Fulltone Fat-Boost

Pretty straight forward, three knobs. Volume, Gain, Tone. The manual has insight, and some useful settings.

65 Strat, Vox Clyde Mccoy, TS808, Fat Boost, Ultra Vibe, MXR Analog, The Plex, Alessandro Beagle, Dr. Z Maz 18 jr. I split the effects into a multi amp set-up. The Fat Boost reacts well with all the tools in this chain. I feel that this pedal enhances the overall projection of my set-up and allows me the ability to change volume without affecting the amp EQ'S. I'm not looking for this pedal to be "in your face", more as a means to pump up the amps pre-set tone. If your looking to "thrash" this is not your toy! It is the perfect single coil boost pedal. I've tried the Klon (and a few others), not my cup of tea. Too much gain!! I'm a Duane Eddy, Ventures, James Burton, Brad Paisley, Brent Mason, Hendrix, and Stevie Ray kind of guy. This is tool for use with the clean stuff. I have found it works well in conjunction with the TS 808. However, back off on the volume of the 808 when trying, and also use minimal gain from the Fat Boost (Around 9:00/11:00 works).

It's a Fulltone? Mike stands buy his product.

Again, Mike stands buy his product!

Blues, Country, Rock, Surf, and Jazz. The Fat Boost works well with all these styles, one note, make sure you are using a TUBE amp with this unit! I've been playing 25 years (I guess I'm getting old!). You really have to search for your sweet spot with this toy. I have found that setting the volume at 11:00/1:00, the gain at 10:00 and the tone on 2:00/full meets my needs. Overall, this is a very effective Boost for my style....

Darn easy to use: Volume and a simple low cut. However I do not get why the Input Gain knob has to be so small; this seems a bit odd.

I use mainly a PRS 22fret and an old american Fender Strat into Boogie or Engl amps. The "Fat-boost" does exactly what its name implies: Not only it boosts the volume but also adds a hint of higher (supposedly even) harmonics. This raises the percieved loudness of your sound and makes you sound bigger, fatter, call it whatever you want. However, I rate it not a ten because I miss the "magic" that some of my other little boxes have inherently: They adapt to your playing and to the amp as well as to all the other gear... the Fat-boost has a rather constant effect on your tone pretty much regardless on how you play and whats else in your signal chain. A bit static but in a nice way.

Seems to be unkaputtable. Draws an amazing low current - the battery lasts forever.

I give it a 9 because it is great but not outstanding. Try it out before you buy because it might not exactly be what you are after (as I read in earlier reviews some guys have sent it back already). If I should compare it to the clon I find the clon more versatile but also more obtrusive, though in a very subtle, organic manner. I do agree to the person below who stated that it seems a bit stupid of Mike to advertise his pedal by turning the clon down, but he seems to be like that ;-) Anyways, the Fat-Boost does what I expected it to do, not worse nor better.

Very simple box with a clear manual. Every sound is usable.

The ultimate clean boost pedal I have ever played including the often referred to Centaur. I like this unit because it will also fatten the tone up by using the tone knob. I am running this through a 1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb and it can make this amp sound like it's putting out almost twice the normal power it does.

Built very solid. Has some weight to it. I own two other Fulltone products and have never had any problems with them.

Mike has always returned my e-mails with good speed and thorough information.

This pedal has been a godsend for my live amp because I can now keep up with all of the instruments in the band when I solo through my Deluxe. We play good old classic rock and some blues. I love this box.

Very easy to get a terrific sound out of. A two page cheat sheet arrived with it, which explains what you need to do.

Various guitars into Rivera or Mesa amps. Not noisy at all; I run it in my effects loop as a volume boost for solos. It does exaactly what I want it to do and adds something in the bargain. The solo tone, while maintaining the eq of the amp, is thicker as well without adding any obvious distortion or compression.

Yes to both.

Haven't dealt with the company, although when I emailed about this item's lead time Michael answered within 24 hours. I ordered on aTuesday night and received it on Friday. Yow...

Very good match. I play a variety of cover tunes in all sorts of styles and this fits the bill in every way. I was about to part ways with my Jake because I had no acceptable way to get a controllable volume boost for my solos, and now I can rest easy with it. A fine, fine pedal. It's changing the way I hear myself.

Very >small<, simple pedal. 3 knobs and the foot switch. There is a knob for volume, input gain, and tone. Also a led that glows red when on. There is a manual, which I found to be quite useful.

