Bass Big Muff Pi

The Bass Big Muff Pi is an analog fuzz/distortion pedal for bass guitar. Its circuit draws on the Russian Big Muff and on the low-end response of the 1990s Black Russian versions, so the fuzz keeps its low frequencies instead of thinning out.

Three knobs set the sound: Volume sets the output level, Tone sweeps from high treble to deep bass, and Sustain controls the amount of sustain and distortion. A three-position toggle switches between Bass Boost, which adds low-frequency boost to the distortion, Norm, which gives the classic Big Muff Pi tone, and Dry, which blends the unprocessed instrument signal with the fuzz. Bass Boost is useful when Tone is set high.

The pedal has a mono input, an effect output and a separate dry output wired directly to the input. The dry output can feed a second amp or another effects chain. A footswitch with status LED engages the effect, and bypass is true bypass. The die-cast chassis is compact and the pedal runs on a 9V battery, which is included, or an optional adapter.