EHX/Sovtek Big Muff Pi Bubble Font #1
ID: 775
Price: $650
Shipping: TBD
Dimensions: 12x9x6
Weight: 5 lb 2 oz
Excellent, near mint condition with some fine scratches. Includes wooden box, as pictured. It's rare to find one in this condition.
These pedals have a big reputation for their heavy construction. It is true you could probably drive over one and not do much damage to the metal case. They are definitely thick and heavy. But a lot of cheap parts were also used, and not used in a very good way. The jacks are often plastic and soldered directly onto the board. Plastic jacks will often either break, or break contact with the board. The paint jobs were pretty bad. And that big silver stomp switch is not nearly as good as it looks. The switches have metal and plastic parts that are designed to touch each other. The plastic will eventually wear down from the metal rubbing on it. Then the switch starts sticking or won't switch. Half or more of these old Sovteks pedals I've seen had one or more of those problems. You can expect those problems in the future, maybe one stomp away or another 10,000 stomps away - just sayin'. Regardless, these are great pedals, still among my favorites, but as they age, they may need some cosmetic attention, like new jacks, knobs, or footswitches.
I've repaired some of the footswitches in the past (actually just extended their lifespan a little bit), but those switches are still near or well past their intended lifespan in pretty much all of the old Sovtek pedals. I have two of these Sovtek Bubble Fonts for sale, and I know I repaired the switch on one of them, but I don't remember if it was this one or the other one. Whichever it is, it works fine after the repair but will likely need to be replaced someday.
I don't mean to be alarmist. Most of those problems will be intermittent first, giving you some warning time. If you plan to gig with these pedals or play them regularly, it might be good to have a backup on hand. I wouldn't recommend gigging with any pedal that old and valuable. When you pay this much for an old pedal, you should also be told what you should expect in the future. Knowledge passed along, end of message.
