I've owned a lot of muffs. I used it in conglomerated with other fuzz’s, OD’s. I used to use a big green Russian muff because it was a tank and I loved having the distortion turned way down, it sounded nasty/ smooth/ good. This has the same sound, but it is closer to the old school opamp versions. The wicker is more like a, hey you want a fuzz face/ big muff montage, and yes, yes I likey! The tone knob kill is great. Only bad thing is when you flip a switch, either one… you are going to have to fiddle with the volume/ sustain knob, as this thing is so sensitive to volume, minor inconvenience, I’d rather have too much that not enough. I team it with another fuzz pedal to get my lots of distortion sounds, but this thing with the amp cooking and the sustain cracked has that really smooth OD/ Fuzz I love, in conjunction to my other fuzzes or alone. Definitely my favorite muff, although the vintage stuff is SO good, this is going to be one of those pedals people use a lot of and will be classic in my book. I knew I had to have it because I’m a muff and a fuzz fan. It did take some time to fiddle with, like learning any new muff. I’m starting to feel that a less is more/ better stance with the tone knob off… my favorite fuzz have only volume and fuzz and don’t manipulate the tone, I like that, but I’ve always thought more knobs the better, not so much anymore.

I'm on a pedal hunt for a variety of flavors of OD / Distortion.

I A/B'ed this pedal next to a Cool Cat Fuzz. I plugged 'em into a solid state 15W Crate amp (with an upgraded Jensen Mod 8-20 speaker - it's a bit heavy on the high-mids) driving an 8" speaker, and also an early 90's Peavey Classic 50 2x12 (everything stock on this amp). I used different axes to test - a Ibanez Micro with dual humbuckers (bright HBs), a crazy 4-string electric uke with a single warm HB, and my modded out early 70's Guild strat knockoff with a set of Emer/Slvr/Purple Lace sensors (a rather bright set, partially due to the electronics in the Guild).

I also compared the two pedals through my Ampeg B100-R Rocket Bass amp using my Ibanez Micro P/J bass with both the stock pickups AND a set of Lace Aluma's.

Whew. That was a lot of description you could care little about...

Anywho, to my surprise I LIKED THE COOL CAT FUZZ better IN EVERY SINGLE COMBINATION. I prefer a brighter sound in general, and a tight bass. The Big Muff was looser in the bass end of the spectrum than the Cool Cat and lacked the clarity in the highs that I prefer. It was a bit 'creamier' though, I must admit. The compression was silkier in the Big Muff.

Mind you, with all the switches on this Big Muff, you can certainly sculpt the sound MORE with it. However, I found that the only way I could get this pedal to sound quite like I wished I also had to deal with high freq hiss. The Cool Cat came w/o hiss.

I'm sure it's a matter of taste - the two pedals do sound distinctly different - but I just found this box a bit lacking. Odd, I know, since it's a classic with plenty of upgrades, but...

I'm gonna keep it though, because even though I'll prefer the other live, this guy may find a home during recording sessions. Or possibly through some configuration I've yet to try (like perhaps with my bright HB Ibanez thru my Ampeg amp).

Got this Pedal for Christmas and so Far it is Awesome. Can't speak for it's Durability, but so far it seems to be built well and does exactlay what it says it will. The Wicker seems to add some extra teeth to the sound and when you bypass the tone control you get a decent Volume boost. Just finished making room for it on My Pedal Board, Running a few different Guitars into a Classic 30 and A Bandit. Works with all types of Pickups but seems to Like Alnico Mags better than Ceramic, and Loves Single Coils. Very Cool Pedal.

Awesome! Tone off, Wicker on. Thats all you need to know. With the tone off it cleans up the sound enough that you can actually use it for something other than a blanket of mush. If you are into the Silversun Pickups tone look no further. The best part is its so versitle, it can go right back to the original sound as well!

This is the best muff out of all of them! The Tone/Wicker options are great! With the Tone turned off this thing cuts through the mix awesomely! Beats out many boutique pedals and for a fraction of the price!