Fulltone Distortion Pro

Pretty easy. I played this pedal once in a music store through a modded fender super reverb reissue. The mod was explained to me as such that it was modded to sound like an original super reverb.
I plan on getting this pedal or a MXR Distortion 2 when I can afford it. (I'm po') The pedal has more controls than your average pedal but this makes it more diverse. I did not have time to mess with the internal trimpots as I only played on it for an hour or so. I had no problem adjusting the pedal.

I was using a G&L custom shop strat type guitar with single coil size blade buckers and George L's cable into a Fender as described above.
It sounded great! I was impressed by the amp like sound that this pedal produced. Most pedals seem to sit on top of an amps clean channel and unless combined with another gain stage, say another pedal or an overdriven amp, sound unusable and fake. Not this one.
It had wonderful sustain and articulation. I could slide up to a note and it would pick it up and sustain it. I played awhile without picking and felt like Joe Satch! Not really (the Joe part), but it was cool. I could just slide and slide! The sound was definitely what I would call brown. I mean this maybe not like others do because I know that everyone calls EVH's sound brown but it always seemed red to me. (maybe his guitars?)
But it actually seemed brown and was not at all harsh. It was a dry sound and I don't mean dry as in dry signal but dry as in it didn't seem liquid. I know that that may be seen as a negative but I didn't think so. Perhaps it was woody. It integrated with the amp very well and had room to breath unlike the Maxon D&S II I tried that same day which sounded like dog doo. Come to think of it though the maxon seemed to have an ampish quality to it as well which makes me wonder if perhaps the amp that I was using just reacted to pedals better than what I have. I am using a 5150 head and have never been able to get a good tone out of an overdrive or distortion pedal out of the clean channel. I am now using a Sansamp GT2 which works fantastically combined with my dirty channel but sounds fake through the clean. On top of the fakeness there are terrible ear shattering highs that aren't even part of the tone. Anyway this is about the Distortion Pro. Great Pedal!

???????? Would guess that it is reliable. It did have a shifty look on its face though......

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I would say that this pedal could match just about any style of music that uses distortion. What about nu- metal scooped sounds you say?
Sure if you reaaly need more distortion and less mids combine it with a little amp distortion or another pedal and an EQ and there is no reason why you couldn't, unless you can't play, but isn't that the case nowadays. Of course there are many exceptions. I have been playing for 15 yrs I play anything I can get my hands, mind and heart around. I started with shred and metal went to funk then classic rock and blues to folk and fusion and am now working on jazz (gotta revisit the blues). Don't own it so can't say about whether I would replace it if it was stolen. I love the sound hate the price.

I was intially very disappointed with this pedal. I bought the DP-1 because my Full-Drive 2 gave me instant gratification (and, to this day, is my favorite pedal). However, the DP-1 required a great deal of tweaking and even then I was only marginally satisfied.
I felt the control knobs were labelled sort of arbitrarily. "Resonance" "Voicing" "Highs" and "Saturation" are terms I understand yet in the context of this pedal their relationships baffled me. So I put it away. I went through countless other distortion and fuzz pedals, looking for the "holy grail" distortion to complement my overdrive sound.
When I came back to the DP-1, I decided to give it one more try. Still no luck. And then, I reread the manual and realized I had missed the obvious: INTERNAL TRIMMER ADJUSTMENT.
I followed the instructions, reducing the gain for trimmer #1, and the results were very gratifying. The control knobs functioned perfectly and logically.

I play hollowbody guitars out of Fenderish amps. I bought this pedal for a solid Marshall type distortion to complement my overdrive sound. After I made the internal trimmer adjustment, the pedal no longer fought my humbucker pick-ups. My low-end didn't disappear. I got that thick, high-gain sound I was looking for.
I've read many of the reviews for the DP-1 and I believe many (if not all) of the negative reviewers would benefit from tweaking the internal trimmer#1. My initial response to the pedal was just like their's, but I'm so glad I held onto it.

I've never had a problem with any Fulltone products.

N/A

I play Pop/Rock music. No cover band stuff. Just, guitar-driven 3 minute pop songs. I've been playing for a long time. If this pedal were lost or stolen I would immediately get another one.

Mine is a 2004 model and has the usual features: volume distortion plus 4 small pots and two internal trimmers (very useful!). A lot of control is therefore possible at the expense of needing time to fiddle (but that's all part of the fun!)

I had an early version of the DP-1 which I didn't really get on with. I have to say my opinion is now completely revised with the new version. With my setup of Tom Anderson/Music Man guitars through a Cornford Hellcat combo, it is rich and smooth with lovely overtones. It nails a good range of distortion sounds but the thing I really like is the way it interacts with the amp and your guitar's controls. The best distortion pedal I've tried for my setup (and that is the crucial point - it may not be the right one for your setup and needs).

