Fulltone Catalyst

Pretty ez.

I'm sure the reviews below are valid for those ppl....but I like this pedal because I found a fuzz tone in the flame mode that I really like. I've never had the '69 so I don't know how much better it is. A better comparison with what I have is the Keeley FuzzHead...an overdrive fuzz pedal and I think I like this one a little more. The notes articulate better thru my equipment. I have other pedals that I prefer for specific sounds that the Catalyst approaches...like my CusackV2 (great pedal annd maybe a prettier orange ha) for some sparkle or my Keeley TMB or AnalogMan KoT4...as this unit tries to do a lot. But of course those pedals have very specific functions...and its probably not a fair comparison. I think the Catalyst...for me...is a great swiss army knife...with that one fuzz tone that I can't be w/o.

My first Fulltone product and it looks to be as well made as anything out there.

Never had to call...although I may be calling and pleading for a new '69 if MrFuller gets his transisters. From what I can tell with just this Catalyst...the man knows fuzz.

Again...it seems to be a good fit for me. Whether it is for you...I dunno.

Lots of possibilities. So you have to spend some time with the pedal to know it well.

The review below is right: this pedal realy shows it??s qualities in live-situations. It is like a Porsche: a good car but it realy comes to live after 100mph.
I use the Catalyst with my Telecasters and -most times- a Dr.Z MAZ Jr and the pedal fits realy good. It is true that it ain??t a plug-and-play pedal. You have to adjust it to your setup and that??s why it??s hard to suggest a setting. The Catalyst is very versatile (from clean boost to fuzz); the EQ works great and is realy effective. IMHO in a living room the pedal maybe sounds a bit harder then it realy is but at higher volumes together with a band it develops a certain sweetnes. If you turn both EQ pots after 3 the sound is full and rich and glassy. Maybe some people will describe this behaviour as "sterile" but this pedal just ain??t a Tube Screamer. Learn how to use it and you will get amazing sounds out of this little box.

Very well built.

I always got quick and useful answers.
But I??m a bit disappointed that every now and then they come out with new versions of some pedals. If I buy a product I want it to be designed to the end.

It is my favorite Fulltone pedal (beside my Clyde way ) and the best Fuzz I know -even better the the 69. In my Rock and Roll-Band I use it as a modern and very fresh sounding Fuzz. I achieve sounds from Stones to Scott Henderson. But remember -it is a stage-pedal.

Okay, first things first -I own a load of Fulltone equipment inc '69, 70, OCD, Fulldrive 2 and a mini Deja Vibe. Every single pedal is BRILLIANT !

Then, I bought a Catalyst as it sounded too good to be true:

1) Worked with Wahs, Vibes

2) worked with Bright Fender amps ( I use a Deluxe Reverb as well as well as a Marshall JCM800).

The pedal is quirky to use in that the gain pot seem to have a sweet spot where above and below radically effects the tone eg it is not linear through the range.

The manual is okay I guess, with some suggested settings which I found on the whole rather ineffective. It spends a large amount of text bumming up the product ( 'hard selling' for our cuz's 'cross the pond ).

I really struggled to get 'my' sound out of it though as a previous poster has said the Spark setting is almost useable. For me the Flame setting was a hollow imitation of the 70. It sounded 'harsh'in comparison to the full, smooth valvey 'round' tone of the '69.

You could tweak it for days as still not find 'a sound'. I lost the will to live - it only has two knobs for chrisakes.

Firstly, this thing does NOT work with my Buddha Wah pedal. with the Catalyst after the wah it makes the usual goose honking donkey braying sounds that fuzz users expect ! The '69 with the bias knob dimed works MUCH better with my wah.

Secondly, it sounds really crap through the Deluxe, very harsh, sterile - yes I know the verb channel has a bright cap, but this thing sounds gash into the normal channel. By comparison the OCD sounds great into either as does the FD2.

You can possibly get some decent clean boost sounds but I prefer just to crank the amp and use my guitars vol control for this. Or use the OCD with gain below 11am.

This pedal sounds fantastic in the various You Tube clips that Fuller demos but I was unable to get anything that sounded remotely useable ( in my opinion). Maybe mine is a dud. I tried it with amp cranked and it still sounded pants.

It has stayed in the box since I gave up trying to get a decent sound out of it. Fulltone stuff is built well and should last.

Have not contacted them about this as I will probably receive a sledging along the lines that I am incompetent and dont know what I am doing. Actually, I am a pro guitar player of 20 years and earn every penny with a guitar in my hand.

In the past Fulltone have been good at responding to queries but my last one got blanked despite resending ( query about a pedal I had purchased).

