Fulltone Bass-Drive

Bass overdrive offering clean gain to hit up the front end of your amp, or several overdrive settings. Also has a second "boost" circuit that
can be used in addition.

I found this unit to be very versatile. The mild overdrive and range
controls are easy to figure out and the dynamic full tone (hence the name I suppose!) made it worth the money. I compared it directly with the MXR Bass Blowtorch, and the Tech 21 XXL, and even at twice the price of either of them, it was the winner. Backround noise was minimal and the MOSFET setting offered real grind and crunch. All three were able to maintain a full articulate bottom end while O.D.'ing which is the challenge many pedals fall down on! But the Fulltone had the greatest range of sounds IMHO.

Build quality is far and away superior to the others, but that is a lot of what you are paying for in a boutique pedal. The MXR was my second choice over the Tech 21 XXL, but has a silly side-mounted switch that looked like an accident waiting to happen. The Fulltone is made old skool out of heavy metal and top drawer pots/knobs/switches. And the five year warranty is pretty impressive.

Too new to say...But the place I bought it has great customer support.

I still believe the best "tone" comes from the right amp at the right level with the right cabinet - but if you need crunch, grind and some grit you can summon up at any volume a pedal like this is as good as it gets! All three units I tried Tech 21 XXL, MXR Bass Blowtorch, and this Fulltone pedal, were winners - ANY of them will do a fine job. The MXR is actually built very well, and if not for that stupid side-mounted boost switch, would have been a serious contender.

It's pretty simple. Anyone should be able to figure it out without consulting the manual. And this is a good thing because the manual is useless. It seemed to be the manual for a different (guitar?) version of the pedal, only with the name changed.

I was really excited about trying this pedal because of the great reviews here but when I plugged in I was very dissapointed. The sound itself wasn't terrible. Certainly no tube sound as many people here claim but not awful. A little harsh but ok. The problem was that on most settings it produced a significant loss of low end. In my opinion this pedal is almost useless for live purposes. The change of tone and loss of low end is much too distinct when you switch it on. I tried it on a sound check but disconnected it before the show. It might work better in a studio setting. I didn't try it for recording. But I tried it with lots of different basses and amps on rehearsals to make sure I hadn't missed something. Amps: Ampeg SVT Classic, Hiwatt Custom 200 and an old Fender Bassmann 100. 2x15 and 4x12 cabs. Basses: Rickenbacker 4003, Fender J-bass, Fender P-bass, Gretsch Broadcaster, Crucianelli 335-copy, Epiphone "SG-bass" and an old Hagstrom shortscale. Nothing worked for me. I also tried combining it with other pedals but the result was always the same: a loss of low end for most settings. I ended up returning it to the shop for a refund. They told me that several of their customers hadn't liked this pedal. Most thought it sounded too harsh. I find it very strange that this pedal has received so many excellent reviews. At least try it before you buy!!!

It was build like a tank. If you manage to break this you really need to take better care of your equipment.

I have been playing the bass for almost 20 years. I play mostly music inspired by 60's psychedelia, and 70's prog but I have also played in a couple of popbands and metalbands. From the description this pedal should have been perfect for me but it just wasn't. I do not agree with the people claiming this pedal to sound like John Entwistle, Geezer Butler and Jack Bruce. And by the way, these three fantastic bassplayers all have their own different sound. No single pedal can sound like all these three. So that's a lot of crap. Even without the problems with the low end I think the price of this pedal is a bit to high when compared to the sound quality. I prefer a little warmer sound. If I should recommend a similar pedal it would have to be the Budda PhatBass. It's brilliant!!! And if you want something cheaper the EBS Multidrive (although that one sounds a little muddy).

It's relatively straightforward - volume, tone, overdrive, and the boost channel level. The toggles are a little more mysterious - the "FM" (flat midrange) overdrive mode isn't explained very well and the difference between it and vintage is aurally pretty close, as is the "Mosfet vs Normal" modes - although there is a slightly pronounced bass response in Mosfet mode.

The manual is a one page sheet (8.5x11") and is fairly useless. This company has sold a lot of pedals, is it so hard to print a nice, compact, descriptive manual?

Mine is the latest Bass-Drive Mosfet, 2007.

The overdrive is what it's all about, and it's pretty disappointing. Cliff-notes version: it does NOT sound like any kind of tube, especially an SVT.

The distortion sounds artificial, doesn't let the natural tone through. The tone control is harsh - anything over barely on has unnaturally high frequency components.

My big beef - with high-output basses, it has significant distortion with the overdrive turned "off" - in my opinion, this pedal is not well engineered - the designer didn't do their research to see what a typical signal level for a bass is.

On the good side, it is fairly noiseless, and it has direct bypass.

I've used it with an SVT-VR head and an Euphonics Audio iamp800, thorough 1x12s, 4x10, and 6x10s.

It seems really dependable, with a solid case and the shafts are well-protected, as are the toggles recessed between the knobs. That they did right.

I dealt with customer support about the distortion issue, and they were plain awful. Fulltone has grown to such a degree that they're outsourcing support in DC - this is a California company! It's like Microsoft's helpdesk being in India.

But that would be just fine, if they were competent. They're following scripts, and refused to pass my concerns up to someone who understood them. They weren't particularly friendly nor unfriendly. In the end I had to eek out the owner's email address.

Mike Fuller was definitely more competent, but he also didn't seem to have a grasp on the concept of gain stages and thus, the pedals are probably ad-hoc designed. My guess.

I play loud rock and wanted something to attempt to emulate my SVT with some tube crunch, and the pedal failed miserably. I'm going to sell it back to the store or on Ebay, I have no use for it.

Ironically, my guitarist's tube screamer ts-9 sounds MUCH better than this on bass. As it turns out, this pedal is the same board and circuit as their Full-Drive Mosfet. No wonder it sounds thin.

Bottom line, no thank you. My suggestions: a stock or modded Ibanez TS-9, an EBS Multidrive sounds at least as good and is CLEAN with the drive turned down, or a Rust Ride.

4 knobs and 2 switches. A volume knob, a tone knob and then overdrive and boost. I keep volume at 10 o'clock, tone at 7 o'clock (as bassy as it goes), overdrive at 9, boost at 3. I have one switch in vintage mode, more mids = better. The other is in Mosfet mode (standard is too thin sounding for me. Really easy to find your sound.

