Muff and clone repair

kurdtCobain

Can someone tell me the possible situations for these faults.

The Muff works but it's really quiet the tone bybass makes it sound like the classic muff but it's really really quiet.The knobs don't change the volume or tone or sustain.

On the clone theory when i click the switch on the effect doesn't turn on but stays clean with no chorus at all can some one tell me what the problem is here?

gilmourish

you got the muff with tone wicker? the volume thing is just something it does... get over it. use the volume knob.

clone theorey: its fvkced. take it back.

zemonsta

palm + face

What you've said here about the tone bypass is the reverse of what actually happens...

If the tone is bypassed (OFF), you don't get the classic muff sound (instead you get a way raunchier distortion with all your mids in place) and you get more gain (it's louder).

I'm assuming your wording was just incorrect...but yeah, theres a large volume boost. It's normal.

I don't understand how you can say none of the controls work, but the pedal works. I'm assuming the pedal works, and you're just being a moron, though.

The switch on the clone theory sounds like it might be borked. I did say EHX pedals are built like #### 😆

kurdtCobain

gilmourish said: you got the muff with tone wicker? the volume thing is just something it does... get over it. use the volume knob.
clone theorey: its fvkced. take it back.

no my wording is right the pedal is really really quiet.The knobs have no effect on the sound when i turn them it just stays the same sound and the volume doesn't work at all so i have to turn my amp up to 10 just to hear it.

They're both vintage 😁 my uncle found them in his music room and told me he'd never used them and gave them to me and told me if I could fix them I'd probally like it,I was able to fix the Muff but the clone theroy is just being a dick and won't work no matter what I do so I might replace the switch.He also said he had a bunch of other old pedals he'd give me.(he says he has ALOT more muffs he'll give me if he can find them).

zemonsta

get pictures up. now.

kurdtCobain

ze monsta said: get pictures up. now.

I can't right now but I will deffinatley try to today.I'll get my sis's ass down here and get a #### load of pics. 😁 btw It's a v-3 from what I can find.And the clone theory is so old it has a cord built in.

zemonsta

ok, i didn't realise they were vintage pedals. you really should've said first >_<

some v3s are exactly the same as rams head muffs, and others are very similar, but ehx wasn't putting the same parts or circuits into each pedal even if they were the same version. the v3 with tone bypass is quite rare...

I can't tell you a whole lot about it or how to fix it tbh, but you should pm Earth and be very polite and ask him to point you in the way of someone who could fix that up for you in the US.

kurdtCobain

ze monsta said: ok, i didn't realise they were vintage pedals. you really should've said first >_<
some v3s are exactly the same as rams head muffs, and others are very similar, but ehx wasn't putting the same parts or circuits into each pedal even if they were the same version. the v3 with tone bypass is quite rare...
I can't tell you a whole lot about it or how to fix it tbh, but you should pm Earth and be very polite and ask him to point you in the way of someone who could fix that up for you in the US.

thanks and will do 😁 I looked up alot of pictures of the V-3 and noticed there's alot of diffrence from pedal to pedal.(mine has a green circuit bord and not orange) And the problem might be all the rust around the knobs and circuitry I chiped off alot of it and it actualy made it sound better so I'm not sure what's going on. 😕 All I can say is I'm happy to have it 😁

Richie

We'll need photos of the PCB to know if there's anything up. If there's nothing visibly wrong it's probably that a resistor value or two has drifted with age or heat so it'd be an idea to get a multimeter and a schematic and go over every component on the PCB with those. Also make sure there are no solder breaks or anything.

PCB pics will also tell the rest of us how old it is and which version it is. If the PCB is green and you have a tone bypass switch I'm willing to bet that it's actually a version 5 op-amp Muff rather than a version 3 (version 3s are much, much rarer than version 5s, but the cases look virtually the same).

Also, I'm gonna be the first to throw this out there, if you can't fix any of this stuff yourself for any reason, I probably can, so if anything's a lost cause as far as you're concerned PM me and I'll make you an offer. Would be a shame to let any of it go to waste. 😉

kurdtCobain

Richie said: We'll need photos of the PCB to know if there's anything up. If there's nothing visibly wrong it's probably that a resistor value or two has drifted with age or heat so it'd be an idea to get a multimeter and a schematic and go over every component on the PCB with those. Also make sure there are no solder breaks or anything.
PCB pics will also tell the rest of us how old it is and which version it is. If the PCB is green and you have a tone bypass switch I'm willing to bet that it's actually a version 5 op-amp Muff rather than a version 3 (version 3s are much, much rarer than version 5s, but the cases look virtually the same).
Also, I'm gonna be the first to throw this out there, if you can't fix any of this stuff yourself for any reason, I probably can, so if anything's a lost cause as far as you're concerned PM me and I'll make you an offer. Would be a shame to let any of it go to waste. 😉

I'll try to get pics if I can't fix it myself.And I know it's a v-3 because of how rusty it is and my uncle told me he bought it when he was in his 20's 😆 my uncle is in his 70's now I think and it has the v-3 knobs and I'll see if i can find the year on the pots and post it.

the serial number on the pots are 1377929 on the volume and 1377944 on the sustain and tone.

