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My guitar player loves the sustain on his Big Muff. But I don't like the way it makes everything sound... muffled. What other fuzzes are known for having great sustain?

I like DIY clones, so if there is a non-muffled Muff that's available, that could work. Otherwise, I don't think I can convince him to replace his BMP with a really expensive boutique BMP.

Non-muff and budget suggestions are great too.

Sorry for rehashing this, but Search function on this topic is kinda tough to sift through. Sustain!

BYOC Large Beaver? DIY Ram's Head clone for under $100. The EQ knob should help you keep the muffled sound at bay.

He's got an 80's Big Muff with the tone slider switch (a nice version) but it still sounds muffled to me. I don't think the BYOC would be a clear improvement.

What other fuzz variants have a lot of sustain (a sustain knob even) besides Muffs? And why does the Big Muff seem to have more sustain than other fuzzes? (or is it my imagination).

BE Musket? I used to have it. Worked great for classic muff sounds, but also capable of sounding clearer.

I've also heard good things about the Skreddy Lunar Module Deluxe Mini. Look up a few demos!

Regarding the sustain of the EHX Muff, it's not rocket science:

...I loved the long sustain. This was done by cascading the circuit into additional sections, each one clipped by twin diodes.

- Mike Matthews

Have him check out the maestro Fuzztain, of all the pedals I own it has the most sustain, and I own a lot of pedals. It's a 70s pedal, designed by bob moog I believe. It has a built in compressor that gives it the amazing sustain. Fuzz can also be bypassed and the pedal used as a compressor.

The Tel Ray Morley PWF Fuzz Wah sustains even more than a Big Muff....

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eHFHU4Knw4[/youtube]

K2000 wrote: I like DIY clones, so if there is a non-muffled Muff that's available, that could work. Otherwise, I don't think I can convince him to replace his BMP with a really expensive boutique BMP.

I have a BYOC Triangle as well as a lot of boutique clones. The BYOC is just as good as any of them.

Otherwise the Stomp Under Foot "Civil War" has the most clarity of any muff or muff clone I've heard. It's 175 us dollars which of course is more than the current EHX muffs but still not really expensive.

I like running other pedals into my Muff to get some clarity back, plus you have some additional dirt sounds to play with. I use a clone of the model your homeboy uses and this is what I've had success with:

Rat>Muff
Tubescreamer>Muff
Muff>Fingerprint

Obviously they all alter the tone of the Big Muff, but it's almost always in a good way.

First thoughts......crank the amp....or....ebow?

i dunno if it's just cause i play with a aluminum neck now but the ghost effects warmjet v has got sustain for days.

Also, if you're looking for sustain out of a fuzz with a different EQ, there are specific sustain-based pedals that you could stack with better-voiced fuzzes. The best of 'em in my experience was the Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone. I used to use it to build drones before I had an EHX Freeze. I literally held notes for five minutes with that thing... admittedly, by the end, the noise floor had pretty much overtaken the note, but that was kind of the point. And if you're just looking to extend sustain for another 30 seconds or whatever, it'll definitely do the job.

12XU2A3X3 wrote:i dunno if it's just cause i play with a aluminum neck now but the ghost effects warmjet v has got sustain for days.

And can cop a muff type sound while still ripping. And SO many more.

Tonebenders sustain forever, especially if your amp is already breaking up. Just look at mick ronson.

DannDubbleEwe wrote:

12XU2A3X3 wrote:i dunno if it's just cause i play with a aluminum neck now but the ghost effects warmjet v has got sustain for days.

And can cop a muff type sound while still ripping. And SO many more.

Listen to these dudes. Ghost Warmjet is where it's at. It'll do exactly what you're asking (ie, sound like a Muff but better).

Yeah the Warmjet V does sustain pretty well, I don't really get the Muff references though, it has a different texture and is more open and more powerful sounding in my opinion.