Noticeably sharper mids and highs on the nano bass. The Sovtek is more muffled and smooth, but it's also more scooped. I actually prefer the nano bass muff to the Sovtek.
+FallaciousScotsman But here's the thing though: Every demo-er goes "Well I'm gonna put both knobs at 12 o' clock which must mean they're the same". But it's not the same. Every potentiometer has variances in resistance which means it's highly unlikely that the two circuits are the same even when all the knobs are physically in similar positions. These comparisons should really be done purely on sound and not the physical placements of knobs.
That doesn't just show the differences in the pedals, though. It also shows the differences between the settings. The knobs looking like they're in the same place is meaningless if the same settings don't actually produce the same results (or as close as possible).
I bought one of these. It is a very good version of a Big Muff in my opinion It works well for me for guitar!!! It has BC547C transistors, equivalents to the russian KT3102G used in some version in the early 90th. I took a look inside and it seems to me, the original circuit was extended to optimise the whole thing. The outcome is a very flexible pedal with good sounds from different settings.
+PANICBLADE But here's the thing though: Every demo-er goes "Well I'm gonna put both knobs at 12 o' clock which must mean they're the same". But it's not the same. Every potentiometer has variances in resistance which means it's highly unlikely that the two circuits are the same even when all the knobs are physically in similar positions. These comparisons should really be done purely on sound and not the physical placements of knobs.
Soham Bhattacharya Well... you have to place the knobs somewhere. besides, if you turn the tone knob down on the nano it seems like the 2 would be indistinguishable from each other in a mix anyway. plus this was more of a core voicing demo anyway meant to show each pedal's quirks at practically any setting, and it's not like they stayed at only 12 o clock. you want to play around with the knobs to get the potential range of each pot. just cause they might sound identical on one setting, it doesn't guarantee the rest of them will sound even close.
I was seriously thinking of buying a Tall Font Green Sovtek, when I came across this video. Of course I know that's a Bubble Font, but I thought it was even better! Also you play in a Fender Blues Jr, that is the amp I use. So thanks to this video I got a Nano Bass Big Muff and it's great. Although it's really cheap compared to other muffs, it sounds great! I can say it sounds as good as other muffs I have, like the "Box Of War" or the "Caprid" (with obvious differences). I also liked the "Dry" switch toggle, it gives you a nice sound also when used in a clean amp. I'm definitely going to keep this pedal forever. So thank you so much for this video.
I feel like the XO version is actually much closer to a bubble when you use the bass boost feature. It gets that woofy full round tone you would expect. I use it like that all the time :)
If you spend $300-500 on a Muff, I have some ocean-front property in Kansas to sell you. I bought new in '96 for $60 USD and it was my first Muff. I loved it, my friends hated and said it sounded muddy. It did. It was noisy, sometimes the LED would fall back into the housing and the plastic jacks were a joke. I've owned 7 different clones and EHX Muffs now, included the Swollen Pickle and the Ronsound Hairpie. Trust me save your $$$ and buy an EHX or Ronsound or Way Huge, they all sound better than the Sovtek.
Good demo. I have a green sovtek. It sounds like the nano is voiced a bit brighter, but that could easily be fixed by rolling the tone back a bit. Thanks. Now I'm going to buy one of these new ones so I can avoid the horrendous bypass of my sovtek.
Wish this done with a bass. The Nano is brighter, but I like the warm, subtly bassier sound of the Sovtek. I might have a different opinion if I heard a bass used with them.
the new one is so much better, more cutting tone, a lot less noise, way better built, it also has the dry option, and sounds awesome on bass. Imo the bigger (classic) bass big muff is the best, but between these two I'd go for the nano
That nano big muff is really an excellent pedal. You could say the same for the bass big muff (not nano), used to compare them on guitar, they are also the same, the nano has a little bit more hights (good for guitar !) and the "normal" one has a switch to had more bass (not really usable on guitar). So I think they are both really good on guitar, with a (little) preference for the nano.
So I picked up a nano bass big muff and ran it alongside my bubble font green sovtek... just like this video. This video is completely accurate and in person, I actually prefer some aspects of the new nano more than the old sovtek. In particular, the new nano bass big muff has a more focused high end (when you're in the higher part of the tone knob) that just sounds better. The old Sovtek is kind of rattier/fizzier when the tone is up high where the nano is tighter and just more pleasing. EHX has done incredibly well here.
