Ugly Guitar Truth: TC Electron Honey Pot Fuzz

In the ever-expanding line of TC Electronics value based effect, the Honey Pot Fuzz is just one of the latest offerings. Currently available for pre-order from most major online retailers, not much is known about the fuzz. Most of the information currently know is based upon the demo TC posted directly after the announcement of their release. So what do we know about this pedal, and should we be looking forward to its release?

Don't We Already Have One Of These

Yes. The Initial release of these pedal included the Rusty Fuzz. However this was a silicon fuzz based on the Fuzz Face. For those unfamiliar with fuzzes, there are just as many fuzzes to have as there are overdrives. Does that mean that they are all different? I'll answer that question with another question. Are all overdrives different? Let's just think about how many "different" Tube Screamers there are. Sure, there may be some slight differences for one manufacturer from another, but for the most part a Tube Screamer is a Tube Screamer. But a Tube Screamer isn't a Blues Driver. 

Ruby Fuzz is to Fuzz Face as Honey Pot Fuzz is to...

Big Muff. Yes, the Honey Pot seems to be a clone of the EHX Big Muff Pi. It's also been suggested that even the name may be a reference to same anatomical location as the Muff. The largest hint as to what the circuit is based upon are the label given to the knobs. Volume and Tone are pretty basic stuff, but Sustain on a fuzz usually point in one direction, Big Muff.

Which Muff Is This Muff?

This is where it get a little trickier. The Big Muff Pi has several versions to choose from when cloning. From the Triangle to the modern USA version, there are at least a handful of circuits and sounds that we could expect from this pedal. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that we might be getting a Russian variant of the pedal. This may be wishful thinking on my part, or it may be due to the fact that another pedal announced along side this one is call the Iron Curtain (far better name if this is a Russian version). The main reason I think this is that it sounds rather tame. The Russian Big Muff is one of the lower gain version of the pedal. In any case, we probably aren't looking at a clone of the modern Big Muff Pi.

Conclusion

Yes, these pedals are bulky little tanks, but given their relationship with Behringer I'd rather have these than those. Personally, I have never been a huge fan of TC's dirt pedals. The Mojo and Dark Matter were both rather underwhelming But with the new line of "inspired" pedals, TC might just have my attention. A $50 Muff clone has my attention. But if this really is a Russian Big Muff, then it could possibly take the wind of the resent EHX Green Russian release. But for the love of Pete, they should have name this one the Iron Curtain... Such a better name!

Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Green Russian Big Muff Reissue

Those that follow the history of the Electro Harmonix Big Muff know the pedal has had a long and complicated past. Starting life in New York City, the pedal has seen many revisions spanning decades and continents. Those casually aware of the pedal may be familiar with words surrounding the pedal like Ram's Head, Triangle, Civil War, and Russian. I won't get into all of those in this post, but I will take a close look at Electro Harmonix's latest muff, the Green Russian reissue.

What Does A Green Russian Sound Like?

Well, those unfortunate enough to be unable to find/afford a vintage Green Russian Big Muff (like my self) have to settle for finding clips on the internet. An excellent source for all things Bigg Muff is Kit Ray's site devoted to the accumulation of accurate Big Muff knowledge. According to the site's research, all Russian made Big Muff pedals (Green Russian, Black Russian, and Civil War) all have similar components and sound (Fatter Bass, Brighter and less-scoped Mids, and Less Gain) These features made it a natural for bass players looking to add a fuzz to their tone.

A Russian Spy?

It is speculated that maybe, just maybe, the Green Russian has been operating undercover for years and we just haven't noticed. Some suspect that the Nano Bass Big Muff has been a Sovtech Spy all along! Actually, there is a rumor that the Green Russian reissue is just a Bass Big Muff in a new coat of paint. (admittedly, that new coat of paint looks awesome.) The strongest case for this being the EHX website! From the Nano Bass Big Muff Page: "With voice inspired by the battle tank, GREEN RUSSIAN BIG MUFF" (emphasis mine). Well well well... I'll just leave this here:

Placebo Mojo

Expert wine tasters have been fooled into describing a white wine with typical red wine characteristics because it was made to look like red wine with food dye. Similarly, the same experts praised inexpensive wine when led to believe it was more costly, and dismissed top-shelf wine when told it was inexpensive. Why am I talking about wine? Because the same effect happens to guitarists. The Boutique Boom was born out of people wanting more expensive looking pedals. It's no coincident that re-boxing BOSS pedals became a big thing around the same time. You could pick up a used BOSS pedal and put it in a boutique looking box for less than most boutique builders ask for their pedals. I'm not better. I'd spend time swapping out the LED on a BOSS pedal and become the proud papa of a custom/modded pedal. There is something to be said for enjoying the way your pedals look. You always want to be proud of your rig, but remember to use your ears first.

Conclusion

It is well-documented that the Big Muff has had numerous variations. Each one of those variations having a different effect on the sound produced. Many variables come into play when discussing tone, perhaps none more hotly debated than mojo. Some tout the Green Russian as the superior Russian Big Muff others believe the Civil War Big Muff the best, but in all honesty, the circuits are nearly identical. All components have tolerances, some as much as 20%, so there is some truth to the "this one sounds different than that one". Is this the golden goose of tone the EHX has been reluctant to put out until now? No. This is a way for Electro Harmonix to offer a genuine Green Russian Big Muff... clone that was made in the far east, assembled in NYC and has already been on shelves for years under a different label (probably). But it looks really cool!
Also, just to point out, that according to NWinther of tdpri.com, the Cyrillic letters spell out "Overdrive". Which could be a shout-out to the Red Army Overdrive, the pedal that Mike Matthews of EHX produced before regaining control of the EHX brand and Big Muff name.

Support the blog by shopping on Amazon by using my link!

There should be an ad below: