Fulltone '69 Pedal

Basic controls: an on/bypass switch, volume, fuzz as well as extra "modded fuzzface" features including BIAS which reduces the woofiness of the pedal, and CONTOUR which adds brightness to the sound.

I'd just like to say to people trying this pedal that anyone looking for an authentic fuzzface sound should start with the "stock fuzzface" setting which is: VOLUME around half or so, BIAS fully clockwise, CONTOUR fully counterclockwise, and FUZZ at full and then make your tonal adjustments from that point. All the classic fuzz sounds you've heard on record are in this setting.. the "Hendrix" setting in the manual doesn't sound quite right to me...

I was initially very interested in this pedal, but I would always use a little of the BIAS and CONTOUR features- which, although making the pedal a bit less muddy and more "refined" sounding, always seemed to sound somewhat bright and harsh, making me less and less interested in the pedal, making me think I should have gone for the '70 pedal instead...

Finally, I tried the "stock fuzzface" setting for a bit... and there it was! That "authentic" fuzz tone I was looking for, the sound that inspired me to get the pedal in the first place!

Sure, at it's stock fuzzface setting, it sounds a little muddy, a little unrefined... That's the whole point of this unit! If you're after a really refined tone, try another pedal. If you're used to overdrive pedals, well, that's not what this is for, really... it's a FUZZ tone! It's supposed to sound a bit wild and out of control!

Check out Eric Johnson's solo in "Desert Rose". First he uses his Tube Driver pedal, getting his typical, refined voilin tone... then he switches on the fuzz face... his tone is a bit muddier, a bit hairier, but it absolutely RIPS! To me, that's what a fuzz tone should be...

Instead of dialing in the BIAS feature to make the pedal work better with wahs, I'm thinking about modifying my wah pedal instead and see how that goes...

I've actually written an earlier review of this pedal, where I stated that I wasn't able to get what is probably my favorite recorded fuzz sound- that being the Eric Johnson fuzzface solos on "Desert Rose" off his album "Ah Via Musicom"- and all the other fuzzface leads he plays on that album. I was never quite able to nail that warm, sustaining tone...

Well, with my new discoveries with this pedal (of just sticking to the stock setting, not using the BIAS and CONTOUR features), I've actually been able to nail that sound, easily. Hendrix tones can be had quite easily as well, of course, with the "stock fuzzface" setting, which seems to sound closer than the "Hendrix" setting listed in the manual. A little amp drive helps in adding intensity and sustain to the sound. You don't need a cranked Marshall plexi (although it probably wouldn't hurt), but just a little power amp drive from a good, fat-sounding tube amp (I use a little Fender Pro Junior!)

This pedal looks really well built, but there are issues, I guess, with the germanium transistors and how being outside in the sun causes them to not work...

If you're looking for the classic fuzz face sound in a newer, well-built pedal, this nails it, absolutely.

Great sound, seriously awesome tone out of this litte monster. For ROCK guitar, i dig this pedal a lot, more than my analogman sun face even. Sunface has more clarity and hifiness, but the extra bias and contour knobs on this are EXTREMELY useful. Let you voice it to get what you want out of it. the analogman suffers on leads sometimes because it'll have too much low end woof and not enough mids. This pedal solves that. would be cool to have two knobs to switch between rhythm and lead settings... but that'd be cool on every pedal so whatever. like i said, clarity isn't as good as the sunface, which seems to be the Hendrix fuzz to beat, so i kept the sunface and sold this one. BUt this one is a great deal if u can find it used on ebay for about 100 bucks. does clean up well w/the volume, not as well as sunface tho. overall, it's a very small difference in clarity, the extra features make up for it if you're playing loud rock, make sure you've got an amp to crank this baby with

seems wonderful.

i dunno.

Overall, this baby gets a 10. GREAT FOR ROCK. DON"T BUY A CRAPPY FUZZ. GET A GOOD FUZZ. This one is good!!! there ya go. sounds authentic to the Hendrix sound, if you dropped this in front of a plexi, i'm sure it'd be awesome. seems like his custom made transistors work pretty well. I sold it to keep the sunface, so it depends on what you're looking for and if u have the cash to buy more expensive gear. This works 'cuz it's a great pedal and there's tons of 'em out there so buy one cheap. mike's gotta focus on churnin' out ocds so don't distract him from anything else at the moment.

