Advice for anyone who wants this sound: Get one of the new Deluxe Big Muff Sovtek pedals. Mike Hermans has stated explicitly that it's got the same circuit as a classic Green Russian muff (Civil War era muff was just a Green with a different paint job), but with notable improvements, including a clean blend to mix in your clean signal, a wicker switch to add that if you want it, adjustable mids that you can boost with a foot switch, and two interesting Q settings that can tweak the tone. It's, hands down, the best Muff I've ever owned, and I have a vintage Green Russian and Black Russian.
So just a little question here for you seeing as you seemingly have some Muff knowledge or at least the differences between the Black and Green Russian Muffs. I’m curious as to which has the bigger and thicker sound. I know that they’re probably just component value differences and obviously aesthetic differences. But what’s up with the differences to the pair of Russian Muffs? I’m honestly thinking that I’d be drawn more to the Black Russian than anything else.
@@chayseblack4162 you can't even really compared them. You can't even compared 5 green Russians to each other. Most will sound different.back then EHX used whatever they had on hand. If they were out of a certain capacitor that day or resistor they'd swap it with something close. And component values drift over time. So you can play 10 green muffs and they could all sound the same. It's honestly a simple circuit to build
Back in 1995 I bought one of these brand new at my local music store. With regular bedroom use the switch broke after a few months. The second one had faulty jacks. The third one just.....died. While this is by far my favorite Muff tone, these pedals were giant hunks of shit and I am shocked any survive today lol
Probably one of the best sounding fuzzes period, but I have also heard that the vintage big muffs, green Russian included are a bit on the flimsy side.
It sounds really good… don’t know if it’s worth it when you can get the same circuit for much cheaper. There is the pedal feel factor though which is mostly in our heads I think haha
I still have my 90’s bubble font Muff. I think what many people don’t realize is that they need to treat gain staging and other pedal volumes on your board slightly differently. J Mascis uses a different era Muff but I share his idea - stomping the Muff should feel like your signal is LOUD, lower the volume of your other pedals (& turn up your amp). Otherwise the muff will sound ok but seem “quiet”. EHX Reissues are great but there’s more dynamics with the OG, in my opinion.
You made some great tones on this video! I'd love to have heard you play a variety of BK riffs, especially early stuff like the Rubber Factory album where the Big Muff is really prominent.
I like the Maestro fuzz sounds from the early albums. Different circuit but I think the DOD Carcosa is great for this kind of sound. Also, the Way Huge Pork & Pickle is great. Love the clean blend.
I had one 20 years ago (it was cheap) i stupidity sold. And then i made a clone that became my favorite pedal since 10 years. I love the low end on this pedal.
The switches on these are so easy to fix. Seriously. All it took was some technicians to say no to fixing it for me, which pushed me to do it myself. I have now fixed all the switches on “broken” Sovtek green muffs and phasers I have come across 🍻
Get a Hoof by Earthquaker Devices. They are modeled after much of the Russian Muff and are made in... wait for it... Akron, Ohio! That's where Dan and the Black Keys are from.
Great video again. The way huge smalls Russian pickle mkiii is a great easy pedal to dial these similar tones. The Earthquaker devices Hoof is the one I use for these tones
That was the pedal that launched EQD. I ended up getting one after not liking the Big Muff. The Hoof has a nice punch and sounds clearer than the Muff.
I bought one of these for musician's Friend back in 1990 something for 50$. It was one of my First pedals and it literally started falling apart from the first new battery forward. I had the knobs held together with strips of duct tape. The pots were scratchy but it had some really great tones. It was nice hearing it again because I sold off the last of my collection (because $$), aside from my homemade rehoused nodded one with upgraded pots.
The Soviet Union spent as much as 17% of its gross national product on its military during the 1980s, so it makes sense that the Sovtek factory would be in an old military factory. Doesn’t make it that special, but it is a cool bit of history.
I thought you were going to say that the Sovjet Union spent as much as 17% of it’s gross national product on fuzz pedals. That would’ve been pretty legit.
