Fulltone Fat-Boost

Have the newer model Fat-Boost with tone as small knob.
Takes a bit of experimenting to find sweet spot for all three controls. Bought in Japan (still here on tour for 2 months), Japanese manual, but Fulltone emailed English manual immediately.

On this tour using Marshall DSL 2000 50W + 4x12, Bassman, Vox AC30. (Usually plus Vibroverb other tours), Various Strats with maple finger boards, various Kinman p\u?s, one with Humbucker bridge, Firebird, Les Paul, Tele (Keith Richards 5 string tuning), various pedals. The Fat-Boost is used only with the Marshall, the only other pedal with the Marshall is a very basic boss DD5 delay, with tap tempo, in the FX loop. Not the purest echo system, but simple for live. Marshall is used on the boosted lead channel only. Fat-Boost in front of pre-amp stage. The basic tone is coming form the amp already. Try to simulate my old plexis flat out, which are too loud for me live, although I may try the Fat-Boost next opportunity live with an old 50 wt Superlead or Bluesbreaker combo.
The Fat-Boost, so far, is good for pushing an already nicely driven sound.
Two settings I like so far ;-
1st Vol 1 oclock, gain 12 oclock, tone 12 oclock. Nicely bursting out amp for solos on strat neck p/u. Edgy top and deep bottom. May sound hi- fi on it?s own, but can be a bit spikey in top end of sound spectrum, when buried in band mix of dense instrumentation, because lows get hidden. Top end slightly separate from main body of sound, but good for certain songs. This top end can also add pleasant smack with certain p/u?s and less dense instrumentation.
2nd Vol 4 oclock, gain 8/9 oclock, some songs gain 9/10 oclock, tone full up. Again on strat neck p/u, this is more middley, more throat, because the vol is pushing the amp more than the gain. Also I get to keep the tone full up, since I?m not compensating, rolling off treble, for the added treble, as I would otherwise get, by increasing the gain, This, I suspect, allows me to retain more of the natural gtr sound. Alternatively too much vol, as opposed to gain, will clog up the sound on my set up. I think prefer this setting, and it still bursts out of speakers nicely with good top and bottom to sound. The sound mixed with the band on full tilt rock songs seems more solid.
Sound on neck p/u heading towards a ?Marshall equivalent? of my original 62 strat (rosewood board) with 62 vibroverb (1x15), + tube screamer on neck p/u (Stevie Ray Vaughn set up)(This gig more rock than blues, hence no Vibroverb). Humbucker sounds good also with above settings, like early British blues (60?s John Mayall guitar players). These are the two lead sounds I mainly like. Also slide sound is a bit Sonny Landreth.
Both don?t add too much distortion, which I like, but retain good, wide, dynamic attack at front of note transient envelope, simulating natural compression of cranked old amps with tube rectifiers. Still stays quite transparent. I?m using wireless systems on all gtrs so unfortunately I?m loosing some top and adding slight compression anyway.
There is some noise but there ALWAYS is, if you crank amps to push out this kind of sound. That?s why I use the Kinmans (noiseless) live, especially with lighting rigs which add buzz. Studio is a whole other area (less compromises).
Every gig on this tour is recorded on minidisk from front of house desk, (mainly stadiums but no ambience mikes which is brutally honest) so I can hear exactly what is going on when I make small changes to the Fat-Boost, (and I?m still tweaking).

Early days but seems solid enough. I may get another as reserve if I continue to like it.

So far emails replied to promptly. No need for repairs

Good for what I do. I am a mainly blues influenced lead player but have to accommodate many diverse styles for accompanying different artists.
As well as touring with Eric Clapton (Pilgrim tour), Van Morrison, Robert Palmer, and Asia, I have performed and/or recorded with Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John, Queen, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, Mark Knopfler, Paul Young, Jon Anderson (Yes) and Burt Bacharach. Currently on tour in Japan with Japanese artist.
I own over 50 gtrs and over 30 amps, mainly vintage, + protools recording studio.
I use many various effects (Usually not more than a couple at a time, if any) but when it comes to overdrive I prefer (and am lucky enough to afford) to choose the right amp for the sound ;- hence multi-amp live set up. Sometimes use Tube Screamers or Rat with Fenders, when I need to overdive the amp, which is set up on the edge of distorting but still clean.
Only used the Fat-Boost so far with the already, nicely driven Marshall, as a booster. I don?t know how it would be with a clean Fender. Not had time to try that yet. As with all pedals, type of amp, settings, type of mike and positioning, are important to me. Also gtr, p/u?s, maple, rosewood or ebony fingerboards, make differences to how I would EQ the pedal and amp.
Heard about Fulltone over the years, bought Fat-Boost here in Japan after trying one out in rehearsals here. Also bought a Fulldrive 2 here but haven?t had a chance to really get to know it yet, although I use it for one Peter Green (early Fleetwood Mac) type overdrive with the Bassman on this gig.
I hope this is of interest, and helpful, especially to any younger player who may find all of the infinite possibilities of gear these days confusing, (maybe this has added to the confusion). I found your other reviewer?s contributions interesting reading, while holed up in a hotel in Nagoya for a night.

Very simple and the manual makes it a no brainer.

It sounds great running it as a clean boost to my victoria, but I wasn't blown away by the overdrive. It is pretty cool that you can achieve it though. I don't think it as good as the klon, and I am going to compare it to a super hard on that I am going to get.

It looks and feels really dependable. You could probably use is as a hammer and it would continue working just fine.

I am not satisfied with the customer service. I have owned 4 pedals and I had a bad experience with one. I have tried emailing and calling and it took about a week to get a response. It would be unfair to rate this pedal poorly based on bad experiences, but that is why I am going to try z. vex-he is easy to get a hold of and very helpful.

