I stumbled across my ehx germanium 4 muff used, I have owned an original big muff pi before but never found much use for it. This in comparison is very flexible it does it all, boost, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, you can use it for blues or gnarly fuzzy rock. I love it
Hello, Great demo. I have a question. I want a big muff and this is a good option but in my possibilities is the Tone Wicker too. For the me germanium muff is more versatile but I don't want the sound will is very different of the classic muff. I compared your Tone Wicker review sound with this video and I listen that germanium not too different in some settings. Some people think this germanium is not a fuzz, but I want a fuzz. What do you think?
Did u use the 9.6 volts EHX power supply?Rumor has it that pedals sound more aggressive with max safe voltage. Ex there are pedals that although they are 12 v they can work with 9 volts but they sound somewhat weak and thin. Opinions?
Transistor have interesting tonal characteristics when starving voltage. IC pedals like (Tubescreamer, DS-1, etc..) don't like being starved for voltage. You run them on 9.6 like a full 9v battery.
@@l.g.5899 when I think of smashing pumpkins I think of a saturated gain tone with a bit of squish, for this I would say any big muff will work if you have it set to slightly over unity gain into an amp just breaking up or on the edge of break up. You can achieve this type of tone using a plexi type pedal and slamming it with some sort of rat or fuzz pedal.. don’t forget the phaser at the beginning of the chain!
Appearance is just an opinion but I think it looks pretty cool and I have like 2 dozen+ pedal mostly Dists and Fuzzes and this is the only tan/ beige one ( well I ordered it I'm waiting for it to arrive so technically don't have yet but seen enough pics) and in Jy alone I bought the Flatiron Fuzz, The new Ripped Speaker, and jus got a Deluxe Big Muff, which was a Mistake was trying to get the Civil War remake Deluxe, was gonna get both eventually but already got the Big Muff Wicker last month, w.e oh and and have had lots if Metal Muffs over the years. None of them are ugly in the least, in fact those they look a lot better then most pedal, more colorful , if not corfu have mor character at least,
Typically you only hear people commenting about how ugly these are in a good way, bc they're talking about the wall of sound that ( for the Big Muffs in particular) is a Fuzz and a distortion , except the Metal Muff which is a distortion first but a fuzzy sounding distortion and took my Metal Zones places as it achieve as much gain butim more into trike them mids and the top boost.... when it comes to distortions they're isn't a higher gain distortion with nearly as much treble as the Metal Muff and uike the Metal Zone it doesn't sound like what sone would describe as a cheap toy( but I like that sound like Line 6 makes the Uber Metal which is the same things with same tone options like MID AND MID frequency , plus there's a noise gate, which I'm not a fan of unless it's at the end of my pedal chain, and it has all the advantages of a metal zone but the sound is much.... more expensive sounding? Same exact tones but with opting if a noise gate but doesn't sound like a " cheap toy" as a lot of people say,like I wouldn't use the Metal Zone to record, especially a demo or ep with not much equipment and sound editting options but I'd use the Uber Metal. Anyway got wayyy sidetracked. Like I was saying I'm used to them being called ugly in a good way bc if their sound, which even the ones I've gotten recently like the Flatiron and Ripped Speaker, which too are really high gain Fuzzes, which if course can be much lower gain if you choose, but are great high gain Fuzzes thst can also have the advantages of both a Fuzz and Distortion but of course even though the gain can be high enough to beat the highest gain distortions , while maintaining certain qualities unique to a Fuzz other then just tone, the ripped speaker " rip knob, counterclockwise acts as a noise gate capable of creating the sputtering effect but clockwise it'll does similar but buy giving you the whole dying battery sound,and the way it makes the velcro , sputtering g sound is uniquely to when it's counter clockwise, of course there's a position where both effects are off and ots back to being a high gain Fuzz/ Distortion , on thing I noticed that brings the Fuzz Tone out is turning the tone knob on your guitar down, which doesn't typically weaken the Tobe it just make the Tobe from the Fuzz more dominant and in the case of the ripped speaker ( and si ce its not digital, in any way I don't know how they do this , but it'll literally sound like you've taking the screen of your cabinet or whatever your speaker are in so that they're exposed abd even if the rip setting is off it will literally sound like you can hear the speaker vibrating with a rip cut into them with no cover and, it's not as noticeable until you turn your tone knob down on sone guitars, I noticed it on my Jahuar with the Tone up still but my older Clapton Strat ( the one from 88-00 with a tbx, treble /bass boost where at 5 its at 10 and 6 to 10 is 11 to 20, so that's probably why unless I want the guitar tone to cut through to the point of barely hearing all the subtle things from a Fuzz that male it so distinct.) Anyway the ripped speaker has the gain of the nastiest distortions with tones only a Fuzz can get, and it gets some nasty sounds there's so many combinations with just 4 knobs.