Great demo and amazing playing! :) I was wondering if the Fuzzmaster by Stoy pedals would do the job for The black keys tone? As you are using one of their pedals for this video. I know the Hoof by EQD was made for him and it's a better option, also I read about the Swollen pickle by Way huge, but maybe there is another budget friendly option hehe
I have this Big Muff. No other fuzz or distortion comes close IMHO. Paid £30 for it - mid '90s. I still have it - stupidly spent many years and lots of £s sort of chasing something that sounds as good - when I already have what I need at my feet.. Bought it looking for that classic Mudhoney fuzz sound - nothing to do with Black Keys.. It's really versatile - creamy fuzz, trebly fuzz - DOOMY bass fuzz. Love it. Is it worth it? Yes.
Sounds great! I guess at that price you're paying for a collectible like a baseball card or a comic book. Except baseball cards and comic books don't make awesome fuzz tones!
Onenof my bosses has one of these in his office here in cleveland. His son plays in some local bands, and he collects alot of cool gear. I may end up buying it from him
At this point, old muffs aren’t worth the ridiculous prices these days and you’re better off buying a copy from Stomp Under Foot. He hand picks NOS parts that the old Muffs used, amazing build quality, small footprint, true bypass, and the tone knob has a wider and more usable range. Even Kit Rae who is THE Big Muff guru said his pedals are the closest to the originals.
I had so many of these in the 90s. If only I knew then how valuable they would become. Can’t believe any of them still have green paint on them - it flakes off if you look at it. And the switch is springloaded garbage. “Stomp” gently.
Went through this with Gilmour tones & the Muff. Ended up with a General Guitar Gadgets Ram's Head ("Violet" specs) and it's the best Muff I own in terms of nailing "that" sound - the Ram's Head "thing". Hard to describe but you know it when you hear it. Cost me very little. The EHX GRRI is a little too bright and harsh imo. I grabbed a Green Carrot Pumpkin Pi back when they were first released. Excellent GR & Opamp Muff dual. Those 3 Muffs cover most everything - except for my Civil War clone which is on a dedicated Vox AC15 board. If I had to give em all up bar one, I'd probably keep the Green Carrot for versatility, but that General Guitar Gadgets DIY Muff is something else. Better than the crappy originals!
I got an Animals Pedal copy of the Ram’s Head, my favorite Muff sound, too! I think it a Wren and Cuff clone of the original, and it has the sound and a lot of noise!
I have one of these . Had to pay to get battery clip replaced and now my pots are super scratchy for some reason . I can get 95% of the way there with any modern green Russian clone but there is definitely something quirky about the real deal
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Great pedal but my mastotron from zvex covers all the fuzz spectrum including this sound and it’s much cheaper. I truly believe that the mastotron is the holy grail!
I went down this rabbit hole as well and ended up with a big box black 7D muff. That said if you watch his rig rundown he is running that the muff, companion, and shin ei. The way he splits the rig mean he likely uses the muff for the boominess and the others for the trebles that come through. ruclips.net/video/hGqxsNBXHU4/видео.html
I had one of these in the 90’s, I don’t get this. it sounded like crap. I traded the pedal but I still have the box to this day. The box has been more useful than the pedal.
I gotta disagree about the reissue thing. Those little green ones are dead on. Without the suck. But as the great profit said "well, that's like... your opinion man." Lol
This pedal will invade your pedal board, annexe the land taken up by your tuner and overdrive. Launch sustained attacks on your reverb and delay. Heavy sanctions from your guitar and amp won't stop it's march to the capital of you board where it will over throw all Modulation in a bloody battle. A bully and a pig of a pedal.
If you and/or your sponsors feel that you absolutely have to part with $ 600 for a green muff, get yourself a new one for a 100 and donate the other 500 to someone that needs it. Neither one of the pedals will make you sound more like mr Auerbach than the other. This is just plain stupidity.
Stuff I use at Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/P1KkY
Stuff I use at Thomann: bit.ly/mythomannstore
The first black keys albums were one of my introductions to fuzz and how to use them. Great records
Advice for anyone who wants this sound: Get one of the new Deluxe Big Muff Sovtek pedals. Mike Hermans has stated explicitly that it's got the same circuit as a classic Green Russian muff (Civil War era muff was just a Green with a different paint job), but with notable improvements, including a clean blend to mix in your clean signal, a wicker switch to add that if you want it, adjustable mids that you can boost with a foot switch, and two interesting Q settings that can tweak the tone. It's, hands down, the best Muff I've ever owned, and I have a vintage Green Russian and Black Russian.
Agree on this!
