Tym Super Mud

 

This little gem has been kicking around in my head for ages and since I have so much free time lately ...........


  


 

With my Big Mud series I've always stayed pretty close to actual BM models, albeit my "versions" of my favorite versions over the years. There's plenty of "moded" Mvff clones out there and some damn good ones at that. It's a heavily copied and hotroded circuit for good reason. It's a GREAT effect in most of it's original forms AND it's a fairly complex circuit (for a fuzz) that can be made to do lots of different sounds and tones with slight changes to values.

I didn't want to do a lot of the common mods already available out there for BM clones, not that they're not good, but over the years of making these you get to know what you think works, and what doesn't. I also didn't want a pedal with 20 knobs and 20 switches with a million combinations of tones.


  

My idea is to start with great tone, in this case the Ram Head and work from there, so this is what I came up with for my "Super Mud"

This is the standard Ram Head circuit which I personally am a HUGE fan of. Since I wanted to keep the tone intact I didn't want to make one of those "three Big Mvffs in one box" type pedals. So this is essentially a vintage sounding BM with a few little features  to fine tune it to your playing style or taste.

The Main part is simple. Volume, Tone and Sustain, just like the original. The Super Mud also has the bypass switch that was designed for the Fuzz Munchkin.  This bypasses the volume control , essentially opening out the volume to full. This gives you the option of setting a "rhythm" sound and a lead sound, or a boost for solos.


  

The Clipping switch takes the first diode clipping stage out of the circuit. This gives the pedal more bass response when the sustain is increased, which is great for bass players. It also "cleans up" the gain slightly and makes it sound "fuller" and more rounded. This also makes the circuit VERY similar to a Colorsound Supa Tonebender, which was essentially an early seventies BM without this first clipping stage.

The Mids switch works like a tonestack bypass, but better. While I'm personally not a big fan of the tone bypass switch I can see where it can be used in certain set ups. The tone bypass switch takes out the big mid scoop that BMs are famous for. This switch on my Super Mud gives you that flat frequency response BUT you still get to use the tone control. It's not as responsive as before but you can add treble or bass while still keeping your flat response.


The battery drain knob does just that. It simulates the tone you get when your battery is running low. Some people love this tone as the fuzz starts to clean up slightly and then starts to "stutter" as the circuit can't get enough power to run it properly. It can be a very cool effect when used right.

So, this Super Mud will not only get you vintage BM tone, it will get you thin, weedy stuttering fuzz or thick, fat, full fuzz. Technically it could be available in ANY of my Big Mud versions but I started with the Ram Head because it's my favorite.


 

  

 


The Super Mud was originally going to be one of my 15th anniversary pedals but after showing it to a few friends and customers over the weekend I've been convinced to change my mind and make this a standard, "production" model. They should be available in my usual limited releases within six weeks or so. Stay tuned for more details soon.

NEXT ONE

 

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