Fulltone Distortion Pro

The stomp box IS NOT easy to use and requires lots of tweaking. Part of the problem is that what sounds good with single coils doesn't sound good with humbuckers (and vice versa). This is definitely NOT a plug and play effects box. However, people who like to tweek will have a field day with this unit.

The Distortion Pro would rate a "10" if you rated just how it sounds using the bridge pickup of a Strat. However, if you select the neck pup using the settings that sound good for the bridge pup, you get a overly bassy, wooly tone. I don't hear the "Eric Johnson" tone people talk about out of the Distortion Pro, even when I play in his style using delay. The unit is not warm enough sounding for this purpose. Also, there's a grainy quality to the distortion on most settings.

The overdrive-like tones you can dial in are not bad, but are nothing like a Tubescreamer of Fulltone Fulldrive II.

You can get a excellent fuzz tones out of the Distortion Pro. The unit cleans up nicely when you dial back the volume knob on your guitar.

The Distortion Pro is one of those boxes that you keep tweaking and tweeking and are never completely satisfied with. That said, its the ONLY distortion box I know of that allows you to use the bridge pup on a Strat and get a good tone. Its a sort of Rory Gallagher/Walter Trout Strat tone. Its not a warm, liquidy distortion sound (at least I've been unable to dial in such a tone).

NOTE -- It depends on what your taste in distortion tone is as far as the ratings go. I could see someone rating this as a "10." For me, however, its probably going to be more of a one trick pony (and an expensive one at that).

ps -- I've been playing for over 30 years (including professionally).

Not all that difficult to use. The manual explains it pretty well.

I use Gretsch guitars, a hamer phantom with rio grandes and a gibson classic pu through a bogner metropolis or a mesa boogie nomad. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good sound out of this box. All in all very fuzzy.

I am sure it is reliable as are all of Fulltones units.

Mike and Fulltone are always great!

I have been playing for 21 years and play professionally now. I have had lots of distortion boxes. Maxon OD-808, Fulltone Fulldrive II, Tech 21 Sansamp Classic, Big Muff (a long time ago!), Jeckyl and Hyde, various digital pedals, etc. This is the worst distortion pedal I have used. It's unfortunate, because the FDII is an excellent pedal. However, believe it or not the Tech 21 pedal kills this one.

Pretty straitforward, a bit more mini-knobs than I would like - oh well.

Great sounds. This sounds like creamy tube distortion to me. I've heard soooo many different pedals in my day - this sounds by far the most authentic. I've got an Anderson Hollow Classic T w/ 3 single coils into a Fulltone 2, Distortion Pro, Line 6 Delay Mod. into either a pro verb. or a classic 30 depending on the gig. I like it a bit more cranked through celestions - it sings.

Looks solid to me. Not too worried here.

I did e-mail Fulltone once and never got a response which I was a bit dissapointed about. I'm guessing that if I had a major problem they would be willing to help out.

This violin-like super-sustain distortion makes me want to sing lead lines on the guitar. Not for every perfect sound in one box, but for what I'm going for it's a must. Fulldrive 2 is a perfect compliment on a much less driven scale. They make the best effects, I'm convinced of it. It will cost you indeed, but better to buy really good stuff to make music with once than a bunch of garbage several times, and in the process never really sound that good and save a few pennies. Eventually you'll have spent more on the junk than if you would have just bought quality in the first place.

This is not an instant gratification device! I spent several hours working with this pedal(not all at once)The manual gives you enough to find what you need, but it ain't easy.

Fender Pro Tube Twin,Clyde Deluxe wah, Fat boost,Fulldrive 2, Dist Pro,69 pedal, Am. series Strat. It is very quiet,and very sensitive. Once I found a sweet sound,I added the fat boost,then the 69 and I was getting way more than I hoped for!IMO one pedal doesn't always do it, but the combination of 2,3,or 4 can take you over the top. The Pro stands alone, but kicks ass with help!

