This is a text copy of an email written to Mike Matthews by an enthusiastic fan about the Metal Muff with Top Boost he bought. And the personal answer from Mike Matthews.

THE EMAIL

I like my Coffee Black just like my Metal and for YEARS I’ve been looking for a gripping distortion that doesn’t have the horrible high end *screaming bats* sound and has enough balls to shake the room. I tried em all, Metal Zone, Core, Mega Distortion, Blues Distortion, Effects boards, anything and everything and it all sucked.

I bought a Blackstar HT-60 Tube amp (2x12 combo), and the on board clean is amazing and the overdrive channels are good but if it ain’t MESA you arn’t going to get good metal out of the box so after throwin a 10 band EQ in the effects loop I went and looked at some distortion boxes - saw the Metal Muff and knew EHX is good stuff from the tubes I use, went home and popped it in, threw another EQ (simple 6 band pedal) after it (all this is from guitar to amp), Killed the mids, and got the greatest metal tone ever. Thank you, I’ve looked so damn long for this and it is going to help immensely when I get gigging.

Also the freeze pedal - damn that is awesome I’m picking one up next damn pay check.

KEEP IT METAL

Michael

THE ANSWER from Mike Matthews

Michael,

All of us at Electro-Harmonix are very happy to hear you dig your Metal Muff enough to write us about it. 

Cats like you inspire us.

Rock &  Roll,

Mike Matthews, President

Be sure to catch John Frusciante's comments on the English Muff'n in the April 2009 issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine: "The Electro-Harmonix English Muff'n tube fuzz has some really extreme EQ and a big, thick and meaty sound. I used it on the solo for 'Enough Of Me.' I turn the EQ up, but leave my guitar tone knobs down and use either the middle or neck pickup so the original source sound is really dark and plain. If you blast the tone controls on the effect, you get a really thick, beautiful sound that reminds me of an exaggerated Eric Clapton tone in cream, where you have this really smooth fuzz."

In addition to the English Muff'n, John has also toured and recorded with the Micro Synthesizer, Big Muff Pi (both USA and Russian), POG, Metal Muff, HOG, Holy Grail, and Deluxe Electric Mistress. That said, I'm sure you fru-heads are still going to email and tell me what I left out.

A short excerpt from the documentary film "Fuzz: The Sound That Revolutionized The World" in which Electro-Harmonix founder Mike Matthews tells the story of EHX's first product, the LPB-1.

Mike also reveals the origins of "Muff," which we take care to use very sparingly: Bass Big Muff Pi, Big Muff Pi, Big Muff Pi (Russian), Double Muff, English Muff'n, Little Big Muff Pi, Metal Muff, Micro Metal Muff, Muff Overdrive, and Pocket Metal Muff (all featured in our Distortion, Fuzz, Overdrive category).

The clip also features Chris Ross (Wolfmother) and ends with J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) showing off his unbelievable Big Muff Pi collection.