I own a couple great tube amps and I try to limit my pedals to 2 or 3 when I play live. I want to have a clean boost, but I don't think it will be this one. I think this is way too expensive for what it does.
It is nice and maybe I will gravitate back to it, but I would rather have a mxr micro amp (great value), or a super hard on (great service).

Very easy to get a great clean boost out it,and a very easy to use pedal.

2003 model,the clean boost is great...I really did'nt care for the overdriven sounds that it produces,I was hoping to use in place of my fulldrive, but no way... you simply cannot replace the fulldrive II in the overdrive dept.I do however use this to boost my signal for chicken pickin' solos...I run it through a Rivera clean channel and it sounds awesome!!Turning the drive all the way down and volume all the way up (tone control varies) gives me a great sound.I also own a MXR micro amp and side by side,I prefer the fat boost.

I honestly don't think you can break one of these.I would use this without a backup anyday.

I've e-mailed them and I did'nt get a response.I've heard that Mike Fuller can be pretty selective about returning e-mails...who knows.Now that I think about it,it was an obvious question anyway!!

A little pricey,but I would replace it.I would'nt use it for metal(maybe just to boost your leads).Its a wonderful clean boost and is as solid as they come.I've been a fulltone devotee for four years now and I simply cannot find better sounding pedals...this guy just gets it.

Very easy and intuitive. One very minor complaint. The little plastic tone pot is too small. A larger knob would be much easier to use.

This pedal does what it claims to. It does add more even order harmonics to your signal and "recover" some of your signal after long cable runs. I have owned many Fulltone pedals over the years and most of them seem better suited to the single coils of strats and teles. This comes as no suprise with Fuller being such a strato-phile. However, I play a Les Paul 80% of the time, and think it would have been better to make the tone control a little more versitile. ie: Low-end boost in the CCW direction and treble boost in the CW direction. With a detented center position taking the tone control out of the circuit. This would make it more useful to us Gibson players. IMHO anyway. I would like to A/B this unit with the Diaz booster or the Analogman "Beano boost," which I believe feature such a tone control.

I'm a little apprehensive about Fulltone switches. One failed on me a few years ago. It worked for about week then died. I sent it back and they promply repaired it. I had my pedal back in no time. I've noticed that Fulltone has changed switches a few times over the years. Maybe this is no longer an issue. Otherwise the knobs and housing are a "case" study in overengineering. Very rugged.

The speed of service is impressive. The fact that you might actually get to talk with the President of the Co. is proof of Mike's dedication. As for phone courtsey, let's just say, Fuller's a busy man. If you've ever worked with a physicians or Phd.s, you'll know what I mean Have your "guns loaded" before you call. If you're quick and to the point; He's very nice. He can smell if you're a pro or just a "bedroom wanna-be" right through the phone line!

I play rock, Jazz and blues. I've been playing about 25 years. I have experience in music engineering and production both in the studio and in the field. ...If my Fat boost got "boosted?" I might replace it with a more versitile unit. I love the build quality though. Second to none.

Very easy to use, I like the fact that it has a volume, so you can add gain without also also increasing the volume.

I have tried a bunch of stuff trying to get a tone I like, without much luck, until I tried the Fat Boost, WOW! (Now That's The Tone I've Been After) I've got a reissue 72 Tele Thinline and Reissue Deluxe Rev. It's the first pedal I've heard that makes it sound like the amp is cranked at any volume, without changing your basic tone at all. Everything else seems to change your tone to much, or sound to compressed, or to buzzy etc. I set it to one notch shy of full up and leave it on all the time. It souns Awesome!

I havent had it that long yet, but it seems to be very well built.

Haven't dealt with them

I play mostly blues and rock, I've been playing about 6yrs. On my pedalboard is the Fat Boost, Barber Direct Drive, and Teese RMC3. The Fat Boost is always on and I use the Direct Drive when I want to rock out, and the RMC3 when I want to get funky. It's by far the best boost/od pedal I've heard, and if it were stolen or lost I couldn't get another one fast enough.

did nothing for my tone, and I tried it in several positions on my pedal board. I know Mike will have harsh words for me, but this pedal wasn't worth the money. period. hours of trying different positions in the signal chain, with US Strat, PRS Custom 24, and Les Paul Classic.Everything got either spongy and muddy or harsh and brittle.

PRS Custom 24 (stock humbuckers) Les Paul Classic (stock humbuckers) and US Strat (stock single coils). Mesa Boogie F-50 combo and / or Marshall TSL 100 w/1936 2x12 cab. Furman powered pedal board wired with monster cables. AC boost>Fulltone Distortion Pro>Fulltone Choral Flange>Maxxon analog delay.
I tried the Fat Boost in every position on the pedal board, interchanging guitars. Never got the sweet clean boost with rich harmonic overtones that were promised. I returned this pedal for a full refund after 2 weeks of f^@#ing around with my rig. Not worth the money or the effort.

I've had problems with Fulltone switches, actually got rid of a Clyde Wah because of a faulty switch. Had to send back Choral Flange for a new switch after 3 months of normal use! I keep a back-up Boss chorus in my tool box at every gig. The new switch is much tougher but noisy as hell in the studio.

Mike is a rude s.o.b - but is good about responding. He should hire someone to handle his customer service issues - it is a skill set that is not possesed by all (right Mike?). he wrote me back once and blamed my problem on the other crappy pedals I was using - not knowing that two of them were his own products!

