Fulltone....Who uses them? Good, Bad, Ugly??? Thoughts?

[BLACKCAT69]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fulltone-Fulldri...QQcmdZViewItem

What do you think of this one? An older thread seemed to give the Fulltone OCD the thumbs up for many reasons.

[cvansickle]

I love my Clyde wah. Excellent pedal.

[jonkay1]

I love my Fultone Overdrive II. One of the best on the market. Great for soloing if you want your guitar to still sound like a guitar and not like a chainsaw.

[Kingtone]

I've got a 70s fuzz, amazing tone and top quality build.
Very, very nice....

[TimTheEnchanter]

I use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2. Went through almost every OD imaginable before I found that one. I got the blue one with the three way switch. It works out good for the band I'm playing in, I can go clean to heavily overdriven merely by playing with the volume knob on my nashville tele so this pedal's working out well for me.

[crawdad]

You missed a good one (unless you won the auction). I have one from the same year and have been using it ever since. You are right about the older ones sounding better, IMO. A friend of mine bought a new one and it didn't perform as well as mine, especially with the boost engaged. I don't know if Mike Fuller changed the circuit or if my friend got a slightly defective unit.

Don't get me wrong. Even the new one was pretty nice but it was real different from my 2000 model.

[Tim Bowen]

Like him or not, Mike Fuller totally Godfathered the "boutique" stompbox thing, more than anybody else. Some of his designs have been reasonably proprietary, but most have been "improvements" on tried and true classic circuit designs. His work is more or less bomb-proof, and in many cases, offers increased fidelity and range of options over the circuits upon which they were based.

None of Fuller's boxes are currently first call for me, but I would gig (and have) with any of them, in a heartbeat. I've owned and used: '69 and SoulBender fuzzes, Fat-Boost, Clyde wah, Distortion Pro, Choralflange, various Fulldrives, Supa-Trem.

Currently still have and use the Supa-Trem, and an '03 Fulldrive (the one with the three way toggle for comp-cut, flat mids, and "vintage" [TS-808], I think it is). I like the format of the '03 FDII, although I haven't gigged it in probably a year. Nonetheless, it's a keeper. The minimalist front guy in my pop band is currently using that ped with his blackfaced 70's Super and a Tele; he adores it, and is now a bit smitten with the possibilities of stomps. God help him.

As for the FDII that is pictured in the link: I've owned three from that time frame. They all sounded quite subtly different, which is not at all unusual for hand-built stomps. The guts were covered in goop, but I'm not really one to analyze circuits in the mad scientist way. I like the '03 model better than any of those from that era that I owned. I've not played the new "Mosfet" model.

I'm among the few guys on the planet that's never played an OCD. It probably sounds really great, but the descriptions that I've read in various reviews just didn't appeal to me, as for my needs. I'm totally afraid to play the TTE tape echo. Tape maintenance and "sweetened base tone" are among the last things that I care to deal with, and I've way too much money invested in delays as it is. If I ever heard one, I'm certain that I'd have to have one. So I just ignore them.

[Smokin' Joe Picante]

I'd have to agree with a lot of what Tim said. I own an OCD, a '70 fuzz, and most recently picked up a Fatboost. Bombproof construction, well thought out features, and they all seem to perform exactly as they're advertised to.

Although they sound fine with a power supply, the OCD and '70 have noticeably different shades of tone in them running on batteries. The '70 in particular is a bit fatter running on battery power.

Tim pointed out how (for better or worse) Mike Fuller pretty much gave birth to the full on "boutique" pedal market. I don't know Mike personally, but I wish a few more guys would take some cues from the way he's set thing up business wise. Oustide of the Tube Tape Echo, (which seems like a pretty labor intensive piece to build) his wait times are completely reasonable and he's still putting out a reliable product at market price.

I'd love to get an Analogman Bi-Chorus, but I'd like to see it this year (I've heard that the wait is really long on those, but I've got to e-mail them to confirm that), so I'm looking really hard at the Fulltone Chorlaflange as another option. I've heard nothing but good things about both pieces. Tim what do/did you think of your Choralflange?