I play a 99 american deluxe strat through a wah, fulltone dejavibe, fulltone fulldrive II tr100, fulltone fat-boost, way huge aquapuss analog delay, compressor, into a '65 fender twin reissue. I power them all with a voodoo labs pedal power except for the vibe, which I use an adapter with. I have it set closely to the volume boost specs in the manual, with volume at 3 o'clock, input gain at 1 o'clock, and tone at max. I use it exclusively for boosting solos and it works great. No change in tone or eq. This thing packs alot of punch, so be careful. It is true bypass as well so no tone loss when off. Sounds great.

This thing is a brick.

Mike has contacted me before about reviews I have posted here about his pedals, offering to help me tweak them better to my specifications, plus his website is excellent. He is quick and to the point, no bs. Great service, more than what I expected.

I have been playing for about 9 years, mostly rock, blues, and alternative. I had originally got it in hopes of it replacing my compressor, but I quickly realized that the compressor was an indespensible part of my sound, and that the fat-boost would work great to boost my solos, so it fits in my pedal board nicely. No longer will my solos be lost in the mix or will the band have to compensate by playing softer. It is a little pricey, but its worth it if you are into professional sounding tone. For the record I dont own a klon.

Very simple to use. The supplied instructions are clear, well written, and an excellent starting point.

I am a studio guy so noise is NG. This is a very quiet box.I use the Fat Boost with a variety of vintage Gibson, Fender and Rickenbacker guitars into several tweed, blackfaced Fenders, A Vox AC-15, and a Marshall 1962 Bluesbreaker. I play in standard and open tunings for slide and can emulate Allman, Betts,Knophler, Garcia, Haynes,early Clapton, Walsh & Felder.
This device is an outstanding clean boost, that a low studio levels make the amps sound like they are running hotter than indeed they are. The box adds smoothness, thickness and warmth that is very subtle but it IS there.

seems well constructed, but like any good audio gear or instruments, why would you throw it around ???

Having heard of Fulltone via touring/studio friends in Nashville, I knew nothing of the company.I communicated with Michael Fuller on several occasions and he answered me promptly and his website is truly outstanding.He is a real tonemeister and an excellent player too.

I play American roots music:blues, jazz, funk & rock all with a Southern influence.Having played for 35 years, I can tell you I have NEVER used pedals before. I keep this pedal on all the time now.My array of superb guitars and amps is extensive but I can not play at high volume.This is were the Fat Boost has helped me by giving me my regular full, clean tone at lower volumes. Instead of turning my amps up to volume 6 or 7, I can acheive MY sounds, with rich harmonics and excellent sustain at volume levels as low as 2 to 3.I can really get some great rhythmn, lead and slide tones that are richer sounding than before. I can see using this box for punching into a lead or slide solo if playing live. I certainly buy another if it were lost or stolen. It works equally well with single coil or humbucking pickups or solid body & hollow body guitars. I am so happy with this unit I am considering Fulltone's Fulldrive to add some dirt to my slide sound, and in conjunction with this should nail what I'm after. I have absolutely no affiliation with Fulltone or any of its staff.

Once the manual is read, should be no problems. The Input Gain knob might be the thing to throw people off.

Excellent boost with a gradual passive treble cut knob. Very clean and transparent when you want it to be, and fat and warm when necessary.

Fulltone.

Yeah, yeah. Fuller's up and down, but will always get the thing serviced in the rare case it's needed.

Fantastic pedal that is compact and very useful. I like it much better than my Klon Centaur, though this doesn't get as heavy of an overdrive. Doesn't matter though because the Klon has a raspy distorted tone that isn't much good for anything. I find this pedal to be a killer value. Works great with my Strat and Les Paul. Amazing for a great Tele booster too!

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My set up: '59 slab strat or 66 tele into a Klon, Menatone Red Snapper and TS-808 into a splitter to a Dr Z MAZ 18 jr with 2 10s and a '58 Tweed deluxe.

This pedal is an FET boost, much like the Boss FA-1, but with better fidelity. It's primary competition would seem to be the Klon and the ZVek Hard On. Both the Klon and the Hard-On are better boost pedals, the Klon being the best. It's too bad that Fuller feels that he has to run down someone else's product in order to promote his (as he does in his ads and on his website). It's worse when he doesn't come up with the goods. This is pretty uninspired.

N/A didn't buy it.

N/A see above

Nothing special. Buy a Klon.

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First things first....here is the set up:

AS Strat>Fulltone Fulldrive>Fulltone Fat-boost>Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay>Fulltone Supa-trem>Ernie Ball volume pedal>Dr. Z Carmen Ghia>Mesa cab w/ Celestion Vintage 30

It's good to know this upfront. I usually get half way through a review and then realize that the person is reviewing a pedal made for tube amps and using a Crate or Peavey solid state amp. Gee..no wonder you think the Fulldrive sounds like crap. Go play your Korn tunes and leave tone up to the rest of us who care.


anyway........