I play neo-soul, jazz and regggae. 20 years playing semi-pro. My band plays 60 gigs annually around WAshington, DC and goes to Jamaica twice a year. I love the tone of my other Fulltone products, but have had it with the overpriced tempermental stuff. For the money Mike should be using better switches (Choral Flange was actially plastic and rubber until he replaced with a steel switch.I had to wait two weeks for my expensive chorus pedal to get shipped back to me)Clyde Wah switch failed, and local dealer didn't have the replacement part to fix problem. I own a Boss Chorus and a Cry Baby Wah as a direct result of buying back-ups for my Fulltone boxes. As you can see, I will spend the money but have now run out of patience. Returned the Fat Boost for a full refund. I'll end on a good note - the Distortion Pro has been a steady performer and I am pleased with the tone and reliability. Again, somewhat expensive but it has lasted over 1 year of steady use. Fingers and toes remain crossed, based on the other Fulltone experiences!

Well, If it had more knobs then I think it would be too complicated. I like the indented drive knob. It lets me remember the last setting while tracking. If you can't get this thing to sound good in the face of your tube amp then you may want to take up tuba lessons.

Run this into all my amps. I like it better than my fulldrive2. With my Les Paul and JTM-45 it really makes things swing. That super chimey half distorted lovely tone that makes the world go around just pops out. I don't know how I got along without this pedal.

Can't imagine this thing going south. I own alot of Fulltone stuff. Never a problem.

Have not had to deal with Fulltone on this particular pedal. I have in the past on other issues - always very Pro.

If you are looking for that Half distorted class A sweet spot from you Tube amp. This pedal delivers the goods hand over fist. Like I mentioned before - I don't know how I lived without this pedal. My JTM-45 and Vibrolux love me know.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it? Plug your guitar into it! Mike always gives a few settings as guidelines on the info sheet, but adjust it to the levels you have your existing gear at, listen, tweak, then refine the rest of your settings to compliment the Fat Boost. I am always trying different pedals, but with Fulltone gear I already have I found that the volume levels suggested push my signal way over the top - which could be a good thing.

My guitars are a G&L Strat loaded with Fralin blues pickups (get the bass plate for the bridge p/u, it's worth the few extra bucks), and a Godin LG with Fralin P90's. From there the signal goes to a Fulltone Clyde, Ernie Ball volume pedal,Fulldrive II, Fulltone Distortion Pro, Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, V.L.Chorus & V.L. Micro Vibe, Boss tremolo, Boss Harmonizer, Boss DD6 delay, then the Fat Boost. Then it goes to a 4 space rack with an old Tubeworks Real Tube II, Digitech Legend (in the RT-II effects loop) Sabine tuner, Furman Power Conditioner, then to either a Peavey Classic 50 into 2 vintage 30's or a Laney 30 watt class A into 4 10's. I had a little hiss from the Boss pedals but it is not distracting - everything else is true bypass. The Fat Boost was the newest addition to my pedal board and I cannot believe the difference in tone. I set it for more of the overdriven tube sound, and like I said previously, I had to go back over my all my amp and preamp settings and readjust to compliment the FB. And as Mike states on his website, you'll never want to turn it off. It's like I have two new amps. In my set up I would use the Sparkle Drive to get the "just breaking up" sound and use my other Fulltone pedals for solo's, but now with the FB along with the natural tube distortion I have more than I ever thought I could get without going into a more expensive amp.

I've had no problems with my other Fulltone gear and don't expect any with this. I do not play to feed my family, just play when asked and to have fun (and sound good while doing it). We all know how good it feels when your peers come up and ask how you get your tone, and this pedal just pushed it a step further! Don't need a backup, but I guess I could use the Sparkle Drive to substitute IF it ever happened.

Never dealt with Mr. Fuller, only read other reader comments.

I play everythng from classic rock to blues to country, and this pedal helps me to sound like I'm playing through some real high-end equipment, which in turn makes you more enterested and excited to play and push yourself. If my gear were stolen this would be one of the first things replaced. The only downside to Fulltone gear is that it is pricey, but the pain goes away as soon as you start playing. Plus, for me it's cheaper to try different pedals than to buy new amps. Also, a plus to Fulltone gear is that it's tru-bypass - well, at least I can't hear any change or coloring to the signal.

Pretty easy to use. I bought mine new, but the manual was MIA. Not a big deal because once you play with the three knobs, you quickly understand exactly what they do: Volume is the amount of boost...or cut - about 11:30 is even for me, so anything above is boost, anything below is cut. Input gain can be either all the way off to overdriving the internal circuitry, which gives a nice slightly overdriven tone. I use my Fat Boost for clean boost, so I run this at 12:00. Tone is a high-cut like a guitar tone control, so this stays all the way up.

This pedal is in my opinion everything it is supposed to be and then some. It is a very clean and transparent clean boost, and it doesn't color the tone going into it in the least. Once in a while I'll run the input a little hot, which gives by boosted tone a little more of an edge. I use this at the end of my signal path strictly for boosting my signal to the amp for solos. I run from solid and semi-hollow body guitars into a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah -> Carl Martin Compressor -> Tech 21 NYC DoubleDrive -> Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive -> Guyatone MD3 -> Fulltone Fat Boost -> Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb.

Fulltone products are built like tanks. I've used a number of his pedals, and they are the most reliable pieces of gear I have ever owned.

Never had to deal with the company.

I play all styles of music, but my most recent project is an 8-piece 70s dance/groove band. I have a single channel amp and needed a way to boost my volume for leads. I had a problem with the price, as it is twice as much as the MXR Micro Amp. It isn't necessarily twice the pedal, but its damn close. The MXR just wasn't transparent enough. Plus, I think the Fat Boost offers some very useful versatility. The input gain control makes the pedal very usable in any number of rigs and situations. This really is a great product and I couldn't be any happier with it. Took off a point because it is still a little pricey.

Very easy to get a good sound. Hell, it sounds great anyway, anytime. Perfect. I'm using it to make my Dimarzio PAF Pro in bridge almost sound like a ToneZone!!

