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Electro Harmonix Double Muff (USA)
$110.00
The Big Muff sibling to this pedal is no stranger to most of us gear-crazy folks, however this pedal claims to place two Big Muffs within one smaller enclosure. Deos ti out-perform it's bigger, more famous previous incarnation? Read on.
For this review I used my home practise setup:
Epiphone G-400 / Fender MIM Muddy Waters Telecaster > EHX Double Muff > Dunlop GCB 95Q > Danelectro Daddy O Overdrive > Behringer BEQ700 > Vox Pathfinder 15R
Build / appearance
The first thing that players would notice about this pedal is its sharp corners and striking industrial apperance. Like it's built to withstand a good pounding. Upon picking it up, its light weight surprised me as I was expecting a pretty hefty unit. So take note that this is one effect that needs to be anchored down.
The Double Muff features 2 knobs, one slider switch, a true bypass footswitch and an LED on/off indicator. The input and output jacks are at the top bout of the unit, with an old-school pin-type adaptor socket for daisy-chain users.
The handsome brushed steel face is a turn on for me, and it is definitely not as flimsy as some Harmony Central reviewers have made it out to be.
thus far: 8/10
Sound / tone
I did some initial experimentation regarding the placement of this unit within a pedal board, and I found that it is rather picky regarding where it is positioned in the signal chain. The experimentation soon resulted in the Double Muff being placed FIRST in the signal chain, as some other placements have yielded a loud hissing sound and a rather unpleasant output tone.
This pedal has two modes, namely a single and double muff option. In single muff mode, the 1st knob controls the volume and a default drive setting. The muff 2 knob does not do anything in single muff mode.
With this placement, I plugged in my G-400 in bridge + neck pickup configuration. i noticed that the level of drive (at a balanced volume (compared to the overall signal) was very low with the knob at 2 o'clock.
This drive setting is only fair even for a light blues crunch but yielded a nice woman tone" with a hint of growl on the low-end when the neck pickup is selected. The pedal seemed to only add that slight bit of dirt to my guitar tone without any major midrange shift but a slight dip in treble frequencies.
Upon activating my Daddy O overdrive, I soon realised that this setting is very good as a solo boost, with a marked increase in overall gain and I could get very good sustain, and a very santana-esque tone.
In double muff mode, the first knob serves as a volume control, with the muff 2 knob being the main drive control. Upon activation, the unit became much more aggressive and louder, and a tweak in volume was necessary to maintain overall balance compared to the other pedals.
With this drive setting (1st knob 10 o'clock, 2nd knob 3 o'clock) I was able to get a very deep growl without any loss in bottom end, but my mid and treble frequencies were slightly boosted. It is reminiscent of my Vox Pathfinder default drive tone (think british growl), with ample ability for one to cop Clapton's "woman tone" and even more pleasantly, the ability to get that thick overdrive tone in "black dog" by Led Zeppelin.
Single note lines come across with clarity and the unit does not fizzle out or produce any graininess in tone. However the sustain is not as phenomenal as i would have expected given the reputation of it's Big Muff sibling as a pedal capable of lengthy sustain.
In spite of all that, there is only a slight change in tone when switching between different pickup configurations, meaning that the sounds coming out of this little fella may not be that versatile. I got similar results with my Fender Telecaster plugged in, but I got a very nice blues tone from my single coil neck pickup. The gain seems to be a sensitive thing, with controlled interaction between my amp's gain setting and with my bridge single coil as I would get howling feedback even at low volumes.
thus far: 7.5/10
Issues
I'm personally at a loss as to why EH has chosen to continue using the old-fashioned pin-type power socket. This calls for an adaptor when used with a power supply. However, the changing of batteries is a relatively easy affair with just one screw holding the battery hatch in.
Conclusion
Overall this pedal is still a mild overdrive / distortion unit, and with two settings it honestly fails to set my world on fire due to a lack of tonal versatility. Yet it does seem to be a very nice gain booster (in single muff mode) and in double muff setting it is capable of vintage-style distortion without becoming too messy or muddy.
Notably, for it's relatively low price I find no need for modification when it comes to tone, and it seems capable of lasting alot longer (with adequate care) than some other drive pedals of this price range.
Overall score: 7.5/10
Pros:
relative ease of use
true bypass switching
useable sounds without major alterations in original tone
Cons:
"two-trick" pony
lack of tonal versatility
have to invest in plug adaptor for daisy-chain power
What else can do the job:
Radial Tonebone British / Classic
Proco Rat 2
Electro Harmonix Double Muff (USA)
$110.00
The Big Muff sibling to this pedal is no stranger to most of us gear-crazy folks, however this pedal claims to place two Big Muffs within one smaller enclosure. Deos ti out-perform it's bigger, more famous previous incarnation? Read on.