I just want to thanks you for wearing shoes. So tired of looking at hairy toes and smelly socks in these demos. I agree that for the price difference, not a whole lot of difference.
I had a tall font green russian (with the flaking paintjob), but I sold it when I really needed the money. Having bought it for 40€ and selling it for over 150€ was a good deal, but today I really regret it having sold it. I would never wanna pay prices like that for a used pedal, no matter how cool it looks or how incredible it sounds.
I wish you'd made the sounds more comparable by bumping the tone controls up on the Russian just a hair. The nano definitely has more definition , but the Russian takes up more space. I think I'd prefer the Russian, and I'd goose the knobs a bit to get a brighter sound. Although I owned one in the early 90s and the bypass and QC were problematic.
In real life the russian has WAY more dimension and detail. My experience with noise was the complete opposite of what he experienced. The old bypass sucks though. When hearing it in person the bass muffs sound pretty sterile and slightly shrill in comparison. The way they sustain is kind of pathetic too but only when you're hearing them side-by-side. They're still great and I am pretty sure I like them better than the NYCs. Depends on the application I guess. Don't forget that this guy works for EHX. He's right about the price unless you have money to blow in addition to room for a giant tank that requires a battery and also has a unique, dark bypass buffer. There are other alternatives though.
hybridmcgee I came away with the same feeling you have after putting a new big muff(guitar version) next to the Russian bubble font, "sterile and slightly shrill". Plus I like the foggy but clear sound of the old version, kinda feels like its cutting through a room full of smoke. If I hadn't scored a vintage one for cheap I probably wouldn't be shelling out the money though and could be happy with the new version by turning the mids down on the amp.
Great Demo, but the tone control should be set lower on the NANO. It is brighter sounding that the Sovtek. You should have compensated for that so a more accurate assessment could have been made.
John Reid Yep good point. Although technically a fuzz, the muffs were designed from the ground up to have higher gain and a smoother sustain tone, more typically found in what we consider full on distortion units, but the clipping is still a touch harder and carries a bit more of the original signal in it. So yeah, I call it a fuzz but it can be both or even neither.
let's be honest guys: the nano is the "AOR/classic rock" version of the glorious sovtek. The nano is more clean and accurate, the second is a dirty, noisy, mythological bomb that was at the core of the sound of glorious bands like Nirvana, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. If you got the money choose the Sovtek without even think about it, the nano could still be a cheaper alternative for students or people too fussy to be actually interested in this kind of sublime dirtiness... ;)
herbertbeiderbecke But with a price of a sovtek you could buy a nano and almost other 2/3 top pedals, there isn't enough difference between nano and sovtek to justify the purchase
buddy to me the difference in price is utterly justified by the difference in the power, kick and coolness of the sound, and I own them both! I know the sovtek is expansive, but it's an extraordinary pedal that is discontinued and it's becoming more and more rare over the years. I am not an insensitive prick, I perfectly know that when your budget is tight you sometimes have to opt for the second choice and it's ok, I've done it myself a thousand times in the past. however if you do have the money, this is money well spent, 'cause it sounds uniquely great and it is also an investment: if you wanna sell it after some years you will make a profit out of it! :)
+herbertbeiderbecke having said that QC is always a gamble in vintage gear, probably none more so than big muffs. Maybe you have a great example of one. A new muff will at least be more consistent. I'm not hating on you but in this particular scenario, objectively speaking, the pros of buying a new muff far outweigh the pros of a vintage Sovtek.
+C.F Woe nope I'm not being a troll , i love the sound of that ruassian BM, but it's a fact that Big Muffs are pretty like a lottery, and for such a little difference (you can hear it i know) but they're so similar that if you really can buy it go for it, but in a full mix differences begin to be foggy, and with if you can buy it i mean that this russian big it's a pedal that you use a lot and is one of your main sound, but I would not spend so much money on it , and that's in my case, and my pedalboard. One of the things that we aren't focus on is " that new nano big muff sounds very well" , and so much close, not the same but so close, and that's it's a fantastic thing, because with something like 50/60 bucks used you can have something very very similar to the russian big muff :). Btw i qould spend 300 bucks for a rat and not for a russian big muff , and that's is only my opinion :)