Setup:
From Guitar (Musicman Silhouette w/ ToneZone and Fast Track 1's)> Fat Boost> Dunlop Crybaby 95Q> 2x Koch Powertone II (EL34)> 2x Koch 4x12". And a TC Gmajor FX-proc.
No noise in any setting, what so ever. When I play my Spirit (w/ 2x PAF pro) I put it in when a fat "pre-push" is needed. The neckpup sounds very jazzy with this little miracle. I'm going to sell all my other "booster"stompboxes - they are realy shitty comparing to the Fat Boost.

It's build like a tank. Throwing it from Mt. Everest, it will survive. I won't ;-)

Don't know. I don't think I have to deal with them, not now, not ever.

I play soulcovers, crossover a la Living Colour, metal. And everything in between. Got my first guitar 13 years ago. If it were stolen?? MAN, that would be fxxking xxxxxxxx, I'd hunt the bastard who'd stolen it. For life, period.
Volume at 1 o'clock, Input Gain at 1 and Tone at 9. This is it.

Fairly easy to get a good sound with it. The only fiddling is getting the gain knob set right, which I like at about 9:00. Any higher on the gain, and the clean boost loses it's cleanness. Manual is straightforward and clear. The tone knob functions like the tone knob on your guitar, so it stays all the way up for me.

As a clean boost, this pedal excels. I find it saves me the most when I go into a lead and need that extra push to cut through the band's mix. This is especially useful when you want to keep your tone clean, but put a lick a little more in front of the mix. I used to have to turn around and tweak the volume on my amp to do this, but now it's just a tap on the pedal, which is much more precise and convenient. The sound does seem to "fatten" in a way, not adding crunch, but adding more "meat" to the sound. It can push a tube amp just a little more into overdrive, but this is due to the signal boost, not due to added distortion. Some say this boost is not worth the cash, but I find it much so more useful, practically speaking, in a live situation, than almost any other pedal, that it is worth the price. Now, if you have a sound man who can boost your guitar level every time you throw in a lick between vocal lines, or for solos, you might not need this pedal.

I've had it for almost a year without any trouble, and feel Fulltone products are as solid as they come. I don't use a backup for this pedal.

Never dealt with Mr. Fuller. I do think his website is worth checking out, and is pretty educational.

This pedal complements my lead playing well. I've been playing 20+ years. I would replace it if stolen or lost. I also have a Fulldrive 2, which I recently replaced on my board with a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, so I'm not just some Fulltone fanatic . I do like the Clyde Wah, which I also own, and reviewed that one also. For a clean boost, I don't know how the Fat-Boost could be better. I have never tried a Klon Centaur, however.

It takes about an hour or more to really figure this little thing out and get the most from it. Mike provided a very short manual that came with the pedal.

I use my Fat Boost with the following setup:

Heritage 150CM (Les Paul) with Duncan Antiquities, then into a Barber Direct Drive, Fat Boost, and finally a Holy Grail Reverb, all into a modified Marshall JTM45 head with KT66's and a Marshall 4x10 cabinet with 30 watt speakers.

I bought this pedal to be used as a "FAT BOOST", and guess what... It works for that function. The input gain control is the most sensitive control on the pedal. I noticed that with my setup it drives the amp, when the level is over 1 o'clock and acts as a clean boost at levels under that. When I used this with my Barber Direct Drive, I really started to experience sonic nirvana. As far as sounds, I use a "Les Paul" and a Marshall, think about it? Its used for blues, blues-rock and classic rock, you know ZZ Top, Allmans, Clapton, stuff of that nature.

I think I could definitely depend on any of Fuller's products, the guy is great to deal with always quick to respond. However I've only owned it for two days so I'll refrain from commenting.

Mike Fuller, may be one of the nicest and informative men that I've ever come across. I bought my pedal used, and ask him a few questions and he answered them all very quickly and courteously. If I have a problem I'm sure that I could send it to Mike.

I found this to be the missing link in my pedal chain. I think that my guitar, amp and overdrive needs were met, but I needed a little something give me more grunt and fill out my sound more, and the Fat Boost did just that. If it were stolen or lost I'd definitely buy it again, it reacts beautifully to my Barber Direct Drive and my JTM45, so it is already an integral part of my sound. For $125 used I couldn't pass it up.

Couldn't be easier.
One knob sets the level, one sets the drive and one tone.
It's also virtually impossible to get a "bad" sound out of it.

What it does is simpy give you MORE sound without adding any real character of its own. but that's a very GOOD thing, as it gets maximum character out of your instrument and amp.

I am using it mostly as a booster. Let me explain:
My main bass guitar is a Status Graphite; a VERY loud active design. but I switch for some songs to a Rickenbacker 4001 with the old horse-shoe pick-up or to a P-Bass with a Quarter Pound DUncan p/u. Both of these are virtually INAUDIBLE at the level set for the Status. So I click in the Fat Boost turned all the way up and they are then ALMOST as loud as theStatus. Works great for me.
And also seems to really (dare I say?) fatten up the Rickenbacker. It adds a subtle thickness that is quite flattering.
I use it in front of a Hiwatt 100 Custom into a Vox 1x18 FOundation and a Vox 4x12 Sovereign cab. It also drives my Tech21 Bass Driver DI or RBI, in the chain with equal success.
It's also dead quiet with totally silent switching (in/out) as well.

Utterly solid.
I used it on a round the continent twice tour.
I played with Cyndi Lauper, opening for Cher in areans. It did 93 shows to over a million people and got thrown around in the rack (where it sits velcroed to the top of a wireless receiver) and trucked and flown all over the place.
It worked perfectly everytime except once which turned out to be a short in my switcher that was confusing the fat Boost (not the Fat Boost's "fault")
Could not ask for better reliability.