I have 5 Fulltones, and reliability is one of the reasons why.

Never had any problems, but have emailed Mike several time and almost always got answer. No complaints here.

Its obvious I'm a Fulltone geek, the reasons are clear,high quality, dependable, and perfect for 60's and 70' rock.You can get some shit sounds out of this pedal,and lots of people have, but you can also get total power and great distortion as well.What some people are missing here is the versatility of the Pro. No matter what your style or your gear, this baby has something to offer. It is not generic, and it ain't easy,but it will take you where you want to go...mostly

A really easy to use pedal. Two large knobs (Volume and Drive), along with four semi-recessed mini-knobs right below them, with controls for Resonance (adjusts the unit's bass response), Voicing (a nifty tone control, which seems to morph between a more focused "scoop" and a broader mid-oriented tone), Highs (as it says, attenuates the highs), and Saturation, which I think is one huge key to using this pedal. I have mainly guitars that have humbuckers in the bridge position - or rather, I should say double-coil, because hum-cancelling singles are just NOT the same thing at all.

With 'bucker loaded axes, I keep the saturation control down almost all the way (counter-clockwise), as this seems to tighten up the loose ends just right. Now, if I plug in a guitar that has a bridge position single, I find I have to twist the Saturation knob almost all the way the OTHER way (clockwise), otherwise it will sounds REALLY thin and pingy. Now, even so, these are definitely different sounds with a single-Strat and clockwise Saturation settings, than those that you'll get with a bucker-Strat and counter-clockwise Saturation knob settings. This one knob drastically alters the gain structure of the pedal (all the knobs do, really, in their own way, but to a much lesser degree). Also, turning the Saturation up seems to reduce overall volume.

All in all, the controls on this pedal are VERY sensitive, and also very interactive. When you twist one, you may have to twist one or two others just to make that one adjustment. This kind of design is a double edged sword. On one hand, it takes a bit of time (not a lot, though) to get familiar with it, and know that if you twist "this", it'll sound like "that" - so it's tempting for strict "plug-and-play" types to get a couple of so-so sounds and figure it's not for them. But on the other hand, the level of overall control this arrangement gives is astounding - even if, ultimately, you get one sound that you stomp on or off.

Well, I wouldn't call the sound "pristine" (as it is designed to sound "funky"), but the overall sound quality is very good, and the Distortion Pro gets those rich, complex, 3-D tones you've always wanted. Well, the ones I'VE always wanted anyway. First, I want to address all the reviews where guys have said, "this thing doesn't sound anything at all like Eric Johnson's "violin tone". To which I just have to ask, is there, like, a "version 1.0" of this pedal that I missed the first time around? With both my pedal, and the one I tried out in the store, I can't get the EJ sound OUT of this pedal. Everywhere I set it, creamy sustain just oozes out of this thing, the mids squish just right. It even "kinda" sounds like Eric even on some of the raspier settings.

Okay, first up, I'm running this pedal with various bridge-position humbucker loaded guitars, Heritage "335-style" and a Strat with a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates. Yes, you have to crank the resonance back some for the Heritage, but not as much as you might think. I run mine into a THD 2x10 Plexi combo, but when I was trying the pedal out in the store (plugging in every different guitar I could find), I was running it into blackface Fenders and clean Carr amps (also "blackface" style tones), and the sound was NOT very dissimilar than through my THD. I guess the main difference is that through the Fenders, the lead sound was "a lot like EJ", wheras through the THD, it just nails it. Now that I've got the EJ sound (or something very similar), I find myself trying desperately to NOT sound like him, especially since I learned several of his easier to moderately hard licks (though I don't really have "Cliffs" worked up note-for-note yet). Also gets a great "Jeff Beck x 10" type of lead sound, and with the volume back on my guitar some, I get a lot of older overdrive sounds, the big thick ones I've never been able to get, like Hendrix's sound on "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)", and any Zeppelin song where Page gets that HUGE sound (possibly due to double tracking).

