Any love here for the Fulldrive II Mosfet?

[slap dat]

I purchased a Fulltone Fulldrive II Mosfet today on the advice of a much respected player/friend and I am quite simply blown away. In 30+ years of playing, this is the best overdrive tone I have found.

Any love (or otherwise) for it here at TDPRI?

[Just-Jim]

I think a lot of people here would agree that the Fulldrive is a great pedal. I had one but no longer do, but not because it was not any good. I just wanted something different. Many people feel it's best OD out there. I am awaiting my Timmy and curious to see how it matches up with the Fulldrive.

[pinkfreud]

I am very happy with the sounds of this pedal.

The only thing I still find puzzling is the boost switch which doesn't make any difference in that direction. So you still need to use another pedal as a booster.

If this pedal would have been the size of a standard BOSS pedal it would have been perfect.

[phblues]

Love it, i have the Anniv Edition in Red. Really great sound, it just ROCKS!

I have the OCD as well, between the two i'm always satisfied and am constantly tweaking and playing with them.

Congrats on a great buy!

[pinkfreud]

Originally Posted by phblues

I have the OCD as well, between the two i'm always satisfied and am constantly tweaking and playing with them.

Hey phblues,

How is the Fulldrive working together with the OCD?
I'm thinking to buy an OCD to use it as a pedal for solos.

[Jay Isler]

I like mine but I primarily use it with just a touch of gain to boost my MPH 72 degrees and Marshall Blues Breaker.

[Cooper Black]

NC, United States 03/21/2012 8:20 A.M. Out For Delivery

[ruger9]

The FD2 PRE-mosfet is my favorite OD of all-time. Didn't get on with the mosfet version, it's quite a bit brighter than the pre-mosfet, too bright for me. (still a very good OD).

[Steve McGinnis]

Originally Posted by pinkfreud

I am very happy with the sounds of this pedal.

The only thing I still find puzzling is the boost switch which doesn't make any difference in that direction. So you still need to use another pedal as a booster.

If this pedal would have been the size of a standard BOSS pedal it would have been perfect.

The boost switch certainly boosts on mine. What do you mean it doesn't make any difference? You are aware that the boost only works when the overdrive is on aren't you?

[Teleworshipkid]

Originally Posted by ruger9

The FD2 PRE-mosfet is my favorite OD of all-time. Didn't get on with the mosfet version, it's quite a bit brighter than the pre-mosfet, too bright for me. (still a very good OD).

I have an FM Push-Pull and I actually find it too dark. I love the clipping, just not the EQ-ing. So I'm probably going to make the switch to MOSFET soon.

[ruger9]

Originally Posted by Teleworshipkid

I have an FM Push-Pull and I actually find it too dark. I love the clipping, just not the EQ-ing. So I'm probably going to make the switch to MOSFET soon.

You'll probably love it!

[e44crowe]

I love my fulldrive2 MOSFET. I use it with the mosfet switched on and the other switch in vintage mode most often. The boost isnt much but it definitely does just what it says. I will typically have the boost set pretty far over clockwise and will use it when I'm playing an already crunchy part and the next part needs just a bit more oomph. The boost is not like a whole other gain stage, it is just a bit more what ya already have. Great pedal that plays well with both humbuckers and single coils.

[Cooper Black]

Originally Posted by pinkfreud

The only thing I still find puzzling is the boost switch which doesn't make any difference in that direction. So you still need to use another pedal as a booster.

I just has to do with where the BOOST section is placed inside the FD2. It comes before the main OD section, so it pushes into the OD, creating more volume and more dirt.

If it were after the OD section it would add volume, but not any more dirt--which really could be great for pushing your amp into its own OD, but the FD2 doesn't work that way.

The catch is, you really can't push the OD any further than it already goes at 12:00 on the DRIVE dial. If you have dimed the DRIVE, the BOOST is effectively negated because it simply has nowhere to go.

* * *

Per the current TDPRI protocol, I have nothing more to say until my cooling-off period has expired.