I have always found Mike Fuller to be responsive and to the point.
He's prould of his product line but justifiably so.

Rock/pop music.
I would replace it in a second. In fact I would NEED to at this point.
I actually wish it had a HAIR more gain. But that's only my unique situation.

Easy to use

I use it with a Taylor 514ce through a Trace Elliott Acoustic amp. It has true-bypasing, so there are no alterations to tone what-so-ever when the pedal is turned off.

The FAT Boost by Fulltone is the best clean drive pedal i have ever heard. I use it with a Taylor 514ce through a Trace Elliott Acoustic Amp and it doesn't even peak out the amp, but still produces great volume levels for leads and finger picking. I am in a band with 2 other electric guitar players and my acoustic flat picking cuts right over top of the electrics, giving my guitar more definition. If you're looking for a great super clean boost, this is the pedal for youl

Very Easy , step on it , turn it up !

Sometimes I get Lucky , this is just what I was hoping to get , I use a SWR BB 2 Head and EV 12 and Eden 2x10 cab , A Ernie Ball 5 and a Fender 57ri. and a 51ri, I use a ton of pedals Fulltone,boss,arion,ebs,and a custom switcher,I needed to hit my amp with a consistent signal , all the non-truebypass effects on my board are tone -suckers ,so enter the Fat Boost , and the end of my chain . With FB I got back the meat with all the fat , I also got a surprize a beautiful,mild compression , very natural .All this added up , and I get Huge Tone ,yes Fat Boost indeed ! Also I use this when recording on bass , guitar and electric/acoustic it really sweetens the eq on all of these and when cranked up you get that awesome compression /sustain. I really think this is the fix all tool !

Very High Quality , I have had it for a year and with steady use and alot of stomping ,it is solid.I own several pedals by many different companies and most of them are plastic , that I take extra care not to break , all of my fulltones are made for the battle .I have had fulltones for years now ,I never had any problems , at all , not one ! That is Reliability !

I have contacted Fulltone several times over the years , on the phone through emails and through a local dealer , Mike Fuller is the Man ! He knows what to do about tone.

This was the fix I needed , to fix a tone drop out due to a ton of pedals , to my surprize I found the FB works with just about everything ,if you need a line driver or alittle warm eq / mild compressor ,preamp. Check out the fatty

Very easy to use, no brainer really. Although, it will take a bit of twidling to get the desired effect. The controls are interactive, and do different things in relation to one another.

Well, now here's the rub. I use this primarily with an old Deluxe Reverb and various Teles. There are simply two ways of looking at this pedal. You can take it at "face value", and NOT dwell on what it does vs. the price. OR....like me, a person who has tried other "boosters", and for alot less, you can kinda feel a bit riped off by the overall performance of this pedal. I fall into the second category for sure. This aint anything too special folks! I have been playing for almost 30 years, have great gear, and have had MUCHO experience with various pedals, and most of the "boutique" stuff. I have what will remain an un-named boost, that I have owned for years, cost me $49.00, new, and hands down out-performs this Fat Boost all day long. It's not that this isn't a nice peice, nor that it sounds bad. It just isn't worth the $$. No way, no how. This thing should sell for $79, not $159-179. Robbery. It's a bit finicky as well. My other boost has one, yes ONE knob, and does it all. It sounds fatter, blends with my overdrives better, and can be put before or after the drives, with almost the same results. The only thing lacking, is that it is NOT true by-pass. However, it's not a tone-sucker either. I know you all hate me for not telling you what it is, but sorry.....it's my little secret. Besides, they don't make the peice anymore, hence....my purchasing the FD, as a "back-up". So far, it sits in the box!! I find, like many boosts, that it can get harsh if dimed. Therefore, I use it set relatively nuetral, to provide just the right amount of push to my tubes. It works, but it aint blowin me away. I think Mike gets alot of what I will call " I spent a shit-load on this pedal, so I aint gonna dog it", reveiws. The FDII leaves me equally un-impressed. Again, I can name pedals that cop it's vibe, for WAY less. And, I aint cheap. I have thousands into my gear, very carefully selected over many years. I gig professionally, so this stuff gets put to the test time & time again, and I admit I'm picky.

Well built, no doubt.

He has always answered my questions. Seems like a no-nonsense, but fais minded guy to me.

OK, ok at best. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. However, it would have been nice to see this pedal "better" some cheaper peices I have tried/own. Nope. Just another boost, with a bit more versatility, but not really. The controls are finicky, and seem to counter eachother in a not so friendly way sometimes. This pedal is some quick $$ in Mike's pocket, in my opinion. The Sparkle Drive can equal it's performance, as well as others. NOT worth the $$. Lower the price, and maybe then it becomes a worthy peice. The name "Fulltone" is selling this peice, not what it actually does.

Very easy to use. Start with everything at 12 o'clock and adjust to taste. It seems like it could only be easier to use if you did not have to change a battery. Need to experiment with where you put it in your effects chain. It sounds best last but makes my digital reverb pedal sound funny.

I am running it through a bunch of different amplfiers. (Rivera M-60, Allen Old Flame, Laney Pro-tube, Mesa boogie maverick and a couple of homebrew matchless clones). My guitars are a american standard telecaster and a PRS custom-22 triple soapbar. It adds body to any tone. I really enjoy it with a clean sounding amp. You just can't go wrong. You need to be a little careful if you are using a reverb pedal with positioning in you effects chain.

Looks and feels tougher than any other pedal I have.

no opinion.

Great pedal but nothing gets a 10.

