Electro Harmonix Big Muff (Russian)
Price Paid: US $55 used
Ease of Use: 7
Another very easy pedal to operate with three chicken head knobs. One problem though, the battery compartment can be a little tricky to get to. You can cut yourself trying to get there and installing a new battery.
Sound Quality: 7
Very thick fuzzy distortion, very loose too. Great fuzz when played at a lower sustain level. This thing can easily get that Pumpkins solo sound. One of the better distortion pedals on the market. Those who want insane gain, this would probably not be a good idea. One thing that annoys the hell outta me though.....this pedal is not a true bypass. What that means is when the pedal is being bypassed (off), the tone and volume are cut down quite significantly. This can be avoided by using a 3DPT switch (rare) or rewiring the DPDT switch. I'm not a guitar tech, and until this bypass problem gets fixed, i won't give this pedal a better rating.
Reliability: 6
It has a thin steel casing, and it's pretty durable. Sometimes the sound drops out during play, I have no idea why.
Customer Support: N/A
Never contacted them, and probably never will need to.
Overall Rating: 8
Very nice distortion for the money, especially if your amps distortion sucks. Korn, Vai, Hendrix, Pumpkins; it can do it all. Just don't expect every pedal built with high standards. Some can be lemons, since these are built in Russia. I haven't tried a USA made Big Muff, but I'm sure it'll be built to better specs.
~Dan~