Built like a tank and well designed. No backup required.

I've never needed to contact Fulltone for anything (I also own a Clyde deluxe wah and a custom shop Dejavibe) so I can't comment.

I play everything from bluegrass to Steve Vai via the blues, rockabilly and classic rock. This pedal suits my setup and style perfectly and for that extra push, it is superb. As someone else on the forum has said, "Good things aren't cheap and cheap things aren't good". Discuss.

Well, it does have a lot of knobs - but I stil found it easy. Really, I have never seen a difficult pedal. How hard can it be.

OK. That's what I think of this pedal - good, but not god. I've owned this pedal for over a year, and coupled with my Ful Drive II (best pedal I've ever played!) it has been usefull, if not inspiring. I play in an inde rock emo band, but don't really like distortion. I like the mild chunky sounds between distortion and overdrive.
This pedal, on the other hand, ounds very smooth and reentlesly "classic rocky." This is exactly what the ads say, and obviously what Mike Fuller intended. For me it has outworn its usefullness. Ths became very apparent the other day when I tried out a Maxon D&S and was treated to much more of what I've always wanted in a distortion device. Although the Distortion Pro has many knobs it never, for me, produced a particularly great sound. Al that tweaking produced only one ok sound after another. In some ways the pedal is versatile - but in other ways it is hopelessly limited.

Rock solid!

Ok, but not great sound. One could get any number of simpler cheaper pedals, and probably be happier with the sound. If you like cheesy "classic rock" smoothness this pedal could be for you.

This pedal is easy to use, but I have a certain approach picked up from an earlier reviewer here. I turn the Saturation and Highs controls all the way to the left and basically leave them there. Resonance I leave at 12 o'clock, and Voicing at 1 o'clock.

Volume I leave at 10 o'clock and Distortion is 8 o'clock, just a little bit over "all the way to the left".

Using the above settings, you will find a nice smooth boost, my friends.

You must have a good amplifier sound to begin with, before even thinking about boosting it. The Distortion Pro is not a cure-all that will take a sterile solid-state amp and turn it into a vintage Marshall Plexi. I used an ENGL Screamer 50 head and the results are just fine. I highly recommend using speakers with hempcones instead of standard speakers in your cabinets.

In my case, using the DP instead of the ENGL Screamer 50's volume boost and channel switching definitely seemed to be smoother. "Smooth" is the watchword here. Smooth instead of fuzzy, smooth instead of harsh, smooth instead of scratchy. That's where the DP shines.

Compared to the Fulltone Fulldrive 2, the DP will give you more of that .. you guessed it ... smooth sound.

I bought a used 2002 version in May 2004. So far it has worked just fine. Not sure about long term reliability ...

I e-mailed Mike Fuller about upgrading my 2002 DP to more recent specifications. Instead of addressing my simple request, he asked some rather lame questions about what was wrong with my DP. I wrote back, saying I wasn't talking about a problem, just asking about upgrading the DP from 2002 to more modern specs. He wrote back, saying that "I wasn't hearing him" and again reacted as if I were asking about a repair problem instead of an upgrade.

Trying to restrain myself a little bit, I wrote back, semi-apologizing (even though I wondered why I should semi-apologize, considering the situation) and I explained that the upgrade of the DP from 2002 to the more modern specs was what I was referring to, citing examples from the web.

He ignored that e-mail. So, sorry guys, even though the DP is a great pedal, I think Mike Fuller's customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Too bad.

I'll probably try once again to contact Fulltone about upgrading my DP from 2002 to modern specs, maybe by phone, since I live in L.A. If I get a positive, no BS response, then I'll update this review in the future.

Come on, Mike Fuller, stop being a prima donna and remember what the words "upgrading the Distortion Pro" mean. It's the "op-amp" upgrade, remember?

Great pedal, big increase in tonal quality, highly recommended.

But hey, why is Mike Fuller lost in space? It's time for Mike Fuller to climb off that hobby horse and join the rest of us.

Just turn the knobs and you see what this can do.Simple.

Quite good as a fuzz.Wasn't really what I was looking for, I'm after more of a broken sound that can go from soft to powerful.It's not a bad sound if the distortion level is set to zero but any more it gets way too fuzzy and you lose string clarity for picking.very quiet pedal and nice compression.I play through a Roland JC-120 which is quite a bright amp.Maybe the pedal will react better to a tube amp.I've got to get my Rivera TBR 1 working, been sitting there tubeless for ages ! I wanted more 'overdrive' really.Gonna sell it and try something else, maybe the Fulltone Bassdrive for low end handling.The quietness,true bypass encourages me to try another fulltone pedal to see what they are all about. My set up is Fender Jazzmaster '63 Teese RMC-3 Wah/Boss GE-7 equalizer/Fulltone DP1/Boss DD-3 Delay/TL Audio 5051 Compressor/Eventide DSP-4000 Effects processor/Roland JC-120 with chorus half way.Gonna ditch the Jc 120 for a tube amp.Simms-Watts or Rivera.Daisy chained with Mesa Boogie Powerhouse bass cab.EV speakers.