So just a little question here for you seeing as you seemingly have some Muff knowledge or at least the differences between the Black and Green Russian Muffs. I’m curious as to which has the bigger and thicker sound. I know that they’re probably just component value differences and obviously aesthetic differences. But what’s up with the differences to the pair of Russian Muffs? I’m honestly thinking that I’d be drawn more to the Black Russian than anything else.
@@chayseblack4162 you can't even really compared them. You can't even compared 5 green Russians to each other. Most will sound different.back then EHX used whatever they had on hand. If they were out of a certain capacitor that day or resistor they'd swap it with something close. And component values drift over time. So you can play 10 green muffs and they could all sound the same. It's honestly a simple circuit to build
@@patrickrosington1174 ah yeah, I guess l will just have a go at one and see how it does.
Back in 1995 I bought one of these brand new at my local music store. With regular bedroom use the switch broke after a few months. The second one had faulty jacks. The third one just.....died.
While this is by far my favorite Muff tone, these pedals were giant hunks of shit and I am shocked any survive today lol
I had a similar experience, my switch died after a couple years, I'm shocked any are still kicking and that the prices are so absurd.
Lol!
Probably one of the best sounding fuzzes period, but I have also heard that the vintage big muffs, green Russian included are a bit on the flimsy side.
Had mine for years. It still works 🤷🏼♂️ maybe I got a good one.
Just engage it one time and never turn it off! Problem solved
It sounds really good… don’t know if it’s worth it when you can get the same circuit for much cheaper. There is the pedal feel factor though which is mostly in our heads I think haha
what would be the cheaper alternative?
nevermind I finished watching lol
@@bossesg1 the new deluxe sovtek big muff or the hoof by earthquaker is also a great option made for Dan
I still have my 90’s bubble font Muff. I think what many people don’t realize is that they need to treat gain staging and other pedal volumes on your board slightly differently. J Mascis uses a different era Muff but I share his idea - stomping the Muff should feel like your signal is LOUD, lower the volume of your other pedals (& turn up your amp). Otherwise the muff will sound ok but seem “quiet”. EHX Reissues are great but there’s more dynamics with the OG, in my opinion.
You made some great tones on this video! I'd love to have heard you play a variety of BK riffs, especially early stuff like the Rubber Factory album where the Big Muff is really prominent.
I like the Maestro fuzz sounds from the early albums. Different circuit but I think the DOD Carcosa is great for this kind of sound. Also, the Way Huge Pork & Pickle is great. Love the clean blend.
Sweet sounds and right on that classic Black Keys tone! Great video as always keep up the good work! 🤘
I had one 20 years ago (it was cheap) i stupidity sold. And then i made a clone that became my favorite pedal since 10 years. I love the low end on this pedal.
The switches on these are so easy to fix. Seriously. All it took was some technicians to say no to fixing it for me, which pushed me to do it myself. I have now fixed all the switches on “broken” Sovtek green muffs and phasers I have come across 🍻
Get a Hoof by Earthquaker Devices. They are modeled after much of the Russian Muff and are made in... wait for it... Akron, Ohio! That's where Dan and the Black Keys are from.
yeah, someone else here said that Jamie from Earthquaker was the tour manager for them, and that he made the Hoof whilst managing them.
Great video again. The way huge smalls Russian pickle mkiii is a great easy pedal to dial these similar tones. The Earthquaker devices Hoof is the one I use for these tones
hey, thanks! I need to try one of those
Was the Hoof made for Dan, too? I thought the original of that was that Dan and EQD owner were friends?
@@BobMaulucci I think they were friends. There is a whole video on it. m.ruclips.net/video/rVwuT-YFvPs/видео.html
The hoof is based on Dan's actual green muff, idk how much it was tweaked though. Wasn't Jamie Stillman his guitar tech?
Appreciate the honesty. Always get that here. Great channel.
Thanks Joe! Hope you have a great weekend!
Nailed my sentiments -- those cool looking older pedals will either suck tone or add noise. Just get a modern reissue or clone.
That’s one amazing sounding pedal!
I believe Jamie from Earthquaker said he designed the Hoof to sound like Dan Auerbach's Russian Muff.
That was the pedal that launched EQD.
I ended up getting one after not liking the Big Muff. The Hoof has a nice punch and sounds clearer than the Muff.
