Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi Fuzz Pedal Reviews

Get that sound that Davey G and J. Mascis made sing, howl and yell.

Great pedal use it all the time

Hit this with a Boss SD-1 into the low input or clean channel of a Marshall and watch out. Siamese Dream city. If you dig that Pumkins sound that will get you all the way there. This pedal rocks.

Bought this guy cuz I wanted to get a tone similar to the band Earthless. On its own, it's still amazing, but paired with a Boss Super Overdrive and Cry Baby Wah it's absolutely heavenly. Quite literally nails the Earthless tone. It is quite big, but that's not an issue. In my opinion the size is necessary to give you an idea of how much this sound rocks.

If you're considering buying this, stop considering and just buy it, you won't regret it.

Excellent battery life and ease of use too.

There are other fuzz pedals, and I may own or wish to own some of them, but none are the Muff.
I keep the tone knob steady at about 9 o'clock for optimal obliterating low end.
Pair it with a pre-amp and it's unstoppable.
Also, have to admit, there's just something aesthetically pleasing about the enormous metal box.

I play single coil guitars and the sustain and fuzz provided by this pedal helps my Tele and Strat out. Fiddle with the volume, tone and sustain and you can emulate warm overdrive to rude fuzz and feedback. It way more than a one trick pony. I've owned this pedal in the past and it's production and build is consistently good.

Tried another brand first but found that I couldn't control it very well. This one here can get out of hand too but, what I learned was that I didn't need much sustain in order to get a killer sound. I really like this now that I can control it better. I liked it so much that I bought a second one.

The most obvious and amazing pedal for ambient shoegaze when paired with a good reverb. If you play guitar get this thing and you will be set. 15/10

I've been using a Big Muff for decades now and I believe it's the best fuzz out there. Over a fuzz face which I've also used. Now it's been the EHX Big Muff is all I'll have on my board. You won't regret it.

On every pedal board I've used in my 60ur career there is the Big Muff PI. I feel of it's good enough for David Gilmour ( Pink Floyd) it's sure belongs on my board. This pedal has a very long history in Rock -N- Roll and the effect just can't be beat. So.... As they say, get a piece of the PI....

Great sound and of course Sweetwater has fast shipping, Logan Neher is great, knowledgeable sales rep.

Okay, so when I got this thing I thought "Wholly Cow - A Jurassic Pedal!"
I mean, its dimensions are quite large...about 5 times bigger than the average stomp. I thought about returning it, because it really didn't fit onto my pedal board without turning it sideways.
Then I decided that I should, at least, give it a go. So, I plugged it into my amp, turned down everything on my amp (Boss Katana) to the lowest settings, and fired it up...with the BMP controls set at mid-level.
WOW! Thunderous sound!
Okay, now I'm impressed.
Long story short...this pedal is now my stand-alone pedal board, when I am too rushed, or too lazy, to pack my 7 pedal board.
In closing, this stomp is as big and tasty as my morning cup of coffee.
Is a great tasting 24 ounce cup of coffee too much? NO!

Pure power. Got to have one in your pedal chain.

If you ever listened to Ronnie Montrose or Carlos Santana and wondered how they got their classic sound on their early records, this pedal had a lot to do with it.Just plug it in and crank it up! I could play with this pedal for hours.

If you ever listened to old Montrose or Santana and wondered how they got that sound, this petal had a lot to do with it. I could play with it for hours.

This pedal has given new life to my guitar playing!

Big Big Muff

Such a fantastic pedal. I've only been playing guitar seriously for a year now so I'm no expert - but this thing blows me away. The first time I played through it I grinned for ten minutes straight. You can get so many different tones with this pedal and they all sound FANTASTIC. I went after a Big Muff because of Jack White and his use of it, mostly in The White Stripes. And this pedal delivered famously. Such a great tone. I love this pedal!! And of course the service was excellent! Sweetwater's customer service is just unparalleled. Thank you Sweetwater, thank you Electro-Harmonix!

I've been playing guitar for about 15 years now but I've always used Software Emulators or "All In One" pedal boards. I recently just purchased the Boss Katana Mk II head + cabinet and started getting into pedals for it as well. This thing is so much fun to play on, it has such a dirty sound that can produce amazing overtones and harmonics. The sustain goes on forever and it gives a lot of flexibility in how you want to shape your tone. I definitely think the video demos cannot do this thing justice. I would seriously recommend trying this in person if you can. My only complaint is that compared to my other pedals, stepping on the switch is extremely loud but I won't knock any points off for that because it's already such an amazing deal. Thanks again to Myron for getting everything to me fast and secure.

