Gilmourish

Article updated October 5 2008

Electro Harmonix
Electro Harmonix has released three main Big Muff models (and a reissue), as well as a handful of variations.

1971 “Triangle” Muff
Used by Gilmour on the second European leg on the 2006 On an Island tour.
- The first Big Muff is by many regarded as the best sounding with the purest tone. Lots of rich sustain and dynamics with a pronounced scooped mids tone. Although David used a “Ram’s Head” Muff on Animals, I recommend the “Triangle” for its bright and dynamic tone. Also recommended for On an Island stuff but all in all a very versatile pedal suitable for any Gilmour period. Its clean (as in “not muddy”) tone, makes it very easy to blend in overdrives and EQs in order to shape any tone you want.

1973 “Ram’s Head” Muff
Used by Gilmour from 1977 – 1989.
- The first upgrade and the most copied of the Muffs. Slightly more gain but less sustain than the “triangle” and a distinctly darker tone with fatter lows. This is a great all-round Muff, suitable for any Gilmour tone from 1977 to present.

1977 red/black Muff
Never used by Gilmour.
- Last of the original Muffs, with the now legendary red logo. This model has slightly more mid range than the first two and a bit more bass than the “Ram’s Head”. The tone is overall more aggressive… some would say a bit too much. Nevertheless, it’s quite suitable for most Gilmour Muff tones.

1990’s US red/black reissue Muff
Never used by Gilmour.
- This is the current model found in stores today. It’s based on the 1977 model, but considered to be a bleak copy with a muddy tone and very little of the musicality of the originals. I won’t say that you shouldn’t get one of these, after all it’s a cheap and easy to find model compared to the older models on EBay or even a clone and I know many Gilmour fans get a nice tone with it but I don’t recommend this one.

Electro Harmonix has a wide range of spin-off models like Little Big Muff, Metal Muff, Micro Metal Muff, Pocket Metal Muff, Muff Overdrive, English Muff’n, Double Muff and Deluxe Big Muff… did I forget someone? To keep it short; – stay away from them all (perhaps apart from the Little Big Muff, which is sonically close to the 1977 Muff).

Sovtek
After Electro Harmonix closed down in 1983, founder Mike Matthews moved to Russia and in the early ’90 he started making tubes and reissues of old EH classics (housed in bizarre looking military leftover scrap) under the name Sovtek.

”Red Army” / ”Civil War” Muff
Used by Gilmour in 1993-94.
- The first Sovtek Muff went through a couple of changes from an ultra rare white box, to a green/gold and finally the more familiar blue/gray (“Civil War”). Sonically, it’s a mix of the ’71 “Triangle” and ’77 red/black Muffs with very fat lower end and pronounced mid range. Very similiar to the green Sovtek, – perhaps slightly smoother. A versatile pedal suitable for any Gilmour period between 1977 and present.

Green Muff
Never used by Gilmour.
- Basically just an upgrade of the colour and graphics from the “Civil War” model. Both this green version and the “Civil War” model has a powerful character, only surpassed by the Cornish P-2. The tank like exterior makes it even more frightening!

Black Muff
Never used by Gilmour.
- This version is widely considered as poor sounding compared to its predecessors. Technically it’s more or less identical to the green Muff, but the tone is considerably muddier and lacks the rich sustain. Again, I won’t say that you shouldn’t get one of these, after all it’s a cheap and easy to find model compared to the older models on EBay or even a clone and I know many Gilmour fans get a nice tone with it but I don’t recommend this one.

Pete Cornish
Ever since Animals, Pete Cornish pedals have been an essential part of Gilmour’s tones, – especially during the last 15 years. It’s not fair to say that Pete’s pedals are clones but some of them are indeed modified versions of some well known classics. Cornish pedals are known for their outstanding quality and made with perfection in mind. They’re expensive though and they have a tone that to some are a bit too characteristic. It’s recommended to stay as basic as possible when you’re using this pedals and not letting temptation lead you to ruin their character with all kinds of pedals blended in.

P-1
Used by Gilmour in 1976-77 and 2006.
- This is an exact replica of an EH ’73 “Ram’s Head” Muff David used during the Animals/Wall era. The P-1 was featured in the Cornish Animals board but replaced by the EH Muff in late ’77 (read more here). The pedal has rich sustain and a fairly bright tone with much headroom. It sounds great on its own or with a mild overdrive after it to fill out the tone.