Fulltone have gone right down in my estmation with this product. They seem to be spending more time on their marketing rather than product function and design ?

I would fight to the death if someone tried to steal my '69 and I love the Mini Deja and OCD ( v.4). With this I'd consider paying someone to take it off my hands. I wouldn't sell it to anyone I know and have refused to sell it to one of my students as I feel he could do better with something else eg. a used '69, Mayer Axis Fuzz, OCD.

Sorry Mike, you are a genius and have produced fantastic effects which are an integral part of my sound for which I truly thank you, but the Catalyst as it stands is nothing but a 'beta' pedal ( how may versions of the OCD were issued until it was 'right' - is it 'right' yet?? ). This may be harsh but I have spent around ??1000 on Fulltone gear and have spent ??150 on a Catalyst so feel I have the right to say my piece as a loyal customer. It has all been worth every penny except for the Catalyst.

Fulltone need to get back to being the best botique pedal maker rather than being the Microsoft of botique pedal makers - get it right then charge people money for it.

If it was stolen I would let out a sigh of relief that the thief took it rather than my '69.

Biggest disappointment is that it doesn't work with a wah as ALL the promo literature says that it does. It looks good though. Definitely 'try before you buy' - mine was mail order and I should have sent it back rather tha persisting with the belief that because it is a Fulltone it must be good.

A monkey could run it!

Total absolute crap...sorry...its true!

Looks like it could last a lifetime...similar to the companies other products I own.

Never had to call them.

OK...avoid this pedal like the swine flu.

This is a case of splitting a hair to many times...going to the well once to often....I dunno!

I own a Fulldrive...total exellence. I also own an OCD...again I bow to the greatness of its creater.

But......

The Catalst is a complete waste of money...garbage beyond garbage...I wouldnt even puke on it so not to offend the puke!

As a boost..ok it boosts...but there is no quality overdrive or distortion on your way to the fuzz.

Its abrupt...there is no smoothness or decent level of sustain enhancement.
Nothing silky on any level going on here.
It does not resemble any type of classic type fuzz or modern fuzz you've ever heard.
Its claim of replacing several pedals on your pedal board is a joke. Not only is the joke unfunny...I think its complete false advertising.
This is proof that just because a company makes other good products it doesnt mean everything is as good...also proves boutique doesnt always count for anything worthwhile.
I hung in there with it for a few weeks trying it with several amps...Twin Reverb...Blue Angel...Carr Mercury...with several guitars...PRS McCarty...several reissue Strats...G & L Asat Classic S.
Get the picture...all quality amps and guitars.
I'm returning it...I'm out the shipping..thanks!
Discount my review all you want...YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!

Easy, unless you are a total beginner with a MJM strat on the middle pu :)
Look, kids shouldn't be allowed to play with adult toys...
and the Catalyst is an exquisite ADULTXXX Toy.
Anything I want, clean boost, Jimmy Page Overdrives, FUZZ...it's all there.
aUnless, you are on a mexican strat with a Peavey like Junior in the below "review"

see above

Yes, of course, it's a Fulltone

always the best

see above, Turn down the Treble on your amps...actually, get a REAL amp and learn that tone comes from the fingers first, and you have to have a CONCEPT of tone before you plug in..

**** in= **** x 100 out boys.

Buck up, grow a pair, and do your homework.

The manual will get you in the area of each tone it is capable of. Because it does such a wide range of tones it is not just a plug and play pedal.

I own a vintage 60s Dallas Fuzz Face and a Fulltone 69. Both are freaking wonderful sounding Fuzz pedals but like most fuzz devices they leave you out of the mix in a live setting. I bought this to see if the hype was true. It is very true. In a live setting this is a great fuzz. Now I have to admit when I first bought it I was very very disappointed in the tone this box made at home. "Bedroom Players" dont waste your money on this pedal.To my ears with Humbuckers it sounds like a bunch of pissed off bees at home.Live it sounds full and cuts through perfectly. I havent tried it with single coils.

I have gigged with his stuff for years. Fullers products are very well made.

I have sent emails to Fulltone in the past and they responded quickly.

I have to give Fuller credit for trying to solve a problem for the players that are out there playing live and not just playing in the bedroom. This pedal is not for everyone and it wasn't made for everyone. There are hundreds of choices out there for Fuzz. This one is for the Live musician.

It's definitely NOT straight-forward so after you read the manual it'll make more sense. Once you read the manual it's easy to navigate through various settings. Manual very helpful and a critical part for understanding how unique this pedal is.