Works just as advertised. It sounds incredible on Twin Reverb Tonemaster. Made in the USA. Great value for the price. As always Sweetwater shipped it promptly and arrived in two days.

I am stunned and absolutely joyous about my purchase. The Big Muff is the best pedal that I own. I would recommend Sweetwater to Experienced Musicians and newcomers alike.

This pedal is awesome last few yrs I was into the multi pedal but just couldn't find " the sound". Took a minute to get the sound dialed in (was an overdrive distortion junkie). I have played since the early eighties in various bands when I brought this to practice the whole band said WOW where did that come from. Looks like my multi pedal is gone and going back old school and electro- harmonics will be the 1st choice for filling up the board..... btw wife doesn't seem as excited as me but that only means it ROCKS.

At first I plugged this in and I loved the creamy rich tone but everything sounded like I was under water. No mid range and even cords were difficult to differentiate. I was advised to place an EQ pedal in front of it and I went with an MXR 10 band eq. Once I dialed in a better blend of mid range it was like magic. I play into a fender blues jr. with the eq pedal, I can get harmonics easier and the clarity sounds better. I feel like I discovered music again.

Very good love it

I am into vintage gear, vintage sounds, have been playing guitar since 1966, have a basement full of accumulated equipment and wanted from nostalgia pings to replace my long lost original Big Muff Pi that the drummer walked away with back in about 1997. Back in the day in the early 80's I used a Stratocaster into a Fender Pro amp and with this pedal doing Floyd's Time, drove some people including band-mates crazy their with hands over their ears, saying it was way shrill. Rather than relive that experience, since that time, 40 years later, with the Muff controls at 12 o'clock, guitar pickup and tone selected as suggested by the Sweetwater video demo, many pleasant sounds can be acheived with taste and discretion that comes with age. This pedal version has the original slanted big box look, the knobs are slightly different but same size as the original, weighs more that the original at 1.5 lbs, I like the LED indicator ON light - useful, and EH has a 9V supply jack as well. I usually install a mini-switch to cut off the battery when the input jack is plugged in to limit wall warts on the floor. It complements the simpler 2 transistor Fuzz which was Gilmour's main pedal

This pedal has a lot of sustain. The price is just right. It sounds great at about 40% when I play Soundgarden"s, "The Day I Tried to Live."

For years, the Big Muff Pi has been the standard by which others are measured...love the sounds I get from her (yes, she's a her)....and Sweetwater is the king of online music supplies!!

In the world of guitar I noticed how many different fuzz pedals there are and how overwhelming trying all of them are. I finally said screw it I'm just getting a big muff pi. I couldnt be happier. I want trying to mimic a certain players tone but just get a generic good sounding fuzz and I trusted the many many people who use this particular one. I turn down the sustain and crank the volume and I use a number of different drives before it to change the amount of saturation if need be. It's very versatile and on of my favorite pedals on my board. I wouldn't necessarily rate this above the little or the nano versions of this pedal, I just wanted to get the big one because of the cool factor.

Yes, I got this pedal to get the David Gilmour sound. This, along with the Electric Mistress and the TC Flashback II, makes that all possible. I couldn't be happier with this little setup.

What a pedal. A real deep fuzz effect, combines great with an overdrive pedal… buy it

This is a classic sound, the roar, the sustain, the grinding tones.
I used to play with a friend's Big Muff back in 1974.
It was the first quality distortion box I ever experienced.
To a young beginner guitarist it sounded to me like the cool distorted guitar recordings by every legendary guitarist of the time.
And I have to say it still does.
If you are looking for a classic metal or lesser distorted sounds with great sustain check out this effect box.
It's also a very reasonably priced item.

Possibly the best fuzz pedal ever to be made!

My favorite of the current available versions of the big muff. Stacks great with overdrive pedals and even other fuzz pedals. Some other versions of the big muff didn't work that well with stacking. Great classic tone for leads and rhythms. Definitely the foundation of my tone.

Nasty, Gritty, Overdrive and just downright dirty, I love it, Grunge , Hendrix, and that ZZ Top sound on Heads in Mississippi lick all day long, Get this pedal

I bought this pedal not too long ago because I had been wanting one for quite a while. Now I have it, and let me say, I love it! I use it as one of my primary sources for fuzz/distortion, and it is definitely one of the best pedals ever made in my opinion, and I don't plan on getting rid of it any time soon. You can't beat this pedal, you just can't.

