Technology of The Big Muff
Most versions of the Big Muff use four transistor stages. The first stage is a clean boost, which drives the next two clipping stages which create the distortion. The final stage is a tone recovery stage, which recovers volume loss as the tone stack in the big muff is passive and the pedal loses some volume because of this. For a short time in the late-1970s the Big Muff used op-amps, which at the time were not as highly regarded as the discrete transistor versions. However, the op-amp (or IC) Big Muffs have lately seen a revival among collectors and players alike. The IC (op-amp) Big Muff has a slight variation in sound to the transistor version, it is not as scooped and seems to cut through more in a band situation, which is desirable among some.
Electro-Harmonix also released a large-box version of the Big Muff known as the Deluxe Big Muff Pi. This version included an onboard compressor in addition to the standard Big Muff features. It was available in 2 versions: one with a BLEND switch and another with a SERIES/PARALLEL switch.
Electro-Harmonix themselves have joined the fray with a reissue version of their original Big Muff Pi as well as a smaller "Little Big Muff Pi", that incorporates true-bypass switching, surface-mount components, and a smaller enclosure.
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