Electro-Harmonix Introduces the Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi and the Nano Battalion Bass Preamp Pedals
Electro-Harmonix announced a handful of new pedals this week including two of note for bassists: the Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi and the Nano Battalion. The first is a combination of their classic fuzz circuits while the latter is a miniature version of their bass preamp and overdrive.
The Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi houses the Civil War and Green Russian Big Muff in one unit with the enhanced tone controls of the Deluxe Big Muff. “The Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff delivers the devastating low end, crisp highs and non-scooped mids players love in the Civil War and Tall Font Green Russian with the powerful sound shaping control of our Deluxe Big Muff,” EHX founder Mike Matthews says.
It has a parametric Mids EQ section with a selectable center frequency from 310Hz to 5.0kHz, a level control with up to 10dB of boost or cut, and a high/low Q switch for setting the bandwidth. The mids section has a dedicated footswitch for quickly kicking it into effect. Among other controls is a Blend control, which EHX notes enables bass players to retain low end. A Wicker switch adds high-frequency bandwidth for more attack.
The Battalion Bass Preamp was introduced last year, and this year the Nano Battalion brings the pedal’s main features to a smaller unit. It includes a MOSFET drive circuit and a three-band EQ with a that determines where the EQ is applied.
“In Distortion Mode the EQ comes after the distorted signal and has a powerful effect on its timbre while the clean signal is not affected,” the company writes. “In Input Mode, the EQ comes first in the signal path affecting both the clean and distorted signals. Boosting frequencies in this mode can drive the distortion to a more saturated state. In Dry Mode, the EQ affects the clean signal, but not the distorted signal.”
The pedal’s output jack is also rigged to work as normal or as a balanced signal when a TRS cable is used, letting you send it directly to a mixing console or recording interface.
The Electro-Harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi and Nano Battalion will be available soon with price points of $149 and $117.50, respectively.
Electro-Harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi Pedal Features:
| A fully integrated pedal that combines the “Civil War” / “Tall Font” Green Russian Big Muffs plus the Deluxe Big Muff Pi |
| Foot-switchable MIDS EQ section that delivers extensive sound shaping control |
| High Q / Low Q switch |
| Wicker switch to open up high frequency bandwidth |
| Noise Gate |
| Expression pedal input |
| True Bypass |
| Equipped with a 9Volt battery, accepts an optional EHX 9.6DC200mA power supply |
Electro-Harmonix Nano Battalion Preamp Features:
| All analog circuit with MOSFET drive for great tone and variation |
| Three-band EQ and three EQ position modes for maximum sound shaping control and flexibility |
| Great for active or passive, pickup-equipped basses |
| ¼ inch output provides an unbalanced output with a TS cable or a balanced signal with a TRS cable to right into a mixing console or recording interface |
| Comes with an EHX9.6DC-200 PSU |