You can buy other fuzz pedals-- sure. But WHY? This is the source. It is the standard. Get a Frenchtoast/foxxtonemachine for octave up, get a Mxr blue box for octave down... but for plain old fuzz, this thing is the business. Don't get distracted by all the snobs talking about boutique stuff or the different versions of the pedal. The muff is a great pedal and you can adjust the settings to suit your rig.

I remember the first time I ever heard the Big Muff Pi Fuzz pedal. I had started playing keyboards with a band and the guitarist had one. We were playing Cream; Born Under A Bad Sign. The guitarist was playing an early 70's Les Paul Deluxe, with the mini humbuckers, and he sounded just like Clapton! I commented how much I liked his tone, and how great that fuzz sounded! We all liked the pedal so much, we started calling the guitarist "Big Muff!" That became his nickname in the band! Fast forward twenty some years, and a few bands later. The Big Muff pedal still sounds awesome, and it's a key part of achieving that great, classic rock sound! In addition to keyboards, I also play some guitar every now and then. I have been so impressed with Sweetwater, and the quality of service I have received from them! Also, I love watching Don Carr's videos! He's an amazing guitarist! Thanks Don and Sweetwater!

Just got this and now trying to decide what to take off my pedal board in order to add this one on.... or may just get a new board , I Love this in so many ways I can get a lot of sound from the Big Muff. It's fantastic

Just Awesome!

You want fuzz? get this pedal. enough said.

This thing is tasty. A fantastic Fuzz Box at a fantastic price. Muff Said.

Fantastic dang pedal! A beast that can be romanced into great tone from sookie overdrive to angry fuzz.

I was used to using the modeled version on my Boss multi efx pedal. But this just blows it away. These multi efx processors do not do this pedal any justice. Smooth leads, grungy rythem, can be smooth. The tone control works really well. It is the most wide ranged tone control ive seen. Get this!! You wont regret it.

A sound all it's own; thick, heavy & completely awesome!
A great fuzz/distortion pedal to add to your palette, it's so unique but very familiar at the same time. The ability to dial in the tone saves it from getting too muddy.
I love this pedal, iI'd recommend it to anyone looking to get a nice, unique thick fuzz, the sustain is powerful & the boost is very useful as well.
All around a great deal, especially for the price you can't go wrong.

This pedal right here? Is a must have. The tone knob is a sort of a high pass filter but a methodically honed one... And the sustain knob is to be coveted. What I also like is that the gain stage/volume control isn't extremely hot, so as to give whatever amp one is running headroom to add it's flavor. This thing is right in the pocket.

The tones are extraordinary and big. You cannot beat them without a cab and a mic, and even then, I hope you're a pro engineer.

I can't say enough about this thing. It's super fuzzy without being lost in a mix. And it's a warm fuzz, too. It's not harsh like the Boss Overdrive or like the emulators in Guitar Rig or Amplitube.

THIS PEDAL + IBANEZ TUBE SCREAMER= GOD'S TONE........

Three knobs, huge sound - you can't emulate this pedal digitally. It's got the same circuit as the original from the sixties. And it says "Made in NYC, USA" on the front - it doesn't get cooler than that.

This is the real thing. You need it now.

This really is a great sounding pedal. You can get lots of different sounds out of it, including a ton of sustain. I couldn't believe how long my Les Paul's notes would ring out. It's defiantly a keeper that will get lots of use. I can see why so many big name players have used one.

I've tried every pedal that I could get my hands on and this one is DEAD ON what I've been looking for. The combination of the distortion and the sustain is superb. I love it.

Works great.

The Big Muff Pi offers a great range of fuzzy sound. I have to be careful of my neighbors because the gain and sustain from this pedal are significant. Tweaking the Tone and Sustain knobs provides a wild range of sound. This pedal is a bargain at the price.

Not the most useful pedal for my needs, but holy cow! This thing is just fun for jamming out and having a blast. I don't have this on my board because I need it, I have it on there because I'm always having fun with it. My 1 complaint is the dip in mids, but you can resolve that with an EQ or TS-9 style pedal. (I stick with EQ.)

Does exactly what it is supposed to do. Other than it's a little on the large size thus 4.5 and not 5 stars

Really warm, fat, and saturated drive that sounds great in front of a bass. Put a compressor after it on your chain and it'll give you that nice punchy rock tone you've heard countless times. Couldn't be happier.

It's a great sounding, adjustable pedal, a must-have for any pop/rock guitarist's arsenal. It couldn't be simpler to use. And it's priced right.

Although it's called a distortion pedal, I'd characterize it tonally as having a more fuzz-sustain timbre, but with a richness uncommon for many fuzz devices. As such, it excels on unison guitar lines.