The sound is excellent. The overdrive is nice for a mild boost. Then the boost just makes it crazy. Best bass OD/distortion I've ever used.

I've had it for about 1 1/2 months and never had to change the battery. I need to get a power supply for all my pedals. Nothing on it seems cheap. Knobs, switches and pedals seem sturdy. Nice heavy metal housing too.

Never called.

I've been playing for 4 years and tried all the OD/distortion boxes around, the Bass-Drive is easily the best. If it were lost or stolen I'd buy a new one in a heartbeat. The one thing I dislike is when it's in boost mode you can hear your fingers sliding along the strings. That's all I can think of. Go try one for your self and see how great it is.

This pedal is a modified guitar distortion pedal, and the controls on it are more akin to guitar, as opposed to the bass/mid/treble +/-db format. I have a 2004 model with the dip switch and label signed in marker (before MosFet)

There are 3 modes: Vintage (treble rolled off a bit), FM (modern, clearer treble), and CompCut (designed to increase output to distort your amp instead of the pedal). I will outline these in more detail later.

There's a volume knob which increases the output. Pretty standard.

There's a tone knob, which is akin to guitar. Cranking the tone knob favours treble, and decreasing rolls the treble off. Unlike a Big Muff, having the treble on full still leaves your bottom end there.

There's an overdrive knob which increases the dirt on the signal with the pedal engaged.

There's a boost knob that is independant of the overdrive knob that only affects the signal when the boost switch has been engaged.

There are 2 stomp switches: On/off, and the aforementioned boost.

The manual for this is little more than 2 pieces of computer paper with information printed on it. However, you needn't read a book to operate it. It's a very simple pedal that has no learning curve, especially if you are familiar with guitar.

NOTE: You can also use this with an 18V power supply, freeing up much headroom. However, that means the pedal will distort less at the same settings as with 9V and should only really be used in CompCut mode in front of a tube amp.

I run this pedal through a Fender Bassman 250 2x10 combo. I use a '51 P-Bass Reissue, an American Deluxe Fender Jazz Bass V, a Warwick Corvette ProLine tuned BEAD, and a few cheapo Chinese freak basses.

I haven't had any effects that interfere or don't work with this pedal, but all I really use is a chorus and a delay. I also use, from time to time, a flange pedal to simulate a wah-wah, and it works perfectly.

First of all, this pedal is dead silent. Sometimes I'll forget to switch it off (my MIA Fender and Warwick have noiseless pickups) and my amp will be silent, as if the pedal isn't on. On my Precision, there's single coil hum, but that's to be expected. This pedal amplifies and grimes up only what's put through it. It adds no noise at all.

Another thing to note is that the pedal trully does not cut bottom. Many people stupidly use Big Muff Pi pedals with their basses (because Cliff did), and even at the lowest tone setting, the bottom end gone and the treble is trully muddied. Other pedals have a blend feature, letting you mix the clean with the dirty. It works, but in my opinion, it sounds like there are 2 instruments playing, and there is huge frequency overlap. With the Fulltone, the pedal simply accomodates the low frequencies into the distortion (rather than cutting them off to avoid muddiness as guitar pedals tend to). You don't lose any bottom; in fact, you gain some.

I'll outline the modes, and how I use them:

FM: This is the setting I use the most. I use it with my modern basses. I use it only with the boost on and cranked (not a fan of subtle distortion). The pedal breaks up the signal wonderfully. My MIA Fender has an 18V power supply in it's EQ, so the output is tremendous. This really overdrives the pedal and allows it to have some intense distortion without having the pedal's output be too high. The tone is straight distortion; no buzz, no fuzz. I never quite understood what people meant when they say a distortion pedal is tonally transparent, but I do now. When engaged with the band in full swing, every little nuance and detail in my clean tone shines through the distortion, although amplified and dirtied up. Totally amazing, as I work hard for my tone. It still shakes the rafters, and not in that nasal low-mid kind of way.

Vintage: The difference between Vintage and FM is subtle, but Vintage flattens out the treble a little bit. Using my '51 P-bass RI, even strung with flatwounds, I can acheive a rather surprisingly accurate rendition of John Entwistle's Live at Leeds tone. With a more period-accurate P-bass with the right strings, I imagine it'll be dead on. Again, I use full boost. I can get essentially the same tone with this bass in FM mode, but the treble is a bit more defined.

CompCut: This mode is special. It basically bypasses the compression and clipping components that cause the distortion. In effect, it's a tremendous clean boost. Yes, with overdrive and boost cranked and the boost switch enabled, it will hair up, but the idea behind CompCut is to provide an incredibly high output of your tone to your amplifier so your amplifier's pre-amp can do the distortion (best working on tubes). I don't have a tube amp, so I though I'd never use this setting. However, I did mention I have freak Chinese basses. One of them is an 8-string bass (a la Hendrix and JPJ). The bass sounded and played well, but the output of the pickups was impossibly low. The bass was nearly silent. Now, with CompCut mode, I can boost the output of this quiet bass to the level of my other basses without adding a hint of colour to the tone. That's right; the same tone, but instead of being quiet, it's fat, loud and totally clean. How can I not give this a 10? I can't find one fault in the tone.

The sheet medal used to make the pedal is as strong as it gets. However, the dip-switch and stomping buttons will inevitably wear out, and there's no way around that. Even though it'll take awhile, it'll happen out of the blue some day. Makes you a bit paranoid, dunnit? For that, I give it an 8.

You send them an email, and before the next day, you'll get a response.

I play heavy music, and I don't like subtle effects. This pedal gives me everything I've ever wanted out of a distortion pedal. There's no other pedal quite like it; circuit-wise, it's about as simple as it gets, yet it does everything right. It's the vintage Fender of distortion pedals. The pedal was handmade, and the builder/owner of the company signed my pedal and wrote the serial number with a felt pen. As cheesy as it sounds, this pedal takes my clean tone and pisses it off. It doesn't change it, it doesn't put it somewhere, it just makes it angrier. It doesn't need digital circuitry or a blend function. For what it is, it's perfect. If I had an Ampeg SVT Classic, it'd be even better. It's not a cheap pedal (and I feel I got a bit ripped off, price-wise), but I don't regret buying this pedal for one second.

