Fulldrive II or Sparkle Drive

[Blaster]

Wondered what everyone liked any why.

I cover many tunes from CW to Classic Rock

[The Snowman]

I sold them both too...right now I'm not using anything in the chain but a cord...but if I were to need overdrive, I'd probably use a Keeley modded BD-2...I did a/b that against both of the mentioned pedals and it did beat them both hands down...remember tho..I am doing bluez and Funk Bro's stuff...so that might make a difference...dunno...later don

[TheGoodTexan]

and I've never quite understood all the hype...

Do they sound good? Sure. And yet the clean mix on the Sparkle Drive is neat if you want that...but neither pedal just blows me away. Basically just expensive Tube Screamers.

I've not owned a Keely modded BD-2, but I have played one, and yes it was really cool.

But if you're asking specifically which one of those two I'd go with, I'd have to say the Sparkle Drive - get most of the same sounds as a FullDrive2, at a lower price. And you'll never miss the "boost" function of the FullDrive2. Nobody ever misses that.

[Tim Bowen]

One thing to keep in mind about the Fulldrive is that the revised '03 model is a different sounding box than previous - in particular, the boost is more pleasing to my ear, & it generally sounds more open. Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive can be dramatically improved by Robert Keeley's mods. Analog Man 808-modded TS-9, Banzai Fireball, Barber Tone Pump, MMFX Tube Dancer, PedalworX Texas Two Step, MJM Blues Devil, Visual Sound Route 66, et al, might be loosely or not so loosely based on the lil' green monster, but all sound & respond as different as night & day in my opinion. Some of these boxes sound like a million bucks through one amp, & like warmed up crap through another. Fulldrive & Sparkle Drive are both cool - the only way to know what's the best fit for you is to play 'em through your amp. Opinions such as mine are so incredibly subjective about the subtle nuances & differences between these somewhat similar items that it's nearly impossible to say what somebody else will like the best.

If you are seeking opinions that you can get some real use out of, with regard to dirtboxes, I respectfully suggest that you always list your choice of amps & guitars. There are times when people on forums ask about a particular box, and I happen to own or have experience with it - but if they state that they play a LP w/ Humbuckers through a Soldano SLO, I won't respond, because my comments won't mean a hill of beans to them. Their gear is too different from mine. If they state that they play Teles & Strats through Voxes & brownface Fenders, well, I'll have a go at it. But it's still only my opinion, & it can't replace what the player's own ears will tell them. Sorry for the dissertation, but this is something I've wanted to say here for quite some time.

[Dono]

Ok, Tim :-) I'll take you up on it :-) TIA.

I play a James Burton Tele, a MIM Strat, and a LP Custom through a Hot Rod Deluxe. I am looking for something better than the on board OD of the HRD. I am contemplating the Fulldrive 2, but also have been intrigued by the Fat Boost and recently interested in the Blues Driver.

My band, Codger (web site coming soon) plays an eclectic mix of tunes anywhere from Beatles to Dwight Youkum to Byrds to Surf, and all in between. My needs are killer clean, which I get from the HRD, an OD/boost for leads played while using the clean setting, then OD/Dist for the appropriate tunes and a boost for the OD/Dist.

I *wish* there was a way to interface a POD into the chain BUT bypass the POD when desiring the HRD clean tones. I love the POD for effects, dist, and such...

Any thoughts?

Dono, freezing his a** off in Frisco, Texas

[Ringo]

I've not owned the "newest" Fulldrive, but I prefer the Barber over the blue Fulldrive II that I did own.
Much more versatile IMO and used you can pick one up for around $80.
No experience with the Sparkle Drive but as mentioned it's just a Tubescreamer clone that you can mix some clean signal in with - which may or may not be a good thing depending on what you are after.
And FWIW I still own an older TS10 Tubescreamer that has been a keeper while LOT's of other OD's have come and gone.

[mechanicdave]

Get the Sparkel Drive and have Keeley mod it. It is dead on to an 808. I have the BD2 with the Keeley mod, and its completly different from the SD, more of an
"amp like" overdrive, crunchy and natural, the SparkelDrive just sings. These two pedals cover any situation for overdrive IMO. Dave

[TheGoodTexan]

A pedal that doesn't get talked about much around here, but I have two of them...the Maxon OD808. An exact replica of the original TS808, from the company that originally made them for Ibanez.