Now, if you're using a Strat with singles, you may find yourself turning the Saturation control up clockwise a good bit (the opposite of buckers), as the other way sounds like overdrive added on top of a rather "pingy" strat note. Still, the sound is definitely in a different space. I didn't get very EJ-like sounds out of the "normal" Strats, though I did get big, fat, smooth, and responsive gain out of it. Though, I will say that I haven't played a regular Strat through my very plexi-Marshall sounding THD, so maybe that's the ticket. But this pedal may be the ticket if you've got an old Strat, Super Reverb, and are looking for a pedal to get very Robben Ford like lead tones out of it. But, bottom line, if you're playing a stock 50's Strat through a Twin Reverb, you probably won't find very many EJ-like tones in this pedal. If you just HAVE to have that sound, and you have a good playing (but not particularly all that valuable) Strat, take my advice and get it routed and slap a humbucker in that thing (a Pearly Gates would be my recommendation). Also remember that Eric rolls of the tone a tad bit on his guitar's bridge pickups, rather than rolling off highs from the amp or pedal (believe me, there is a difference), so this is an additional factor that a lot of people are facing that are stricken with "EJ lead tone" fever.

Also, let me address another myth that has been propagated here with some of the more glowing reviews by saying that YOU CAN GET A BAD SOUND OUT OF THIS PEDAL. Yes, it is possible. And by that I mean that you'll likely get sounds you don't dig at extreme settings. And, well, that's just the nature of the beast on something that has this much control. The sound you want is most likely in there, you just have to dial it in, because this pe

Read the other reviews on this. I love Fulltone pedals, but always end up selling them for one reason or another, so it's hard to say from PERSONAL experience just how well these pedals stay togather. I will say that I have heard of no technical problems with any Fulltone products.

I never know what to think about Mike sometimes. He's always been very helpful in all my interactions with Fulltone, but I've never thought he was a very warm, friendly person like some claim (hard to guage from just e-mails, anyway). That's REALLY important to some people, but ultimately, I'm just happy when they're not overtly rude (you'd be surprised sometimes). They run a business, and are not running for public office.

But, to give you sort of an idea, one time I wrote a really glowing review of the FatBoost (which I no longer have), and Mike just wrote me out of the blue, and said, "Hey, that review deserves a free Fulltone hat or t-shirt". So, I wrote back, sent my address, and jokingly said, "If I trash another Fulltone product online, do I have to send them back (kidding<g>)?". He replied, "Yes - not kidding (well, kinda kidding, depends on how it's done)". So, bottom line, I dunno - It's been over a year, and I still haven't gotten my hat (hint hint, Mike). I'm sure that if I finally got it, Mike's "good guy" rating would likely go up a full 10, or so (he he he!!!).

P.S. for Mike - as far as hats go, I've got a big head (I just know I left myself wide open on that one...)

Yep, another overall 10 on a boutique product review. You've seen plenty, I'm sure. Some that deserve it, and some that I thought, "boy, that guy sure has bad taste if he gave THAT a 10". All in all, it's not in the rating a product receives, or even what I or anyone else says about it. What you have to figure out is if something is for YOU. (the rest of this is more of a general commentary on tone tweaking in general, a few places pointing out how that specifically relates to this pedal).

I've run the gamut over the years, as far as guitar gear goes. For a long time I was looking for the perfect channel switching amp. And I went through a LOT of them, Riveras, Bogners, Boogies - all kinds, really. And I've had plenty of single channel, non-master amps, as well, both vintage and boutique (old Marshall plexis, a late 60's Park amp, Matchless, Diaz, and many more I can't remember). Along with these, I always had an assortment of pedals. At first, most of them were TS-808 type designs, complete with crowded mids, plastic highs, and rubbery low end - when you got low end, that is. And let me say, for the record, that my Fulldrive II was probably the only Fulltone product I didn't like (I think it was this that finally helped me make up my mind that I don't like the 808 type sound - if I did, I'd definitely still have the Fulldrive II).