With enough twiddling, it's easy enough to discover the range of the pedal. Maybe a few too many controls for my taste, but I can hardly complain about that.

I run an American Jazz --> EHX Q-Tron --> Overdrive --> SWR basic black.

First of all, not only is the pedal completely silent when off (true-bypass), but even when it's on it produces almost no hum without an input signal. Really impressive.

The sound is very open, dynamic, sensitive, and musical. The effect can be very subtle or thoroughly coat your sound.

I purchased the Bass Drive after reading the reviews on this site. However, I was somewhat disappointed and surprised. Though it is a good sound, it absolutely does tear away at your low end (and significantly colors your tone). I ultimately gave up trying to balance it with the rest of my setup, as I was trying to compensate for the loss of penetration through my band's sound (avant-garde / experimental). Admittedly, my 1x15 may be enhancing this problem.

Additionally, when the pedal is cranking, the definition of the notes is lost in a wool/fuzz that is a bit to one dimensional for an application that needs some cutting grit. I found it incompatible with my Q-Tron.

Looks beautiful and feels solid. I didnt keep it for long, however, so I really cant say for certain.

This pedal is sensitive enough that you really have to see what works with your own setup.

Ultimately, I settled on the EBS Multi-Drive. While it's a much noiser animal, it is an incredibly tight and focussed sound that delivers the low end in a way that the Bass Drive cannot.

def the easiest pedal to use out there. there is not a lot of work envolved in trying to find that "right" sound. you will find it very quickly. once it's turned on it's amazing.

from the minute i turned this thing own i was hooked. i leave it on at all times through my 05 musicman sterling, 78 p bass and my 78 gibson rd bass. my sterling is my main bass which i have gone through two of in the pass 12 years of playing, but this pedal makes them all shine. i plug into an ampeg SVT classic through a 8x10 cab. which most people know an svt already sounds great. with this pedal it's a whole other step up. i love how fat and low end my set-up is and i tried many bass disto pedals, ALL lost the bottom end until i found the bassdrive.

very reliable, have had this for about 6 years now, stuck it to a board and traveled with it in a case at all times, and have had zero problems

never had to use them.

i play rock, somewhere between foo fighters and coldplay. i've used this pedal on all our records (www.eyesaround.com) this is the best pedal investment i've made since playing music. if it breaks i will get another one the next day. it is essentiall to my sound. of which everyone compliments me on. musicians and fans alike all say i have my own sound which i have stived long and hard for over the years, i credit the bassdrive for a lot of it.

Very easy to use although it took me little while to fully appreciate the different settings.

This thing is amazing!I use it with an American Jazz with Sadowsky srtings through an Eden wt800 head and 410xlt cab which has always sounded fantastic but VERY clean. These days I'm playing mostly playing alt rock and needed some grit. Well the Bassdrive has plenty of it.

This thing is built solid and looks great.

Haven't dealt with them but from what I've read it's great.

I've been playing bass for 18 years and I've never had a response like I had the other night. After a gig the other night I had several people, all seasoned musicians, tell me they were blown away by my tone. A good friend of mine who I respect greatly and has an interesting way with words said this about the show. He said, "Man your tone was hilarious, that Eden has always sounded really great but it sounded like a huge nasty SVT, f**king amazing!" Exactly what I was looking for!!! I truly love the way this thing sounds. It's very musical and doesn't kill the true sound of my bass like lots of cheaper pedals. I love being able to go from a little grit to a killer overdrive when I hit the boost switch. I searched for a long time and looked at a lot of pedals before I decided on the Bassdrive. Evey review I read said this pedal was great and they were all right! I am %100 satisfied with the Bassdrive. I would absolutely buy another one if something happened to it. It has become completely essential to my sound!

It took me a few minutes to dial into the proper settings for me.
Very easy to use. It looks like I may have the older model with the toggle switch for CompCut, FM, and Vintage. Mine is s/n 2459 made 12/05. The manual is a 2 page paper that is really all you need.
Some reviews said the knobs turned too easy. I have not had any problems with the knobs. Set them in place and they stay where you set them.

Sound quality is outstanding, with very little noise. I use it with my Ric 4003, into my Traynor YBA-200 tube amp. This pedal really tightens up your tone, playing finger style or with a pick.
I can't see how I lived without it.

Seem to be built very well. It feels and looks like it's built like a tank.
All metal housing, with no plastic crap.

I just bought it, and have not had the need.

I play blues, and classic rock. The pedal works really well with both styles of music, especially blues! If it where lost or stolen I would buy another. Buy an 18v adapter with this pedal and see what a differance it makes. By far the best effects pedal I have heard for bass. Yes, it is a little expensive, but worth ever penny.
Buy one, you won't regret it.

as soon as it arrived it was placed in my rig and turned on, a few knob turns later and i was sailing, very simple pedal to use

the manual is informative though i think if you have gone to the troub le and expense of getting anything fulltone made, you already know how to run it and the manual is their for formality sake

i use whatever gear i think sounds good, i dont feel the need to bore people with a list of all my crap but long and short of it is i use this pedal for both guitar and bass of varying price ranges and pickups

either way, it is pretty much silent (unless you crank the boost to max, but all distortion does that) and sounds great always. it seems more like the bassdrive coats your sound rather than mudding it up or fuzzing over it (like some more well known stomp boxes) as a result, its more a mix of your actual guitars tone and the bassdrive combined, not moulded together.

also, that it features 3 modes of overdrive adds a little more versatility to the pedal and your sound should you need it

for this i have to give it full marks, on all my gear it is quite simply awesome

id think given the nature of the buttons, it will give me some aggro in a few years time but like an earlier review said, it comes with the territory.