The very first instance I heared the Big Muff, I thought to my self what have i bought? As i played around with it, I answered my question with this, a very historical, insightful pedal. The big muff has been used by David Gilmour all the way to
John Frusciante.
It can give off a very fat sounding lightly distorted tone, or you can very the pot's and make it give off a very harsh distorted sound. The versitility off the pedal is very wide. I would recommend the Big Muff very highly.
Electro Harmonix in its self is a highly repectable commpany as well.

So, So, much fun. You can ride a note or cord forever.

My guitarist has this and the way she dials it in is awesome,,,I get a similar sound just with my amp but with this we blend well together.Great for Doom Metal!!!

If your after the Pink Floyd sound this is a great place to start. Tons of sustain. Very "Gilmour-ish" Classic fuzz. Works for Hendrix too. Especially with some wah wah.

I had the "Deluxe" version of this pedal back in the day, and it was one of the only pieces of equipment I truly regret getting rid of. This version is going to take a little tweaking. I"m a "whole chord" kinda player and the high end is indistinguishable. I"m sure I can build some patches to remedy that problem. One thing still rings (pun intended) true, hit a chord and it will go on from now till next Tuesday. Power chord players will not be disappointed.

Vintage tone and VERY fuzzy. You will have to play around with it some to get the tone you like, and then use it in some applications. I found the very high end is awesome, the low is beautifully overpowering. The kids were decent. The down side is this is a VERY big pedal - twice the size of a "standard" pedal.

But it IS called the Big Muff Pi so... :)

Great pedal to add - I play it through the clean channel of my Marshall JVM210 - Great distortion and sustain.

It's huge in sound and size! Tried most of the fuzz pedals available...Boss ODB-3, EHX Double Muff, MXR El Grande, Dunlop Fuzz Face, MXR-108, EHX Bass Big Muff, Boss FZ-5, but none get it done like the original. If you want the Mel Schacher fuzz bass sound, this is the one to get.

This distortion pedal has worked well for me for a while now. It has great sustain and awesome distortion. I would reccomend this pedal for anyone who enjoys classic rock. I love paying Pink Floyd and many other classic rock songs, this box is perfect for that type of music. It sounds great with my Fender Strat.

Only one downside, there is no port for an AC adapter.

If super-fuzz is what you're after, this is the pedal for you. If versatility is your thing, keep looking. The Big Muff does one thing really well: wall-of-sound distortion. In terms of this one trick, it's untouchable; if you want a light-touch distortion sound, it's touchable.

As a bass player, I like it (especially when used in conjunction with a phaser), but I can't help but wish I could do more with it.

This pedal was well made and I liked the controls. After using it for a couple of weeks I found that the only tone I could get out of it was one I couldn't use (think American Woman by The Guess Who). And it's way too big a pedal for one that wasn't very versatile. If you want that sound and real estate is no object, this pedal is fine - reasonably priced too.

I was very surprised with the Big Muff, mainly due to how popular these are.
I'm not going to call this one a life changer. In my opinion, it isn't capable of being tamed. That said, it does what it does very well-- make a tremendous amount of fuzz. Granted, I'm playing thru a pre-amp and direct into computer DAW with AmpliTube, etc. So I've never played it through a conventional big amp.
And given that it only has three knobs on it, I know I've turned it into every possible combination.
I found the sustain does very little. The tone changes the tone, but doesn't make it clean. The volume simply turns down the volume. To me, it lacks a fourth knob, which would actually control the amount of fuzz. I've tried and simply can't do it. For me, if it's combined with any sort of tone that's already distorted, it's simply too much saturation. I'll use it almost exclusively on a clean amp setting, but even then the level of fuzz I've found to be uncontrollable. I can't say that I love it.

Big Muff is an OK basic fuzz pedal that is easy to use, but it isn't quite the sound I want. It also takes up a lot of space on a pedal board. Will probably replace it eventually with a smaller pedal with more features.

This pedal does indeed give you a lot of fuzz, great tone, but it's almost as noisy when it's not being used. A lot of hiss coming out of my amp (or audio interface, whichever I'm using). For recording in particular, this renders it almost useless. It's too bad because it would otherwise but really cool. Based on the great reviews it gets, I assume most users either don't have this problem with it, or they have it but they don't mind.

I have the dark green Russian-made version of the EH Big Muff Pi pedal, and it's very cool! PERFECT for doom/stoner rock - if you dig stuff like Grand Magus, Electric Wizard, The Sword, Orange Goblin, etc., then you'll totally dig this fuzz box. Works awesome on bass too!