And it's not just a "sonic replica"...it's the same exact circuit. Smaller than an MXR pedal...sounds identical to the original.

[Blaster]

I have a FDII which I do like for some heavy overdrive stuff, but I was wondering if the Sparkle Drive would be a better investment.

Tim - my gear is 3 Teles w/ BFDR and SFVR.

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by Dono

Ok, Tim :-) I'll take you up on it :-) TIA.

My band, Codger (web site coming soon) plays an eclectic mix of tunes anywhere from Beatles to Dwight Youkum to Byrds to Surf, and all in between. My needs are killer clean, which I get from the HRD, an OD/boost for leads played while using the clean setting, then OD/Dist for the appropriate tunes and a boost for the OD/Dist.

Howdy... first off, are you saying you're looking for three separate boxes? Overdrive, distortion, & boost? You might cover most of those needs with two pedals, but not with just one...wouldn't want to start typing a novel if I'm not on the same page with ya... 8^)

Originally Posted by Dono

I play a James Burton Tele, a MIM Strat, and a LP Custom through a Hot Rod Deluxe. I am looking for something better than the on board OD of the HRD. I am contemplating the Fulldrive 2, but also have been intrigued by the Fat Boost and recently interested in the Blues Driver.

No experience with the Blues Driver... Fat Boost is a quality pedal, but has never been my cup of tea with electric guitar rigs, I find it a bit sterile & inorganic, doesn't merge with amp's tone the way I like boosts to do... however I absolutely love it as a lead boost with my acoustic-electric guitar rig.

I think what I'll do is throw out some comments about some of the Tube Screamer-based pedals that I mentioned above, for now, see if that narrows down the field a bit...
BTW, I haven't heard each & every one of these pedals through a Hot Rod... but I've played most of 'em through amps with similar tone stacks & character, so we're at least in the ballpark. Can't speak to the LP Custom, but I play a LP Special w/ P-90's. Mostly Teles & Strats though.


Barber Tone Pump ('03 model)

Differs from most as it is true 2 channel operation, not a stacked gain boost like the Fulldrive. Each channel is independently tweakable as to gain, volume, & tone. However I don't really find it useful as a two function device; the gain saturates quickly, & it doesn't have a lot of output, so the low gain stuff is real limited. However, if you're mostly after a thick, singing "plays like buttah" lead tone, it does that in spades. Offers compressed & non-compressed operation in one of the channels, but there is very little difference between the two to me, as there is just inherent compression in the unit itself. Great lead box. The TP has recently been updated by David Barber, so we might be talking about a different animal now...

Menatone Red Snapper -

This is a killer box, but it won't be with your amp. Menatones have output to spare, & the gain taper is fairly gradual & smooth, but the tone control goes from bright, to bright as hell. Icepicky with a bright, spanky amp, but wonderful with a darker sounding amp. Actually it reminds me a bit of the Klon, & it's one of the few in this roundup that I'd choose for pure clean boost duties in addition to OD.

Banzai Fireball (I) -

Same format as Fulldrive; stacked gain boost, compressed & non-compressed modes. I'm not sure why, but this one really doesn't play that well with typical bright Fender amps either, sounds sort of brash... can't put my finger on it, it's not really an EQ thing... sounds great with Dr. Z Maz 38 or Vox AC30 though - nice searing lead tone that cuts well with nice string to string balance. Lower gain tones are unremarkable & there's a very narrow window for lower gain tonal shades. Banzai pedals have a certain sheen that sits on top of your base tone, hard to describe... This pedal has also been updated, there's a "II" now...

Fulltone Fulldrive II ('03 model) -

The standard by which others are judged, & with good reason in my opinion. I think one reason these are so popular is that they're really smooth, in many different respects. The gain taper on the base channel reacts smooth & predictably. The tone is not overly complex, so it can handle several different ranges of gain pretty well. There is ample output. For these reasons, it's probably my fave of the bunch for chord work & fills, throughout its low to medium gain range. The compressed vs. non-compressed modes are both useful, depending on what your amp is doing. It's not my fave lead box of the bunch, but it does it well enough, & is my hands down fave for versatility. Plus, it's over-engineered to accept 18V operation, which opens it up a bit more & allows additional headroom.

Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive -

The stock version sounds a bit grainy & gritty, but as noted above, the Keeley mods smooth it out considerably. This thing kills for stinging blues leads & low gain arpeggiated stuff. The clean boosted thing really does pack some extra whallop, detail, & clarity into the notes. I don't like it as much as the Fulldrive with big jangly chords. Interesting to note is that people rarely mention an aspect of this pedal that was initially one of its biggest marketing strategies - namely, the emulation of running a clean & dirty amp in tandem. You can sort of hear the separation between the two tones with an amp that has tons of headroom. But with a lower wattage amp that's compressing, the stacked clean boost only adds some punch to the notes; the fake dual amp emulation thing is lost. Cool pedal, every stompbox freakazoid should own one of these bad boyz.

MMFX Tube Dancer -

It's been about a year since I played this one, so I don't remember all the particulars. Stacked gain boost w/ two switches like some of the others. The clean boost is outstanding - very distinctive, unlike anything else I've heard. It'd be a tossup between this & the Menatone Red Snapper in that respect. Output to spare here. The gain does saturate fairly quickly, & higher gain tones are quirky - it very much reminds me of overdriving the preamps on a high quality mixing console - whether that's a tone you dig is of course highly subjective... I had trouble getting a higher gain tone that complemented the low gain thing. Buttttt... if low to medium gain blues sting is your bag, this here's the one.

PedalworX Texas Two Step -

This is one of my alltime fave pedals. I've never played a Landgraff OD (& at nearly 400 bucks a pop, probably never will), but there are some similarities in format. There's a toggle switch that allows three different levels of compression (via diodes & LED's, I think is the deal). This unit retains bass better than most. It has a separate mid boost switch - with it out of the circuit, rhythms sound nice & open; kick it in, & leads cut the mix better without a significant gain or volume boost. I find the mids boost particularly useful with a tele bridge p'up. So you can dial in the most compressed mode, kick the mids boost, & have a tone that feels & responds much like a Tube Screamer, but with significantly more output - or not. Pick your poison. The tone is probably the most detailed & complex of the bunch. First of all, there's a bit of hair that sits on top of your base tone... it likes an amp that's power tubes are working a bit; but it will merge with a higher headroom amp by dialing in more compression via the toggle. Secondly, the initial attack has a slight bloom to the note - so you're greeted by a tone that initially just feels really good - but then it evens out into a tone that really cuts. Hard to describe, but it's incredible for single note playing. There's tons of available gain - if your amp is at verge of breakup, this pedal is at verge of feedback with its gain at about 11:00 -12:00, but in a very controllable way. String to string definition is awesome all over the fretboard. The low gain tones are really nice. But due to the complex nature of the tone, chords begin to get a bit splatty at medium crunch. This pedal is voiced slightly toward the darker side.

MJM Blues Devil -

Like the Texas Two Step (TTS), this pedal has a slight note bloom that's fairly addictive for blues wanking, but lacks the detail of the TTS. Somewhat bright, lots of compression, moderate output. Great lead box, but a bit one dimensional. Too compressed to be a real contender in the lower gain department. Construction on early models was suspect, but this has since been rectified by the designer.

Vox Valvetone - Didn't do much for me with my traditional output single coils & my amps... I found it a bit nasal & honky. But I have some online buddies with big ears that swear by this pedal with humbuckers.

Analog Man 808-modded TS-9 -

Sounds darn close to the original lil' green monster. What can you say, the TS is a classic that's earned its spot in the Hall Of Fame. Any decent player can insert one of these between a decent amp & a decent guitar & sound like a million bucks. But at the end of the day, I would choose most of the others here. Output is too low to really give the front end of an amp a good push, & lower gain tones are congested. Nice lead tone & it works well bumping up a Rat pedal at low-medium gain. Still sorta honky sounding though in its original state.

On the stomps that offer compression options - I use the 'opposites attract' theory - add comp for amps with bunches of headroom, take it out for lower wattage amps that are compressing.

