OpAmp Big Muff Pi Shootout

[@scotscub76]

What amp are you putting op amp through? Its 100 % Siamese dream tone! How do you do it!?

[@EddieClark]

Yeah, I messed up and forgot to list the amp 🤣 I'm played the loop with a Fender Strat with red, silver and blue Lace Sensors through Marshall SC20C with KT88's through a UA OX. I have a couple videos on the topic right here. Rhythm Sound: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqGYfGuraKqmgaM Lead Sound: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXTImK13jcyje6M

[@scotscub76]

@@EddieClark Thanks for the reply, much appreciated bro!

[@beerwolf8518]

@@EddieClark Do you have to do anything special to put the KT88s in the power section or are they wired up to drop in without modification to the EL34s? I just got this same amp and was wondering. Thank you!

[@EddieClark]

@@beerwolf8518 The SC20 is cathode biased which means it "adjusts itself". That said, I had the cathode resistor value changed the be fully in range when used with KT88's. The stock value is apparently just on the edge meaning while one set of KT88's may be ok, another pair may be just outside of the range. At the end of they day though, I am not an amp tech which is why I had a professional make the change.

[@beerwolf8518]

@@EddieClark Thank you! That helps clarify a lot! I love Smashing Pumpkins and this amp sounds very good! 🤌👍🔥🎸

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

I've been through almost 20 now and STILL the reissue is reigning supreme. My only wish would be a footswitchable tone bypass like the 1979 pedal. Great comparison, thank you for doing it :)

[@Dodgebullet40]

Thanks a lot for this video. I went with the Stomp Pumpkin Pi on the strength of your demo. Its an amazing pedal...couldn't be happier!

[@EddieClark]

Glad it helped! I 100% agree on the Pumpkin Pi. It’s the best of the bunch. When you start stacking layers, it retains more low end clarity than any of the others. Unlike most others clones, he didn’t rely on the typical online schematic and fully cloned a specific old OpAmp Muff with great results. Have fun with in!

[@alancrapo2881]

For Pumpkins, the reissue is spot on and the orange made by Mike sounds identical to it. For general ass kicking and face melting the Warlow is a beast!

[@SuddenSoundStudios]

Watching this two years later and it's still a fantastic demo. Thank you!

[@mattbrumit8592]

Many thanks for the hard work put into making the video. Picked up a pumpkin pi as result of the shootout and it is sweet.

[@dalodeper]

The Stomp Under Foot Pumpkin Pie did it for me. Then either the Harlow or the Made by Mike. Probably the Pumpkin Pie from stomp under foot though.

[@ross8842]

Excellent video! I was surprised how well the EHX reissue held up against the boutique pedals. The made by mikes and the wren and cuff are great pedals that nail the sound. The creamy dreamer and the warlow have their own unique styles and would be fun to add to a fuzz collection.

[@mostmike]

Superb video, every demo should be done like this

[@JonnyRocksAW]

Oh man you're making me want to put out for that Warlow. Never heard it before and now I need it!

[@EddieClark]

It's a phenomenal fuzz. I showed it only using the Muff tone stack as well. There's a dip switch inside that converts the tone stack to a RAT filter instead.

[@JonnyRocksAW]

@@EddieClark what! oh man i didn't know it was so versatile. It's 100% on the bucket list now

[@xtratorque]

I have the SUF Pumpkin Pi and I love it.

[@ckfoxtrot]

Killer comparison vid!

[@stevenreech8854]

1)Warlow Wins! 2)EH Big Muff And the 3)Orange IC 78 Muff then that awesome 4)Creamy Dreamer! Wow! 5)pumpkin pie stomp under foot. 6)Eye see 78 and 7)Rotten Apple last. Great job Eddie! Thank you!

[@MichelLamblin]

Warlow, damn - where have you been all my life? It was nice to finally hear what the Creamy Dreamer is all about in the appropriate context of comparisons. Sounds more Russian, but less smooth. And good to know the Rotten Apple is not all that - I'd heard people say it's way better than the reissued op-amp, but I couldn't hear that here, lol. Still happy with the reissue. All I need now is a Marshall with KT88s and some Strat with Lace Sensors, because I can't quite get it to sound THIS good. Great vid.

[@monkeyplusplus]

Great comparison! While the Made by Mike ones were really cool, I think the limited range the sustain knob has to shape the tone puts them just a smidge behind Electro Harmonix' reissue for me - though the v4/v5 switch on your Made by Mike '78 IC Muff is interesting. I bet that v4 setting sounds great when paired with a bass. The JPTR Effects Warlow sounds so good at every setting. I love that scooped grind sound it has. It would be really cool to compare all the circuit designs between these and see how the decisions the designers made effect the tone.

[@Haunteed]

Awesome comparison. Personally for the Siamese Dream sound I really feel like the reissue and the orange made by Mike are the better ones. All of them sound cool imo, but I feel like those are the closest to that sound. I’m actually getting a reissue for my birthday so lol

[@EddieClark]

Thanks! You'll love the OpAmp when it shows up. Hope your birthday is soon (and happy early birthday)!