it feels pretty solid and roadworthy so would out on a gig without a back up if i didnt have a choice but lookily i have other overdrive pedals i can take along as you never know, some dick my spill his pint on it or something

never dealt with the guy, though ive heard hes very helpful so in the event i have to email him, i have high hopes haha

i dont play any particuar style but its loud and i enjoy it so thats all that matters i think and ive been making noise pollution for just over 3 years now and considering the band im in write acoustically, i dont find it helps or hinders writing

i love the sounds sincerity and rumble and the dirt it gives any guitar is pretty awesome too. If it got swiped, i would not be amused at all and i would probably like to harm whoever took it with a rusty shaving instrument, in any event, id look for a new one

i did consider other pedals, namely MXR and line 6 but what really got me with the bass drive was that it wasnt over the top and didnt smother tone, so it won out

one thing i did dislike about the bass drive was the price. I managed to find a person willing to sell it to me new for a steal compared to the ridiculous amount the only uk fulltone distributor seels for. if you do live in the uk and want this pedal, id really advise you to shop around, it may be hand made but still, ?209 is a bit much for an overdrive pedal.

id still recommend anyone with a yearning for a bit of warm dirt gets this pedal

This is a very easy pedal to get a good sound out of, especially because it has 2 stages. The only downer is that it's got a push-pull volume pot for compression cut, so if you want to tweak volume hands-free while playing, you have to be very careful. More on that below...

First off, the true bypass is suh-weet. This is also the best bass distortion I've ever heard. I turned it up to 25% and it was shaking things off my wall :) The ONLY bad things about the sound is that the comp. cut pot loses a lof of volume when you push it down and engage compression. Maybe that's just the way compression works, it could also use a little more high end, but that's just me

It's solid as the Great Wall of China. I'll end up replacing the switches eventually, but by then I'll probably be all old and arthritic

haven't needed them

I play rock and roll, whatever flavor tastes best at the moment. This is a bad-ass distortion. It's first stage will do overdrive, and kick on the second "boost" stage, and you get full-on distorted bass. It also loses no bottom end, which ever single other pedal I'd ever tried does. The only fault is the push-pull comp. cut thing, but I'm sure I can get it modded to have a toggle for that and a normal pot for volume. SO....if you see one of these anywhere, buy it. You will not regret it, your neighbors might though;)

Nothing much needs to be said here that hasn't been said already by every one else. If you know how to turn knobs and match gains and volumes it's like any other distortion or overdrive.

I use a variety of vintage, boutique copy, and reissue Fender basses (P's & J's)with four things in common for all. Lindy Fralin Pickups throughout, all are passive basses ran through an Aguilar DB 924 outboard pre-amp, all have a .1uF Sprague orange drop capacitor in the tone control, and all are strung with GHS Bass Boomers Heavy Gauge Strings (H3045 115-50). I use one of two SWR heads depending upon the situation and my mood. One is a Bass 350 with a 60's Mullard 12ax7 tube in the preamp, and the other is an SM-900 with an older telefunken 12ax7. I have other tubes that I use from time to time again depending upon the situation and my mood. I run the Bass 350 into a pair of Bag End 15" bass cabs, one with a coaxial horn (I don't remember the model numbers off hand), or a David Eden 410XLT. The SM-900 is in a rack with a Furman AR-1215 voltage regulator and a Rane PE 15 e.q. in the effects loop for specific sound shaping from room to room. That head either runs through the 410XLT or an 810XLT (the hugest sounding cabinet I've ever played through and I've played them all). The Bassdrive is the most useable (and used)distortion/overdrive in my arsenal and I have many. The dual stage design is great because I can dial up just a little grit (ala an SVT) and jump to a creamy lead distortion tone (which feeds back and rolls over nicely I might add) with the push of a button. All controls are musical and very useable with all the guitar/amp combos I use. Fantastic sound, versatile, etc., enough said.

Here is the potential Achilles heal for this and other Fulltone Pedals. It will break down (foot switches) eventually, that is inevitable, and when it does there is the potential for your signal to completely drop if you hit the switch and it fails. Turning the pedal off bypasses the pedal and gets you back "on the air" so to speak but it is very unnerving and annoying when it happens. This has happened to me a handful of times already and some of them at very inopportune moments so be forewarned. This isn't really a gripe because it comes with the territory but they are not indestructable. This is a high impact, highly used piece of equipment. Let it be known however that I am a working pro that uses this pedal a lot!!!! Mild usage should yield at least several years of glitch free use but that could change at any moment and you could just be unlucky!

The times that I did need switches or service done, turnaround was average. That I would assume is to be expected because Fuller is a relatively small manufacturer with a large demand.

Very simple and easy to use. It's got volume, tone, overdrive, and boost controls. It's got 3 different compression settings. A beautiful piece of gear. Everything you need.

In a word--spectacular. It's like a having a studio full of vintage and modern amps. My main basses are a Fender Jazz and Musicman Stingray. My amp rig is all Eden--WT600 Head, 210XLT, 115XL. A great sounding rig for jazz and pop but not gritty enough for my rock band. With the Bass Drive, I can get overdriven tones to die for. This thing sounds so good that I've started using it as a DI for recording.

Built like a tank. I've only had it for a few months but I'm not concerned about reliability.

I play all different styles of music--Jazz, Rock, Pop, Experimental, etc. I've been playing for about 20 years. If this pedal were stolen I would buy another one immediately. It does exactly what you would expect--killer overdrive, tons of tonal variety, and an insane boost if you need it. I can get an amazing, grinding picked tone that I haven't heard anywhere else. And the bottom stays intact. Fulltone pedals aren't cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for.

Super easy to use with lots of buttons. 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob, 1 drive knob, 1 overdrive knob and 3 different types of compression. Just turn up the drive or overdrive to what you want, find the perfect tone and it just does it's thing.

Sounds amazing. I get compliments on it after every show I play. I'm big into dirty tones, like Sonic Youth. I used to use a Big Muff, but it just ate all the low end out. When I was looking to buy a new pedal, I tried out many different pedals and this one struck me right away as being exactly the sound I wanted. No noise, or not much at all if any. My bass is a little noisy.

Haven't had a problem with it yet. I use an AC adapter with it, it's been through a lot of different clubs, getting kicked, dropped and scratched up, but it's still working great.

Never had a problem with this pedal.

I really like a dirty bass sound, but not fuzzy. The Big Muff was too bright and tinny, I would lose the bottom or I would have to sacrifice the nice top crunch for some low-end. The FT Bass Drive can hold all your tones while distorting them, which I find to be rare in most bass distortion pedals. The one thing I love about the FT Bass Drive is that you have two stomp buttons: 1 for drive and 1 for overdrive. I play many songs where I need the extra drive. I used to use a Dan Electro Vintage Tube Distortion pedal with the Big Muff to achieve a similar sound. Now, I only need one pedal. If you turn off the drive, it turns both the drive and overdrive off, but leaves the red light on for the overdrive, another bonus feature.

