Electro Harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi Effects Pedal

The circa 1991 Sovtek ‘Civil War’ Big Muff (dubbed that because of its blue and gray chassis) used the same circuit as the ‘Tall Font Green Russian’ Big Muff and the EHX Green Russian Big Muff. The new Electro Harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi expands on that big, wooly sound with the addition of the Deluxe Big Muff’s advanced controls while paying homage to the Civil War Big Muff aesthetic. It’s all here in one integrated pedal. The Sovtek signature sound. The devastating low-end, crisp highs and non-scooped mids, plus the advanced control of the Deluxe Big Muff in a single, completely integrated pedal. EHX kept the familiar Sustain, Tone, and Volume knobs, and added a ton of extras from the Deluxe Big Muff for those who crave its deep sound-shaping abilities.
Controls
VOLUME Knob works as a master volume control for the entire pedal. BLEND Knob mixes between the dry and distorted signals. Turn this knob fully counterclockwise for a 100 percent dry signal and fully clockwise for a 100 percent wet signal. Setting the BLEND knob to noon yields a 50/50 mix of dry and distorted signals. TONE Knob provides a range of sounds from high treble to deep bass. As you turn the TONE knob clockwise, treble increases and bass decreases. SUSTAIN Knob, as in the original Big Muff Pi, adjusts the amount of sustain and distortion. The Wicker Switch feature is the same as the switch found on the Big Muff Pi with Tone Wicker. With the switch up, the wicker is engaged, and high-frequency bandwidth is opened up for a bright and clear top-end and more pronounced attack. With the switch down, the effect is disengaged and the Big Muff circuit is back in stock. Turning GATE clockwise raises the Gate threshold requiring greater input amplitude to open the noise gate, allowing your notes to be heard and your instrument to pass through. Turn the GATE knob down all the way, to fully counter-clockwise, to disable the noise gate. When MIDS is engaged (LED near MIDS Footswitch is lit) the MIDS LEVEL knob either boosts or cuts up to greater or less than 10dB, at the frequency set by the FREQ knob located below it. Turn MIDS LEVEL clockwise from its center 12 o’clock position to boost the center frequency. To cut, turn MIDS LEVEL counter-clockwise from the 12 o’clock position. This knob has a notch near the 12 o’clock position to help identify the center of the knob’s travel. In the center position, MIDS EQ is flat and it does not boost or cut. The MIDS LEVEL knob has no function when MIDS is bypassed (LED near MIDS Footswitch is off). MIDS FREQ Knob sets the center frequency of the MIDS EQ circuit ranging from 310Hz to 5.0kHz. To hear the range of the MIDS FREQ knob, turn the MIDS LEVEL knob up past 3 o’clock, make sure MIDS is enabled (LED near MIDS Footswitch is lit), then play your instrument while turning the MIDS FREQ knob. This knob has no function if either the MIDS section is bypassed (LED near MIDS Footswitch is off) or the MIDS LEVEL knob is set to its center position. The MIDS FREQ knob can be controlled by an external expression pedal or control voltage (CV). Connect the external device to the EXP jack on the input side of the Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff. The position of the MIDS FREQ knob sets the toe position of the expression pedal or maximum frequency for CV. The heel position of the expression pedal equals the MIDS FREQ knob’s fully counter-clockwise position. Please see EXP Input below for more on the expression pedal. The Q switch sets the resonance or bandwidth of the MIDS EQ. What this means is in LOW mode the EQ sounds broader or rounder and affects a larger range of frequencies, and in HIGH mode, the EQ sounds sharper or peakier and affects a narrow range of frequencies. MIDS Footswitch and LED engages or bypasses the MIDS EQ section. When the white status LED is lit, the MIDS EQ circuit is active and the MIDS LEVEL and FREQ knobs can be used to produce a multitude of different tones.