For this review I used my home practise setup:
Epiphone G-400 / Fender MIM Muddy Waters Telecaster > EHX Double Muff > Dunlop GCB 95Q > Danelectro Daddy O Overdrive > Behringer BEQ700 > Vox Pathfinder 15R
Build / appearance
The first thing that players would notice about this pedal is its sharp corners and striking industrial apperance. Like it's built to withstand a good pounding. Upon picking it up, its light weight surprised me as I was expecting a pretty hefty unit. So take note that this is one effect that needs to be anchored down.
The Double Muff features 2 knobs, one slider switch, a true bypass footswitch and an LED on/off indicator. The input and output jacks are at the top bout of the unit, with an old-school pin-type adaptor socket for daisy-chain users.
The handsome brushed steel face is a turn on for me, and it is definitely not as flimsy as some Harmony Central reviewers have made it out to be.
thus far: 8/10
Sound / tone
I did some initial experimentation regarding the placement of this unit within a pedal board, and I found that it is rather picky regarding where it is positioned in the signal chain. The experimentation soon resulted in the Double Muff being placed FIRST in the signal chain, as some other placements have yielded a loud hissing sound and a rather unpleasant output tone.
This pedal has two modes, namely a single and double muff option. In single muff mode, the 1st knob controls the volume and a default drive setting. The muff 2 knob does not do anything in single muff mode.
With this placement, I plugged in my G-400 in bridge + neck pickup configuration. i noticed that the level of drive (at a balanced volume (compared to the overall signal) was very low with the knob at 2 o'clock.
This drive setting is only fair even for a light blues crunch but yielded a nice woman tone" with a hint of growl on the low-end when the neck pickup is selected. The pedal seemed to only add that slight bit of dirt to my guitar tone without any major midrange shift but a slight dip in treble frequencies.
Upon activating my Daddy O overdrive, I soon realised that this setting is very good as a solo boost, with a marked increase in overall gain and I could get very good sustain, and a very santana-esque tone.
In double muff mode, the first knob serves as a volume control, with the muff 2 knob being the main drive control. Upon activation, the unit became much more aggressive and louder, and a tweak in volume was necessary to maintain overall balance compared to the other pedals.
With this drive setting (1st knob 10 o'clock, 2nd knob 3 o'clock) I was able to get a very deep growl without any loss in bottom end, but my mid and treble frequencies were slightly boosted. It is reminiscent of my Vox Pathfinder default drive tone (think british growl), with ample ability for one to cop Clapton's "woman tone" and even more pleasantly, the ability to get that thick overdrive tone in "black dog" by Led Zeppelin.
Single note lines come across with clarity and the unit does not fizzle out or produce any graininess in tone. However the sustain is not as phenomenal as i would have expected given the reputation of it's Big Muff sibling as a pedal capable of lengthy sustain.
In spite of all that, there is only a slight change in tone when switching between different pickup configurations, meaning that the sounds coming out of this little fella may not be that versatile. I got similar results with my Fender Telecaster plugged in, but I got a very nice blues tone from my single coil neck pickup. The gain seems to be a sensitive thing, with controlled interaction between my amp's gain setting and with my bridge single coil as I would get howling feedback even at low volumes.
thus far: 7.5/10
Issues
I'm personally at a loss as to why EH has chosen to continue using the old-fashioned pin-type power socket. This calls for an adaptor when used with a power supply. However, the changing of batteries is a relatively easy affair with just one screw holding the battery hatch in.
Conclusion
Overall this pedal is still a mild overdrive / distortion unit, and with two settings it honestly fails to set my world on fire due to a lack of tonal versatility. Yet it does seem to be a very nice gain booster (in single muff mode) and in double muff setting it is capable of vintage-style distortion without becoming too messy or muddy.
Notably, for it's relatively low price I find no need for modification when it comes to tone, and it seems capable of lasting alot longer (with adequate care) than some other drive pedals of this price range.
Overall score: 7.5/10
Pros:
relative ease of use
true bypass switching
useable sounds without major alterations in original tone
Cons:
"two-trick" pony
lack of tonal versatility
have to invest in plug adaptor for daisy-chain power
What else can do the job:
Radial Tonebone British / Classic
Proco Rat 2