P-2
Used by Gilmour from 1989 – 1994.
- The P-2 is sort of an upgrade or new version of the P-1 but sonically they’re quite different. Compared to the P-1’s classic 70’s bright tone the P-2 is extremely powerful, darker with a clean and articulate mid range and thunderous lows (too much to some users). It sounds very nice on it’s own but also with a mild overdrive/booster behind it like David did on PULSE. The P-2 is the Muff for the demanding fan and ideal for David’s PULSE tones.

G-2
Used by Gilmour from 1999 to present (notably on Live 8)
- The G-2 isn’t actually a Big Muff pedal but closer to a Fuzz Face (perhaps best described a as something between a RAT and a Muff). It has a typical warm germanium tone with a much more articulated EQ, making it smoother and more dynamic than any old fuzz. It sounds very modern and can easily be used as a Muff, preferably with a booster/overdrive placed behind it to make it slightly nastier. Among the Cornish pedals, the G-2 has a tone somewhere between the SS-2/SS-3 and the P-2.

Clones, replicas and similar tones
There are tons of clones of the different Muff models out there. Some are true replicas of the 70’s models and some have taken the Muff tone to a new level. Here’s a handful that I recommend for David’s tones.

BYOC Large Beaver “triangle”
Never used by Gilmour – see EH “Triangle” Muff.
- The Large Beaver is a straight clone of the EH ’71 “Triangle” Big Muff. It’s bright, with warm lows and great dynamics. What I like about this is that it has an extremely “tidy” and clean signal that lets you hear every string when you strum a chord. The Beaver has tons of sustain and slightly more gain than the Sovteks (although the Sovteks sound boomy and therefore heavier). Highly recommended for Animals and On an Island but it’s definitely a versatile Muff. This sounds great on its own, with a booster/overdrive behind it or with some additional mid EQ for the more modern tones.

BYOC Large Beaver “ram’s head”
Never used by Gilmour – see EH “Ram’s Head” Muff.
- A straight clone of the 1973 “ram’s head” Muff David used between 1977-89.

SkreddyPedals Top Fuel
Never used by Gilmour.
- The Top Fuel is perhaps closer to a Cornish SS-2 and the MXR Distortion + than a Muff but its super smooth, middy distortion makes it a great Muff-ish pedal. It can be a bit thin in the lower ends, so I recommend a hint if bass EQ boost or a combo with an overdrive/booster behind it for an extra boost. I don’t think I would use this for David’s 70’s tones but it’s definitely ideal for that PULSE tone and a cheaper alternative to the Cornish pedals. – see my review of the Top Fuel.

Skreddy Pedals Pink Flesh
Never used by Gilmour – see EH “Ram’s Head” Muff.
- The Pink Flesh was made with Gilmour’s Animals and Wall tones in mind, – kind of like the combination of the “Ram’s Head” Muff and the Colorsound Powerboost. The tone is fat and powerful and it’s one of the few Muffs that I’ve tried that sound equally good on a small combo and a large tube stack. A toggle switch lets you switch between a flat EQ and a mid boost, making this pedal ideal for the Delicate and PULSE tones as well. – see my extensive review of the Pink Flesh.

Absolutely Analog Green Russian
Never used by Gilmour – see Sovtek Green Big Muff.
- One of the few clones of the beloved green Sovtek Muff and it comes in a nice little box ideal for your cramped pedal board! – see my review of the Green Russian.

Although the internet have made it very easy to find anything you desire, not every store offers Big Muffs and if you’re just eager to get a great tone to play around with at home, there are a couple of great sounding Muff substitutes. Both the ProCo RAT (vintage or 2) and the Boss DS-1 are typical vintage Marshall amp distortion in a box. The RAT has a nicely compressed tone with pronounced mids and tons of sustain. The DS-1 is a bit more aggressive with a slightly brighter tone, ideal for that Animals era. Both lack a bit it the lower ends, so I recommend an additional EQ boosting the bass.

Well, so I guess you’re still left with the same question as when you started reading… Which Muff should you get? I hope you have a better idea at least but I must say that my hottest tip for a reasonably priced, easy to find Muff would be the BYOC Large Beaver. If you have a little more to spend or good portion of patience, I’d go for a AA Green Russian or ultimately a green Sovtek off EBay.

Thanks to Eivind Engdal and John Roscoe for helping out.