Electro-Harmonix: Metal Muff

[subversion]

thusfar, i've never used the MM with an EQ supplement. by nature, the MM exudes that fuzz voicing which isn't everyone's cup of tea, while the distortion intensity remains very commanding. try to trim the top end of this pedal & it'll make a world of diff to some of us who are palm-muting inclined. activate the Top Boost during solos...

 

[Ized]

yeah problem is, i find the top boost like what you mentioned in your review, rather bass devoid and piercing.

I think i'll rather use a clean booster or EQ pedal to boost the pedal... you know what I mean. Playing the main riff in battery by metallica sounds weird with the fuzz type voicing in this pedal, unless you scoop the mids on your amp as well........which i'm not too inclined towards as i prefer everything set at 12 o'clock with regards to a clean amp setting....

 

[subversion]

you'd be surprised how this bass deprivation would help you in a band context when you solo...

 

[Ized]

haha well Sub, would love to agree with you on that one, as in the live band setting-you may dismiss it as sth one off but i beg to differ. its just that its a coincidence that there was a band playing at TP the other day, after my band. The guitarist was using a Metal Muff and they played Megadeth and Iron Maiden covers. I found his tone pretty alright for rythms....until he stepped on the top boost for his solos. thats when the tone rape began...It just sounded so muddy and fizzy....it was like fuzz that sounded horribly thin? Frankly i think if he had just soloed without the top boost he would have been heard better....cos his rythm tone was respectably tight and defined, while his lead sound was like just ...errh. His leads were just blurred and fizzy, you could only hear the occasional bend he does during solos. And he's actually a very good soloist.....just let down by a bad solo tone. And its not like i dint highlight to him earlier. I actually helped him to tweak the pedal b4 the show...during soundcheck when the flaw was so apparent, hoping that it would help him sound better..which it did....but the top boost was a total letdown even at a lower setting. (he previously turned it all the way up)

However i've actually brought it up to him and i'm bringing down my EQ pedal for his next jamming session. Should it work out, he'll buy an EQ pedal to use for solos for now on.

Note: this is not to diss the Metal Muff or anything, just wanna highlight a certain experience with it.....I tried the metal muff and i think its awesome personally. Just not the Top Boost

 

[subversion]

while the top boost function has its purpose being incorporated in the pedal, we must not dismiss other tone-related factors when playing. solely relying on a pedal's function to save the day isn't the better part of tone shaping.

when using the Metal Muff, i would personally employ a pre-Metal Muff drive type booster to ensure this pedal has enough saturation to sound really thick because we have to bear in mind that the MM has a fuzz quality to it, it isn't a Metal Zone in its fundamentals. next consideration would be the employment of an EQ unit, post-Metal Muff- especially useful when one kicks the TOP BOOST into action. the common complaint here would be tap-dancing, of course...

this isn't an attempt to defend the MM either, just highlighting the supplements we can employ to make some settings work. am i using the MM in my line-up? em... i like to be pedal-free

 

[Ized]

haha yeah Sub.....I'm actually bringing down my EQ pedal for that guy i mentioned to try with his metal muff this friday......

I agree with you on that, there are alot of factors that would affect tone. even for metal

 

[CCMguitarist]

sub u said 160$ can get at this price meh? can let me know where?

 

[subversion]

yo bro there are several distributors for this pedal. the price i quoted was its initial price which might have been revised to date.

i believe you can get good bargain from the following parties:

*Mr Misse
*edder
*ebenex

ebenex is still having their 'offer us a good price' promo, maybe this has something for you

 

[edder]

ebenex is still having their 'offer us a good price' promo, maybe this has something for you

now I wonder what would EH's international sales rep think about this.... heh heh :mrgreen: Instead of "don't lowball me, I'll lowball you" now is "lowball me and I'll consider". :mrgreen:

 

[Ray Guy]

Comparing this MM to Line 6 Uber Metal, which one has more fuzz?

I'm been using UM for awhile. But I need better mids. And with UM, whenever I tried tapping, it sounds thin. My friend called the tapping sound through the UM, "cute".

 

[astaroth]

anyone has the exact dimenions and weight of the MM? cos im thinking itmight be cheaper if i buy from overseas and ship via vpost.

 

[subversion]

Comparing this MM to Line 6 Uber Metal, which one has more fuzz?

I'm been using UM for awhile. But I need better mids. And with UM, whenever I tried tapping, it sounds thin. My friend called the tapping sound through the UM, "cute".

does more fuzz = less thin-sounding tone?

you can place an EQ unit after your UM to boost whichever lacking frequency so your tone won't thin-out...

 

[subversion]

anyone has the exact dimenions and weight of the MM? cos im thinking itmight be cheaper if i buy from overseas and ship via vpost.

it's definitely cheaper if you get a used unit here... just a suggestion

 

[astaroth]

hrm so far i've looked ard it is cheaper but im still exploring my options.

 

[Ized]

you need more saturation in your drive.....it happens to me too....use a milder OD unit to stack with or get a compressor to thicken up the sound and capture the dynamics more cleanly.

 

[Ray Guy]

Recently bought a Metal Muff. So far, I'm enjoying it more than my UM. It's not as muffled and thin-sounding as my UM. Tapping can be heard quite clearly. Money wasn't wasted. I bought the one with the Top Boost. Not because of the Top Boost function, but more on the Treble/Mid/Bass knobs which the other versions of Metal Muff doesn't have.

 

[astaroth]

where did u get it and how much?

 

[loathed]

its $180+ or so i think. get it from ebenex.

 

[Ized]

Recently bought a Metal Muff. So far, I'm enjoying it more than my UM. It's not as muffled and thin-sounding as my UM. Tapping can be heard quite clearly. Money wasn't wasted. I bought the one with the Top Boost. Not because of the Top Boost function, but more on the Treble/Mid/Bass knobs which the other versions of Metal Muff doesn't have.

+1 to that. not much of a fan of the top boost either.....hate the bass cut

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

I find the top boost rather irritating sounding if it's enganged alone w/o other pedals around, even at the lowest setting...

I like the EQ sweep of the EQ knobs though, it really makes it a versitile pedal, but its hard to get a consistent tone by visual memory because a slight degree off on the EQ knobs (esp the mid) would yield very different tones. So best way is to the pedal with our eyes closed. Gotta use ears to get the mojo out!