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Joe Picante

Tim what do/did you think of your Choralflange?

Joe,

It's a deep box. Gets pretty close to the fidelity of a TC Electronic SCF; does good fake Leslie tones; goes beyond most boxes of the sort, in that it actually does convincing doubling; the flanging is not as trippy as ADA or MXR, or as shimmery as EH, but it's very good nonetheless. I sort of found it to be a 'modulation's greatest hits box', but with an analog integrity, no digital facsimilies here.

The parameters are intuitive, but if I had a beef for live use, it was that I couldn't dial in as quickly as needed. Not so much a matter of "option anxiety", as it was that the controls are highly interactive and a bit sensitive (to their credit).

My other thing about chorus boxes is that I can't decide whether I love them or hate them... this has been going on for about 25 years now (!). I want thick & gooey, but I also want supreme fidelity in the highs, and exceptional headroom. I owned an early Choralflange, and found it to be a bit congested and mids-heavy for my taste. However, I understand that recent units offer more headroom, which might possibly negate said beef. I also owned an Analog Man Clone chorus, and currently use some of Mike P's products, and couldn't be happier with them. The AM chorus is based upon the EH (as used by Cobain, others); very watery, shimmery. The fake Leslie tones have a more trem-like pulse than a chewy, rotary sort of vibe, but they're very deep and effective in their own right. For slow rate chorus tones, the EH circuit is a a bit too flangey and metallic sounding for these ears.

Having been through a slew, I've hung onto an Arion Fat Chorus, the TC SCF (which has absolutely horrible flange, by the way), and a Retro-Sonic Chorus Ensemble. If forced at gunpoint to choose only one, I'd go with the Retro-Sonic. I've commented on this box here before, but it's basically a CE-1 circuit minus the noise and bypass issues, and in a smaller, Hammond box format. I don't engage this tone very often, but I absolutely love this box. In fact, even laymen regularly comment on it - "wow man, how did you make your guitar sound like an organ?!" Since this past Friday, I've gigged the Retro chorus with three different bands - a blues/jazz thing, my pop rock band, and my alt.country meets R&B band. I can't play that box without somebody commenting on how cool it sounds, musicians and laymen alike. Highly recommended.

[johnnykf]

Have an older one from 1998, blue with white knobs, no toggle switches, and a new Mosfet version. The older one has a more pronounced mid hump which works great with certain amps like an old Music Man I have.

The Mosfet is definitely more transparent and versatile, that one sounds great with my old Princeton. The overdrive is a bit more grainy, but in a very cool way, than the older one. It's often a coin toss which one I turn on.

A couple years back I had a footswitch go on my older one. I sent it back to them to have it fixed, they only charged me shipping even though it was out of warranty. I guess they make their own switches now which are next to bulletproof, not that the old ones were bad.

Earlier this year I pulled on the battery hookup by accident and broke the solder joint on the older one. They fixed it for $25.00 including shipping, got it back pretty quick. Theres a guy names Tsuguto who takes care of the service issues, is great to deal with.

[Jackie Treehorn]

The FD2 is tried and true in a band context, but never liked it for playing alone. Just something about the way it sits in a mix. Mine is from 98.

[nichol]

I've got a '69, and love it. I play in a (pretty straight) country band, and it's on all the time. It cleans up amazingly well with your guitar's volume knob. It's an incredibly sophisticated and "grown-up" pedal.

[kenoflife]

I went through a lot lately to replace the FD2 (1998 w/ FM) on my setup.
Thanks in great measure to good advice on this board and others (thanks Tim!) I changed over to a non-TS approach, using a Timmy and either/both a RC Booster and Bad Bob - using the volume on my guitar to control the gain. I spent some $$, but I can barely listen to the FD2 when I try to go back.
The Bad Bob gives a great sheen, the Timmy a easily adaptable and transparent OD, and either boost can work for a second level of gain.
The FD2 still sounded good though when watching a video of the band last month - just...well....like an effect. Much better than the old MXR Distortion + anyway (though some love that too).

