Electro-harmonix English Muff'n
list: $360
available at several shops including mrmisse, yamaha, ebenex and... edder!
description:
features 1 EHX 12AY7 tube cascading into another. a metal grill is attached to the body on standoffs to protect the glass tubes, so you dont have to worry about stomping them into smithereens. trademark ehx OVERSIZED metal box, with the 2 tubes sticking out like boobies. 2 led indicators, 1 to indicate that the pedal is powered, and another to indicate that the footswitch has been activated. 5 knobs: volume, drive, treble, middle, bass. true bypassed. simple and straightforward interface.
only runs on its own AC-AC adaptor. it uses an old school DIN connector, which means replacement could be a problem. the connector also slips out of the AC in jack really easily. EHX claims that their tube pedals utilise a full 300V, in contrast to other pedals that claim to incorporate tubes.
application:
i've played a fender aerodyne jazz (passive) and ibanez srx500 (active) through it
first you have to forget any preconceptions of previous muffs. the different muffs were designed and sound totally different from one another, with the exception of the big muff pi and the little big muff
this pedal gives a really pleasing warm fuzz. with the gain knob rolled off, the tone is totally clean. turning it up will give you anything from nice warm and mild dirt to all-out fuzz. but even on the highest gain settings, the tone is still well defined, whereas with other pedals, you may have ended up with a noisy mess.
no noticeable low end loss. the 3-band eq ensures that you will always cut through the mix.
it tracked beautifully on the low notes, even with the higher output of my active bass; an area in which the big muff pi choked.
Tubes
there is a presence of tube hiss which is unique to tube pedals, but i find that it does not significantly contribute to the overall noise level. on a whole, this is a relatively quiet pedal. the 3-band eq does not affect the noise.
part of the beauty of this muff'n is the option to swap tubes. swapping tubes is a breeze and it accepts any combination of tubes from the 12a_7 family. the common choice would be to swap one or both of the tubes with the higher gain 12ax7 for even more fuzz.
another benefit of a tube distortion pedal is its sensitivity to picking dynamics.
conclusion:
a pedal that breaks the $300 barrier spells 'boutique' and prices it right up there with some of the best overdrives in the market. fortunately, the cost is justified as soon as you plug it in. as with much for their line, this pedal was never built specifically for guitar, and it sounds awesome on the bass. a quality product that offers something that probably isn't found in other pedals currently in the market.
pros:
true bypassed
warm tone with no low-end loss
3-band eq
easily swappable tubes
cons:
dedicated AC adaptor with an unusual and potentially problematic connector
bloody big metal box
EHX English Muff'n (on the bass!)
