“I don’t think they (guitarists) buy the Big Muff because they are loyal, they buy the Big Muff because it has a unique tone character. The Big Muff is cascaded overdrive sections that go through diodes that clip, and that are filtered properly…so that you get a really sweet sustaining tone. And then you can still blend in a little edge with that. That’s the secret of the Big Muff.” Mike Matthews in 2010

WHAT DEFINES A VERSION? - One thing you may notice I have done on this website is to re-number the Big Muff π versions differently than what some other sources have used. I have included Russian made Big Muffs in the numbering sequence along with USA made versions, since there is a clear sequence to the manufacturing order, with just a bit of crossover. In my opinion, a true version change must involve a major change to the box shape, a change to the control layout, and/or a major change to the circuit. Graphics and color changes alone should not constitute a version change, especially since they changed so frequently. The sheer number of different versions of Big Muffs that have been made is one of the things that interested me in collecting and documenting them. Within each of the version changes I have tried to list all the variations in graphics and knob styles used, listing these as "editions" of a particular version. I call the numerous different circuits used in the Big Muff, circuit "variants". I have included many photos of the various circuit boards for reference to those of you interested in purchasing or learning about vintage Big Muffs. Hopefully these will aid in seeing the differences in board designs and components used throughout the years to help you determine if a Muff is all original or has been modified. There are also some tips for buying vintage Muffs in a link above, as well as links to other Big Muff websites. Note that I do not include some Big Muff variants here that are not actually built on the Big Muff tone circuit, such as the Muff Fuzz, Metal Muff, and Double Muff. None of those are actual Big Muff circuits, and none have any of the signature characteristics of a Big Muff's tone. Those items will be listed in a separate section (coming some day). Real Big Muff circuit variants like the two Deluxe Big Muffs and the vintage Little Big Muffs will be added soon. If you have anything Muffish to contribute to this website, find an error, or can clarify a detail or date, please contact me. If you want to read the inspiration for this website, check out this scan of an article from Vintage Guitar, March 1994 .

Within each of those tone eras you can find slight variations, even within the exact same model, but they still have the characteristics of their own eras. The IC based Big Muffs like the V4 and V5 op-amp Muffs, the two Deluxe Big Muff op-amp versions, and the Little Big Muff op-amp version, are not really based on the Big Muff circuit, but they do have have similar clipped/scooped mids tones as the V3 Big Muffs, though perhaps less organic. They were called Big Muffs, and were intended to sound, and do sound like Big Muffs, so I am including them here. Click the link below for a short summary of the different Big Muff versions.

BIG MUFF ERAS - There are four primary eras of the Big Muff, each with their own unique tones, and each model having several variants, along with some other odd related models. They were first manufactured in the USA, then jumped over to Russia, then back to the USA again, and are now mostly assembled and tested in the USA, with parts made overseas. Many Big Muff users and collectors will tell you that every Big Muff sounds different, even among the same version, which is very true, but I think there are four unique tone eras that just about every Muff falls into:

IS IT A FUZZ OR A DISTORTION? - The terms have become moot in the modern era. Technically fuzz / muff / distortion pedals all distort the audio signal, so they are all distortion pedals. "Fuzz" meant something specific in the 1960's when it was a unique fuzzy, gated distortion sound born of the first fuzz pedals - the Maestro Fuzz Tone, Vox Distortion Booster, Sola Sound Tone Bender, and Arbiter Fuzz Face. The Big Muff was a distinctly different type of distortion. Many distortion pedals released throughout the 1970's began to blur the lines of what a fuzz pedal sounded like, and in the 1980's the term fuzz kind of became outdated as "Distortion Pedal" became the common term. True fuzz pedals made a comeback in the 1990's, but the distinction between what was fuzz and what was not has long since passed. So, call it either a fuzz or a distortion if you like. I call it a Muff.

The Big Muff used an independant four stage Silicon transistor based circuit that did not have the limitations of the typical guitar-into-fuzz circuits around at the time it was created. It could go anywhere in the signal chain, and the tone was not at the mercy of the temperature like the old style Germanium transistors used in Fuzz-Tone and Fuzz Face pedals. The Muff had monstrous loads of gain and sustain, and a monstrous sound to go along with it, from thunderous mud to hammering treble. It was the first fuzz pedal with such a huge bottom end, and it stepped on just about any typical fuzz pedal out there. There is a characteristic underlying harmonically-doubled octave sound mixed into the Muff tone, sometimes described as the Muffs "buzz" or "fizz". The tone sweep ranged from huge, dark, bassy sludge to thick, piercing, buzz saw treble, all with a deep mid range scoop. Somewhere in the middle was a sweet spot that just about anyone could dial in for their signature Big Muff tone.

The first Big Muff π was released to the world by Electro-Harmonix in 1969, and in full production in 1970 (not 1971 as many sources state), although variations of it appeared earlier than that. It was their second best selling pedal in the 1970s after the Small Stone phaser, and Mike Matthews said in 2017 that in terms of units sold for all versions, the Big Muff is their number one seller. Electro-Harmonix referred to the pedal as “The finest harmonic distortion-sustain device developed to date”, and it was. Fuzz pedals like the Maestro Fuzz-Tone and Fuzz Face were very popular in the late 1960s but the Big Muff was a very different and fresh take on the fuzz tone territory. The first well known recorded use of the Big Muff was in 1972 on The Carpenters' power ballad hit Goodbye to Love, with a hard rocking fuzz solo played by Tony Peluso, very ahead of it's time for the pop music market. Later the Big Muff made it into the rock and roll world with scores of other users, from Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, J Mascis of Dinosaur jr, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, to Jack White of The White Stripes. Even guitarists you would not expect have used them, like John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, who is a collector of Russian Big Muffs (a detailed list of users can be found HERE ).

Updated 2014 INTRODUCTION - This website is dedicated to one of the most popular and cherished stomp boxes in the history of Rock and Roll, and my favorite distortion/fuzz box, The Big Muff π. There are very few websites dedicated to the Big Muff Pi, so I created this site with all of the information and history I have gleaned from various sources over the years, including some good photo references (pix from my collection, stolen from ebay auctions, and sent to me by other generous Big Muff owners) and audio clips. I think it is the most comprehensive one on the web. I have tried to sort out Muff fact from Muff fiction and clarify some confusing or contradictory details from other websites and articles, as well as include a comprehensive history about Electro-Harmonix and the story behind the origin of the Big Muff Pi for all you Muff junkies. Be aware that it is overly and obsessiveley detailed, to a level much deeper than the average person would care to know, and the person who put it together obviously suffers from some type of OCD! If you want the short and simple version, GO HERE .