Home › Forums › Vintage EHX › Russian Big Muff……………..why?
- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 1 month ago by Kitrae.
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July 27, 2010 at 12:28 pm #80541jumpwinMember
I am referring to the black one with yellow wording.
Why did EHX decide to have them built by Sovtek in Russia as opposed to their USA factory? How long were they in production, and why did production cease? Also what are the differences between the Russian and USA pedals (besides the obvious cosmetics!) and is either better than the other? I can’t find any in depth information about the pedal, and I’m curious about my new (used) purchase.July 27, 2010 at 12:34 pm #110506The EH ManModeratorQuote:I am referring to the black one with yellow wording.
Why did EHX decide to have them built by Sovtek in Russia as opposed to their USA factory?Because it was cheaper and there was no US factory back then.
Quote:How long were they in production, and why did production cease?For about 15 years or so. They stopped last year because of ROHS laws (they’re not lead-free).
Quote:Also what are the differences between the Russian and USA pedals (besides the obvious cosmetics!)The older Sovteks have more russian components, including transistors. The last issue of the Sovtek wasn’t that much different from the US reissue.
Quote:and is either better than the other?That’s going to depend entirely on you. People can only tell you which one THEY think is better. Your mileage may vary.
July 27, 2010 at 1:03 pm #110507jumpwinMemberThat was an AWESOME reply. Thanks a million.
July 28, 2010 at 2:20 am #110518KitraeMemberI’ll chime in since I have done a lot of research on the Sovtek EXH pedals. The earliest I have found they were available in the US was 1991, with the Red Army Overdrive. The same pedal was rebranded Electro-Harmonix Big Muff about a year later, when Matthews was able to buy back the Electro-Harmonix name, lost in bankruptcy years before.
The real reason they were discontinued, according to Mr. Matthews, was the cost to manufacture pedals in St. Petersburg kept going up as the quality kept going down. That’s why the enclosure kept getting thinner and smaller over the years. The foot switch factory also went under, so switches had to be imported into Russia to keep making the pedals. The cost to make them in Russia eventually outweighed the demand, so Mike dropped them from the line. The Bass Big Muff replaced the Russian Muff.
I have the full history of the Russian Muffs, or as much info as I have been able to uncover, here.
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