Electro-Harmonix

October 2010 Guitarist 123
ELECTRO-HARMONIX GERMANIUM 4 BIG MUFF PI & FREEZE SOUND RETAINER
£74 & £89
GUITAR EFFECTS
Electro-Harmonix
Freeze Sound
Retainer
PRICE: £89
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Infinite sustain pedal
CONTROLS: Effect level, Fast/Slow/
Latch switch, footswitch
PATCHES: None
CONNECTIONS: 6.4mm jack input
and output
POWER: Supplied 9V DC adapter
DIMENSIONS: 68 (w) x 112 (d) x
55mm (h)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 0.2/0.44
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
Electro-Harmonix
Germanium 4 Big
Muff Pi
PRICE: £74
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Dual-mode overdrive/distortion
CONTROLS: Gain, Bias, Tone, Volume,
footswitch (Overdrive), Gain, Bias,
Volts, Volume, footswitch (Distortion)
PATCHES: None
CONNECTIONS: 6.4mm jack input
and output
POWER: 9V battery or 9V DC adapter
(not supplied)
DIMENSIONS: 150 (w) x 120 (d) x
60mm (h)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 0.623/1.4
RANGE OPTIONS: Big Muff Pi
(£49), Little Big Muff Pi (£39),
Bass Big Muff Pi (£51), Big Muff Pi
with Tone Wicker (£59)
Electro-Harmonix
www.ehx.com
Test results
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
GUITARIST RATING
the footswitch is pressed again
at which point the current input
sound becomes the new
sustained sound.
Sounds
Playing a chord and stepping on
the footswitch results in the
Freeze snatching and looping a
section of the sound and
outputting a sustained drone
that doesn’t sound very guitar-
like, but is more akin to a
Hammond organ or the drone
from bagpipes. It is, though, a
very solid harmonic base to play
over. In Latch mode, if you
coordinate playing a chord with
stepping on the footswitch, you
can play a whole song with both
conventional guitar and a
constant background pad with
smooth transition from chord
to chord – this can really give
you something extra on a solo
guitar or guitar/voice gig. In the
other two modes you can just
step on the switch to sustain
certain notes or chords at will
while you play over the top of
them. With practice, this can
create some extremely cool
musical juxtapositions that will
confound your audience,
making them wonder just how
you’re doing it.
Verdict
Twin overdrive or distortion
pedals are becoming more
common and are a practical
choice for the gigging musician.
This Big Muff is one of the more
versatile of the genre, offering
Big Muff: What’s The Story?
Big Muff is one of the iconic names in stompboxes, but how did
we get to the current E-HX line-up of no less than five types of
Big Muff Pi and six other pedals that bear the Muff moniker?
Mike Matthews started Electro-Harmonix in New York in 1968
and the Big Muff Pi was born at the cusp of the sixties and
seventies with a design that featured four silicon transistors and
provided a smooth fuzz with plenty of sustain. The first version
had three knobs in a triangular layout, but was superseded by
models with knobs in a line that, with changes in circuitry and
appearance, remained until E-HX ceased trading in 1984.
After the demise of the company, a demand for the Big Muff Pi
saw secondhand values to rise. Matthews had moved to Russia
to manufacture valves, but to supply the demand resurrected the
Big Muff Pi in a Russian-made version in the early nineties. This
went through various incarnations until being finally discontinued
last year. Meanwhile, after re-acquiring the Electro-Harmonix
name, Matthews started production in the USA once more with a
new Big Muff Pi appearing in 2000 followed by a version in a
smaller enclosure – the Little Big Muff Pi – in 2006. Since then
we’ve had the 2008 Bass Big Muff Pi, 2009 Big Muff Pi with Tone
Wicker and this year’s Germanium 4 model.
The Bottom Line
Germanium 4
Big Muff Pi
We like: Two pedals in one;
Volts knob, tonal variety
We dislike: Why call it a Big
Muff Pi when it’s very
different to it?
Guitarist says: Separate
overdrive and distortion for
the price of a single
stompbox, and with enough
control to create a wide-
ranging dirty tone
Freeze Sound
Retainer
We like: Instant sustain on
demand, different modes
add versatility, compact size
We dislike: Very little –
some may bemoan the lack
of battery power
Guitarist says: A creative
idea that can add a really
interesting new dimension to
your playing
The Freeze Sound Retainer is a truly interesting and unique idea
not only two quite distinct
sounds but also the ability to
use both together as well as
individually for some distinct
dirty textures.
While that should have fairly
universal appeal, the Freeze is
a more niche item – one of the
coolest, most creative new
pedals we’ve seen for ages...
and great fun!
GIT334.rev_ehx 123 9/8/10 4:50:09 PM