Zappa’s Big Muff Reborn!

Recorded with Novo Serus J guitar with Amalfitano P-90s, into Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley head on low-gain setting, recorded via Mesa CabClone IR+ (4x12 with Greenbacks IR).
Clip 1: Pedal off, then on set to: Level and Tone at noon, Gain at 10 o'clock, Novo Serus J guitar with P-90s at middle position.
Clip 2: Level at noon, Gain at 3 o'clock, Tone at 1 o'clock, mostly on the Novo Serus J bridge P-90, then some on the neck at the end.
Clip 3: Novo Serus J guitar set to P-90 in neck position, tone control rolled all the way down to '0'. Pedal off at start, then set to: Level at noon, Gain at 3 o'clock, Tone at 1 o'clock

The Utility Muffin is not a replica of a Muff that came direct from the EHX factory, and its uniqueness is not down to some production line quirk. Rather, it pays homage to Frank Zappa's much-modified 1970 Big Muff. After being sent detailed photos of Frank's heavily tweaked V3 Big Muff, Stomp Under Foot's Matt Pasquerella came to the conclusion that critical modifications had been made to reduce the pedal's gain—yielding smoother, richer bass response, and transforming the stompbox into something closer to a medium-gain overdrive and low-gain fuzz. Stomp Under Foot built a limited run of Utility Muffins in 2016, naming the device after Zappa's Utility Muffin Research Kitchen recording studio. (The fact Zappa used a Big Muff and the word "muffin" to name his studio and one of his most famous song characters, "Muffin Man," is, as far as we know, pure coincidence.) Now, Stomp Under Foot has revived the pedal for a wider audience that may be as interested in its musical potential as much as its Zappa associations.

The pedal's controls will be little surprise to the initiated Big Muff devotee: gain, tone, and volume do much of what they would on any Big Muff. What matters most, of course, is what's inside, where Pasquerella hand-wires everything himself, including several NOS components in this cleverly reconfigured four-transistor fuzz circuit.

Do You Know the Muffin Man?

The Utility Muffin cooks up a fun, alternative breed of fuzz that's expressive and somewhat habit forming. It definitely leans toward the warm, creamy, and thick side of the tone spectrum—even by Big Muff standards. But while it might not have a Tone Bender's vicious top end, buzzy vintage-fuzz sounds are still easy to generate in isolation. And while the Muffin can be dark and murky with the tone knob set counterclockwise from noon, there's more than enough treble and sparkle in advanced tone and gain settings to slice your way through a dense or bass-heavy mix.

On the front end of Marshall and tweed Deluxe-style amps, and with P-90s driving the pedal, the Muffin sounded rich and full of texture—with just enough spitty attitude on top to keep it from sounding too smooth. There's also a slight bump in the midrange that gives the Utility Muffin a hint of cocked-wah voicing that adds honk and presence to the output. Needless to say, it really excels at throaty Clapton/Cream lead tones—particularly with guitar tone controls at minimum levels—while retaining a reedy quality that keeps the output from turning to mud.

The Verdict

The Utility Muffin pulls off the cool trick of retaining the wooly, warm side of the Big Muff voice—particularly the Sovtek breed—without sacrificing the feel and temperament of hotter, more piercing classic fuzzes. It's full of character and complex, overtone-rich colors. And it's instructive as a reminder of how a lower-gain version of classic Muff flavor is still powerful enough to knock you flat. It might not be the pedal to reach for if you prefer just one fuzz on your board and are inclined toward Fuzz Face, Tone Bender, or even old Triangle Big Muff tones. But if those burning-hot-and-toppy fuzz tones are a color you like in moderation, the Utility Muffin is a great alternative, with a buoyant and bubbly personality and a load of hot and smooth, sonorous sounds to mine.