Electro Harmonix Triangle Big Muff

TOTAL GUITAR MARCH 2019
108
T
he Muff Fuzz was so
named by EHX founder
Mike Matthews because
of its “muffl ed sound”,
and the Big Muff was a
big box, three-control evolution of
that fi rst circuit. Designed by Bell
Labs engineer Roger Myer – not to
be confused with Roger Mayer, of
Octavia fame – the original
perfboard version was released in
1969, with Mike hand-wiring
much of the fi rst run, including
one for Jimi Hendrix. Because of its
triangular control layout, this
came to be known as the ‘triangle’
Big Muff . Although the originals
diff er greatly, with as many as 17
diff erent versions and sets of
component values known,
this reissue is the authoritative
modern version.
With all that history, and such a
wide range of sounds to aim at, it
should come as no surprise that
the triangle has to simply plant a
stake in the ground, choose some
values and split the diff erence; it’s
specifi cally based on an original
perfboard model owned by Big
Muff collector Kit Rae, as well as an
early 1970 PCB model. Three of the
most characteristic properties of
the triangle sound were smooth
highs, warm bass and
comparatively low gain. Those
certainly are in evidence on the
reissue; even with the tone control
dimed, the sound isn’t the
nails-on-blackboard scratch that
it would be on other Muff s – even
if it’s still not a useful tone. With
the sustain all the way up, the
classic Muff ‘violin’ sustain leaps
from the speakers. Interestingly,
with the sustain down, the triangle
functions better as a low-gain
drive than some other Muff
variants like the Russians, which
only really sound good when
wide open.
Alex Lynham
ELECTRO-HARMONIX TRIANGLE BIG MUFF
At long last, a reissue of the original Big Muff
TYPE: Fuzz pedal
CONT ROLS: Volume,
sustain, tone
SOCKETS: Input,
output, power
BYPASS: True bypass
POWER: 9V power
supply, 9V battery
CONTACT:
EHX ehx.com
AT A GLANCE
MIKE HAND-WIRED THE FIRST RUN,
INCLUDING ONE FOR JIMI HENDRIX
TH
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OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
USABILITY
SOUND
£93
TGR316.gear_quick.indd 108 1/31/19 10:51 AM