom Bloom incoming.

Good man!

I always gas over muffs because there is a lot of hoodoo around them, and some iconic records , but I just don't dig them. Yet.
But as our blackened friend suggests, I've had the best results with zero gain. Then it sounds more like a fuzz and less like a loose distortion.
Meh. I'm a noob on muffs. Not sure my opinion is super valid.

Agreed with everything ^

I tried hard to like muffs, alsways *thought¨I did. They do sound gnarly at the feet of a lot of guitarists/bands I like. But the ultimate muff that cuts through a mix, doesn't have piercing mids nor wooly muddy lows...Doesn't really sound like a muff anymore imo

Turns out I'm more of a tonebender guy.

Having said that, I'm kinda surprised noone mensioned the Musket yet
Versatile as fuck, and gainy-er than any other muff I ever tried. The only muff I currently have: Maxon D&S from the '70s. Just three controls, but the tone control seems more useable than that on the other muffs I mesed with. It's a true muff, so I keep it around, but don't put it on my board, there's only room for tonebender/superfuzz flavoured fuzz there.

[popvulture]

Turns out I'm more of a tonebender guy.

Same, tbh. Aforementioned pushing treble and lowering gain really just makes a muff sound more like a tonebender, and in most cases I just reach for the latter.

[MechaGodzilla]

A muff set louder than everything else,after other pedals, is a good boost/destruction pedal

[worra]

I'm in no rush to find the muff, just wanted to play one last night and realized I didn't have a muff again.

Dude, do you even want a muff?

I ask myself that every time I look at muffs. I may like hearing others playing muffs more than I like playing them.

I feel like a lot of people sort of pigeonhole muffs to a singular kind of round, saturated sound, or at least I know I did. One thing that opened my eyes a bit was a friend telling me he always plays them with the tone dimed to full treble, which seemed so counter everything I had in my mind. Tried it and it rules, nasty and aggressive. I also love playing them at lower gain. Additionally quite a bit of fun to be had with the guitar volume knob, which was another degree of subtlety that surprised me.

In short: maybe spend some more time with em. And I'll throw down another vote for a green being a good option for what you're after.

That's pretty much always how I rock my Hoof (with the shift knob).

[Tristan]

I'm not quite sure why the Russian Muffs get recommended as being the most dynamic.
I would say more Triangle or Rams Head spec with a mids knob and/or a tone lift.
My favourite Muffs so far are the EQD Hoof and the BAT Pharaoh.
The EFE ones are great too but expensive for what you get.

[popvulture]

I'm not quite sure why the Russian Muffs get recommended as being the most dynamic.

I don't think of them as being more dynamic, rather just a little more aggressive/nasty.

[Blackened Soul]

I'm not quite sure why the Russian Muffs get recommended as being the most dynamic.
I would say more Triangle or Rams Head spec with a mids knob and/or a tone lift.
My favourite Muffs so far are the EQD Hoof and the BAT Pharaoh.
The EFE ones are great too but expensive for what you get.

less square wavy, better at singy sounds

[ibarakishi]

Has anyone owned and tried the arc big green vs the Russian green muff? I am curious how they compare, if they are really similar or if each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Anyone who could weigh in on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Televator]

Has anyone owned and tried the arc big green vs the Russian green muff? I am curious how they compare, if they are really similar or if each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Anyone who could weigh in on this would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't used a vintage green muff in a long time, but I've had both the OG ARC Effect Big Green Pi and the current Arc Effects Big Green. The OG sounds more like I remember the vintage green muffs sounding, but with endlessly better build quality. The current model adds a handy external mids switch, but the one I had couldn't really replicate the BIG-ness of the OG, or its OD-like qualities on low gain settings. The current Big Green sounded a little more like a generic muff clone, albeit a very good one. I ultimately kept the OG and sold the current one.

Side-Note: ARC just started making new BGP's in the original enclosure again. Them have them for sale on their website.

Second-Side-Note: I just picked-up the new Way Huge Russian Pickle, and to keep things brief, it's rad. Killer sounds, strong non-woofy bass, wide range of usable sounds, very low noise floor, stacks well with other pedals, compact, well built. It's definitely up there with the OG Big Green Pi as one of the best muffs I've ever used, and anyone interested in a green russian-style muff owes it to themselves to give one a whirl.