Straight out of the box, there's a bit of dicking about to be done to get exactly the sound you're looking for - specifically, the (tiny) gain knob will need adjusting (it can set the gain from pure clean to dirty cranked distortion). It really is a tiny, incy-wincy little thing so it is fiddly. But, having set the gain once, I've never touched it again. The only controls are 'tone' (as others have noted, it's a passive roll-off that you can take out of the circuit completely) and 'volume' (which does what it says - volume). It's as easy as easy to adjust these to get what you're looking for.

My (live) set-up is an old (62) Strat into a Marshall TSL100 & 2x Marshall 2x12's. My FX board, however, is a bit of a beast: Z-Vex SHO -> Crybaby -> Line 6 Filter Mod -> switchable Boss EQ -> Analogueman BiComp -> Fulldrive 2 -> Small Stone -> U/Vibe -> ChoralFLange -> Ernie Ball Swell -> Headrush delay -> Fat-Boost.

Now, my guess is you don't need me to tell you why I got the F/Boost ...! Personally, I don't get on with FX loops - something wierd goes on there, which means that my modulation FX just don't sound so 'full' in the loop - things just thin out somehow. So everything goes between the guitar and the amp. Ouch! - lots of true by-pass stuff, George L patches and Monster cables, but ouch none-the-less. Definite signal & tone loss. Hence the F/Boost at the end of the board.

And it's killer. I have it set for a clean sound, but with enough gain to fatten things up somewhat (the little knob's at about 2 o'clock). The tone control is fully CS (out of the circuit) so does nothing, and the volume's at about 9 o'clock.

The result is a tone that's basically the same but a bit richer & warmer - filled out, you might say. There's a slight clipping, softening off the notes a tad - which is really nice - and also more obvious harmonics (nice chimey sound to chords), a bit more sustain (it's not that notes hold longer, rather that they just don't seem to thin out - while you can hear the note there's 'more of it' there, almost like the effect of a subtle compression ...). It's nice. Really, really nice.

If all you want/need is a boost, then the Fatboost is the nicest sounding boost I've ever heard. I love it, and I simply never turn it off.

These pedals are built like tanks. The circuitry is art. You could use this pedal on the moon without back-up.

Never had to deal with Mr Fuller. My sense is, though, that if I did he'd probably be professional and obsessive. I'd have high expectations.

I play soul/funk/R&B/blues and a bit of fusionny stuff. I've played forever (30+ years) - used to do session work, now I play in a covers band and with like-minded muzo's wanting to blow for the Hell of it.

I'd replace this pedal in an instant (after I'd killed the f---er who'd stolen it).

But, I really need to clarify something for anyone who's checked out the Fulltone web site ...

Mr Fuller doesn't appear to be a man riddled with self-doubt. The sense I get from his site and other musings of his I've seen in print is that he has a love affair with himself and a belief that all others are lesser mortals. I may be wrong and this may be horribly unfair. But that's how he appears to come across. I don't deny he makes absolutely awesome FX (I have three, for Chrissakes!). And I don't deny he's clearly 110% committed to making the best possible gear for fellow guitarists - and God bless him for that. But some of his pov's lean, I think, towards the 'this guy is a bit of an arsehole' end of the spectrum.

Which brings me to his slagging off of the Z-Vex SHO ("that F-ing Greek booteek boost" to quote his web site). Ignore him, he is - on this subject, at least - like most arseholes, full of shit.

Bottom-line: I myself use an SHO and a F/Boost. Why? Because the SHO does amazing things for my ancient Strat - it brings my old p/ups to life in a way NO OTHER PEDAL GETS CLOSE TOO (including the Fatboost). Although I've had the technicalities explained to me by a tech, I won't try to make sense of exactly how the SHO works here. But what it achieves is to extract a lot more 'information' out of older p/ups which have lost some of their original magnetism over the years(which is why the SHO has to be at the beginning of the chain, otherwise it makes very little difference to the tone). So I use an SHO to make my 62 Strat sound even more like a 62 Strat - the improvement is jaw-dropping (brighter, more dynamic, clearer, less 'muddy', more 'glassy'). The SHO won't improve new p/ups at all (for example, I also play a new Ibanez - but the SHO does nothing for it apart from simply boosting the signal).

On the other hand, I use the Fatboost to fatten up and boost the sound I'm already getting. (I could of course cut the treble using the tone control if I wanted to, but I don't.)

Net net: the Fatboost does NOT "slaughter" (Mr Fuller's word) the SHO, it is different from the SHO. Both pedals are superb - absolutely, utterly superb - but they have different characteristics and I find them useful for different things.

Rant over. But please, Mr Fuller, take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself what you see ...

Whatever. The F/Boost is a superb piece of kit, regardless of its maker's unpleasant pov's. If you want a clean boost and that's all you want, buy this pedal - you won't find better.

I think it is pretty easy to use with the exception on the input nob
in the middle. But that doesnt matter that much after you dial it in. Different settings make it sound different. Pretty easy to use I need some nobs to play with.

I play a fender strat through a 63 Fender Tremolux. It sounds great I
just wanted a pedal to push me over the top for my leads. I wanted a amp overdriven sound not a petal overdrive, this does that. A clean boost with a fat warm tone. It does have a little noise on the setting I use.
I have the input gain at 9 o'clock the volume all the way up and the tone at 12 o'clock.Thats the warmest sound I can get out of it.

Seems tough enuff to me.

Just got it havnt had to deal with anyone yet there werent that many places that had them. I would get another one.

I play mostly Blues/Funk and some other stuff. Been playing for about 15 years. Been in lots of bands and played at alot of different events
I have a taylor acousticwith a fender amp. I also tryed it with that setup and it sounded pretty good.My strat thru my tremolux is my favorite sound. I have a gibson lucile it sounds good but how many favorite sounds can you have.I can only like one thing the best.
The fat boost just adds that boost to take my amp to the edge were I get that natural overdrive.I tryed a z-vex SHO It was a good petal but it had a little bit of a biteto it. I like a fatter warmer sound
it was almost to clean. THANKS everyone for your feedback it helped me pick the right pedal for my needs.