I bought one of these for musician's Friend back in 1990 something for 50$. It was one of my First pedals and it literally started falling apart from the first new battery forward. I had the knobs held together with strips of duct tape. The pots were scratchy but it had some really great tones. It was nice hearing it again because I sold off the last of my collection (because $$), aside from my homemade rehoused nodded one with upgraded pots.
The first Muff I ever experienced back in the 1990's. Great on bass, but fragile AF. The new reissue is bad ass and has a more usable tone sweep IMO.
Yep. Worth it!
I wish you lived closer to Tulsa Oklahoma. We would make some killer music.
The Soviet Union spent as much as 17% of its gross national product on its military during the 1980s, so it makes sense that the Sovtek factory would be in an old military factory. Doesn’t make it that special, but it is a cool bit of history.
I thought you were going to say that the Sovjet Union spent as much as 17% of it’s gross national product on fuzz pedals. That would’ve been pretty legit.
@@LivingroomGearDemos This is the way.
Great demo and amazing playing! :) I was wondering if the Fuzzmaster by Stoy pedals would do the job for The black keys tone? As you are using one of their pedals for this video. I know the Hoof by EQD was made for him and it's a better option, also I read about the Swollen pickle by Way huge, but maybe there is another budget friendly option hehe
Love the Blundstones!
Best shoes I've owned! I've had them for maaany years now.
When I sold mine off unfortunately, it was missing that same top screw. Wonder if this one was mine.
I have this Big Muff. No other fuzz or distortion comes close IMHO. Paid £30 for it - mid '90s. I still have it - stupidly spent many years and lots of £s sort of chasing something that sounds as good - when I already have what I need at my feet.. Bought it looking for that classic Mudhoney fuzz sound - nothing to do with Black Keys.. It's really versatile - creamy fuzz, trebly fuzz - DOOMY bass fuzz. Love it. Is it worth it? Yes.
I have the tall font and bought recently JHS Fuzz Legends Bender. Surprisingly Bender stands Muff.
Pretty sure this is the one responsible for the glorious tone coming from Japandroids, too!
I have a $50 mini clone from effects bakery (sandwich fuzz) and it does the job. They're a really cool budget line out of Japan.
the best muff done!
Sounds great! I guess at that price you're paying for a collectible like a baseball card or a comic book. Except baseball cards and comic books don't make awesome fuzz tones!
Onenof my bosses has one of these in his office here in cleveland. His son plays in some local bands, and he collects alot of cool gear. I may end up buying it from him
nice, ask for a raise and then buy it!
At this point, old muffs aren’t worth the ridiculous prices these days and you’re better off buying a copy from Stomp Under Foot. He hand picks NOS parts that the old Muffs used, amazing build quality, small footprint, true bypass, and the tone knob has a wider and more usable range. Even Kit Rae who is THE Big Muff guru said his pedals are the closest to the originals.
Agree. Unless you're a collector, that is.
Awesome video! Dumb question but in Thickfreakness are you boosting the fuzz, or is the boost pedal for driving the amps for the ‘clean’ tone?
Thanks! Not a dumb question as I didn't show my signal chain :) The pedal order is Ricochet, Big Muff, Boost and Delay. So I'm boosting the amps, yes!
@@LivingroomGearDemos thanks!
I had so many of these in the 90s. If only I knew then how valuable they would become. Can’t believe any of them still have green paint on them - it flakes off if you look at it. And the switch is springloaded garbage. “Stomp” gently.
hah, indeed!
Hi, what's this guitar?
What's the second song he plays? It's on the tip of my tounge but I can not remember it.
thickfreakness
Went through this with Gilmour tones & the Muff. Ended up with a General Guitar Gadgets Ram's Head ("Violet" specs) and it's the best Muff I own in terms of nailing "that" sound - the Ram's Head "thing". Hard to describe but you know it when you hear it. Cost me very little.
The EHX GRRI is a little too bright and harsh imo. I grabbed a Green Carrot Pumpkin Pi back when they were first released. Excellent GR & Opamp Muff dual. Those 3 Muffs cover most everything - except for my Civil War clone which is on a dedicated Vox AC15 board.
If I had to give em all up bar one, I'd probably keep the Green Carrot for versatility, but that General Guitar Gadgets DIY Muff is something else. Better than the crappy originals!
I got an Animals Pedal copy of the Ram’s Head, my favorite Muff sound, too! I think it a Wren and Cuff clone of the original, and it has the sound and a lot of noise!