[soma5]

oops - duplicate

[soma5]

I've got a '97 Fulldrive II, I think, with a flat mids mod. It keeps re-appearing on my pedal board periodically and then disappearing again after a few gigs. It's the only pedal I have that does that!

-alotas

[Smokin' Joe Picante]

Thanks Tim! Illuminating!

I too have had a love/hate chorus deal going on for years! When it comes to using a chorus as a chorus, (not a faux Leslie) I usually want it so light that you notice much more when it's OFF than when it's ON, if that makes any sense. I have a old CE-2 that lives from time to time on my board, but it's got that clipping sound that keeps it from being as versatile as I need. The T.C. is a bit thin/processed sounding for me personally, though it's a great sound.

I was hoping either the Analogman or the Fulltone, which both have mix controls to dial in a balance between the dry and effected sound might do the trick for me. I was curious to see if you found the Fulltone capable of that type of "just a touch" chorusing.

But I digress from the subject at hand! Fulltone stuff rocks!

[Tim Bowen]

Hey Joe, great minds think alike - and so do we! I'm with you, soupy Wang Chung chorus tones were kinda fun twenty years ago, but hey, the thrill is gone. Yes, absolutely, the Choralflange will do the subtle thing that you seek. The mix knob is invaluable for that sort of thing. The Fulltone box is easily the most versatile/tweakable chorus that I've played, even if it was ultimately not the best fit for me.

The Analog Man Clone Chorus that I owned was an early model with no dedicated mix knob, so I can't really speak to that.

Not much middle ground with the TC, people seem to either love it or hate it. To me, where that pedal really shines is with a dual amp stereo rig; very lush and dimensional, and the high end detail is addictive. Through a single amp, I'd agree that it's a bit thin and boring. Speaking of which, I didn't really get on with the stereo field of the Choralflange with two amps, as there just didn't seem to be much separation or movement between the split signals.

[Jackie Treehorn]

I like the Bad Bob after the FD2. They are a useable combination. Sometimes think it is all about combinations when finding tones.

The Tim sounds great with an EQ boosting +5db at 400hz. Try it if you can.

[Johnir]

My music store kindly borrowed me a Fulltone Mosfet Fulldrive II and a T-Rex Moeller pedal to try out for myself for a while.

I played my '96 Nocaster through my Fender CVR.

The vintage setting on the FD II created a thick dark distortion similar to my original TS 808, but with more lows and without the midrange hump. I could make the Moeller and the FD II sound almost identical, but then the Moeller was maxed out on the gain and the FD II was on 10-11 o'clock.

The FD II's flat mid and comp-cut setting was great to create that SRV blues sound, but I found it almost too bright for my telecaster except for the neck pickup. The Moeller solves this sound with a mix knob blending the distortion in or out of the natural guitar tone.

The boost on the FD II pushes the pedal into singing solo mode. The mosfet setting was clearer and brighter and did not suit the telecaster, but it's probably better for humbuckers. I never uses high gain lead tones so the boost on the FD II was not for me. You also have to engage the drive "channel" to engage the boost.The clean boost on the Moeller works without engaging the drive stage so it's like two pedals in one.

I ended up buying the Moeller 'cause it was perfect for me, creating lower gain sounds and that clean boost, but the Fulldrive II is a more versatile pedal and more flexible for playing different musical styles. It's also built like a tank. So I can see that this pedal can be a great tool covering more ground than most "one tone" pedals.

One of my problems with overdrive pedals has been that when I play with a clean tone and then kick in a pedal for some more rockier crunchy sounds, the volume increases. Both the FD II and the Moeller can create crunchy sounds without boosting the volume up by keeping the volume on the pedal down.

[petebradt]

Originally Posted by Jackie Treehorn

The FD2 is tried and true in a band context, but never liked it for playing alone. Just something about the way it sits in a mix. Mine is from 98.

I've also got one from '98 and I love it. I also have a Nobels ODR-1 I like a lot.