This thing is pretty easy to use. The manual is a little help but nothing some experimenting couldnt give ya. The tiny knob in the middle is kind of a pain but then it is less likely to be moved a great deal once you have found your sweet spot.

For sound quality I feel an 8 with the college grading curve. ;) Too many 10 reviews imho. Anyway, it does exactly what you will buy it for. Not noisy at all unless you already are, then that noise will become louder. I use this at the end of my effects chain: PROCO Vint rat, Fulltone '70, Hotcake 3knob version, FD2, Fat boost. You can make this thing amplify your signal without touching the tone, or you can "brown" it a bit with the tone knob. You can also crank the input gain (little knob) all the way up and breakup your tubes at lower volumes. My only gripe is that the tone knob only decreases treble. At max it does nothing to your sound. When brought back a bit you get a lot of smoothness but sometimes I would like the option of a bit of extra treble, especially for the hotcake which I use as a subtle overdrive. The hotcake is extremely bassy but thats another story. If you like your sound quality already then This should do nothing to ruin it. Don't get me wrong, this thing is a great pedal w/ true bypass, I just don't like hearing all good things from people who review products on this site. If what all those people siad were true, I would own a lot more pedals.

Tank like construction. No backup reqd.

Some people have great things to say about Mike Fuller. I have never met the guy. I did have some problems with my '70 pedal initially. I tried email coorespondance with him and recieved two 1-word replies. Not all that helpful. I dealt with the store I bought it at and am happy. Maybe I sounded foolish from my emails but I am still the frickin customer. I still spent good dough on these things. However, Fulltone products are very good and there is no doubts there.

Like I said Fulltone makes good stuff. The fat boost itself is a great pedal unfortunately they are expensive. They are worth it though. That maybe a bad thing huh? Reason for the 8... I grade on a curve. There can only be one best for me and I think there may be something else out there that is better ...for me

Its fairly simple by design, but it takes some tweaking and a good understanding of just exactly what this thing is and what its capabale of and how it is going to interact with the rest of your equipment. The Input Gain knob is tiny and its hard to read the dot marker on it, and really hard in dark environments. I imagine if I had fat fingers it would be difficult to adjust as well. Placement in the signal chain is critical. True bypass switching. Passive tone knob.

First thing I would like to say is its completely silent, it makes no noise by itself. Let me stress by itself, if you have any noise in the signal chain before this pedal, it will amplify it, making the noise louder of course. I play strats and teles through various effects into a fender twin. I place the fat-boost at the end of my chain, right before any stereo effects, and I leave it on all the time. I have it set as follows: Volume - 12 o'clock, Input Gain 10/11 o'clock, Tone 12(tele)/3(strat) o'clock. It really does fatten up single coils, it just makes them sound better, more headroom, more harmonics, it doesnt muddy up the sound, and it retains all the bell like qualities of the guitars. It makes my fulldrive tr-100 overdrive and twin just scream. I originally got it for a volume boost for soloing, but I can't turn it off it sounds so good. You can also overdrive tube amps for a blues tone, but thats not needed in the music I am playing, so I haven't really experimented with that application of the pedal. The tone knob works great for rolling off the highs and making things "browner" or just not quite so harsh, nice feature.

Had it for over a year with no problems, well built, as mentioned in another review below, the volume and tone knobs can turn pretty easily, but it is a trivial complaint. I gig without a backup. Excellent workmanship.

Haven't dealt with Fulltone much, I know they are extremely busy beign such a small company with such a high volume of sales and interest. Having said that, I once posted a review about another Fulltone pedal that I had purchased -second hand- and stated that I didn't think the effect was prominent enough, and within two days I had an email from Mr. Fuller himself offering to help me tweak it to suit my needs. Now thats genuine pride in your work folks.

I play mostly moderate roots/alternative rock. I'd make the input gain knob bigger and more clearly marked, even though that would compromise the convinient compact size of the pedal. If it were lost or stolen I certainly would buy another. Over all great pedal, just make sure you know what you want before you buy it. I don't think it would be nearly as good on a solidstate amp.

Simple to use. Out put level, input gain (small knob that's a bit hard to reach, but that's not a problem), tone (high end attenuation). Pretty intuitive to use. True bypass. LED status light.

Depending upon how you set it up, the tone is either as clear as the bypassed signal (I didn't hear any coloration), or big, fat,dark and LOUD! It can fatten up everything from a bass to a baritone electric to a Strat or a 335 to a piezo equipped acoustic. My favorite is still the Strat (Mike Fuller's guitar of choice).

I usually keep mine set up for a mild volume boost, input gain at about 12:00 for mild clipping, and the tone knob somewhere around 12:00-1:00 for a slightly warm tone. I run it into either a POD, Fender Stage 112SE, or Boogie Mark 4. Also had a chance to play this through an Ampeg Jet 110 Combo and a Fender Blues Deville.

My pedal setup going into the front end usually consists of a Boss CS-3 COnpression Sustainer> Fulltone FatBoost>Fulltone FullDrive2 (more on this later) using Monster Cable Performer 500 Monster Rock cables and connectors. It works with solid state and tubes. . . but it likes tubes.

Concerning hiss, from clean through high gain, the FatBoost alone remains silent.
With the Compressor on (CS-3: mild volume boost, sustain at 12:00), the combination remains silent up to high gain where there is just the barest amount of "hiss."
The FullDrive2 remains silent with the FatBoost on, and only begins to hiss with the FullDrive2 in Boost mode.