[Jakedog]

Love the FDII Mosfet. Some say it's too bright, I never found that to be the case, even with bright amps, and I don't really like bright tones.

I find the original FDII to be a little muddy by compasrison. I think the Mosfet is "cleaner" sounding for lack of a better word. Better note definition and clarity. But not bright. It certainly can be, if you set it up that way, but it doesn't have to be unless you want it to.

The boost, is a gain boost, not a volume boost. I like it.

I run mine in line with some other boxes, so I have several cascaded gain stages to use alone, or in combination with one another.

First in line I have a BBE Boosta Grande clean boost. Then the FDII Mosfet, then an OCD. The different combos available are fantastic.

I bought my FDII Mosfet about four or five years ago. I liked it ok, but it didn't really knock me out, so I sold it to a friend. He never used it. I went through a butt load of OD pedals trying to find the "right" one for me. Eventually, I bought back my FDIIM, thinking I'd try it again. I loved it from the word go, and haven't looked back in almost two years now. DOn't know why i wasn't totally tickled with it the first time out, but ever since I got it back, it's been teenaged, weak in the knees, stars in my eyes, love love love. I'm not sure I could live without it.

[paulvcarter]

Yes I love mine.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Cooper Black

It just has to do with where the BOOST section is placed inside the FD2. It comes before the main OD section, so it pushes into the OD, creating more volume and more dirt.

The boost function in the FD isn't really a boost at all.

It does not come before the main OD section.

The FD is merely a tweaked TS/SD-1 - there is only one OD section.

All that the boost function is with the FD is a second switchable drive/gain control - it simply toggles between a setting of more or less overdrive.

For a slick low tech "boost" function, a combination of different clipping diodes that compress/limit the signal less would have worked better IMO, but then you have these issues of the mosFET version being too bright, original blue being too muddy, etc.

...Because that is ALL that the mosFET function is - a different combination of clipping diodes that gives a bigger threshold before clipping occurs (what is called the "forward voltage" of the diodes before they start affecting the signal). The transistors IOW aren't even used as transistors (mosFET's have internal "body diodes").

Something that is similar to the mosFET setting is any TS that has a switch that lets you select LED clipping diodes - you get a huge boost because those diodes compress and limit so much less. The mosFETs and other diodes in the FDII have a "threshold" that is somewhere in between the one that the "old blue" had, and what a pair of LED's has.

Don't get me wrong - the FDII is a cool pedal, but the boost and mosFET settings are really misunderstood by a lot of users. This isn't the user's fault, because their description is either misleading or doesn't describe anything definitive at all. What is a "mosFET mode" supposed to mean, seriously? I suppose there could be a "germanium mode."

[ruger9]

Originally Posted by Jakedog

Love the FDII Mosfet. Some say it's too bright, I never found that to be the case, even with bright amps, and I don't really like bright tones.

I find the original FDII to be a little muddy by compasrison. I think the Mosfet is "cleaner" sounding for lack of a better word. Better note definition and clarity. But not bright. It certainly can be, if you set it up that way, but it doesn't have to be unless you want it to.

it.

I'm not saying it's TOO bright, just quite a bit brighter than the pre-mosfet version, making it too bright FOR ME.

[Cooper Black]

I've been playing around with the BOOST vs OVERDRIVE lately and have noticed something cool (I think).

When I'm using my volume knob to control gain, the BOOST allows me to "boost" into overdriven-tone-range even when I'm rolled back pretty far on the volume knob.

That is ... if I've already rolled back into clean-tone-range using my volume knob, with OVERDRIVE engaged, I can move from there into overdriven tones at the same volume-knob spot by hitting the BOOST.

It sounds thicker and better to my ear than if I had simply rolled up the volume knob, or set my initial gain higher on the OVERDRIVE channel and rolled back from there.

So, even as just another gain control, it does seem to allow me to reach new tonal areas.

I'd love to hear any "why" explanations for the tone changes I'm hearing.

Cool pedal.