What is nice looking to you ? A clean cut generic looking boss pedal( if which half of my collection or more is made up of and I like the shape colors and simple design. Electro Harmonix I'm my opinions doesn't have one unpleasant looki g pedal, at least not of the new ones and remakes, there are plenty of simple straightforward designs and plenty of interesting unique designs a d being a native New Yorker Appreciate the Flatiron design whoch is a bunch if oranges and white on the sides abd bottom with the Flatiron building and the ones around it but made yo kind of look Ike a classic 1920s NYC or The East River Overdrive , I may have the names wrong bc I don't usually use overdrive but it has a black and green pic of the Hudson , idk which bridge and I think the Empire State Building in the background, there's nothing ugly about them and the Big Muffs and Metal Muff are the Blandest ones, but the still have their own thing that makes then look good. PLUS THIS ISN'T A BEAUTY PAGEANT THESE ARE THE FUZZ PEDALS, BIG MUFFS IN PARTICULAR THST ARE THE ONE BRAND WHERE AL KST ALL THE FUZZES CAN BE CONSIDERED DISTORTIONS SECOND( Proco Rat may say that their also Fuzzes but their distortions with a slight bit of Fuzz grit) and to top it off The Big Muff is the ONE Fuzz that is so distinct from all the other Fuzzes put there from the original to the Russian to the Civil War, to the Triangle, etc., that kind if like an " Octave Fuzz" having its own sub category EXCEPT THST HAVLS TO DO WITH A COMBO OF PITCH CHANGING AND FUZZ YOU CAN GET THE WHOLE OCTAVE THING ON ITS OWN, BUT THESE ARE IN THEIR OWN GENRE, THEY LITERALLY SOUND NOTHING LIKE OTHER FUZZES. ESPECIALLY WITH THE TONE DOWN THEY SOUBD LIKE PURE SLUDGE. TONE ALL THE WAY UP WITH A WICKER AND THEY HAVE A TRUE BUZZSAW QUALITY. People may have use Fuzz pedals as their main dirt in the 60s especially but they also player more Blues based rock which unlike the 90s on didn't use mostly power chords which most the Fuzzes of the 60s wouldn't have works so well to get the distortion and heaviness guitarist were going for, but Big Muffs gave them that distinct Fuzz thst guitarists still love but most nowadays would really only use use for a few songs, myself included besudes the Big Muffs and the other EH Fuzzes I've bought or tried until now might play with them all day but when it comes yo recording a song there really orob only a few I can think of using Fuzzes for except most if the Big Muffs amd the most of the other EH Fuzzes. Let one record am ALBUM WITH ONE BESIDES ONE OF THE ONES I MENTIONED, perfect example are Mudhoney who literally named an album after Big Muff and The Smashing Pumpkins who used a Big Muff for all of Siamese Dream, back then I'm pretty sure it looked like the ugly silver, slanted PIS, until they remade it, I'm sure the orange and black was intentional. Point is WHO CARES WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE WHERE THEY'RE FUZZES THAT SOUND SO GOOD THEY'RE LITERALLY IN A PEDAL GENRE OF THEIR OWN SOUND/TONE WISE.
Great demo! Very informative and covered all the bases, much better than the other ones that I've seen on this pedal. Thanks!
Why isn't this unit talked about more?? It sounds great and has been available for a long time. I need to add this to my Big Muff collection
And adorable...
I stumbled across my ehx germanium 4 muff used, I have owned an original big muff pi before but never found much use for it. This in comparison is very flexible it does it all, boost, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, you can use it for blues or gnarly fuzzy rock. I love it
This thing's got some germuff breakup tone. Thank you for a review that explores the scope. You sold me.
Great demo, thanks!
It would be cool to see a shoot out between this Muff and the Deluxe Muff.
I would love to, but I went through some stuff several years ago and had to sell off almost all of my pedals to pay bills. But thank you for watching!
@@MarshallGTV Sorry to hear that, you did a great job on your demo.
got one coming. excited to try. nice vid thanks
It is a fun video, I just wish it was in a smaller box. Hope you enjoy it!
Nice vid. Please, any information about this compared to EHX germanium OD... Is the left side of Germanium 4 the same as separate OD circuit?
I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer. I had to sell this pedal several years ago and I’m not familiar with the Germanium OD.
