Electro Harmonix Triangle Big Muff Fuzz

Marshall DSL1, 2x12 v30, emg81 (volume pot only) = bright and cutting tone.

Ultra gain channel with a little gain (9 o'clock)

All muffs @ 12 o'clock, except for big box muff, slightly more as it is quieter

1. Russian = the fattest mofo around but still clear enough to hear chords and different strings. It feels like the 3rd channel I wish I had in my amp. Absolutely massive sound but it doesn't loose too much definition/ A little muddier Dual Rectifier kind of thing



2. Ram's head = very similar to Russian but it has less definition and goes more towards OG triangle in terms of mud. Still very powerful and bassy

3. op amp = thin/cutting like a razor, weird sounding offspring. Loved it because it had its own character and was amazing for cutting. It chocks on chords and notes definition

4. triangle = OG, super loud. I liked it the best on clean channel as it was super powerful sounding, fizzy fuzzy but still very punchy

5. big box big muff USA (writing only) = the reason I have ordered other muffs... It was just chocking all over the place on ultra gain channel (dirty). There was basically no definition of notes nor chords but... I loved it the most of single strings/notes solo stuff. Super creamy, very pleasant and compressed. I liked it so much that I had big trouble to let it go... For solos it was amazing.


I was seriously debating leaving all 5 muffs with me... They are all different, altought 4 & 5 very very similar with triangle having slightly more note definitions and more punch. Though 4 with super creamy solo/single string was super hard to forget about.


I don't think there's a wrong choice here. They behave/sound so different with different amps, guitars, etc. that it's just impossible to decide which to get...


If you have a dark very fat sounding amp like Dual Rectifier/similar I would definitely pick op amp as it cuts the best.

Mind you, this is all on ULTRA GAIN channel on my amp which has tons of gain on tap already.

On clean channel they all sound very similar. Op amp has its own character which is super cool and I already miss it (both on dirt and clean channel)...

Triangle was the punchiest and most powerful on clean channel. Big box muff was almost exactly the same. Ram's head and Russian too but they were much better on dirt channel for my FAT MASSIVE tone needs.

On clean channel I would go TRIANGLE. Op amp is cool on either, it has its own character but it chokes on already dirty channel not as much as big box muff and triangle but still, similar to ram's head but ram's head sounds more pleasant overall


Ram's head is like the best of both worlds TRIANGLE <> Russian.

It sits in the middle. Big bassy but chockes a little, but still define. I had a hard time deciding between Russian and Ram's head as they were super similar. Ram's head was a little less defined so I went with Russian as I am using it as a fake 3rd MASSIVE channel on my DSL1.



You can't go wrong with either~!! I was for days thinking about leaving all of them for different scenarios... They are all super amazing pedal with their own character. There's no better/worse. All lovely./

For a better picture, my rig:

AMP: Koch Studiotone 20
GUITAR: Ibanez AS93.

Two ways I use the Muff: lead solos or single-note lines on the lower strings (riffs). I run it into the clean channel of my amp. I tried using it into the drive channels but they have a lot less headroom and the pedal chokes out in lower frequencies. This shouldn't be a problem on higher headroom amps though.

I found unity gain to be somewhere around 9 o'clock. Plenty of volume in reserve - this is one loud pedal! Tone knob takes you all the way from woolly color (while still retaining clarity!) all through rounded singing lead sounds into nasty buzzing bees territory. It has several sweet spots along the way, where the sound just suddenly pops forward. Sustain knob all the way down still overdrives the sound quite a bit and sustains literally forever when dimed (go figure).

The pedal does scoop some mids but not as much as the other Muffs. It is, therefore, best to use into an amp with a slight mid hump (sorry, Fender). Also, it does have a slightly metallic sound to it which I can't really put my finger on. But I quite like it. With the amount of drive the pedal puts out the dynamic range in terms of picking is not too wide and The Muff is not a pedal that cleans up at all by lowering the guitar volume. It is the kind of pedal you just turn on and get THE sound and that is it. Which is fine. It does add a LOT of background noise when you turn it on, so be warned. Not an issue while playing, though.

The build is great. Chassis is sturdy enough, knobs are firm, the switch is really stiff, you really have to press it down and it makes a loud (also tactile) click when engaged. Personally, I'd prefer a softer switch and no click, but it's ok. Led is not too bright and clearly visible. I had to peel off the rubber legs in order to put pedal-board tape on it, though.

Overall: 9/10 would buy again.

This big muff is amazing. Physically, it is quite small and well built pedal and it feels durable. The controls are easy and simple, enough adjustment to fine tune your tone, but limited enough not to get lost in settings.

Soundwise it is amazing. I use it mainly for solos and it has sustain for days. Moreover, it sounds superb when bending strings and holding the note for some time or for doing unison bends. If you want to hammer out a slow, but extremly emotional solo, then this pedal helps you to achieve that. I tried it for rythm playing as well and it works fine (but not really my taste).

This pedal can get loud. Unity volume is between 8-10 o'clock and it can really push the volume if desired. It can also be combined with distortion pedals and boosts, but in my opinion, this can make the guitar very sensitive - picking noise and feedback from speakers can become a problem if you don't want/like this.

Fun fact, I have Keeleys Fuzz Bender in the signal chain before this one (guitar - keeley - muff - amp) and having both on makes the big muff behave a little better sound wise. I guess it is not unique to Keeleys Fuzz Bender and other fuzz pedals could achieve the same thing.

In summary, i love this pedal and i'm very happy. I prefer it for soloing and other type of fuzz pedals for rythm. But that's just what sounds nice to me.