Is it easy to use - sure. Only a few knobs. The manual explains everything. It's great. The manual could be filled with more sample settings or more information on how the internal trimmer works, but most people can figure this stuff out anyway.

The sound quality of this pedal is stellar!!!! OMG! What a warm and lush pedal. But the best part of this thing is that it is incredibly flexible. You could record a whole record with just this pedal and yet cover a huge sonic territory - so much so that any guitarist would swear you must have used a bank of overdrives, fuzzes and distortions. For example - this pedal gives one a huge range from sweat subtle clean tones to mild overdrives, crunchy overdrives, thin scratchy fuzz tones, thick bassy fuzz tones, warm balanced fuzz tones, rich smooth distortions, ragged crunchy distortions, balistic crazy fuzz weirdness, bottom heavy fuzz thunder, harmonic fuzz sounds and bleep bloop noise making. Finding the cool tones is easy - just tweak the dials and MOST IMPORTANTLY your guitars volume control and you will discover an array of overdrives and fuzzes - all with a rich warm amp like authenticity that really holds up well in the studio. It's a studio jewel that I now can't live with out. And then you can get fun. The pedal will actually enter weirdness land - full of crazy scratching, noises and harmonic overtones reminiscent of an octavia if you drive the input with another boost or overdrive pedal. I use a Fulldrive II. There is another pedal out there made by ZVEX called the fuzz factory. I got the 69 thinking that while I was getting warm usable sound sI would not be able to conjure up the sonic weirdness created by other boutique fuzzes like the Fuzz factory - wrong. The 69, when driven by another pedal, can achieve all sorts of weirdness and noise! Tons of fun. And unlike the Fuzz Factory, which is more of a gimick or toy, the 69 is a serious piece of gear providing serious tone. If out of control fuzz is not your thing, worry not. The 69 is all about warmth, realism and quality. It can cover the sonic territory explored by other "weird" pedals but can also bring home the goods for those of us who actually need their guitar to sound "great" sometimes.

Personally I hate those reviews that say things like - "easy pedal to get a good sound from," or "it took me too long to find a good sound." For me a pedal is junk if it can only do one thing. I need something versatile, both as a performer and an engineer. I value pedals that I can play for years and still discover new sounds and textures. That's a mature tool for me - one that keeps on giving, and the 69 is one of the most "giving" pedals I've ever had the pleasure of using.

Full Tone pedals are made to last without issue - and they do. I gig regularly and have never had even the slightest problem with any full tone pedal.

Haven't needed any yet.

For the money this pedal is a jem in the audio world - a work horse in the studio - a best friend on stage and supreme bang for your buck. It is both more versitile and more usuable (better sounding in more situatins) than many other boutique fuzz boxes costing any amount of money (and some are very expensive.)

If you own any other fuzz device - a big muff, a fuzz face, a superfuzz what ever, you need to check out the 69. It just may replace half your pedal board.

I found this pedal quite easy to get a good sound from, just mess about with the knobs untill you get somewhere.

This is what im loving about this pedal!
The '69 is a fantastic fuzz, although it's allot lower gain than most fuzzes, i found this thing works wonders on an overdriven Marshall.
Works very well with my modded SD-1 sitting after it

I have the '70 fuzz as well which is a bit more aggressive and bassy.

I enjoy looking inside this pedal at how much better it looks than the mass produced stuff! Heavy casing, smooth controls & really neat layout inside the pedal.
I've had the pedal for around a year now & used it quite allot, no problems at all.

I bought this pedal from musictoyz.com
They were really good to deal with & i would definately deal with them again

Top piece of gear, everytime i plug it into my old JTM i find myself smiling at how good this thing can sound!

I was a total novice when I bought my '69, and had a good sound in no time.

My first rig was a Alvarez Tele with EMG pickups through a solid state amp and I still got a decent sound. Now I play mainly humbucker equipped guitars through various Gibson Skylarks, Falcons or an all-tube Music Man head through 2-12 cab.

The only time I ever had problems was during outside gigs, in direct sunlight. I realize these are not ideal conditions for any electrical equipment. The pedal would totally shut down. Other than that happening twice, I've never had any problems.

N/A

This was my first fuzz/distortion pedal I ever bought in 1995, and I realized shortly afterward that I had unknowingly made a very wise choice. My '69 Deluxe is #187 from Aug. 1995, and I don't think my musical experience would have been as good without it. I think the on/off switch is smaller and not quite as heavy-duty as the new ones, but it still works perfectly after nine years of loving abuse.