What about the jhs mufuletta?
That’s a great one!
I have one of these . Had to pay to get battery clip replaced and now my pots are super scratchy for some reason . I can get 95% of the way there with any modern green Russian clone but there is definitely something quirky about the real deal
sick
What song is the riff from 1:02 from?
hey, that's just something I played for the video.
I used to mod them when they came new back in the 90s for cash because the Russian muffs sound so terrible haha
That guitar is insane and sounds real good! What brand/model is this? Would love to get myself one of those
Fano PX6
@@LivingroomGearDemos Thanks! Awesome video btw!
Thanks man!
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Great pedal but my mastotron from zvex covers all the fuzz spectrum including this sound and it’s much cheaper. I truly believe that the mastotron is the holy grail!
nice, I've never tried them. Need to get my hands on one, it seems!
@@LivingroomGearDemos yes do you’ll love them can also get that qotsa tone just easy for the space on the pedalboard!
I remember those pedals where very cheap in the early 2000. About 50€ or so.
I always associate this pedal with Robin Finck from NIN.
The other pedal is a shin ei companion fuzz or the ibanez fuzz wah that he just uses the fuzz side of
yup, would love to get my hands on those
As a doom dabbler this seems very desirable, but honestly I'll probably get a clone
Does it come with ceiling gold? Wait what
;) ;)
i remember buying mine for 880 kr (about 90 dollars ) somewhere between 1995 - 1998 ... wow 600 dollars!? ...
I actually think it was $400! But I've seen them go for more than $600 also.
That Lonely Boy bend is an octave with an expression pedal not a whammy bar but still sounds good your way
hmm, did I play it with a whammy bar?
@@LivingroomGearDemos was it the digitech ricochet?
yup, I mention it right before I play the song
He did that, he just also did the whammy bar motion with his right hand simultaneously haha
@@LivingroomGearDemos sorry missed that! Dog interrupted!
I went down this rabbit hole as well and ended up with a big box black 7D muff. That said if you watch his rig rundown he is running that the muff, companion, and shin ei. The way he splits the rig mean he likely uses the muff for the boominess and the others for the trebles that come through.
ruclips.net/video/hGqxsNBXHU4/видео.html
I had one of these in the 90’s, I don’t get this. it sounded like crap. I traded the pedal but I still have the box to this day. The box has been more useful than the pedal.
haha
Great playing, as always !
The pedal looks cool, sure, but nowadays, you can buy 5 to 10 fuzz great pedals for the same price...
Thanks, and very true!
@@LivingroomGearDemos You're doing a fantastic job with your channel, the different formats, great playing, tasty gear, etc.
Super boulot mec 👍
💪🏻
I gotta disagree about the reissue thing. Those little green ones are dead on. Without the suck. But as the great profit said "well, that's like... your opinion man."
Lol
Didn’t I say that the reissued ones are as good? Don’t remember, and can’t watch the vid right now :)
$600?!? Where is the rest of my money? 😂
Haha, I was sure I paid around 5k NOK for it when I made the video! When I put it for sale I remembered I didn’t :/
@@LivingroomGearDemos No worries man😂. It’s a pretty cool pedal, someone will have a use for it I’m sure.
Btw Great vid. Gonna follow and subscribe 👍
I got one really cheap on eBay a few years ago and I can attest to that this pedal REALLY sucks a lot of your tone which really bums me out
it does indeed
Have the same issue.
This pedal will invade your pedal board, annexe the land taken up by your tuner and overdrive. Launch sustained attacks on your reverb and delay. Heavy sanctions from your guitar and amp won't stop it's march to the capital of you board where it will over throw all Modulation in a bloody battle.
A bully and a pig of a pedal.
On point!
Great pedal. Absolutely not worth $600. The gear market is insane right now.
I get paying extra for old guitars. Sometimes I get it with amps, but I've had tons of problems with vintage amps. As for old/vintage pedals... nah!
Mans absolutely disgusted by his own playing
🤮
Nope. No distortion pedal is worth $600
want to buy this one? Think I'm selling it
@@LivingroomGearDemos I think I am good. Thanks though.
If you and/or your sponsors feel that you absolutely have to part with $ 600 for a green muff, get yourself a new
one for a 100 and donate the other 500 to someone that needs it. Neither one of the pedals will make you
sound more like mr Auerbach than the other. This is just plain stupidity.
ok