This Balloon Bass + Green Big Muff improvisation is a great example of how unusual materials can be great sources for sound design – and a reminder to consider the musical potential of everything.

via balloonbass:

I have tried about 20 different distortion pedals with the Balloon Bass and I think my favorite is the old green Russian Sovtek Big Muff. It lets the natural sound of the balloon through, totally keeping the low end, and adds a kind of sweet, dark crunchiness. Here is a quick lil improv. If you find one of these old pedals, definitely pick it up!

Some more info on this pedal, from pedalarea.com:

“When Electro Harmonix went bankrupt in the USA in 1984, there was a time of silence in the EH effects pedals production, until in around 1990 Mike Matthews ramped up a new production line, this time in Russia, where the ongoing conversion from military economy to consumer economy well facilitated his business. The units produced in Russia were slightly larger than their USA counterparts and were labelled as EH/Sovtek (Sovtek was a brand name Mike Matthews came up with for the tube production line he started in Russia, which today is one of the largest tube suppliers in the world).”