Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Olinthus targets the Big Muff format with its new dinky Earwig Fuzz
Key Points
Olinthus’s new Earwig is a dinky, compact take on the ‘69 Big Muff (the Triangle variant). It follows the same tiny-format philosophy as the Cicada Tube Screamer: identical three-knob topology, this time labelled Level, Tone and Sustain, and it uses a TRRS cable (included) for wiring.
At just 30 × 45 mm, the Earwig is smaller than most pedals and feels like a novelty in the best way — neat build, excellent packaging (it even comes in a metal tin), and an overall quality ownership experience. It’s priced at $99 on the Olinthus webstore, which makes it very affordable for what it is.
A couple of practical notes: volume has been a recurring concern with other mini Big Muff-style pedals, including the Cicada and several Mini Muffs I’ve tried, which tend not to get as loud as compact or mid-sized versions. The Earwig may share that limitation. The enclosure is robust, but the footswitch’s click area is a narrow strip, so I’d hesitate to recommend it for the rigours of touring boards; it’s better suited to tabletop setups or pedal displays.
Sound-wise it’s fully functional and sounds decent for its size. I personally gravitate toward more expanded circuit takes, so this won’t become a daily board staple for me, but I appreciate the tiny format and will likely pick one up eventually. There’s also a strong novelty/collector appeal — I can picture a display case of Olinthus Teeny Tiny pedals covering many classic 3-knob circuits.
Overall: a charming, well-made miniature Big Muff that offers good value and a fun alternative to standard-sized pedals, especially for collectors and tabletop use. I’m curious to see what Olinthus does next.
Content category: Fuzz (Big Muff style fuzz)
So following on from the Cicada Tube Screamer - we now have he Earwig Teeny Tiny Take on the ’69 Big Muff - otherwise known as the Triangle variety.
Its the exact same format as the Cicada - same topology of 3 knobs - albeit they are Level, Tone, and Sustain this time around - and you need to deploy the TRRS Cable (included) to be able to wire the pedal up.
Just 30 x 45mm - a fraction of pretty much every pedal.
I quite liked the Cicada - but it could have done with more volume. And I have several Mini Muff pedals - which also don’t seem to go as loud as their compact or mid-size equivalents.
So that remains a concern for me here. I do already own around 114/15 Big Muff Pedals - so I don’t really need another - but I do really like his tiny format - and will probably get one anyway - while it will be unlikely to be this month.
This is priced at the same affordable $99 and makes for pretty decent value - obviously available on the Olinthus Webstore. The whole ownership experience is a quality affair as the pedal comes in a cool metal din - excellent packaging.
These are probably more suited to table-top environments versus being on a touring board. It’s a robust design - but he click area is a narrow strip - so it is unlikely to stand the rigours of a touring board. It’s still a wonderful thing that this pedal exists. It’s fully functional of course - and sounds pretty decent - but there is a novelty angle to it too - I can see some sort of of display case in the future to house a whole number of Olinthus Pedals - pretty much any sort of pedal which works with a maximum 3 knob topology. I’m not sure they can fit in a 4th - while if rolling out a Chorus they can get away with just 2.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Olinthus comes up with next - while these won’t get much of a rotation on the board. Although the Cicada was on there for a few months - but used very sparingly. I typically favour more expanded takes on these circuits - but these Teeny Tinys have a good amount of appeal to them too!
Demos
