The Tech 21 Character Plus Series aims to combine a vintage amp with one classic overdrive/fuzz/booster circuit, essentially giving two pedals in one chassis. The English Muffy pairs Hiwatt sounds with a Big Muff-type circuit, offering the brashness of a venerable British amp with a definitive New York City fuzzbox. You also get SansAmp speaker emulation to plug directly into an amp, a mixer, or recording interface – and monster cabinet sounds with no fussing.

The layout on the pocket-sized English Muffy is straightforward: two channels with individual Volume, Character, and Drive controls, and three-band EQ. Along the bottom are three knobs for the Muff – Level, Tone, and Sustain.

The English Muffy works great on guitar (think aggressive Townshend and Gilmour tones) and bass (think fierce Entwistle and Rutherford tones). On its own, the Hiwatt emulations provide lots of punch and stellar fidelity for recording, while the Muff section is a secret weapon, delivering an accurate effect that captures the maelstrom of fuzzy chaos that changed the world.

As usual, Tech 21 excels at putting the ingredients together in a small, affordable box, making the English Muffy somewhat irresistible for tone-craving guitarists and bassists. Stomp one.

This article originally appeared in VG’s May 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.