Version 7 “CIVIL WAR” BIG MUFFS (Russia circa 1991) – Identical to the second edition Red Army Overdrive, just different graphics and colors. Sort of a mix between the V1 and V3 Muffs, but with a fatter bottom end, brighter and less scooped mids, and less gain. It was very dark and bassy, but with a smooth and clear mid range, and a very musical clarity. Those mids were still scooped out like a typical Big Muff, but the Sovteks had more mids than vintage USA models, so they stand out in a live band mix slightly better. They are noticeably smoother and have less grit than the later Green Russian and Black Russian Big Muffs, which is probably why they are the most favored and desireable of all the Sovtek Big Muffs. They are a favorite of bass players due to the low gain and huge, bass friendly bottom end they produce. The bass and treble of the tone varies slightly from unit to unit. Listen to Pink Floyd’s Pulse live album for some great examples of lead tones using this pedal. The Black Keys and Sonic Youth have other examples of this sound.

Version 7 “GREEN RUSSIAN” BIG MUFFS (Russia circa 1994) – Early ‘tall font’ Green Russians, the first edition, are identical to the Civil War version described above. The second and third edition Green Russians with the ‘bubble font’ have a bit more grit and bite, less bass, and most have more sustain than the Civil War version, but they are not as smooth sounding. Less gain, fatter bottom end, and brighter mids than most vintage USA Big Muffs. The bass and treble of the tone varies slightly from unit to unit, but the differences are usually minor. They are a favorite of bass players due to the low gain and huge, bass friendly bottom end they produce. That bottom end is also a reason some do not like the Russian Big Muffs. Listen to the Black Keys for some great examples of the Green Russian in use.

Version 7 “BLACK RUSSIAN” BIG MUFF big box (Russia circa 1998) – The tone is the same as the V7 green Russian Big Muffs. Just different box color and graphics.

Version 8 “BLACK RUSSIAN” BIG MUFF small box (Russia circa 2000) – Almost identical tone to the V7 Green Russian Muffs, but slightly less clarity and slightly less bottom end on the examples I have played. The bass and treble of the tone varies slightly from unit to unit, but the differences are usually minor. These are discontinued, but the V11 Bass Big Muff sounds very similar.

Version 9 “NYC REISSUE” BIG MUFF (USA 2000) – The tone is in the same family as the old version 6 Big Muffs from the early 1980s, though this is not actually a reissue of that version. Component values were changed, making it a bit more muffled (muffier?), and modern sounding, without the clarity of most of the early vintage USA Muffs. The first version is the most like the old early 70’s Big Muffs, with a bit more note clarity than the later revisions, asn slightly less bass. The component values were modified in 2000 (revision A), 2007 (revision and then again in 2008 (revision C). The later versions have a thicker and bassier sound than the Rev A and B Muffs, with less note clarity, but a thicker and heavier sound when playing chords. The bottom end is also beefier on the B and C versions than most vintage Muffs. Presumably this was done to give them a more modern, heavy and dronier sound. Mid tones are very scooped. These do not react as sharply to pinch harmonics as the V1, V2, and V3 Big Muffs and do not work as well for crisp palm muting as some early Muffs. Think Jack White of the White Stripes’ tone. The bass and treble varies slightly from unit to unit, but the differences are usually minor.

Version 10 “LITTLE” BIG MUFF NANO (USA circa 2006) – Sonically the Little Big Muff sounds very similar to the NYC reissue V9 described above, but a bit brighter and a bit less bottom end to the sound. Some units sound slightly different than others.

Version 11 “BASS” BIG MUFF (USA 2008) – This was based on the Russian Big Muff circuit. Not identical in tone to the Russians, but in most settings they are similar. This version has less gain, a fatter bottom end, and brighter mids than the USA Big Muffs, like the V9, V10, and V12. All toggle switch settings – bass boost, norm, and dry – sound very good with a bass guitar. For guitar, the normal setting sounds best, and is very close to the black V8 Russian Big Muff tone, though this version is less noisy at full sustain.

Version 12 – “TONE WICKER” BIG MUFF (USA 2009) – The tone range of the V12 Big Muff is quite broad. It can match the tones of the V10 Little Big Muff somewhat in standard mode, but with the Wicker switched on it becomes a much sharper and brighter sound, but not too harsh. The “buzzy-fizzy” sound that many Big Muff users complain about with the V9 NYC reissue and V10 Big Muffs can be smoothed out with the Tone Wicker. The “fuzz” tones it produces have much more range than the V9 and V10. Many Muff users use boosters to color or boost the gain and mids of their Big Muffs for added clarity, but this version does not require that. The boost is built in, and cuts through a band mix very well.