I hate this thing. Sounded half-way decent in "spark" mode but still light years short from an OCD. When it was dimed it just sounded weird. No character, sterile fuzz that was just lifeless. So bad that I sent it back 3 days later after hours of trying to get a useful sound out of it. I have an OCD in my current rig and it'll never leave since it's the BEST overdrive ever made. I also have a GT-500 and a Full-Drive 2 Mosfet at my disposal. Both of them are incredibly useful and musical as well. Mike, sorry bud, you really missed them mark with this one my friend. The only way I could get it to sound decent was to run my OCD together with it at the same time to give it some sweetness in the mid-range. Paper weight at best.

Great at keeping your papers from flying away in a stiff-breeze. Naturally overpriced.

I play an MIJ Fender Strat from the mid 80's. Fender Noiseless pickups in the neck and middle, Seymour Duncan Little 59'in the bridge. I play rock music in general (indie/alt-country/punk). My heart just continually sank with every 10 minute increment of not getting a decent sound. In the end I picked up a Diamond Fireburst that just blew the Catalyst out of the water!

I couldn't resist this pedal. It's serial # 1xx and the paint was still wet... The small mid/bass and treble knobs would be dicey under low light and my major negative thing is that the gain knob is not linear - there is an almost logarythmic jump in volume/gain beginning at 3 pm - tiny changes in the knob make huge sound changes. This would be non stage friendly. The manual is very helpful.

I am a freak for single coil bridge PUs into the right EL84 amp - AC15, and others - my best is a 10 year old gibson GA15 RV on the 7.5 watt triode mode TURNED UP!
favorites are my strat with a seymour duncan quarter pounder in the bridge and my tele with a 63 re-issue PU. I like to get that townsend screaming voxy thing and use a treble booster a lot. I'm always looking for different boosts/drives, fuzz to see if it enhances my basic bridge PU sound - have tried more than a hundred and then sold most. THE AMAZING THING ABOUT THE CATALYST IS WHAT IT DOES FOR SINGLE COIL NECK PUS WITH SUBTLE AMOUNTS OF GAIN IN THE SPARK POSITION. Incredible chime and character - I could go on and on. If that's what you want then this is your pedal. This did nothing great for my bridge PU thing and I was underwhelmed with the fuzz. This doesn't mean it is a'bad' pedal just no help for my sound.The mid/bass knob DOES do what it claims.

Obviously a solid well built thing

I don't know about this

I have played 40 yrs - past 10 in a cover band - playing all the goofy stuff people dance too - I know nothing about recording, plugging into computers, firewires, midi, etc. I DO KNOW about teles into small amps cranked in small/medium bars/clubs. So far nothing beats my tele bridge >> treble booster >>> 7.3 watt EL84 combo. Probably if you're a blues or hendrixy kind of person or into recording ( where you can take your time to set the knobs just right ) this thing would get it for you. Amazing value - VERY reasonable. I got back basically my full price and it sold fast.

You'll need to spend some time with the manual to learn how to tweek the pedal. The best way to start and get familiar with the piece is to visit Fulltones website and watch the videos that feature this pedal. If you spend the time, it will reward you some fun and amazing guitar tones!

I'm using the Catalyst with a variety of pedals, guitars and amps. Budda, Visual Sound, Keeley, Mojo Hand, Fulltone, T-Rex, DLS, Fender, Dr-Z.....
Bottom line........Amazing! Great sounding pedal ranging from overdrive tones to fuzz tones with none of the issues that most fuzz pedals have. Highly interactive with my playing and cleans up nicely with the guitar volume control!

I've used Fulltone pedals for 15 years and have never had a problem.

I have to say this. I've read about how some customers did not get there satisfaction in dealing with Fulltone. Listen.......Fulltone is a successful US manufacturer that has an excellent track record for going on 16 years! That means they are busy doing what they do best! So quit your whining! If you need service, go through the proper channels as outlined on Fulltones website. Enough said.

I play guitar styles ranging in rock, blues, and country. The Catalyst is a great match for many styles. What really gets me is I can dial in 60's rock tones to country tones. Quite a range!

easy to use. good manual.

great overdrive pedal. using with a jangle box before it, an old big muff after it, & various phase, ddl & verb pedals. using a 60s princeton & a suhr badger with a tonebone splitter.
various guitars - tom anderson hollow t, 60s esquire with joe barden, tom murphy '59 les paul. replaces my ocd, which replaced too many pedals to mention.

too new to tell

never had a problem with mr. fuller in the past.

really like this pedal for overdrive through fender amps. my favorite in many years. it takes a little tweaking, but well worth it.