Said I wasn't going to type a novel but I suppose I lied. Anyway, these are just my opinions based on the way I hear things. As they say, your mileage may vary, yadda yadda, blah blah... <|8^/

Originally Posted by Dono

I *wish* there was a way to interface a POD into the chain BUT bypass the POD when desiring the HRD clean tones. I love the POD for effects, dist, and such...

"Open the POD doors, HAL."

Originally Posted by Dono

Any thoughts?

Dono, freezing his a** off in Frisco, Texas

Sure, I have a thought... my butt ain't exactly warm & toasty at the moment here in Georgia...

[Tim Bowen]

Hi Blaster, hopefully you can find something of use in my reply to Dono (or in the other folks' comments). But if you have any questions, throw 'em out - if I can't answer, I'm sure some of our fellow freakazoids will be happy to oblige...

[porklash]

When everybody is talking bout a lot of other boxes than the ones you questioned bout, I just gotta say:
BJF Little Green Wonder!

Probably ridiculous expensive in the states but: My kind of overdrive!

pEr

[Roel from Holland]

Originally Posted by porklash

BJF Little Green Wonder!

Probably ridiculous expensive in the states but: My kind of overdrive!

pEr

They are actually not that expensive in the US....they're cheaper than in Europe....strange but true.

[Dono]

I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my inquiry. I went over to my local GC yesterday at lunch to do some test driving. Actually, of the pedals I tested, inc. the Fulltone 2, I *think* that the Blues Driver may be more of what I'm looking for. I liked the Fulltone, but at 1/3 the cost the BD-2 did pretty much what I wanted it to do.

I am going to check out the Barber pedal, somehow, someway...

Thanks again. It's warmer here in Texas today so it will be warmer there in a few days too :-)

Dono

[Roel from Holland]

The BD2 is a great pedal. I have the Keeley-modded version which I ue as a not-so-clean boost.

[steve s]

I *wish* there was a way to interface a POD into the chain BUT bypass the POD when desiring the HRD clean tones. I love the POD for effects, dist, and such...

I don't know about the POD 2.0, but I have the XT and it has bypass and it actually is pretty clean. that's what I'm using it (the pod) for mostly and adding in the great effects the XT has. Now I'm looking for a overdrive stomp as the ones in the XT don't quite cut it. I do like the Matchless amp and use the gain to dirty it up. I have had some success in getting a particular amp sim to sound like my tube amp.....which is cool cause then I can have more EQ control for copied patches from it.
But the "Stomp" overdrive options "screamer & classic" don't have a ton of variation to me.....or maybe they are just not what I want to hear!!

sorry if this is a bit OT

[Dono]

To the best of my knowledge the POD 2.0 DOES not have bypass, not that I have seen referenced anywhere or experienced. In fact, the recommendation on their web site for this issue is to run your amp into the tube preamp model :-)

Now on another topic, but closely related, I think, is this. Having never heard a Barber Direct Drive, doesn't it *do* about the same thing as the BD-2? Would the transparency issue be a *big* factor? After all, they are fairly close in price.

[The Snowman]

in my experience, when I was using pedals...the Barber didn't let the natural cut of the strings come thru as well as the BD-2...I have a Keeley modded version and it has a very natural sound to it...it also lets you really hear the strings and dynamics that you are playing...all the other ones out there, seemed to muddy up the attack and natural dynamics...just my opinion but thta's the way my ears hear it...later...don

[eryque]

For whatever it's worth, I was pretty disappointed with the Keeley BD-2. I tried hard to get a good sound out of it, but the transistor fizzy harshness is there, particularly for single-notes that sustain longer than half a second. If you play fast you won't notice, if you play only double-stops it might not bother you, but if you hit one note and bend it and hold it like I often do, you'll get a healthy dose of staticy awfulness on top of that note.

I finally settled on a Reverend Drivetrain, which sounds awfully similar but not nearly has fizzy staticy harsh. Still doesn't quite sound exactly like a cranked tweed Bassman, but it gets a lot closer. As long as I don't turn the gain up too high it's very organic-sounding.

[Tim Bowen]

You're welcome Dono, best of luck with your rig!