I love this pedal. No, it is not better than a Klon. It is simply different. I wish that Mike had never said that this pedal will make you want to trash your Klon. They are totally different pedals. The Klon will put you way further into the overdrive realm than this pedal will. As far as clean boost goes I like both of them equally. The have different characteristics about them but each will hold it's own in the clean boost realm.

Here is where the Fat-boost shines. It works perfectly as a level booster for solos. I run it directly after my Fulldrive. This way I can set my Fulldrive at a nice volume for a great cruchy rhythm sound and then use the Fat-boost to put me over the top into lead territory. I cannot tell you how happy I am with my current set up. With these two pedals working together and a great analog delay going into a low wattage tube amp with great, raw, in-your-face power tube overdrive it is pure heaven!

This pedal is also great for clean boosts. It will add some compression to your sound (hardly noticable and very welcome to my set up). It will also fill out the bottom end and add some sparkle. It will push your tubes just enough so they will start cookin' at a lower volume much like the Klon will. Very nice!

Bottom line...

If you are a Klon guy, keep it. But if you really want to get rid of yours I will give you ten dollars for it. My e-mail address is....just kidding. If you want a pedal that will give a tube amp some hop and bounce at lower volumes, this is your pedal. If you are tired of reaching down and turing a knob right before your solo and you want a pedal that will kick you amp and overdrive pedal up a nothch, this is your pedal.

Highly recommended!

Between me and a few of my friends we have owned almost every single Fulltone pedal on the market. Besides what I am currently using I have owned the '69 and the '70. I have only had one problem ever. The switch on my Supa-trem went out once. But it was quickly replaced and all is good! These pedals are some of the best made and most reliable pedals on the market and the fat-boost is no exception. I would and will gig without a backup.

I actually called Mike and ordered this pedal. He was very nice and courteous and a pleasure to do business with.

When the switch on my Supa-trem went out I e-mailed Mike and he had me send it up to him to see what the problem was. Before I even thought of seeing how it was going the pedal was on my doorstep fixed and ready to go. The only thing I had to pay for was shipping the first time. Kudos to Mike Fuller!

This has been covered in other posts.

Well it must be me, Im clearly in the minority with this, but I just received the new Fulltone Fat Boost which was supposed to make me chuck my Klon out the window. Well I think the Fat Boost falls way short and my Klon's not going anywhere. I was hoping the Fat Boost WOULD take the place of the Klon. I couldve then sold the Klon used and still cleared $100 for my pocket. Anyway, I wouldnt say the Fulltone sucks but it sure doesnt do what I expected it to do. Its advertised as the clean boost of all clean boosts. Maybe I dont use these things the way Mike Fuller does or most other people do. But very simply, I set my Matchless Chieftain with the volume up about 2/3 so that it is overdriving naturally. I want a pedal to very slightly boost my solos with just a bit more volume and sustain but to sound as close as possible to the unboosted tone. The Klon is not perfect but so far the best Ive found for this (as long as the gain is on zero and it is used as clean boost only). The Fat Boost, no matter how I set it compressed and thickened the tone. With my neck pickup on the LP, there is an open clarinet like sound that I have to have that filled right in with the Fat Boost. Sure it adds bottom and adds a smooth warm overdrive but to say that it alters the sound less than a Klon, well I dont get it. It works nicely if you are playing the amp very clean and want to fatten the tone and increase overall volume. But once the amp is overdriving, I feel it compresses the tone too much. Also if you have the input up about halfway and the volume up halfway it is very noisy. Yet if you continue to turn the input volume all the way clockwise, then the noise goes away but the gain is too much. Kinda strange, I dont know if its supposed to do that. Anyway, at least the Klon keeps things open and airy. The Fulltone already is on its way back. The search continues for the perfect pedal...

Im sure fine, built well

I play blues rock, use a '59 reissue LP with original PAFs and like the tones gotten by guys from Allman and Betts to Bloomfield and Green. I use a Matchless Chieftain modified with a 50w plexi output transformer that smooths out the top end and mids in the amp. I like the tone to be open and airy and I couldnt get that from this pedal. The Klon does it a hundred times better. And no I dont have any special interest in the Klon company, I was really hoping this Fulltone would do it for me. Again, most people obviously love this pedal and it IS good for smooth overdrive or boosting an amp that is set very clean so your amp sounds like it has more headroom. But for slightly overdriving solos while your amp is already overdriving, it doesnt cut it for me. I didnt like the Fulldrive at all either, so it must be a tone taste thing.