- Published: 15 July 2024 15 July 2024
Hello, Effects Fans!
Time for a twofer! Today we announce two new configurations of our Pi module, the P1 Pi and the Corn Pi.
The P1 Pi compares to the Pete Cornish P-1 Fuzz. This circuit is a version of the Big Muff Pi circuit, with Pete Cornish's tweaks and his famous input buffering. You'll know it is in the Big Muff family from its Volume, Tone, and Sustain controls, along with the type of fuzz it produces. The P-1 was the pedal version of a custom Ram's Head Big Muff that Mr Cornish built for David Gilmour back in the mid 70's. Back then it was called the Custom Fuzz or Cornish Fuzz, and it was one of the earlier Big Muff Pi derivatives of its time. It was built into Gilmour's custom pedal board for the Animals tour. There are no clean sounds to be found here, even if you roll back your guitar volume. It's a fuzz pedal, for goodness sake! There's loads of Volume and with the Sustain up you'll have as much feedback as you can manage. The Tone goes from blanket-over-the-amp wooly to bright enough to cut through your band mix. Maybe a touch more mids and a hair less bass than the usual Ram's Head versions you might find. The string and note clarity are better than some Big Muff variants. Sustain forever, if you can keep it under control and you know what to do with that feedback!
The Corn Pi compares to the Pete Cornish P-2 Fuzz, another Big Muff Pi derivative designed for David Gilmour. It was originally known as the Precision Fuzz and was used when Gilmour toured in '88. It was also picked out as a favorite by Lou Reed around that same time. Instead of the normal mids scoop sound, the P-2 has a flatter midrange response, which is a very popular mod for Big Muff derivatives to help them cut through a full band mix. While Gilmour tone aficionados know that Gilmour's fuzz tone has evolved over time, the P-1 and P-2 are more similar than different, setting aside the flatter mids response of the P-2. In addition to more mids, the P-2 may have a bit more bass available, but with an overall brighter tone.
As with the originals, our P1 Pi and Corn Pi modules are similar, yet different in the ways mentioned above. Of the two, the Corn Pi seems to always be fuzzier. The Sustain control does adjust the gain/fuzz, but an equally noticeable side effect is a change in the Tone. The Sustain and Tone controls will probably need to be adjusted together. Outside the context of chasing Gilmour tones, we prefer the P1 by a slight edge for general Big Muff style fuzz tones. That is mostly because the Sustain behaves more like other Big Muff Sustain controls and is less interactive with the overall Tone setting. Gilmour has used both versions of the circuit, so you can't go too far wrong either way!
Check them out at: Pi or look for the Pi module under Products -> Modules -> Modules By Type at www.gerlttechnologies.com.