@@MarshallGTV thanks for your answer 🙂 still, a very good video, i liked the sound
AWESOME DEMO! Thanks... Killer tones
Demo of another fun fun pedal, the EHX Germanium Big Muff!
Thanks. Appreciate the demo.
gain above 7,bias at 3 volts at 6 and I get some nice fuzzy like tones
Hello, Great demo. I have a question. I want a big muff and this is a good option but in my possibilities is the Tone Wicker too. For the me germanium muff is more versatile but I don't want the sound will is very different of the classic muff. I compared your Tone Wicker review sound with this video and I listen that germanium not too different in some settings. Some people think this germanium is not a fuzz, but I want a fuzz. What do you think?
All that but with regular silicon would rock solid IMO.
Did you just say "runs the gambit"?
Did u use the 9.6 volts EHX power supply?Rumor has it that pedals sound more aggressive with max safe voltage.
Ex there are pedals that although they are 12 v they can work with 9 volts but they sound somewhat weak and thin. Opinions?
I'm pretty sure I just used a visual sound 9 volt power supply
Transistor have interesting tonal characteristics when starving voltage. IC pedals like (Tubescreamer, DS-1, etc..) don't like being starved for voltage. You run them on 9.6 like a full 9v battery.
Mind = Blown
I love me some germanium!
+Larry Taylor it's good for a different flavor.. I really enjoy germ type pedals..
Does this clean up on a vol roll off? Thanks
I apologize, I’m not quite sure. I had to sell this pedal a little bit after this video.
@@MarshallGTV Why did you sell it, if I can ask? Have you found issues with it?
@@l.g.5899 not at all, it was a great pedal, I needed money at the time.
@@MarshallGTV can you get close to Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese dream sound even if it's not the orange pedal Billy was talking about?
@@l.g.5899 when I think of smashing pumpkins I think of a saturated gain tone with a bit of squish, for this I would say any big muff will work if you have it set to slightly over unity gain into an amp just breaking up or on the edge of break up. You can achieve this type of tone using a plexi type pedal and slamming it with some sort of rat or fuzz pedal.. don’t forget the phaser at the beginning of the chain!
Did I hear The Toadies there for a second?
You sure did!
@@MarshallGTV That song is one of the 90's greatest hits! So much better than the woke trash permeating the airwaves nowadays
2:00 what song is that? I'm having 90s flashbacks.
Chris Mann The Toadies, possum kingdom.. Straight from the late 90's
The best price-quality pedals but the ugliest ! come on guys you can do better!!!
Appearance is just an opinion but I think it looks pretty cool and I have like 2 dozen+ pedal mostly Dists and Fuzzes and this is the only tan/ beige one ( well I ordered it I'm waiting for it to arrive so technically don't have yet but seen enough pics) and in Jy alone I bought the Flatiron Fuzz, The new Ripped Speaker, and jus got a Deluxe Big Muff, which was a Mistake was trying to get the Civil War remake Deluxe, was gonna get both eventually but already got the Big Muff Wicker last month, w.e oh and and have had lots if Metal Muffs over the years. None of them are ugly in the least, in fact those they look a lot better then most pedal, more colorful , if not corfu have mor character at least,
Typically you only hear people commenting about how ugly these are in a good way, bc they're talking about the wall of sound that ( for the Big Muffs in particular) is a Fuzz and a distortion , except the Metal Muff which is a distortion first but a fuzzy sounding distortion and took my Metal Zones places as it achieve as much gain butim more into trike them mids and the top boost.... when it comes to distortions they're isn't a higher gain distortion with nearly as much treble as the Metal Muff and uike the Metal Zone it doesn't sound like what sone would describe as a cheap toy( but I like that sound like Line 6 makes the Uber Metal which is the same things with same tone options like MID AND MID frequency , plus there's a noise gate, which I'm not a fan of unless it's at the end of my pedal chain, and it has all the advantages of a metal zone but the sound is much.... more expensive sounding? Same exact tones but with opting if a noise gate but doesn't sound like a " cheap toy" as a lot of people say,like I wouldn't use the Metal Zone to record, especially a demo or ep with not much equipment and sound editting options but I'd use the Uber Metal. Anyway got wayyy sidetracked. Like I was saying I'm used to them being called ugly in a good way bc if their sound, which even the ones I've gotten recently like the Flatiron and Ripped Speaker, which too are really high gain Fuzzes, which if course can be much lower gain if you choose, but are great high