I know, I know...build ALL of them :) (and Improbably will) but for a start Rams Head or Triangle?
Any opinions ?
Thanks
Rams Head hands down
I just added a battery clip to my friend's V7 edition 3 Big Muff and compared it to the Triangle I built to Madbean specs (plus some mods): https://soundcloud.com/big-dipper-effects/muff-comparison
They sound similar recorded, but the Russian had a bit more girth in the room. Both sound good...I can see why people collect big muffs. Check out Kitrae's page for more info/schems than you'll ever need!
Imo, the mids knob adds some versatility
The Skreddy Mayo seams to be a great versatile BMP variant. I personally prefer the P19 but it is a bit more tame and probably a bit more in distortion territory than the usual muffs
Jaunsolo may weigh in here. He has made a great spreadsheet for all the variants and gives good advice with all things muff ;)
thanks for the input folks.
I have seen the spreadsheet, and listened to some youtube samples (not really a good test, I know but...)
I like the Green Russian, the triangle and the Rams head.
I have not heard the P19 or Mayo yet.
I may well end up with 5 of the darn things!
Barry
On request, just built the Civil War spec Muff on a Mudbunny board for a freind, and i have to say, it sounds pretty awesome! it's my first mudbunny build, and i have a feeling it is the first of many!
george
http://www.beavisaudio.com/projects/ScreamerLab/
answers every question you ever had in your head.
Also cures impotence, hangovers, & the clap
Brings all the forest animals out singing in harmony wile riding the magic unicorn
Hit power chords and even Johnny Rotten will crack a smile
Quote from: jeffaroo on December 30, 2012, 06:04:04 AM
http://www.beavisaudio.com/projects/ScreamerLab/
Interesting read, but the screamerlab is fully modded tube screamer... not a whole lot there that specifically applies to muffs...
my 2c - build a green russian. not as high gain, (but still pretty high gain), flatter in the mids, and a bit smoother...
My advice - socket some of the key components and try some different values. Here's a pretty good reference for the circuit and what each component does.
http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff_guts.html
Quote from: Bman40 on December 30, 2012, 01:11:50 AM
I may well end up with 5 of the darn things!
Yes, you will, and a whole lot more..... ;)
Paul
All of them is of course the answer. To add to your dilemma http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/Muffs.htm
Quote from: the3secondrule on December 30, 2012, 06:42:44 AM
Quote from: jeffaroo on December 30, 2012, 06:04:04 AM
http://www.beavisaudio.com/projects/ScreamerLab/
Interesting read, but the screamerlab is fully modded tube screamer... not a whole lot there that specifically applies to muffs...
yeah they did a Screamerlab and Fuzzlab jr which are highly modded TS's and Fuzz Faces. I'm kinda inspired to do a Mufflab! who's with me?
go for it ! im thinking of a bender lab
maybe a big ass Green Bean mod
call it "The Mean Bean"
'Muff Lab'... there is probably a Low budget Bluey called that!
if you want a muff lab you can call it "The Gynocologist" ;D
If I set up teh "Muff Lab" I'll have to add OBGYN to my signture! :D
Thanks for allt eh comments - I am going to start with te rams head, then the green russian. After that, we'll play it by ear. Pun intended.
I just finished my first madbean project- the Thunderpuss, and teh PCB quality and layout made it super simple, even for such a small board.
I'm hoping to have the rams's head done this weekend.
*I found a very fancy Violet LED to go with the Violet Ram's Head Theme :)
Barry
I intend to put this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCFDxDfTXOQ) in a 1590A... Just because I can.
Quote from: juansolo on January 03, 2013, 11:59:02 PM
I intend to put this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCFDxDfTXOQ) in a 1590A... Just because I can.
Yeah, I may give that one a go as well at some point. In a 1590A of course.
Quote from: Mike B. on December 30, 2012, 08:57:00 AM
My advice - socket some of the key components and try some different values. Here's a pretty good reference for the circuit and what each component does.
http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff_guts.html
This. Plus, the kitrae site is amazing. I plan on either socketing a Mudbunny or breadboarding a Muff soon for experimentation.
Quote from: whitebread47 on January 04, 2013, 03:47:19 AM
Quote from: Mike B. on December 30, 2012, 08:57:00 AM
My advice - socket some of the key components and try some different values. Here's a pretty good reference for the circuit and what each component does.
http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff_guts.html
This. Plus, the kitrae site is amazing. I plan on either socketing a Mudbunny or breadboarding a Muff soon for experimentation.
I would almost advise against that..... I've got a Mudbunny board loaded with nothing but sockets that I've been experimenting with for a couple of months (!!) and now I can't make up my mind!! No seriously, go ahead, it's a nice learning experience!