Very solid and well built.Should last a lifetime if not more !

I play Verve/Cocteau Twins type stuff.Lots of Reverb/Chorus/delay need a powerful distotion that doesn't get lost in the effects.This is a good pedal for a mild fuzz but not very versatile.I was dissapointed.I want noise and power but with string clarity.

What a dud! i could not get a good sound out of it for the life of me. GOOD FUZZ FACE SOUND!

for the price i payed i expected more. Im using it through a vibro-king and a super reverb usaly i use 2 TS808s and a klon Centaur for overdrive a Captin Coconut 2 and a RCM1 wah with a Fender 1960 custom shop master build Stratocaster with a big neck and 11-50 gadge strings. and an Gibson ES-335. the Distortion pro sounds like a fuzz face and nothing more i was hopeing to get a smoothe eric Johnson like tone but to my disopointment it sounded more flat than a Boss overdrive. maby through a marshall plexi id have more luck.Oh well. which way to EBAY!

does'nt matter

they should be sued for fraud for saying "it's not a FUZZ"

Ive been playing Rock with a bluezy edge,Fusion,Jazz. but now im in a rock band and i need a overdrive a little harder ill have to keep looking. ive been playing for 8 years

Yes, I would like to truthfully state that it?s easy to use.

But that?s not the most important thing about this pedal. I would like to vent my own subjective ill informed criticism on this pedal. Up front; Yes, I might be considered as an amateur but I can?t help that and I?ve got a pocket full of money to spent so I?ll state my opinion. I?d like to spent my money on something I can appreciate. I hope that everybody can respect that. If you can?t, I?m really really sorry.
Anyway J, I was looking for a professional distortion pedal. Not one of those crappy, no bass, super clipping until your sick with it, mass production pedals. But something with nice attributes like true bypass, overall tone and tone control, pick response, little bit of tube feel and so forth. However, when I searched the net for the usual quality producers I noticed they seem to concentrate on overdrive and fuzz pedals.

Until I found the Fulltone Distortion Pro! Of course, the brand name sounds reassuring, it?s called Distortion Pro (remember what I was looking for), reviews are raving and it?s got a price tag that can compete with the best pedals out there.
I went ahead and bought one without hearing it (yes I know, that?s risky). Sadly, I was disappointed with the pedal. I?ll state right away that is indeed a quality pedal. It?s noiseless, has got real nice controls, there?s bass response and I imaging it really resembles a ?plexi on 10?. But it has just a small amount of clipping. I really don?t want is to sound like a Boss MT-2 (I?d rather not), but it?s more a high gain kind of sound then that there?s a lot off distortion there. When I thought of that (the high gain part), I remembered what I read on the Fulltone site; ?The greatest hi-gain sounds you can imagine, from Brian May to Boston, Holdsworth to EJ in a little metal box?.

My conclusion is that this still is an OVERDRIVE rather than a distortion pedal. I like overdrive but I wanted just plain clipping in levels you can?t achieve with the kind of amp I use.

So, with decreasing hope on the distortion pedal of my dreams I bought a Keeley DS-1 SEM. Now that?s really nice as well! Of course, it doesn?t have true bypass (since it?s a Boss pedal to start with) but it is still very quiet and I haven?t noticed any loss in signal or leaking of the effect when it?s off. It resembles the character of the DP in it?s tubelike sound but offers a lot more clipping. It?s got bass response as well.
It?s also a lot cheaper. I gather that that is something the pro doesn?t complain about because ?if you want quality, you?ll pay for it? but I really wonder about why some of the boutique pedals cost almost as much as a quality amp. Furthermore, I don?t think that just accepting high prices will help anyone (except the producer).

Probably yes, but I can?t judge that on my own experience. Seems to be manufactured very well.

I?m a little bit worried about the reputation of Fulltone. It seems you can get mails if you don?t act like a professional and ask stupid questions. (I would not like to get kicked out of the Fulltone family at just the start of my pedal career.) But hey, that?s hearsay and I wouldn?t hold that against anyone. That?s just not fair.

I play rock. Use a Fender Strat+ with an Orange AD15, also fuzzfoot, wah, DS-1 SEM, MEK TB-2 overdrive (made by hand in Germany and a lot cheaper than most other boutique pedals), CE-2, RV-3.
The DP didn?t do it for me. Maybe it?s the pedal for you. Just consider the fact that this pedal doesn?t produce a whole lot of clipping. It simulates the kind of clipping professionals the likes of Jimmy Page produced by cranking their high gain amp, which in itself is distortion but is a whole other ballgame than the possibilities of distortion nowadays. I don?t know but for some reason I just like some amount of clipping in the signal and then into a tube amp after which there probably is another stage of (natural tube-) distortion and compression as well. But hey, I?m an amateur.