gain Fuzzes thst can also have the advantages of both a Fuzz and Distortion but of course even though the gain can be high enough to beat the highest gain distortions , while maintaining certain qualities unique to a Fuzz other then just tone, the ripped speaker " rip knob, counterclockwise acts as a noise gate capable of creating the sputtering effect but clockwise it'll does similar but buy giving you the whole dying battery sound,and the way it makes the velcro , sputtering g sound is uniquely to when it's counter clockwise, of course there's a position where both effects are off and ots back to being a high gain Fuzz/ Distortion , on thing I noticed that brings the Fuzz Tone out is turning the tone knob on your guitar down, which doesn't typically weaken the Tobe it just make the Tobe from the Fuzz more dominant and in the case of the ripped speaker ( and si ce its not digital, in any way I don't know how they do this , but it'll literally sound like you've taking the screen of your cabinet or whatever your speaker are in so that they're exposed abd even if the rip setting is off it will literally sound like you can hear the speaker vibrating with a rip cut into them with no cover and, it's not as noticeable until you turn your tone knob down on sone guitars, I noticed it on my Jahuar with the Tone up still but my older Clapton Strat ( the one from 88-00 with a tbx, treble /bass boost where at 5 its at 10 and 6 to 10 is 11 to 20, so that's probably why unless I want the guitar tone to cut through to the point of barely hearing all the subtle things from a Fuzz that male it so distinct.) Anyway the ripped speaker has the gain of the nastiest distortions with tones only a Fuzz can get, and it gets some nasty sounds there's so many combinations with just 4 knobs.
What is nice looking to you ? A clean cut generic looking boss pedal( if which half of my collection or more is made up of and I like the shape colors and simple design. Electro Harmonix I'm my opinions doesn't have one unpleasant looki g pedal, at least not of the new ones and remakes, there are plenty of simple straightforward designs and plenty of interesting unique designs a d being a native New Yorker Appreciate the Flatiron design whoch is a bunch if oranges and white on the sides abd bottom with the Flatiron building and the ones around it but made yo kind of look Ike a classic 1920s NYC or The East River Overdrive , I may have the names wrong bc I don't usually use overdrive but it has a black and green pic of the Hudson , idk which bridge and I think the Empire State Building in the background, there's nothing ugly about them and the Big Muffs and Metal Muff are the Blandest ones, but the still have their own thing that makes then look good. PLUS THIS ISN'T A BEAUTY PAGEANT THESE ARE THE FUZZ PEDALS, BIG MUFFS IN PARTICULAR THST ARE THE ONE BRAND WHERE AL KST ALL THE FUZZES CAN BE CONSIDERED DISTORTIONS SECOND( Proco Rat may say that their also Fuzzes but their distortions with a slight bit of Fuzz grit) and to top it off The Big Muff is the ONE Fuzz that is so distinct from all the other Fuzzes put there from the original to the Russian to the Civil War, to the Triangle, etc., that kind if like an " Octave Fuzz" having its own sub category EXCEPT THST HAVLS TO DO WITH A COMBO OF PITCH CHANGING AND FUZZ YOU CAN GET THE WHOLE OCTAVE THING ON ITS OWN, BUT THESE ARE IN THEIR OWN GENRE, THEY LITERALLY SOUND NOTHING LIKE OTHER FUZZES. ESPECIALLY WITH THE TONE DOWN THEY SOUBD LIKE PURE SLUDGE. TONE ALL THE WAY UP WITH A WICKER AND THEY HAVE A TRUE BUZZSAW QUALITY. People may have use Fuzz pedals as their main dirt in the 60s especially but they also player more Blues based rock which unlike the 90s on didn't use mostly power chords which most the Fuzzes of the 60s wouldn't have works so well to get the distortion and heaviness guitarist were going for, but Big Muffs gave them that distinct Fuzz thst guitarists still love but most nowadays would really only use use for a few songs, myself included besudes the Big Muffs and the other EH Fuzzes I've bought or tried until now might play with them all day but when it comes yo recording a song there really orob only a few I can think of using Fuzzes for except most if the Big Muffs amd the most of the other EH Fuzzes. Let one record am ALBUM WITH ONE BESIDES ONE OF THE ONES I MENTIONED, perfect example are Mudhoney who literally named an album after Big Muff and The Smashing Pumpkins who used a Big Muff for all of Siamese Dream, back then I'm pretty sure it looked like the ugly silver, slanted PIS, until they remade it, I'm sure the orange and black was intentional. Point is WHO CARES WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE WHERE THEY'RE FUZZES THAT SOUND SO GOOD THEY'RE LITERALLY IN A PEDAL GENRE OF THEIR OWN SOUND/TONE WISE.
@@ryansowulski6117oh my goodness