The Big Hefe Custom Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from Pepers' Pedals, and it is not a regular catalog product: the review that documented it describes it as "a one of a kind pedal made to order", built for the player who reviewed it1. At its heart it is a take on one of the most copied fuzz circuits around, with a few changes that set it apart from a straight copy.
A Big Muff clone with a mid range switch
Reviewer Liam Stevens, writing on Pedal of the Day in March 2018, summed up the circuit plainly: "At its core, it's a clone of a Big Muff"1. On top of that base, the pedal carries a creamy dreamer mod, a modification associated with the Big Muff family that Stevens noted "to top it off"1.
The main departure from the original design sits on the front panel. Stevens described it: "On the front of it there is a switch that shifts the mid range. You can go from the classic notched out mids of the muff"1. In other words, where a standard Big Muff style fuzz scoops the mids, the Big Hefe lets the player move them, from that classic notched sound through flat mids to a pushed, forward mid range.
There is a second switch inside the pedal, and it is the one that opens the Big Hefe up to bass players. Stevens: "Inside he included a switch that bypasses some of the internals and helps retain the bottom end for use on bass"1. That makes the pedal a two-way design: the front switch shapes the mid range for guitar, and the internal one keeps the low end intact when it is placed on a bass board, where it sits alongside other bass pedals.
What reviewers said
The only published review is Liam Stevens' guest review on Pedal of the Day, dated 24 March 20181. Stevens uses the pedal on both bass and guitar, and his verdict on the sound was delivered in character:
"So how does it sound? Like the unrelenting bowels of hell. So basically much like the Big Muff that inspired it really."
On the pedal's overall character, the reviewer was direct: "So how does it sound? Like the unrelenting bowels of hell. So basically much like the Big Muff that inspired it really."1 That places the Big Hefe Custom Fuzz squarely in Big Muff territory by the reviewer's own account, with the maker's description of the circuit pointing the same way.
The Big Hefe Custom Fuzz was built as a one-off to order, not as a regular production run1. Players interested in Pepers' Pedals fuzz designs can read about the Pepers' Pedals Caustic Fuzz, or browse the wider fuzz pedals reference.
Questions
Is the Pepers' Pedals Big Hefe based on a Big Muff?
Yes. Reviewer Liam Stevens, writing for Pedal of the Day in 2018, described the Big Hefe as, at its core, a clone of a Big Muff. On top of that circuit it adds a creamy dreamer mod, a front-mounted mid range switch and an internal switch aimed at bass players, so it goes beyond a straight copy of the original fuzz.
Can the Big Hefe be used with bass?
Yes. Inside the pedal there is a switch that bypasses some of the internals and helps retain the bottom end for use on bass. Liam Stevens, who reviewed it for Pedal of the Day, uses it on both bass and guitar, and said people had come up to him after shows asking to see what pedals he uses.
What does the internal switch on the Big Hefe do?
The internal switch bypasses some of the pedal's internals and helps retain the bottom end, which makes the Big Hefe usable on bass. It is separate from the front mid range switch, which shifts the mids from the classic notched-out Big Muff sound through flat mids to a pushed, forward mid range.
Is the Big Hefe a regular production pedal?
No. The review on Pedal of the Day describes the Big Hefe Custom Fuzz as a one of a kind pedal made to order, built specifically for the reviewer. It is not a pedal you would find as a standard catalog item from Pepers' Pedals.
Sources (2)
- Guest Review: Pepers' Pedals Big Hefe Custom Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2018-03-24
- Pepers' Pedals Big Hefe Custom Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2018-03-14