The 3 compressions in the middle are useful, but I always stick with the full mid. I play this with an Italia Mondal Bass, Dave Eden Traveler Head and an Ampeg Classic 4x10. Sounds even better with my EBS Dynaverb.

I didn't really have the cash to buy this, but sacrificing a month with no money was definately worth it for this pedal. I highly recommend it.

Super easy to use. You can get GREAT tones out of booth the unboosted and boosted settings on this pedal.

I use a warwick corvette standard bass and an AMPEG SVT4 pro head and a slew of other pedals not worth listing. This pedal is dead silent in my chain, one of things fulltone is known for. The bottom line is this pedal is the best sounding bass overdrive I have ever heard and I have tried a TON of them (I am a pedal nut) I read a review that said this was a very "musical" distorion and that is absolutly the truth. You don;t lose any of your low end wiht this box. I have been a producer/engineer for a number of years and a bass player longer than that so I like to think I know good tone. I LOVE THIS PEDAL.....My search for a decent bass disortion is over.....finally.

I have onyl had it a short time so I can't really say but the things seems very solid.

no clue.

If you are lloking for a great bass overdrive with easy functionality look no further this pedal has got it all and my highest regards hands down.

Pretty simple to operate, my only complaint relates to the push/pull volume pot. I use this pedal with the pot pulled up (comp-cut mode), but it is very easy to switch back into compressed mode - disaster at a gig as the volume level changes considerably.
Can be avoided by shoving a cork under the knob, as somebody else suggested (cheers!), but not what you should have to do on such an expensive pedal.

I run american fender basses (a jazz and a precision) into the bassdrive, and then into an old fender bassman 135 sat on a 4x12, 1x15 stack.
I was initially a bit disappointed with the pedal, until I began using it in uncompressed mode. With the jazz bass especially, it gives a tiny amount of grind in the first channel, and a notable step up when switching to the second channel.
However, if you use the pedal in this (comp-cut) mode, changing from the main channel to the boost gives a large increase in volume which (as far as I know) can not be edited. This is my only gripe - I mainly run the pedal in the first channel and the sound it produces is fantastic.

Unless you are Jeff Ament, a backup is fairly cost prohibitive! I have gigged this pedal without worries for over a year. As long as you look after it, I can't see any problems.

Never had to deal with Fulltone.

I play in a metal/rock 3 piece, and really wanted to add a bit of grind/dirt to my sound. The Fulltone Bassdrive gives me exactly the sound I was after.
However, I have two gripes with the pedal. Firstly, the quality of the push-pull volume pot. This should be more solid on a 'boutique' pedal.
Secondly, I wish that changing to the boost channel in comp-cut mode did not boost your volume so significantly. If you run the pedal in normal mode, this does not happen and gives you two channels for live playing. In comp cut mode, the volume increase (for me anyway!) between the normal and boost channel makes using both channels at a gig impossible. A real shame...

Knobs pretty much tell you what you need to know. Only thing "hard" is that you'll need a screwdriver to change the battery.

There's almost no point in adding another review here, except to say that I have the "cleanest" rig in the world -- Modulus Bassstar (okay, not quite as clean as a Quantum, but it does have EMGs) --> Eden WT-400 --> Flite 2x10 and 1x15. It's also a light rig. What I love about this pedal is that I can start with that pristine tone, turn on the regular channel for a shockingly tubey sound (and more responsive that some tube amps I've played!) and then kick in the boost channel for searing overdrive.

Especially with the compression bypassed, this gives the most amazing, singing harmonic distortion in the universe

Very well built. Just watch those knobs, as they're a little too easily adjusted.

NA

Definitely the best bass overdrive I've ever heard. There are fuzzes out there, and they do their thing, but this unit really overdrives nicely, and it can be a regular part of my tone.

I've also recorded extensively with it.

This pedal is extremely easy to use. If you have a basic understanding of how overdrives work you will be getting great sounds from this unit right away.

As far as the layout is concerned, it is great for the most part...big enough to keep from accidently hitting the wrong footswitch yet small enough to comfortably fit on one's pedal board without too much trouble. I like how the input and output jacks are laid out...it enables one to mount the pedal all the way flush to the corner of my pedal board witout the jacks getting in the way of the lid when I close it. Very well thought out.

The only negative points are...

1) The push pull pot for the comp cut. The new Fulldrive 2's use a switch for the comp cut like the Banzi Fireball uses, so why not the BassDrive. My solution to keep from accidently stepping on the knob and knocking it out of comp cut mode?...measure the distance between the knob and the pedal when in comp cut mode...get yourself a cork from a wine bottle and cut a circular piece from the cork...Slice the cork on a straight line from the outside to the center of the cork...bore a circular hole in the middle of the cork circle about the size of the nut that holds the pot in place (making a kind of cork "o")...slide the cork under the knob...if you measured correctly the tension should be strong enough to hold the cork in place yet light enough to still be able to easily turn the knob ...if you want to ensure the cork stays in place, you can apply a dab of super glue to the cut part of the cork, thereby closing and sealing the ring. This will keep the comp cut mode from accidently disengaging.

2) The other problem I have with this pedal (if you can call it a problem) is the knobs are really sensitive (yet solid) and have a very wide and useful sweep across the full range of the knobs, so the slightest bump to any of them can cause drastic changes in your sound. Just watch where you put your feet. The Banzi Fireball 2's layout keeps the knobs out of the way of clumsy feet.

All and all this pedal is extremely easy to use.