Paul
AS a noob to this pedal building thing - what are the 'key components' that I would socket (other than transistors)?
Well, the diodes D1, D2, D3 and D4 for starters. Also, the resistors and capacitors around the tone control. Check this out: http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/ (http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/). It has a specific mode for giving a graphic representation of the tone control of a Muff. Also compare the different BOM's in Brian's build doc and in the excel sheet by Juansolo earlier in this thread. If you see a part that changes value a lot between the different versions, it's probably worth socketing. Go on, experiment!
Paul
tranys and diodes are what you want to socket on this badboy
then move on to a kingslayer for a mod machine
When you are saying "rams head" im guessing your referring to the violet rams head specs listed on the mudbunny bom? I say that cause the regular rams head version is a different beast itself, you can see about 5+ versions between rams head/violet rams head listed on kitrae's site.
Another version that doesn't get too much notice is the stock version on tonepads bom. Really chunky sounding, not really like any of the others as well!
Besides the diodes you can change the clipping cap for a pretty big variation. Not many people seem to play with these 2 caps but they heavily alter where the clipping is happening, whether you clip more treble or more low end notes. Bring those up from 100n to something like 470n and you'll see what I mean!
Have any of you built the Fire Red Fuzz? How does that one compare? I've been wanting to do one of those forever now...
Quote from: Bman40 on January 04, 2013, 04:46:51 PM
AS a noob to this pedal building thing - what are the 'key components' that I would socket (other than transistors)?
The kitrae site has a schematic that highlights the components that have the greatest effect on the sound: http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff_guts.html
Scroll down a little and it will give you an idea. It doesn't mention the diodes, but those can have quite the effect on the vibe of the clipping taking place. I almost always socket the diodes when building a Big Muff of any kind, and have tried BAT41's, 1N914's, and many others with interesting results. The transistors themselves can be swapped out for subtle tonal changes as well (making sure the pinout is oriented accordingly). I tend to like the 2n5088's in most cases.
I consider myself a noob still. There is a lot you'll pick up without realizing it 'til further down the road!
Yup we did exactly that with the TSM680. It's a lot of fun.
Quote from: juansolo on January 04, 2013, 07:39:49 PM
Yup we did exactly that with the TSM680. It's a lot of fun.
Just spotted the recent demo onslaught thread; great stuff. Definitely gonna personalize the crap out of my next Mudbunny build.
Quote from: juansolo on December 30, 2012, 10:37:28 AM
All of them is of course the answer. To add to your dilemma http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/Muffs.htm
Great chart, juansolo. It's amazing how, with the exception of a few outliers, the values all dwell in a relatively narrow range.
I've got a Muff build on the go and am looking to include a mids control, I found this mod which seems rather doable for me (a beginner): http://rkerkhof.ruhosting.nl/Taas/Mods/Big%20Muff.htm
I know it states a 25k pot, but can anyone advise a bit more information? is that Log or Lin?
I'm looking on the Dr Tweek site (UK) and I can't see 25k, 20k or 50k are the closest values?!
Many thanks
Si
What you use depends on what you want to achieve and what range you want. Duncan's Tone Stack calculator is your friend on this as you can see what frequencies it'll effect given different parts. For example, the Ultrastoner is a ?Lady-a-like with a mid pot. But we had to tweak a couple of the other tone values to make sure it scooped the right frequencies for what we were trying to achieve. Adding it without these tweaks scooped some top also, which wasn't what we wanted.
Thanks very much for the info, does the Tone Stack calculator work on Macs?
Cheers
Si
Sadly not. It'll work under bootcamp and you might be able to get it working with wine. Thankfully I have a PC kicking around that I can run it on even though I'm primarily a mac user also.
No problem, i'll figure it out :)
Cheers
Si
everything works better with wine ! ;D
^ Apart from driving ;)
Quote from: Sibob on January 07, 2013, 02:39:28 PM
No problem, i'll figure it out :)
Cheers
Si
http://www.playonmac.com/en/
Download playonmac, let it install X11 if required, and lots of fonts, then download the Tone Stack Calculator, and install it within playonmac as a non-listed program. You should end up with an icon on the desktop, put it in /Applications. It's how I run the calculator.
Quote from: marauder on January 08, 2013, 03:38:59 PM
http://www.playonmac.com/en/
Download playonmac, let it install X11 if required, and lots of fonts, then download the Tone Stack Calculator, and install it within playonmac as a non-listed program. You should end up with an icon on the desktop, put it in /Applications. It's how I run the calculator.
Thanks very much :)
Si