The Damnation Audio Pet Symmetry BIG Pedal is a bass fuzz with a built-in, switchable clean boost, made as a collaboration between the Chicago-based rock band Pet Symmetry and the Baltimore effects manufacturer Damnation Audio. At its core is a Muff-inspired fuzz circuit for thick, saturated distortion, designed to deliver high-impact low-end tones in a single unit1. It sits in the fuzz corner of bass pedals, alongside other Damnation Audio dirt boxes like the Bass Fuzz Enforcer and the MBD2 MOSFET Bass Distortion 2.
Where it came from
The pedal grew out of guitarist and bassist Evan Weiss' longtime reliance on a rare Muff-style fuzz paired with an always-on clean boost. After years of development, Pet Symmetry and Damnation Audio unveiled BIG in July 2025 as a way to put that two-pedal setup into one enclosure1.
"a purpose-built bass pedal (that also works well on guitars)"
The fuzz and the clean boost
The BIG Pedal combines two functions:
- Muff-style fuzz: a Muff-inspired circuit for thick, saturated distortion, aimed at high-impact low-end tones1
- Switchable clean boost: included to maintain low-end clarity, the role the always-on boost played in Weiss' original rig1
That pairing matters for bass players, because a fuzz on its own can crowd out the low end. Here the boost is there to hold onto it, and the whole design is built around keeping the low end present rather than buried1.
Controls and power
Damnation Audio and Pet Symmetry went for a simplified control set for quick, stage-ready adjustments rather than intricate tweaking1. The pedal offers 9V or 18V operation, with the 18V setting providing additional headroom and gain1.
At 18V the BIG Pedal gains headroom and gain over 9V operation1. Check what your power supply delivers before plugging in.
Related Damnation Audio pedals
Damnation Audio's bass range covers several approaches to dirt:
- Curmudgeon 2, a solid-state power amp distortion
- Retro Bass Distortion, released in a limited run in November 2024
- Dirtmixer and Dirtfixer for blending and managing dirt pedals
Videos
Reverb
Questions
Does the Pet Symmetry BIG Pedal work on guitar?
Yes. Delicious Audio describes the BIG Pedal as a purpose-built bass pedal that also works well on guitars. Its Muff-inspired fuzz circuit is aimed at high-impact low-end tones, but the design is not limited to bass, so guitarists can run it on a pedalboard the same way.
Can the Damnation Audio BIG pedal run at 18V?
Yes. The BIG Pedal offers 9V or 18V operation, and according to Delicious Audio the 18V setting provides additional headroom and gain. Players who want a cleaner, more open fuzz response can run it at 18V, while 9V works for standard pedalboard power supplies.
What is the clean boost on the BIG Pedal for?
The clean boost is switchable, and its purpose is to maintain low-end clarity. It reflects Evan Weiss' longtime setup of a rare Muff-style fuzz paired with an always-on clean boost, which the BIG Pedal builds into a single unit so the fuzz and the boost live on one board.
Who is Pet Symmetry?
Pet Symmetry is a Chicago-based rock band. The BIG Pedal is a collaboration between the band and Baltimore effects manufacturer Damnation Audio, and it grew out of guitarist and bassist Evan Weiss' longtime reliance on a rare Muff-style fuzz paired with an always-on clean boost.
Sources (1)
- New Pedal: Pet Symmetry + Damnation Audio BIG Pedal Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2025-07-09