It's really hard to compare this pedal with anything that's out there, because there just isn't anything similar available. As far as I can tell, this is a totally unique design. I hear certain "tubelike" elements in its inherent sound that are somewhat similar to a couple of their other fuzz pedals, like the '69 Pedal, the Ultimate Octave, etc. But there are many, many other qualities to this pedal that are not in any other Fulltone pedal I've heard. For one, I haven't seen this level of control over one basic sound in ANY pedal. For another, this is a pretty unique overdrive sound to start with, so any comparisons to other overdrive, distortion, or fuzz units will ultimately break down. It's a unique pedal that fills a specific need. Please don't review this pedal here if you're looking for a scooped-mid death machine, as there are already PLENTY of pedals that do that on the market, and this is not one of them. Although, I will say that I've gotten it to "chug" in a very heavy metal-like manner, but true metalheads will most likely prefer one of the many units already on the market that produce killer, ripping sounds, like the Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor, or the Soldano G.T.O. Supercharger. Hell, even certain Boss pedals through the right Marshall will get those sounds, depending on what you're looking for. This pedal is voiced entirely differently (even when you set it for more of a "scooped" sound). It's for those that want to hear vintage, classic overdrive, but with about a ton more gain at their disposal.

I fully realize that most people's taste buds were whetted with the promise of EJ and Brian May tones. And, to a large degree, those sounds are in this pedal. But most people have no clue how Brian or Eric get their sounds in the first place. Brian May, as any self-respecting, guitar playing Queen fan knows, gets his sound by cranking up an already great sounding Vox AC30, and getting more gain by pummelling the inputs with a Pete Cornish treble booster. Eric Johnson gets his sound by cranking up (see a trend here?) his old 100 watt Marshall plexi, and slamming it with a Chandler Tube Driver (which, if you heard it through a clean Fender, you realize it has very little gain, and a "way too soft sound").

Now, I'm not saying it's impossible to get a very similar sound if you don't have their rigs (and not to mention their prowess on the instrument - if you suck, trust me, even the best gear won't help your sound all that much). What I am saying is that you HAVE to at least take into account how they got thei

Knobs all do exactly what they are proported to do. No suprizes here.Pretty easy to dial in a lot of different tones.

Not a lot of low end clarity. Seems to muddy up dissonant sounds. On the plus side the midrange was spanky tubie!!! Not bad thru my Naylor but pretty unimpressive thru a new Traynor 2x12(which by the way is an incredible amp for the dough).Great at low volumes but seemed to lose balls the louder the amp got.

Don't know. Only had it for about 72 hours. Looks tough. My Dejavibe II seems to be a tank too, so I'm supposing this one is too.

Havn't had to talk to Mike yet.

Don't know what to say here. I don't want to slag Mike but this was not the best thing I've seen him build. Maybe the distortion II will address these issues. If there is a Distortion II. Don't get me wrong. Its a cool pedal, but it doesn't quite live up to the hype. I think I'll hold onto my Matchless Dirtbox for a while.

6 knobs...Volume,Distortion are the 2 main knobs and Resonance,Voicing,Highs,Saturation,are the mini knobs, at first I thought this would be a lot to dial, but right away I got my sound and then all other little adjustments seem to bring out my desired tone even further , so I must say it is a pleasure to use also I understand there are internal adjustment to fine tune for pickups and different guitars , i.e. Les Pauls Humbuckers and Fender single coils etc. but I never had to change these , but it is nice to know that is available if needed.

Fender>Fulltone Clyde>Fulltone DejaVibe>Fulltone FullDriver2>Distortion Pro>Ibanez delay 2>Marshall jtm , I saw Robin Trower and he had these pedals so I figured I couldn't go wrong.

I Love all of my fulltone , I have had some for years and NEVER had one go down , and they all have a great warranty, no worries

never had to deal with them but with a transferable warranty and all my heros use their stuff ,I give a 10 10 10 perfect!

