The Harby Pedals BMF is an analog distortion, sustainer and fuzz pedal that recreates a specific vintage circuit: the green Sovtek Big Muff, in its 7B and 7C versions. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "a modern recreation of the green Sovtek Big Muff (7B/7C models) distortion, sustainer, fuzz pedal"1, and Pedal of the Day's review from November 2022 uses the same description2. For a player, that means it aims at the sound of the green Russian Big Muffs of the mid-1990s rather than at the earlier New York or later reissue circuits.
The green Sovtek Big Muffs sit in the Tall Font Russian lineage of the Big Muff family. Wren and Cuff, describing that era of pedal, notes a favorite vintage Sovtek-era Big Muff from 19943, which places the circuit the BMF recreates in the same mid-1990s Russian production run. Players who know the green Big Muff know it for its place in the Sovtek-era branch of the Big Muff tree, and the BMF is built to follow that branch rather than another one.
A green Sovtek Big Muff circuit
The BMF's whole identity is its reference circuit. The pedal is a modern recreation of the green Sovtek Big Muff (7B/7C models), which matters to players comparing Big Muff variants, because a recreation of a green Sovtek is a different animal from a recreation of a 1970s New York unit12.
Pedal of the Day reviewed the BMF on 2 November 2022 and framed it the same way the maker does2:
"A modern recreation of the green Sovtek Big Muff (7B/7C models) distortion, sustainer, fuzz pedal"
The review also noted what kind of pedal the BMF sets out to be: a modern recreation of the green Sovtek Big Muff (7B/7C models) distortion, sustainer and fuzz pedal2.
Harby Pedals builds the BMF as a modern recreation of the green Sovtek Big Muff (7B/7C models), and the maker describes its starting point as one of Matt's favorite vintage Sovtek-era Big Muff pedals from 19943. The circuit is analog, and the pedal covers distortion, sustainer and fuzz duties in one box1. For a player, that means the BMF is a straight take on the green Russian Big Muff sound rather than a new design built from scratch.
The controls
The control layout is the classic Big Muff three-knob arrangement. The maker's listing states that "the pedal features volume, distortion, and tone controls"1, and Pedal of the Day's review confirms the same set: "The control section here consists of Volume, Distortion, and Tone knobs"2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the overall output level of the pedal1 |
| Distortion | Sets the amount of gain driving the clipping stages1 |
| Tone | Shapes the balance between bass and treble in the output1 |
Anyone who has used a Big Muff of any era will be at home here. There is no Mids control, no separate sustain knob, and no switching between clipping modes: the BMF keeps the three-knob format of the circuit it recreates, with Volume, Distortion, and Tone knobs. Players who want a midrange control on a Russian Big Muff circuit are the audience for the modified Pi-7C* described above2.
Build, bypass and power
RockBoard's PedalPedia lists the BMF's circuit type as analog1. It is built with what RockBoard's PedalPedia describes as high quality components, including solid anodized aluminum knobs, Neutrik input and output jacks, and Japanese capacitors and resistors1. Neutrik jacks and named-component sourcing are the kind of build details that matter to players who compare pedals at the component level rather than only by sound.
The BMF uses a true bypass foot switch1. Pedal of the Day's review puts it in player terms: the pedal has "true bypass switching for a pristine original tone when the effect is off"2. With true bypass, the signal passes from input to output without going through the pedal's circuitry when the effect is disengaged.
Power is standard for a modern pedal. The maker's listing gives the voltage as 9V DC, center negative1, and states that "the pedal operates at 9 volts DC using a standard negative center power supply"1. That is the same arrangement as the vast majority of compact pedals, so an ordinary pedalboard power supply with 9V center negative outputs will run it.
The BMF runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug, the standard polarity for most pedalboard power supplies. Any supply or daisy chain output marked 9V DC center negative will work.
Where it sits among Harby's pedals
Within its own lineup, the BMF is Harby Pedals' analog take on the green Sovtek Big Muff (7B/7C models), handling distortion, sustainer and fuzz in one pedal2. It is built as a modern recreation of that circuit rather than an original design, which is the clearest way to tell it apart from Harby's other offerings: where another pedal might reinterpret or modify a classic circuit, the BMF aims to reproduce the green Sovtek Big Muff as it was2.
Videos
SRGuitar
Pedal of the Day
Eric Merrow
Questions
Is the Harby Pedals BMF true bypass?
Yes. The maker lists a true bypass foot switch on the BMF, and Pedal of the Day's review describes it as having true bypass switching for a pristine original tone when the effect is off. That means the pedal passes your clean signal straight through when it is disengaged, without coloring it.
What power supply does the Harby BMF need?
The BMF operates at 9 volts DC using a standard negative center power supply, so any ordinary 9V DC center negative pedal power supply or daisy chain output will run it. The maker's listing gives the voltage as 9V DC, center negative.
Which Big Muff is the Harby BMF based on?
The BMF is a modern recreation of the green Sovtek Big Muff, specifically the 7B and 7C models. Both the maker's product listing and Pedal of the Day's 2022 review describe it that way. Those green Russian Sovtek Big Muffs come from the mid-1990s Sovtek era.
Is the Harby BMF analog?
Yes. The maker's listing states the circuit type is analog. The BMF is built with components including solid anodized aluminum knobs, Neutrik input and output jacks, and Japanese capacitors and resistors.
Sources (3)
- BMF by Harby Pedals, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Harby Pedals BMF Distortion Sustainer Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2022-11-02
- MINI Fade Font '94, Wren and Cuff