This attractive, solid, red fuzz box has clearly printed beneath each of the four knobs "volume," "bias," "contour," and "fuzz." Nice font. The knobs' influence on the tone is consistent with their names. Bias thins out the tone, contour thickens it, fuzz fuzzes it. Setting up gentle to all out fuzz tones is a breeze. There's even a trim inside for further settings.

The '69 Pedal sounds better in my Fender Woody than my Orange AD15. The Orange gets muddied pretty fast. The Fender responds nicely. It's a surprisingly excellent fuzz sound. It blends nicely with my analog Maxon CS-9 chorus. It creates a frenzy of distortion with my Keeley fat mod BD-2. An MXR Phase 90 also lends a nice, rich quality. A little Fender tank reverb...and it's a happening piece. Even at low volumes and with the fuzz cut back, it puts out nice, convincing tones. At band practice, my drummer compliments the new sound. The hype about germanium PNPs seems right on. There's really no reason not to give it a ten other than the hiss. And that, I believe, is the byproduct of a fuzz box. As this is not a modeling device or digital, one pays for authenticity with a bit of hiss. Very warm, adjustable, cool tones.

Tech support promptly explained why my Godlyke Powerall would not work, even with the reversed polarity jumper. It shuts down the power chain. It needs its own power supply.

I've recently reviewed the Ultimate Octave. This fuzz suits me a bit better. The Ultimate was an all-or-nothing pedal. This is highly responsive and can be adjusted quite specifically. I enjoy this pedal every time I play. I wouldn't use it for metal, but players who would already know this. Although, I imagine it could be layered, if not in realtime, then at least in studio. I recommend this pedal for players in search of a modern twist on an old, reliable sound. I'm also not going to complain about it needing its own power supply. I'm just happy that it works; the sound is satisfying enough to have faith that positive lead to ground/reverse polarity is part of the reason the tone is so real. So... tack on another $22.00 for the power supply and you have a really red gem.

The '69 is very easy to use. Four medium size knobs that turn ever so smoothly to some of the best fuzz tones you will ever hear. You can also clean up the fuzziness by backing off the volume on your guitar (easy on a strat or tele, a little more tricky on a les paul).

This pedal works very nicely in a variety of set ups. All Fulltone pedals are made to preform and this one does just that, giving astonishing tone to leads. You may have to back off the volume to play rhythm, I use a Ernie Ball VP jr. to control the sound of the pedal. 1st I set the pedal for my lead tone, which is a bit louder than rhythm anyway, 2nd just back down on the jr. untill I get the desired tone for rhythm. It's that easy.
I play mainly Les Pauls, but also use a tele and a custom strat ran through a EB VP jr., Crybaby, Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Fulltone '69, Ibanez TS9, Boss DS1, EH Small Clone to a Mesa Rocket 440 and a Ampeg Reverberocket.

This pedal was made in 2001 and is still in perfect all-around shape. No problems.

I e-mailed with a few questions and had a response within a matter of hours.

I play mostly contemporary christian music as well as popular blues, rock, and country. The list of gear that I own or have owned goes on forever, mainly because I have been playing for around twenty years. I believe any equipment you get your hands on is worth a try, some works some don't, but it's all a lot of fun trying to make a fit. If the '69 ever died I would probably get another very quickly, however, I would still see what else is out there, especially in the used rack at the local guitar shop. Try everything - Buy once.

Using a Fuzz is different than using any other type of OD/Dist. pedal
Once you get the hang of tweaking your guitar volume just right this pedal will perform better than any Dallas Arbiter FuzzFace I've heard

I use this pedal with Strats & Teles thru Fender Amps. It is quiet and gets that late '60's Fuzz sound perfectly. The internal trim will help you dial in exactly what you want to hear.

Oh yeah, this pedal is housed in a tank of a shell. I use it without a backup (kinda of expensive so that's not really an option for me)

I managed to crack the shaft of the footwitch and it broke off (my fault) I've had the pedal for over a year and I contacted Fulltone telling them what I did, they sent me a new footswitch & installation directions all free ( they paid for the shipping to boot !!!) these guys answered my emails immediately, this is a great company.

