NAMM 2018: Way Huge Pork and Pickle

Way Huge have unveiled the Pork and Pickle Bass Overdrive and Fuzz. For those that aren't a follower of Mr. Tripps, this looks like a combination of the Pork Loin overdrive and the Swollen Pickle fuzz. Bass player rejoice. Although maybe bass players already use Way Huge pedals in their sound, This pedal is designed with them in mind. The two blend knobs give the low-end thumpers the control over just how dirty they want to get. This pedal looks pretty spectacular.

The Details:

-Combines two great bass-friendly effects in a single housing
-The Pork Loin OD circuit provides warm, soft-clipping overdrive
-Russian-Pickle Fuzz provides thick, fatty fuzz
-Blend a sauced up clean signal with either circuit
-Control interface offers a wide range of tweakable tones

The Way Huge® Pork & Pickle™ Bass Overdrive & Fuzz™ serves up a perfectly balanced diet of gnarly tones for bass players who like to get down and dirty. The first ever bass pedal from Way Huge, this delectable dish combines the warm, soft-clipping tones of the Pork Loin Overdrive and the rich, fatty tones of the Russian Pickle Fuzz in a single package. To toggle between the two, just flip the OD/Fuzz switch.

The Volume, Tone, and Drive controls perform their standard functions, applying to whichever dirt circuit is selected. This pedal has the Pork Loin Overdrive’s distinct sauced up clean channel from the Pork Loin Overdrive—a modified classic British style preamp—but it can be used with either mode. That means that, for the first time, you can run the Russian-Pickle Fuzz signal alongside that super sweet sounding clean channel. Stir in as much of the clean signal as you need with the Clean Blend control, and then use the Clean Tone control to season it to taste. If you’re the adventurous type, internal controls allow you to concoct more complex tonal recipes.

The Pork Loin and Russian-Pickle circuits each have a level control so you can set how much overdrive or fuzz is unleashed by external Volume control. Curve and Presence controls let you further refine the tone of the Pork Loin signal.

Ugly Guitar Truth: EHX Op-Amp Big Muff Reissue

Here we are, just weeks away from NAMM 2018. EHX decided to beat the rush and unveil another Big Muff Reissue, just in time for the holidays. (Well, probably not really in time for the holidays. You might be able to pre-order them for your loved ones.) Seem to be a theme emerging. Hot on the heels of the Green Russian reissue, this pedal seems strangely fitting. Why? Let's look.

The Market


Vintage versions on the Big Muff Pi have always been sought after. It's almost as if once a particular version goes out of production, then it become much more sought after. A quick search for "OP Amp Big Muff" will yield tons of results for vintage pedals going somewhere north of $300. Clones sell for over $100. So, an $80 EHX reissue is probably a welcome sight for all those that can't pony up big bills for vintage gear.


Dizzying Variants


If you happen to be like me, you might be a little confused by all the variations of the Muff. While I'm aware of most of them, I'll admit that I never really viewed the Op-Amp version to be very sought after. However, as I look around, I find that they are favored by many. Overlooking the Op-Amp isn't hard to do. There are 9 version of the circuit out there and the lion share are based on four transistors instead of the three Op-Amps in the V4/V5 Muffs. For those that speak Muff, Russian, Triangle, Civil War, Ram's Head all have very specific meanings. But to the uninformed it can be dizzying.


Fatigue


Can you keep all the Big Muff Straight. I mean all the big muffs. There are tons of these things. Most fans of the Muff are familiar with a handful, but there are still many in production that may fly under many's radar. The Little Big Muff, Tone Wicker, Deluxe and Germanium versions are rarely mentioned in the same breath with the vintage ones. They all have at least one thing in common though. They all wear the Big Muff Pi badge. They range from overdrives, to metal distortion, to fuzz, but they are all Big Muffs. Electro Harmonix gets a lot of mileage out of their Muff. Honestly, it could be the worst thing to say about this pedal. It's just another is a long line of others.


Conclusion


I had to read a little bit about this particular pedal before I really excited about it. I didn't know much about the Op-Amp Big Muffs. Now, knowing slightly more, I see that it's release make a lot of sense. Although, it may be a black sheep in the Muff family, it's sound is unique and distinct. A nasty, gungy pedal that has spawned many clones, finally has a well deserved reissue.