[@Guacavelli]

I have a Daredevil Effects '78 ic op amp clone and now this has convinced me to go and get the EHX reissue!

[@EddieClark]

I haven't tried that one. Is it a direct clone as well? So many OpAmp muffs, so little time! Thanks for watching!

[@Guacavelli]

@@EddieClark I believe so and indeed, so many clones. I really need to invest in either a dist2 clone or a bosstone but not sure what to get first.

[@EddieClark]

@@Guacavelli that's a reaaaally hard choice. I would end up flipping a coin.

[@trepaniermathieu]

Nice demo video, thanks for taking the time for all of us! I have a grey MBM 78 with mids. Kinda bummed I did not ask for an orange enclosure haha. Between that and the Pumpkin Pi, or the EHX, which one would be the keeper if you could only have one?

[@EddieClark]

Thanks! I like all OpAmp Muffs but the one that absolutely NAILS it when multitracking is the SUF Pumpkin Pi.

[@trepaniermathieu]

@@EddieClark great, thanks for your input! :) Keep up the good videos, SP rocks man

[@DaveThomson]

Have you tried the opamp circuit on the JHS Muffeletta? I was condiering one of these for different muff flavors.

[@EddieClark]

I have. It sounded pretty good but I didn’t have the chance to put it back to back with a proper OpAmp BMP. For the flavour options, it’s a pretty nice way to go.

[@aaron22bernards]

what would you keep between the wren and cuff and ehx reissue.. Also.. I love how the SUF bites a little more in the mids.. Just cuts... But do you ever wish it had the tone bypass that supposedly helps keep these clones close to the original / more versatility? great demo. Now you gotta get your hands on the daredevil 78 even tho he stopped making them

[@EddieClark]

The Wren & Cuff just based on build quality. That said, if the goal is Siamese Dream, then the SUF is the right choice. It's the only one I'm using for covers moving forward. I never use the tone bypass. I don't like how it sounds. It being part of the circuit isn't going to have any impact on the tone unless it's actually bypassing the tone stack.

[@cyphercover]

You give us the light 🙏 If fuzz was a religion, you will be pope 😁

[@marmotato2135]

hey man, love your covers and effect videos. Have you had the chance of using a Death by Audio Fuzz War for Pumpkins tone? If you have, any opinions on it?

[@EddieClark]

I’ve played with them a few times. They’re great Muff derivatives. I don’t see them as a Muff that will get you the Siamese Dream sound but like most Big Muff circuits, it will get you into the ballpark.

[@marmotato2135]

@@EddieClark yo thanks for the quick answer!! I got one recently and tried some Siamese Dream riffs; it felt close as a muff but a different type of beast to adjust, and cool to experiment with!!

[@chrisparker5278]

The EHX Big Muff to king in my ears

[@charlieputney-wiles1689]

This is what I love to see! I love all of them and think that they are all great. But if I had to choose it would either be the 78 with mids. The warlow is a close second though and the reissue is it to a tee but I like to mess with pedals and four knobs are better than one! Do you think you’ll ever show Big Muff alternatives, or other fuzz’s that can get the pumpkins sound, I mostly want to see the Fender Blender and if can hold it’s own, I know it’s notorious for being hard to control. Keep up the amazing work!

[@EddieClark]

Great choices! That mids knob adds a ton of flexibility and the Warlow is a monster. As for other fuzzes, the Fender Blender is a pedal I would love to do a deep dive on. I don't know of any other pedals that create as much auditory chaos as that one.

[@cerebral_pyscho3167]

Perfect comparison between these cool pedals, I was wondering which ones would be the best to use in a band with 2 guitarists?

[@EddieClark]

Thanks! Probably the Made by Mike with mids. It will help stand out against the other guitar.

[@DanielPestanaTranslations]

Once I heard the Warlow, for some reason, it just felt right! Amazing fuzz sound coming from that thing! I didn’t know that pedal even existed. I’m actually on the market for one, but I want it for leads. What do you think? Thanks Eddie.

[@EddieClark]

I use it for leads frequently. It sounds particularly great with a phaser before it and a little tape delay after. If you do buy one, try opening up the back and switching the tone stack to RAT mode 👍

[@garylowzik4740]

My wife surprised me with a warlow on Christmas and immediately I had to put the almost brand new ehx op amp back in its box. After a few months of only using the warlow, I decided to put them side by side again for a shootout . Back into the box with the EHX. The warlow is just an absolute monster and man can it pull off some great pink floyd too.

[@eternalvernal1286]

@@garylowzik4740 Pink Floyd leads?

[@garylowzik9187]

@@eternalvernal1286 It definitely can be dialed in for Gilmour leads. Although it's extremely powerful it can be dialed back and give you the right amount of gain to pull off floyd solos.