Richie

Richie said: We'll need photos of the PCB to know if there's anything up. If there's nothing visibly wrong it's probably that a resistor value or two has drifted with age or heat so it'd be an idea to get a multimeter and a schematic and go over every component on the PCB with those. Also make sure there are no solder breaks or anything.
PCB pics will also tell the rest of us how old it is and which version it is. If the PCB is green and you have a tone bypass switch I'm willing to bet that it's actually a version 5 op-amp Muff rather than a version 3 (version 3s are much, much rarer than version 5s, but the cases look virtually the same).
Also, I'm gonna be the first to throw this out there, if you can't fix any of this stuff yourself for any reason, I probably can, so if anything's a lost cause as far as you're concerned PM me and I'll make you an offer. Would be a shame to let any of it go to waste. 😉

Well for a start, he can't have bought it in his 20s if he's in his 70s now because they only started making version 3 Big Muffs in 1976. Furthermore there's only a 2 year difference between version 3s and version 5s (version 3s were made between 1976 and 1978, version 5s they made between 1978 and 1980, my op-amp Muff is from 1978). Thirdly, rust does not indicate age, it only indicates that it's been kept somewhere damp.

From your pot stamp dates, the pots were made toward october of 1979, which means it is DEFINITELY a version 5, and is actually a younger one than mine.

kurdtCobain

Richie said: We'll need photos of the PCB to know if there's anything up. If there's nothing visibly wrong it's probably that a resistor value or two has drifted with age or heat so it'd be an idea to get a multimeter and a schematic and go over every component on the PCB with those. Also make sure there are no solder breaks or anything.
PCB pics will also tell the rest of us how old it is and which version it is. If the PCB is green and you have a tone bypass switch I'm willing to bet that it's actually a version 5 op-amp Muff rather than a version 3 (version 3s are much, much rarer than version 5s, but the cases look virtually the same).
Also, I'm gonna be the first to throw this out there, if you can't fix any of this stuff yourself for any reason, I probably can, so if anything's a lost cause as far as you're concerned PM me and I'll make you an offer. Would be a shame to let any of it go to waste. 😉

but doesn't the v-5 have led?

no led on mine.

He may not of bought it in his 20's (his memory is starting to go) and I'm not sure if he's in his 60's or 70's I asume he was in his 70's but I'm not sure.

Richie

No vintage Big Muffs have LEDs, they only put LEDs on the modern reissues.

kurdtCobain

Richie said: No vintage Big Muffs have LEDs, they only put LEDs on the modern reissues.

ok.

the circuit board says EH3003 so what does that mean?(just wondering)

zemonsta

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/arc ... 94891.html

http://www.kitrae.net/music/big_muff_news.html

read up.

you can use ctrl + f to search for words you think might be important for your search.

sounds like you've got what is known as transition period, where nothing is really set in stone circuit wise, and you got a triangle muff with a tone bypass switch in a nyc enclosure.

Richie

Richie said: No vintage Big Muffs have LEDs, they only put LEDs on the modern reissues.

That's just the model/ print code for the PCB. EH3003 is layout they used for versions 3, 4 and 5 (version 4 is the op-amp Muff but without the tone bypass switch).

Is there anything on the circuit board that looks like this thing? (The 8 metal leg bits will all be soldered into the board)

kurdtCobain

ze monsta said: wut, so its a triangle muff now? are you taking the piss or is this pedal getting rarer and rarer as we talk about it? >_>

I'm not sure 😐 I'm just saying what's on it the pot's serials are 1377929 and 1377944 the ciruit board says EH-3003 the board it's self is orange ontop and green on bottom,there is a bypass switch and it has the v-3 knobs and caseing.

kurdtCobain

Richie said: No vintage Big Muffs have LEDs, they only put LEDs on the modern reissues.

yeah two of them.

Richie

Richie said: Is there anything on the circuit board that looks like this thing? (The 8 metal leg bits will all be soldered into the board)

Then it is DEFINITELY a version 5 op-amp Big Muff. I know this because those are op-amp chips. Version 3s DID NOT have these in them.

kurdtCobain

Richie said: Is there anything on the circuit board that looks like this thing? (The 8 metal leg bits will all be soldered into the board)

ok so it's v-5,what now? AND WILL SOMEBODY TELL ME DO MUFFS LACK IN VOLUME?