Anyway, if somebody wants to correct me on things described above, please feel free to mail me. Greetings, Bam

Be ware: hi end means higher than 5k, more like 7 or 8k. The bass controll is deep bass. the saturation controll is great - you can adjust the compression and the odd harmonics. I would have liked a prescence knob as well.

Especiallly great with strats. works fine with a gretsch. Can need a little fine tuning to a avoid a muddy bass with a gibson (LP or 335).
It works great with marshalls, a Koch, a Alessandro/Working Dog, but a Rivera almost collaped - it diden't seem to have enough headroom.
The best thing about it is how dynamic it is. From semi-clean to distortion just with your pick attack or the volume knob on the guitar.
It's more quiet, more dynamic, more muscular and better sounding than a Tonebone Classic [sic].

Fulltone is the best.

If it were stolen, I'd by a new one.

For ease of use I give this pedal a 7. Simply put it is not difficult to get a good sound out it, but it does take some time tweaking to acheive the desired tone. In other words I wouldn't whip it out of the box and plug it up for the first time at the gig. On the other hand, after some knob twiddling, I had acheived the desired result within an hour or so and haven't hardly touched a knob since. The only thing I do turn a little is the volume and distortion knobs, to fill up the room or vice versa. The fulltone manual describes the controls very well, but even so, the resonance (bass), voicing (mids), and highs (duh...), are far more interactive than can be adequately put in writing. Also the knobs, for the most part, have a detent at the midway position, which I suspect might help guide you on a dark stage. But seeing as how I don't mess with anything thing but the big knobs I don't really have that problem. Moving forward, mine is the upgraded model with the new chip, which really must be a godsend, because I have yet to have an abnormal noise issue. Basically the only thing I knock points off is for the tediousness of the first time dialing in your tone. After that it's pretty self explanatory.

I play a Fender American Standard Strat, all stock, through a Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr NR, and a Z-best 2x12 cab. First of all, and this is the most important thing about any pedal, if your guitar and amp combination doesn't sound good, there's no effect on earth that can change it. That being said, I really dig this pedal because it doesn't seem to alter my original tone too much. Don't get me wrong it really delivers on the distortion, but it sounds more like another channel on my amplifier than a pedal. One thing I will say is that it has far more bass response than your typical manufactured type distortion box. I thought this would be a problem as I demoed the pedal in my house, but at the club it really seemed to give the guitar some extra balls. As far as I can tell the pedal is dead quiet. I find that most noise can be attributed to either the shitty electrical wiring in the bar or far more likely, something such as a neon light running on the same circuit. Now for the big question... tone? My particular amp is a single channel model with a class A ciruit. It covers vintage fender to voxy type tones very well. With the DP-1 I can have my fender-esue clean tone and Marshall thick distortion. Keep in mind I'm not saying it sounds like a Marshall amp, but it really is that BIG sounding. Here is one place that I've encountered a problem, it that's really the right word for it. This pedal has an incredible amount of volume. I've found that if the situation doesn't allow me turn the pedal up to around the 12:00 position, then I might have to give it a little extra distortion to get the sustain I want. But what can you do? Hands down the best all around sounding distortion pedal I've ever played. Also cleans up very well with the guitar's volume control.

Short and sweet for this category. I would and do use it without a backup every time I play. No doubt about it. I looked inside this thing the first day I got it. Pure genius. Plus the casing is made of Sherman Tank steel or something like that. You could probably run over it with a car and just break the knobs. I know it sounds crazy, but for a box this small to be made of such a thick grade of steel, I can't imagine the amount a force it would take to actually make the pedal collapse upon itself.

I wouldn't know, never had to talk to them.

I play rock and blues. AC/DC, SRV, Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Allman Bros, Cry of Love, Hendrix and such are what you'll find in my CD collection. I've been playing for approximately 9 years minus a couple that I can't really remember, but I still tinkered around some even then. I love the reliability and pure tone of a single channel amp such as my Z. With my Fulltone DP-1, I can broaden the range of sounds available to me without screwing around with my amp setup. For this it is invaluable. I have tried dozens of other distortion style effects including but not limited to the boss line-up, ibanez, some digital multi-effects devices (dod, digitech), and a mesa boogie v-twin, as well as various channel swtiching amps. The Fulltone beats them all. However, I still believe that good tone is primarily built on a strong foundation, such as a quality amp and guitar. If your rig doesn't sound right to begin with, the DP-1 will do you no good.