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.

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Ugly Truth: JHS Muffuletta

As a Muff fan, I was excited when I heard that there was a pedal that replicated nearly every popular version of the Muff Fuzz circuit. If you haven't heard, JHS has produced a pedal that takes the Muff circuit and multiplies it by 6. Clones of each one of these pedal have been around since the beginning of cloning pedals. From what I understand, these pedal are all similar but have their own individual characteristics. Hardcore fan of the Muff style fuzz have their favorite variant, but now thanks to JHS, you don't have to choose. Should Fuzz players rejoice? We'll see.




This Pedal Has Been Around For A While

The "select a fuzz" pedal is not new. In fact, it may not even be the best one out there. Big Tone Music Brewery might have the most versatile fuzz on the market. BTMB is the sister company to everyone's favorite pedal cloners, Build Your Own Clone. BTMB have produced the Royal Beaver, and it is a beast of a thing. Is it directly comparable to the Muffuletta? not really. But it it is a boutique fuzz that has a wide range of tones. I hope it come with an instruction manual, because it has all the knobs. JHS has taken a different approach for their "all in one". A simple 4-knob interface can deliver nearly endless variation of tone.

It's Pricey

The JHS Muffuletta goes for north of $200 right now. It's a great idea and a boutique pedal, so of course it's going to be expensive. It's also going to be hand built and hopefully rock-solid. A lot has been said about the "cost-of-parts" verses the "cost-of-production" so I'll stay out of it. If you want something bad enough, then you'll shell out the dough. If not, then wait and try to catch it on Ebay, or Craigslist, but there is nothing saying that this pedal won't gain value if/when they stop production.

It's a JHS Pedal

I've written a piece about what I think about JHS here, so if you are interested, then read it. I honestly don't care who makes the pedal as long of it's a good piece of gear. I might care if is ISIS or something, but other than that...

Conclusion

Is it a great pedal? From what I've heard, it is something special. But is it right for you? you have to ask yourself. Is it important to me that I accurately replicate the sound of a fuzz from a certain era? Can you tell me the difference between a Russian Muff and a NYC reissue? If not then what JHS has done is put out a box where you can A/B all the colorful Fuzzes that you always hear being tossed about. Likely, you will find an ideal setting and leave it there. Do your self a favor, find some friends with Muffs or maybe a Youtube Channel and Make up your mind now.

Five O'clock Fuzz by Outlaw Effects Review

Recently the fine folks over at Outlaw Effects released two new pedals to their line of ultra compact pedals: The Boiler Maker Boost, which not only acts as a clean boost but also acts as an adjustable treble or bass boost, and the Five O'clock Fuzz. I was given the Five O'clock Fuzz to review by the guys at Outlaw. Here is what I found out:

It's Got Some Hair

This fuzz is not exactly subtle. Yes, there are settings that aren't "over the top", but you are not going to find "just a hint of fuzz" here. Even with the sustain knob rolled all the way back, you get a nasty (in a good way) fuzzy sound. It only gets better from there. The more you roll the sustain up, the more hair this pedal grows. Every step along the way there are settings that are useful and enjoyable. The effect gives a slight compression and heaps of sustain. Its squishy, but not too squishy. My favorite thing about any fuzz pedal is its ability to cover up many of my mistakes. Sloppy playing just adds more nasty (again, in a good way) noise. As long as your fingers find the right notes most of the time, you aren't just noodling around, you will start channeling your inner Jimi.

Its Not Just a Muff Clone

If there was one pedal that I'd compare this pedal to, it would be the Muff. The familiar three knobs of EHX's Big Muff Pi are here. The thunderous, fuzzy grunts are definitely more Muff than Fuzz Face. I'm not the expert on fuzz pedals. There are only a few that I really got to know well. I've run through the gambit of the MXR line of Jimi fuzzes. I've only messed around with the big red Fuzz Face and the signature models. Not a big fan of those. The moment I sat down with a custom strat and a vintage voiced tube amp and the EHX Muff Pi w/ Tone Wicker, I was in love. The original Big Muff sounds are some of the best (in my opinion), but the tone wicker circuit and tone bypass switches make the white BMP my favorite choice for fuzz. So this pedal is much more in the vain of a muff, but its tone knob actually matters. With a sweep of the tone, you get classic muff-ish sounds to crunchy, fuzzy, super-distorted (almost Metal Muff) sounds, to crisp (as crisp as a fuzz can be), bright and piercing tones.