OK...I have played bass for 20 years and guitar for 18 years with an equal commitment to both. I play a wide variety of music. When performing on the bass with my current band, I am shooting for sound similar to John Entwhisle, Ronnie Lane, Steve Currie, John Paul Jones and Paul McCartney. At one time or another I have owned or used nearly every Fulltone pedal they make. I swore I would never buy another Fulltone product again after a few shitty customer service issues over the years, but when I replaced my Tech 21 Bass Compactor with an EBS Multi Comp, my Analog Man modded TS-9DX (previously my favorite bass overdrive when in "turbo" mode) wouldn't get as clean as it used to due to the hotter signal and improved low end of the Multi Comp. Also, because of the improved low end of the Multi Comp, the TS-9DX seemed to really make my sound seem smaller than before. I needed a bass overdrive with a lot of headroom and little bit of grit when I wanted it and even more grit when I really want to put it over the top. After reading the reviews of the BassDrive, it became clear to me that it may be exactly what I needed...and I was soooo right!

This may very well be the best bass overdrive on the planet and the best pedal Fulltone makes...bar none! There is not a bass overdrive on the market today that can touch the BassDrive (unlike other Fulltone pedals which have equal or greater competition in the boutique/mod market). On the basis of build quality, sound quality, noise level, and layout the Fulltone BassDrive is simply the absolute best...PERIOD!

In the standard mode one can get some very nice sounds, but for my needs, the comp cut mode was perfect. I was able to dial up a nice SVT type tone with the perfect amount of edge and bass. It was pure heaven. The day I got it I used it at a gig (first time ever auditioning the pedal...I didn't have time to try it out at the store)...it was that easy to dial up great tone. It was a natural extension of my basic tone...very touch sensitive...the more you lean into a string the sweeter it responds.

In the boost mode you get pure rage...again...with no loss of low end. I didn't use this channel as much as it is a sound that works best when used in moderation, but it was nice to have when I needed it. When combined with the EBS OctaBass you get some pretty monster sounds.

Since I have recieved this pedal I have used it live at a few shows and have spent several hours at home exploring the pedal's range. The results were outstanding. In fact I got quite a few compliments from musician friends who have seene me live a lot over the last few years. Many commented that they didn't know what I was doing differently but that my tone was better than ever. I owe a big part of the to the BassDrive and the EBS MultiComp.

And as if this wasn't enough, the BassDrive can be powered with 9 or 18 volts. When running the BassDrive at 9 volts the noise level is pretty much non existant...at 18 volts, there is simply no noise at all. The headroom when using 18 volts is through the roof...it is almost impossible to drive the main channel. It becomes an excellent clean boost and it sweetens your tone up big time...the boost channel becomes almost like the main channel when using 9 volts except with greater clarity. I can easily see powering the BassDrive with 18 volts to warm up a steril direct signal in the recording studio.

So here is my current setup...

Fender Hot Rod P basses with Bartolini P and J bass pickups...or...a stock Rickenbacker 4003 bass into...

Boss TU-2 tuner -> EBS Multi Comp -> EBS OctaBass -> Tech 21 Sans Amp Bass Driver DI -> Fulltone BassDrive into...

SWR Bass 750 head and Goliath 2 and Goliath 3, 4x10 cabs...or

SWR Super Redhead 2x10 combo and Goliath 2, 4x10 cab.

I power the pedalboard up with a Dunlop Juice Box (now called the DC Brick) and I make all connections (including jumpers) with Monster Studio Pro 1000 cables.

I couldn't be any happier with my b

This thing is rock solid...you could club an elephant seal to death with it and it would still work. The case has a very subatantial feel to it and like all Fulltone pedals, the internal components are neatly laid out and wired perfectly...internally Fulltone is the Hiwatt of pedals.

There are mixed opinions on Mike Fuller's customer support. Personally I have not been terribly impressed in this area. Compared to other boutique pedal makers, Mike's customer service just doesn't cut the mustard in my experience. Take that for what it's worth.

That being said, I have never had a Fulltone pedal conk out on me. I believe if one did, Mike would fix the pedal within the limits of the warranty.

So...while the Fulltone BassDrive is a bit pricey, it (and the EBS Multi Comp) has saved me from having to switch from SWR to Ampeg (which would have ended up costing me even more than the cost of the pedal) to get closer to the sound I am looking for...and I wouldn't get the versatility I get with my SWR rigs. Simply put...I couldn't be happier with my sound. For my needs the Fulltone BassDrive is worth every penny I paid for it. I won't play without one.

So easy , 4 knobs 2 foot switches,Volume,Tone,Overdrive,Boost,foot switch for on/off and boost,the volume knob is also a pull/pot that engages a special comp/cut feature that removes the distortion to give you a huge fat sound ,I think 12:00 settings for everything is my favorite but is so versatile ,I use it with all my instruments .

In a word natural , If you need organic ,natural overdrive/distortion,try this , I love this pedal , I now leave it on 95% of the time ,I get my favorite sounds with this, I have used it with many,many.... amps and basses and I will not walk out with out it,lets talk gear ,my current amp is a SWR Baby Blue head @ 160 watts a cheap 1x15 bottom +tweeter and 2x10 top I put some good eden speakers in the cabs ,my clean sound is nice and fat with a clarity that the baby blue is know for .With the Bass Drive I go from baby blue to Mutha SVT and beyond,while still retaining my bass and amp sound ,again this is very natural sounding and it responds to your playing just like a tube amp ,I use it on my main pbass ,but it is just what my Hamer 12 string asks for and I use the comp cut mode on my frettless for a wonderful fat woody growl,we're talking Huge Wood folks. This pedal is the greatest bass pre/amp/overdrive that I have ever found !It does every sound I want and I can get those sounds of Gezzer Butler circa 69 that old cranked orange amp sound and It also does a great Billy Shehan sound that cool creamy smooth chainsaw pudding thing ,and that nasty old Geddy Lee sound those are the more extreme sounds that I go for but its good to know they are in there.

I have actually used this pedal for about 4 years now I have serial #003 , it has been on my board since 1999 and has never failed ,I also just got a brand new silver version that I got ,to take out for casual sit ins so I would'nt have to dismantle my complicated pedal board rig switching system , The new silver version is a real sweet looking box , and it sounds exactly like my old blue one .I understand that Fulltone is a custom shop making the finest pedals , Hand made in America ,their products are as good as it gets , for me 4 years of stomping tone out of this pedal proves it all, I have since gone through many amps basses and gear , but this Fulltone Bass Drive is here to stay and I have 2 :)

I have talked to them a few times and They have always been helpful and professional and I have a dealer a mile away !