[@eternalvernal1286]

@@garylowzik9187 Thanks for the reply! I'm torn between this, the EHX reissues and a Keely Fuzz Bender. I'm leaning towards the Warlow though now. I'd like the flexability of the Fuzz Bender but like the tones of this and the reissues better I think. Hmmm.....tough choice

[@guitaristssuck8979]

8:42 I would use the Rotten Apple for the Machinas stuff

[@brettmartin4742]

Have you ever run two Muffs in parallel? I recently tried this with an EHX Op-Amp reissue and a MBM Dream Box. I used a Boss LS-2 Line Selector and ran each pedal in its own loop of the LS-2, set one with the tone forward and the other with the tone backed off, then blended to taste. It’s the closest I’ve been able to get with a single guitar. BC did so many overdubs and he talked about using different tone settings like that. If anyone would appreciate this setup, it would be you. Thanks for the great videos, sorry for the long comment. 😬

[@EddieClark]

We think the same. My primary pedal board runs the Stomp Under Foot Pumpkin Pi in parallel with a JPTR FX Warlow using a GigRig Wetter Box. They're different enough that they work well. Especially when sent to two different amps (I run the Marshall SC20 in stereo with an Orange OR15). I've tried using two identical muffs in parallel and I found that they sounded much like just putting the tone knob in the middle of where the two were set. Through the two amps they sound fantastic though. I have never actually tried using two Marshall's though... this probably needs to be tried. I bet this would be a great way to get the Quiet sound live in a room. Thanks for watching!

[@BuildYourOwnBass]

The weirdness from the Rotten Apple is familiar. I usually hear that on other gear when the ground isn't connected properly, somewhere internally.

[@EddieClark]

I thought something might be wrong with it so I tested a few others. They're all the same. It's just not a great pedal IMHO.

[@ArgentPure]

The SUF just kicks ass here IMO!

[@EddieClark]

It's the one that lives on my pedal board. 👍

[@crabo18]

these videos are great

[@EddieClark]

Thank you!

[@iaminyourwalls4553]

How much did you pay for the creamy dreamer?. I've looked them up and they're quite rare from what i've seen. Also is it worth the price?

[@EddieClark]

I think it was around $300 CAD. It’s not a bad Big Muff circuit but it’s not worth spending a lot of money on IMHO. The Creamy Dreamer is just a Triangle Knob muff circuit with some common modifications. Details on it can be found if you look through the Kit Rae Big Muff page. kitrae.net

[@iaminyourwalls4553]

Thank you. Btw can I ask what the dimensions for it are?

[@inthesand]

I think the EHX is probably closest to the SD sound, but the Made by Mike's are very similar too. I really dig the Creamy Dreamer though, as its fuzz is a little more focused and would probably work better in a band environment.

[@EddieClark]

The Creamy Dreamer is hands down my favourite "muff" that is not an OpAmp. It's definitely better at being heard in a mix. It's too bad they're not all that common to find. Thanks for watching!

[@EddieClark]

Which OpAmp Muff did you like the best?

[@impulse9tucson]

That Creamy Dreamer caught me by surprise. Really sounded like there's no 'bad' settings on it. The Warlow sounds like it could really lay down the heavy riffs well. I have the E-H OpAmp and the Deluxe Russian Muff Pi, and the Deluxe's zillion dials can really help if I'm having trouble getting it to fit in a mix with the OpAmp when they're double-tracked.

[@Aphazel]

JPTR Effects - Warlow! it's like taking a truck in the face! Any covers / songs from Gish? :D

[@EddieClark]

@@Aphazel not yet. Emphasis on yet. :) That Warlow is an absolute monster though! Truck to face sounds about right.

[@EddieClark]

@@impulse9tucson I really need to go pick up a Deluxe Big Muff. It's one of the few I have never had my hands on. Thanks for watching!

[@jeremybeavin9737]

I keep going to the pumpkin pi

[@theraditz]

Rotten Apple 🍎

[@JPTRFX]

Thank you!

[@EddieClark]

Nah, thank you! You designed and built an absolute monster!

[@JPTRFX]

@@EddieClark if you want i can send you a katastrophe for the jcm800 sounds of gish and infinite sadness

[@EddieClark]

@@JPTRFX absolutely. That would be rad! I'll DM you 👍

[@the-np4mr]

My brain says the warlow is best because it's the biggest

[@EddieClark]

It's a great fuzz. Its one of the two in this video that made it onto my stereo pedal board. It's incredible paired to an Orange amp. Thanks for watching 👍

[@stillpist]

I have an or-15 and am looking for a fuzz. Have you tired the ehx or suf pedals on it? I know not all.fuzz plays well with orange.

[@EddieClark]

@stillpist The OR15 isn't an Orange that has trouble with fuzz. Just keep the preamp low (around 10 o'clock) and it plays very well with any fuzz. I run the Made by Mike through the OR15 here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iV66qoqelKqkkMk ... and this cover, one side is SUF/Marshall and the other side is Warlow/OR15 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppDYgJesea12eLs