Its A Killer Deal

So the Five O'clock Fuzz is one of the better fuzzes that I've had the privileged to play through. What might surprise you is that it is also one of the most inexpensive fuzzes as well. Most the EHX fuzzes are over 50 bucks, and the MXL/Dulop pedals all look to be about 80 or higher. There is the Satisfaction that runs about $55, but I was slightly underwhelmed by what I could do with it. There are some options for fuzz under $50, like the Danelectric FAB and the Cool Cat fuzz. EHX also make a Micro Muff (with just a volume knob). If you look at eBay, you also find Donner/ENO/Mooer pedals that might rival this one for cost and function, but that is purely speculation on my part. There are also brands like Joyo and Biyang that offer fuzzes under $50. I can't speak for those. I can say that I was surprised by what all I could do with this little pedal.

The Ugly Side

I can't speak too harshly of this pedal. I had a great time playing it. The remarks that I've made about this size pedal still stand. However, I can't fault the sound and functionality of the pedal due to the space-saving design. The foam rubber pad lost the Velcro off the bottom as soon as I tried to move it on my board. That is honestly my biggest gripe. So maybe Outlaw can learn something from Joyo in this case, by including a precisely cut piece of Velcro to attach to a flat, bare and completely smooth bottom of the case. Speaking of the case, the graphic on this particular one is a little silly. The stash is trendy, I get that, but the "stubble" just doesn't do it for me. Honestly, I think a stencil of a grizzly cowboy or something would have been preferable to literally giving this pedal a Five O'clock shadow. Other than that, good job on this pedal guys!

The Ugly Truth About The EHX Satisfaction Fuzz

Electro Harmonics' Satisfaction Fuzz

Recently I've spent some time at my local music store playing with their selection of fuzz pedals. I personally am not a huge user of fuzz in my sound. I love the over-saturated sounds that some pedals can get. I don't use much in the applications that I currently play, also I am notoriously cheap, so I haven't whipped out the cash to get a pedal that I don't use much. So when Electo Harmonics came out with the Satisfaction Fuzz my interest was peaked. EHX makes my current favorite fuzz, the Big Muff Pi with Tone Wick. So I'm a fan of what EHX can do with a fuzz circuit, but the satisfaction fuzz was made with a particular sound in mind: the guitar sound in the Rolling Stone's Satisfaction. If you subscribe to rock and roll folk lore, the sound in question was made when the amp Keith Richards played through busted a speaker, creating a nasty buzzing sound. They decided they liked the change and the rest is rock and roll history. EHX set out to make a pedal that recreated the sound of Richards' amp.

Was I satisfied?

With that in mind, I plugged into a Fender Super Sonic amp and started playing with a Blacktop Telecaster. The sounds the pedal made were good. There was a lot of top end. This pedal refuses to be covered up in the mix. I cut the highs on the amp to recreate some of the other fuzz noises that I like. Thinking that I could recreate some of the Big Muff Pi sounds. No dice. With the highs at 10 o'clock and the bass almost pegged, the sound was nearly the same as before. I cut the tone knob down, but nothing really produced the kind of sounds that I was looking for. I'm not trying to say that there is no way to produce other tones with this pedal, but from the beginning this pedal had one thing on its mind.

Who's really in control?

The lack of control is explained in the fact that it only has two knobs: Volume and Attack. You'll notice that neither of those knobs control tone. Compared to the Big Muff Pi this fuzz is very one sided. If you are looking to recreate those famous tones that the Stones played decades ago, then you have your pedal. If you are looking for an all-around fuzz that you can use to create different tones, look elsewhere. The ugly truth, The EHX Satisfaction Fuzz is a one-trick pony. To some it up, I didn't get no satisfaction.