I really find it hard to believe any Guitar player would dislike this pedal for that matter any Fulltones they are made for Tone!You could spend alot searching or you could spend alot with fulltone , Your choice , choose Wisely

We got six knobs PLUS 2 inside trimmers (get here only if you know what you're doing). It's not the easiest job but not THAT hard.

Warmoth Custom and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I got great sounds just plugging in. When I started setting things I went to distortion heaven pretty soon.

The thing is damn well constructed. No prob this far.

Like said before, not a prob.

This pedal is, without question, one of the best buys in the market today. I was a little skeptical at first but once I tried it I felt in love w/ it. VERY "tunable".

Small knobs are hard to turn. Also takes some playing to find your favorite settings. But man, once you've got them ... see next category!

(Tom Anderson Classic w/ Fender Hot Rod Delux) FANTASTIC. I played tons of distortion pedals in my search, and this is the only one that gave me that "more than overdrive" but "less than Metalzone 2" distortion. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Boss OS-2 (the overdrive/distortion pedal), but that thing is a huge tone killer! The DP-1 is transparent as I've heard. I paid a lot to have the perfect strat style guitar, and I want to hear it when the pedal is on. The DP-1 shines here.

That being said, this pedal does what it does perfectly, but it doesn't do everything - specifically it doesn't do the "slightly overdriven strat tone" typical of a Tube Screamer, and it doesn't do the intense distortion typical in today's metal-rap. For me, I use my amp for the 1st, and don't need the 2nd.

But if you're into Eric Johnson, classic guys like Jimi Page & Hendrix, Brian May, or a host of other guys with a more middle of the road rock distortion tone, I would recommend this as the ultimate distortion pedal.

So far, no problem. Had it 7 months.

So far so good. Mike Fuller has personally answered several email questions about how to get good tone out of the pedal. He's also replied with settings he used on his own music, which you can download from www.fulltone.com.

However, he occasionally doesn't return emails. But I don't hold that against him too much as he appears rather busy making great gear.

For me, this is the perfect distortion pedal, given that I can't afford an amp that matches that great Fender clean tone while providing a great distortion tone.

Only other drawback is the price. You get what you pay for, and the DP-1 is worth every penny - but that doesn't make it any easier to pay $200 for a pedal.

Just plug it in and start dialing away. You'll soon find many distortion settings that sound great. It helps to know a little bit about sound though.

Dozens of good distortion settings. Many bad ones as well given the unit's tremendous flexibility, but these are easy to adjust out. This unit can stand on it's own. In other words, it sounds good without requiring additional distortion to be added by your amp.

Good all around distortion. I think the marketing line about Brian May tonality is a bit of a stretch, but could also be my amp. Never had a fuzz/distortion box that didn't sound different using different amps.

Currently I'm using it with a mesa/boogie MK2. I drive it with a variety of strats/LPs/PRS's. The DP definitely maintains the general tonality of the guitar you use. Strats sound thin while LPs/PRS sound thick. Does not make a strat sound like an LP like some boxes, though I consider this a good trait.

Overall this effect is a bargain for the money paid brand new.

Built like a tank. The case is especially well engineered.

My idea of customer support is that the manufacturer builds the thing so it never breaks and so I never need to call him. Nothing personal against Mike Fuller, but I never really want to have to talk to him. Appears to score well using this criteria.

I like most styles of distorted rock music with the exception of extreme death metal. I never liked playing clean. I've played for 20+ years and use distortion in a variety of diffent ways with a variety of touch sensitivity. I prefer a box for tone and one that let's me hear exactly what I'm playing. This box delivers. And of course, if you want a noise generator to hide what you are playing, there are settings here that will do this as well if you prefer, although this is not my bag.

Great bargain for the price although I have other fuzz boxes as well that cover some territory this one doesn't. Still rate this one a ten though.