Home › Forums › Help/Technical Questions › Muff Volume Drop, is there a mod to fix it?

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  • October 3, 2010 at 3:22 pm #80816
    noisepunk3
    Member

    I have a NYC Big muff (standard), and like others, I’m fed up with the volume drop that a lot of these seem to have.

    The problem is that when I have a fresh battery in, it sounds great, the volume is right at where it needs to be, all is good; but a) I have to have to volume maxed for this to happen, and b) batteries are only fresh for so long.

    So I bought an EHX adapter, and that doesn’t even simulate a fresh battery, more like a week old battery, so that didn’t help.

    So I’m thinking there has to be a way of giving it more volume since older muffs and clones (just as the Hoof) don’t seem to have this issue, but I can’t find any evidence online of anyone doing this. I love my muff, and it sounds amazing, but it’s not working out for what I use it for.

    Thanks in advance for any help.

    October 3, 2010 at 4:12 pm #111779
    julian
    Moderator

    You could do a tone-bypass mod and that would make it a lot louder, but it would sound different.

    October 3, 2010 at 4:16 pm #111780
    noisepunk3
    Member

    Thank you for the suggestion, but I’ve already thought about it; with the exception of a few guitars I own, I like to keep the tone just past 12:00, so a tone bypass would really screw up my sound.

    October 3, 2010 at 4:24 pm #111781
    julian
    Moderator

    Is the volume drop in a band setting?

    October 3, 2010 at 4:27 pm #111783
    noisepunk3
    Member

    I guess you could say that; I use the same setup playing at home/by myself as I do playing in a band.

    October 3, 2010 at 6:53 pm #111786
    The EH Man
    Moderator

    You’re not getting a volume drop. The Big Muff, by default, has a tone circuit that scoops a lot of the mids. In a band setting this can keep your guitar from being heard if it’s not compensated for elsewhere. Your best bet is to either add a booster on the output (LPB1) or have the tone circuit modified for a mid-boost or flat mids.

    October 3, 2010 at 7:12 pm #111789
    noisepunk3
    Member

    I know about the mid scoop, but that’s not what I’m talking about, it’s not just in a band setting that this is happening and it’s a very noticeable drop in volume. Not only that, but I shouldn’t have to keep my pedal at 10 to have it equalized with the rest of my rig.

    October 3, 2010 at 8:00 pm #111790
    julian
    Moderator

    Well then I’d think maybe something’s wrong with your muff. At home I have loads of volume on tap with my muffs.

    October 3, 2010 at 8:09 pm #111791
    noisepunk3
    Member

    That’s very possible, I bought it used; however I had the same issue with my Russian- though not as severe- which was brand new, and I’ve also heard this is a common out of box problem with this model, one of the supposed pluses to something like a hoof.

    What do you think could be wrong with it?

    October 3, 2010 at 8:49 pm #111793
    julian
    Moderator

    I’d say a gain stage probably isn’t doing its job. Bad transistor maybe.

    October 3, 2010 at 9:17 pm #111794
    noisepunk3
    Member

    I guess I’ll have to get a volt meter and do some trouble shooting. Thanks.

    October 4, 2010 at 8:24 pm #111815
    electro-melx
    Moderator

    Are you using it on it’s own or with other pedals? I find mine seems to lose volume sometimes depending on what pedals I have either side of it… on it’s own I don’t have that problem which leads me to believe it’s an impedance thing maybe?

    are your pickups quite low output?

    October 4, 2010 at 8:59 pm #111816
    noisepunk3
    Member

    I’m not sure about pickups, but i’ve used it with a number of different guitars I own or have borrowed and the issue doesn’t change.

    It also does the same thing with or without other pickups around it; however I have noticed it’s much easier to balance it out with the amp when I don’t have anything else running, though I usually need to turn the amp down pretty low.

    October 5, 2010 at 11:23 pm #111831
    Ned Flanders
    Moderator

    Bypass the tonestack and you’ll have more volume than you could possibly need! (Just cut the trace and jumper it)

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