I play in a Swamp JamBand, we do our own stuff and remakes of covers in a swampy voodoo style, this pedal takes me to the edge sonically, I can get incredible vintage tones and then bizzare cutting edge stuff (especially in drop D tuning)effortless controlled feedback too !

no problem at all to use.

sounds excellent. i recently ordered a 1987xl plexi reissue and was hoping that they would both arrive at the same time. unfortunately, the amp and cab didnt show up yet, but i was able to use it on my 65 super reverb and a 60's reissue strat. i wasnt sure how it was going to sound but gave it a shot anyways. used the hendrix settings, tweaked the amp a bit and wailed away. through the 65 super reverb, i wouldnt say that it nails the voodoo chile tone but does nail red house to a T. i just got the pedal 20 minutes ago, so i'm sure that there are many great tones available. i will have to say that i didnt like the pedal the first lick that i played. that is because i'm not used to fuzz. i had one of the dunlop fuzz faces a long time ago and hated it. after i realized the '69 was doing exactly what it was supposed to do, i fell in love with it. ps - you might want to keep an eye out on the classifieds because a number of my pedals just got replaced with this on.

too soon to tell, but i've heard nothing but good things about fulltone and seems to be built extremely well.

no idea

hands down one of the best pedals i have ever played through. i do suggest that one buys the power adapter too. i almost didnt and was just going to use an extra ts-9 adapter. there is a sticker inside the box that specifically states not to use that adapter.

after i get my plexi and play it through that, i will post another review. i'm sure that it will be amazing!

Very easy to get the hang of..... I am very happy with the whole early Hendrix tones you can get with this pedal. With the added "contour" and "bias" knobs....you can set it just right....depending on your amp and guitar. Comes with 2 suggested settings.... Hendrix circa '67..... and smoother distortion or fuzz and many shades inbetween are there for the tweaking EASY !!!

I cant imagine finding a better sounding pedal for early Hendrix Killing Floor...Rock Me Baby....the 67 era of Jimi It all there and so tweakable .I am using it mostly with a woodstock Strat ( 68 Hendrix artist series re-issue) yes the upside down Olympic White jobbie into a Dr Z Route 66 head and cab I SOMETIMES use the new Fulltone Fat Boost ( the 2004 model) after the 69 pedal as I sometimes use it at lower volumes at home with a THD Hot Plate attenuating the DR Z and the Fat Boost adds some extra clean whoomph to the amps overall sound ,,,puts bac ksome of the sound the Hot Plate bleeds off It sounds like Jimi well as close as it gets YOU BET !
My dealer accepted my Soul Bender back after a week or so of trying it and allowed me to get the 69 instead That was the right thing to do...as I was after the early Hendrix tone and the Soul Bender is NOT a Hendrixy sounding pedal nor was it desgined to be ( NOT COMPARED TO THE 69 !!!! of course. Of note.... IN A NUTSHELL If you want the early Hendrix sounds....get the 69 by Fulltone. If you want Hendrix at Woodstock get the Captain Coconut 2 I have the CC2 and it sounds so much like Woodstock....with my 68 upside Strat and DR Z with those wonderful KT 66's. The Fulltone 69 is considerably better at Hendrix Monterey type sound. If you cant afford both.... I dont know what advice to give as the above 2 pedals are similar but different animals and I dont own Fulltone's Deja Vibe etc... so youre on your own for completing the Hendrix pedal chain using Fulltones products . I do know that the Captain Coconut 2 is a dead ringer for the woodstock sound ( Star Spangled Banner) and the Fulltone 69 can easily mock Killing Floor and Rock Me Baby and so many other tones from Jimi's early days and YES I am generalizing Both these pedals can do infinite things inbetween these sounds as well

Mike Fullers pedals are built really really well and DESIGNED extremely well tooo Mine ..must have had a bored assembler putting it together He doodled a star inside and some other squiggly stuff very artsy lol pretty neat I know this pedal was tested before it shipped as it came directly from Fulltone through my dealer ( box not opened) and the knobs were set just right for a great sounding fuzz face clone
There is also an internal trimmer...that is marked in black ink for a reference point I havent tried adjusting it yet Mine is set at 830 on the dial

I think Mr Fuller is very busy...I have asked some pretty dumb questions admittedly...but I have never heard back from him with any questions except the first time I bought a Fulldrive 2 off of him ...and his answers were sorta tongue in cheek I think Fulltone customer service could answer the peoples questions a bit more Be a littel more helpful and available

I am a gear slut....and a hobbyist. I play at home Ive only been playing 3 and a half years but have all manner of good amps and guitars
Hendrix is God