For me I won't even jam with out it , It is a part my sound and I never leave home with out it :)

Dirt simple. I didn't read the manual so it's my fault if I don't know what I'm missing. I think this is a really smart pedal, but I can't give it a 10 because it doesn't turn the knobs by itself! The indicator lights are truly welcome.

Very quiet, with or without the power supply. I like the fact that I can overdirve this pedal and actually get more dBs without adding noise to the end stage - that's very handy for studio work. It is quiet enough to record with - that's my benchmark. It's still a live performance oriented unit, though. Effects are precise and highly variable, from undetectable to unreasonable. I use an Ampeg SVT-350H, solid state amp, with a super flat frequency response with two Pro 10" and one 15" drivers in Ampeg style. I needed a little tube drive emulation and this pedal does it to my satisfaction. Contrary to the advertisement, the pedal does alter your frequency response. There is no way to capture the original tone of the instrument when the effect is on. It's a bit more mid-rangy, which is excellent for overdrive, it keeps the bottom end from getting too flappy. And it is controllable. Note definition, even on two-note intervals is clear. Fortunately, this is a true bypass pedal and my original tone is there any time I stomp on it.

The unit seems super road worthy. It just 'feels' professional with it's solid case and tight switching. I wouldn't bother with a backup unless I wasn't personally responsible for it.

I e-mailed and got the answer I needed in 24 hours. The website is concise and readily accessible. I bet I could send this pedal back and get the manufacturer to alter it in any way I could ask. He seems that approachable. The guy cares enough about his products to sign and number them. I think that says a lot.

I'd replace it right away if lost. I doubt I'll find a better bass overdrive, so I'll stop looking. I've been learning bass for thirty years and enjoy just about any style except maybe super slappy, thwacky styles. I don't scoop my EQ much like I did when I was a teenager. I have one bass with flatwounds and another that is smooth enough for rounds. I listen to classic rock, jazz, alternative, blues and fusion, and this pedal covers those areas well. I'm going to put a Carl Martin compresser in front of this pedal to control it a little better. I guess I'm a little lazy as a player.

Relatively easy to use. Okay, it's pathetically simple to use, but you will have to actually TURN THE KNOBS to get the sound you want. I would have liked for the manual to go into a bit more depth, but I'm sort of a geek that way.

I must admit that at first I wasn't enamored by the sound. I'd been expecting something much harsher and fuzzier, more metallic. However, the more I played with different settings on my bass, my amp, and the drive, the better I liked it. Now I love it (in a wholsesome, All-American way, of course!). On certain settings, it sounds like the bass version of Robin Trower or Eric Clapton during the Cream years. All of my equipment is solid state, but the Bassdrive makes it sound astonishingly tube-like. It provides an absolutely smooth, buttery, warm distortion, with drawn-out sustain. On my better days, I can actually imagine I'm Geezer Butler or Nick Oliveri. In conjunction with Fulltone's Choralflange, which I just bought a few weeks ago, the sounds I can get are unbelievable.
My primary bass is an Ovation Magnum II I bought in '79 (which despite a few flaws is still my favorite). My main amp is a Peavey Combo 115 with an extra 410 TVX cabinet, and naturally (I did mention that I'm a geek, right?) I have a variety of effects pedals, including other overdrive units. The Fulltone is by far my favorite.

I've only had it for a few months, but certainly it shows no signs of wear, even after using it to bludgeon my drummer in the midst of an interminable Roto-tom riff. I give it a 9 instead of a 10 only because it's still so new.

From what I've read in other reviews, I'm sure they're very helpful, but hopefully I'll never know.

I tend to play a lot of Black Sabbath/Kyuss/Monster Magnet-style metal, and some more psychedelic late-sixties stuff, although I will occasionally meander into slightly blues-or-jazz oriented material. I've been playing on and off for about 25 years (yikes!), but I would never go so far as to describe myself as a professional . . . I'm pretty much at the advanced garage-band level. Over the years, I've owned a variety of pedals, but right now my main pedals are the Bass-drive, Choralflange, an Ibanez Analog Delay, and a Digitech BP-8 Processor. I do own a Boss Bass Overdrive, which is fine, but the sound is not quite what suits my playing style. The Fulltone is much better for the way I play and the sounds I like. Now if only they'd produce a hardcore fuzz for bassists . . .

Very easy to use.
No patches, it's a pure basic pedal.
2 channels though.

You get
- A general volume with a compressor on-off push-pull switch.
- The mandatory on-off stompswitch.
- A tone setting that actually adjusts the amount of highs and harmonics in your sound (just like the dip switch on the Ibanez, but here you get a knob).
- A channel selector stompswitch, as this pedal has an overdrive and a boost channel. Each channel is controlled by a separate knob.
- Overdrive is lighter, more tubey and bluesy. It can also work as a clean boost with OD to 0 and compressor deactivated. Perfect to emulate a pushed SVT tone or an old Fender Bassman.
- Boost is more aggressive, from a punchy OD to a Marshall guitar like overdrive, with a preserved low end. You want to cover Cream with that.

The manual is very basic, 2 photocopied sheets actually. Useful basic info with comparisons to other brands.

I played with it for about an hour and a half, tried it through different other effects and pickups, and I was floored.

Whatever you dial, you get a great, usable tone. Definitely not the case with most overdrives, especially on bass.
It completely respects your tone. When you change a setting on the bass it's clearly audible through the box and low end remains strong and punchy.

True-Bypass is completely transparent to my ears. Of course it must suck some signal like any other one, but I don't hear it, and I was loud enough to make my neighbour cry.

You can use this unit as a clean booster as well, providing you want to push your preamp. I noticed that it's the SanSamp BassDriver's friend. They get along very well and produce wonderful tones together.

You can also leave it on all the time to give some nice gnarling to your tone, and switch the boost channel on when you need real juice.
What amazes me is that whatever you try, it's always musical and nice to the ears.
I can shake some serious windows with it, play chords, it's still pleasant to the ears.

4 heavy-duty thumbcrews with latex pads let you access the electronics, like on a Dunlop Wah.
Construction is awesome. It's hand signed by the guy who built it, and all wirings and solders are clean and well done. The box is made of anodised metal, probably aluminum (not sure).
Pots and switches sweat quality.

