Talking shop about Muff-style fuzz with any guitar player that knows his or her stuff is a relatively straightforward conversation. Aside from the myriad of variants, the talk usually evolves into transistors and who used which variant.

There was a curious time in Muff history, when the circuit designed changed drastically. That time was 1978, when the transistors inside were scrapped in favor of operational amplifiers, otherwise known as op-amps, which are integrated circuits, or ICs. This particular variant was only manufactured for around two years, and as such, only a few thousand ever made it out of NYC alive.

Fast forward to 2014, and the Muff masters at Wren and Cuff have crafted the definitive version of the non-transistorized fuzzbox. They call it the Eye See ‘78.

Apart from the lack of transistors, the Eye See ‘78 features a drastically different clipping section for a monstrously woolly sound, such as the one popularized by Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins on Siamese Dream. As expected, the sound of the Eye See ‘78 is different from a standard Muff circuit. While most vintage muffs are a little “sweeter” sounding, the Eye See ‘78 is certainly crunchier and more ballsy than a standard Muff.

In 1978, a switch was added to the back of the original, and the Eye See ‘78 includes this switch as well. The control is labeled as “Tone Bypass” on both old and new pedals. Essentially, it removes the passive tone stack from the circuit for a volume boost and a significantly more raw and open sound. Of course, this switch renders the tone control useless, but we’re guessing that in this mode, you won’t miss it—this switch is just too cool. 

If you’re looking for a largely-untamed IC-based fuzz and distortion machine, with the ability to adapt to most genres of music under the sun, look no further than the Eye See ‘78

Other Wren and Cuff Eye See ‘78 Features:

• Authentic recreation of the 1978 IC Big Muff®

• Tone Bypass switch

• Smaller Footprint than the original

*Big Muff® is a registered trademark of Electro-harmonix®.

Wren and Cuff is not affiliated with nor endorsed by Electro-harmonix.

*Note, some of the demo vids below feature the first full size version of the Eye See. Although cosmetically different, the circuit is EXACTLY the same.

Specs:

Power: 9VDC neg tip adapter or 9V battery

Current draw: 5mA

Dims: 4.8” x 2.6” x 1.6”

Weight: 9.5 oz