I'd go to hell with it without a backup.
Fulltone offers a lifetime guaranty, I guess it means something.

My only concern would be that when you open it, it splits into 2 heavy parts with the battery cord linking them. It could get teared up in the process.

I e-mailed them and got a polite, useful answer... after 2 weeks.
Lifetime warranty as previously said.

This thing is freaking awesome.
I couldn't be happier, this is exactly what I expected.
It's officially the best bass overdrive pedal I've ever tried, and I've tried quite a few.

For those of you who are used to bass overdrive pedals but haven't tried it, I have a very simple way to describe it : it's like a super Ibanez PD-7. It does everything the PD-7 does, just better.

It gets a 9, but only because it's a very expensive, no compromise unit. Worth it to me, but you probably can find something approaching for cheaper.

Very simple to use and dial in a good tone. 4 knobs [volume (pull out for compression cut), tone, overdrive, and boost] and 2 footswitches (on/off and boost). I bought this used without a manual but the pedal's features are really a no brainer.

Sounds incredible... I bought this primarily as a boost pedal for my passive F-Bass fretless thinking that I would perhaps add a touch overdrive to enhance harmonics. I usually use 2 basses on stage and my 4 string is active which would require some volume changing after switches basses hence the need (actualy just want) for some sort of signal boost for my fretless. The BassDrive far exceeded my expectations. From buttery smooth to Jack Bruce. My rig produces an extremely clean, natural, and unbiased tone (Demeter HBP-1 pre w/5751 tube, QSC PLX 3002, and a pair of EA VL-210B cabinets) but I cannot dial it into a "overdriven" tone. This pedal does the trick. My guitarist used it last night at rehearsal and completely fell in love with it's sound and lack of high end harshness. The pedal is seems to be quiet when bypassed although I do place it in it's own loop of a bypass strip. I can't be sure if it actually alters my tone/volume when bypassed by itself. Once again... an amazing pedal.

I bought this used and have only used it for a week. It seems completely dependable. The pedal feels substantial and the knobs/footswitches are solid. Smooth action on the knobs. Solid construction throught. If it died at a gig, I would bypass it on my strip. No worries.

Bought it used... have not needed support yet. The Fulltone.com website is incredibly informative. I would typically not give a rating on CS when I have not needed it but I will give Mike 9 stars due to the fact that most questions can be answered on his website.

I play in a small jazz combo as well as the backing band for a female rock/folk Ani DeFranco sounding vocalist (www.goldenfelice.com). This pedal is great and it is versatile enough to cover a gamut of styles. Fattens up my fretless niceley or could be used to for complete disto music.

There are quite a few combinations of sounds to be had given the 4 knob/2 footswitch layout. Knobs are described as follows, left to right:

Volume: Governs the amount of output signal and, in normal mode (pot pushed in), runs the pedal in "compressed" mode. Pull up on the pot to cut the compressor (be very careful, and turn down the volume, buckwheat).

Tone: Counterclockwise to emphasize bass overtones. Counter-counter to counter...

Overdrive: Plug your Tele into your Fender Deluxe which is powered up and is at "10", hold your guitar out at chest height, and then drop it. Uh huh...

Boost: Plug your Les Paul into your Super Lead which is powered up, at "11", and carefully suspended (with you and your guitar) from the ceiling of a mill works. Now cut the rope and allow entire ensemble to intersect the coordinates of the spinning saw blade...

"Overdrive" and "boost" actually are respectively performing like "pre-amp" and "gain" pots on a high-gain master volume amp.

Left footswitch: Engages effect.
Right footswitch: Engages second stage of gain, or "boost" as it were.

There are l.e.d.'s for both switches, and the unit I have is silver with black lettering. It might take an average intellect about 11 to 11-and-a-half minutes to decide what settings are desireable. As far as the pure objectivity of "ease of use" is concerned, ah, well...This effect is no Eventide Eclipse, but is also no Phase 90. However, I must defer to Mike Fuller's esteem for his clientele, whom I assume HE assumes are above average in intellectual caliber and moral fiber. For them, a "10"! Heheheeeee!

Absolutely amazing. I use this primarily this way: Ric 4003-> Bassdrive-> Phase 90-> MXR M-88-> MXR M-80-> '90's SVT-> Home made matching 4x12. Need to get an Analogman Clone Clone with the "bass/thick" option and drop that, the Phase 90, and the M-88 in the effects loop. This, block of sonic C-4, however, is the only truly essential effect I own. It is stellar. I could protract and prosaically praise this baby, waxing Mike's bung all day long. The simple $200 fact is that you need to just buy this piece of bad-assness. If you want to boost your bass to cyclopean proportions while you attempt to nail that Papa Roach or Linkin Park riff, or conversely, if you are actually a MUSICIAN, you will not be disappointed. If you get crazy with the controls, you can imitate a horn and bass string section all at once, or, in clean boost mode, you can evince a huge, liquid, bowling ball drop of aural ecstasy. I won't even begin to tell you what happens when you use the secret (18v) formula. Get it woman!

Please.

Please. A class act, I must say, I must say...

Bought used, but mint, as a one day return (as I scream, "My God, someone RETURNED this?")

Super easy to use, as are all of Mikes pedals. Editing patches....firmware? This is an analog pedal- no computerized monkeybusiness here! Just plug in, twiddle the knobs, and viola--great bass overdrive.

Fender Jazz bass > MuTron > Tech21 Bass Compactor > Fulltone Bass Drive2 > Fulltone Supa Trem > Demeter HBP-1 Bass preamp > Crown Microtech 600 poweramp > Eden 410T & 410XLT cabs. No noise to speak of, and sounds absolutely astounding when I run the Bass Drive with the MuTron. This pedal sounds killer.

I've had it for 4 months and have toured with it for 3 of the 4. No problems yet.

I also have a FullDrive2 pedal, and Mike Fuller was happy to assist me with some issues I had with that. His emails were prompt and my phone conversations with him were direct and to the point. Perfect! My time is valuable, and so's his.

I've been playing professionally (tours, recording, etc) for the last 15 years playing just about everything under the sun. I own scads of gear, and I don't have time to list it all here. This pedal is pretty awesome---the perfect bass overdrive in my opinion. All bass players should have one. Plus, it sounds killer with guitar!