Well, it does what it's name suggests. It boosts your gain while fattening up your sound. I don't take my Strat anywhere without it. It can take a thin Strat tone and bring it right to the "edge of breakup FAT" for clean soloing at any volume level. If you set your amp just below the point of breakup, the FatBoost can give you just enough power to push you into singing leads with punch and and expressive dynamics. It increases the useful range of your volume control. Roll the gain down and it cleans right up. Depending upon how you set it up, you can leave it on and control things from your volume knob. It's definitely a Blues Tool! Oh, and it can get LLLOUD!!!! Be careful setting the output level.

It has very slight, subtle natural sounding compression that doesn't detract from the guitar's dynamics IMO. With a compressor in front, this can nail that sustaining Larry Carlton "Dumble" lead tone (He likes things on the "clean" side of overdrive). It fattens up the compressor, and can give you the feeling of a "searing" lead tone that seems like it's on the edge of control (the compressor interacting with the Fat Boost's compression gives the feel of a subtle "sag" to the tone), yet without all of the fizzy, buzzy distortion. It's an addictive sound. Watch how you set the bass end of your amp as things can sometimes get a bit "woofy" in the low end.

An interesting note. When I run the FatBoost (with the input gain set to maximum) after the FullDrive2, the FullDrive2/FatBoost combination gave a distortion feel that was much closer to the Boogie Mark 4's lead channel than the FullDrive2 can get on it's own. A winning combination with the Blues Deville, and, I'm beting, with a Fender Twin as well.

Run in the fx loop of the Stage 112SE and the Boogie, it boosted the signal cleanly and silently. This was the original reason I picked it up, but it sounded so good in the front end, I either have to buy another one or get an MXR Micro Amp for lead boosting purposes.

Built like a tank. Seems there was some concern about the durability of the switch, but reading some of the other reviews, Mike upgraded it, and sent upgrades to those with problems.

Dropped Mike a line the day I bought it, got a reply the next day. He's a busy guy, and get's right to the point. Works for me!

I play just about every style out there, and the FatBoost works for all of them. It's like "guitar steroids." Been playing now for about 28 years. Own bunch of rack gear and stomp boxes. Based on this unit's performance, I went out and bought the FullDrive2 and now have a ChoralFlange also. If it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it right away. I love it's dynamic range, it's mild compression, it's ability to darken the tone a bit (great for a shrill Strat bridge pickup), and it's ability to not add any hiss.

The FatBoost definitely adds some "character" to your tone. It will do the "pristine" thing, but I think it's strength is in the muscle it adds to your tone. It can give you that warm "clipping power tube" sound, but it's not a distortion pedal, so don't look for fuzz out of the thing. It doesn't seem to be everybody's cup of tea, but if you're looking for a boost pedal, this definitely needs to be on your "try me" list. My only dislike is that I wish it came in pairs!

Simple to use...adjusted input trim and gain structure with pedalboard system. I use it to simply do what the name implies...fatten & boost the signal during certain solos or grooves..depending upon the music and vibe I'm going for.

I notice a bit of added noise, but I have a fairly tricked out pedalboard rig...I'm continuing to tweak. I like what the pedal does...it fattens up the tone nicely...great clean boost...I'm using Bogner amps and it remains clean.

Fulltone products are wonderfully constructed. My only complaint is the volume knobs turn too easily...I find that I can accidentally bump a knob while using the pedalboard...this is no big deal though.

Never had contact. I've sent an email, but received no reply.

I play all styles...whatever the music calls for. I have various guitars, but my primary instrument is an Anderson Classic SSH. My pedalboard was design by Tom Knesel at Pedalboard.com and is set up in the following manner: Carl Martin Compressor > Fulltone Fat Boost > RogerMayer Voodoo1 > AnalogMan TS9/808 mod > Fulltone Fulldrive II > Line6 MM4 > Dunlop Crybaby Wah > Ernie Ball Volume Pedal > Line6 DL4 > Bogner Shiva or Bogner Metropolis.

I love what this pedal does..great addition to my rig.

Heres the main points that I want to make to everyone here regaurding the negative feedback people. Number one its important to know how these types of things work and how to use them correctly. Its a simple dvice but sometimes they can be the most difficult to use right. Im going to list a few points here that may help you in deciding weather or not to buy this pedal based on the ratings of people here.

- First issue. And this is the main thing. Using the FB to boost the level of your clean sound, without adding gain. Cant be done. Alota people seem real disappointed in the fact that, although it says it in the manuel, they cant use this pedal effectively to boost thier clean sound without the amp overdriving to some degree. First off, every amp overdrives very easily when you drive the input level. Thats why thiers at least 2 inputs on most clean amps! The difference in levels between a single coil and humbucker is enouph to warrant a second input that cuts the DBs by a bit so humbuckers wont overdrivee the main input. Thats kinda the idea behind the whole 80's marshall plexi sound and the whole Vai, Satch, Johnson, Petrucci,etc.. sound. They use variouse overdrive pedals, not for thier distortion, but to smoothly boost the level of thier signal to force a usually crunchy, bluesy amp like a plexi into an all out smooth, creamy, sustaining distortion. If you like metal Rhandy Rhoads used an MXR Distortion+ before a plexi, Jake E Lee used a Boss OD2 before a Plexi, Zakk Wylde uses a Boss SP2 before a JCM800 and Kirk Hammet uses a TS9 before a Dual Rectifier for leads. Thats kinda the basis for this pedal. When ever you boost the level to an amp, especially into the front of the amp, or even directly to the amp itself (ie.. plugging strait into the FX Loop return or power amp in jacks) its going to add drive. Even only a few DB boost. Thiers no product that can accomplish getting around this. If you play mainly clean and you want the best way to boost the clean sound with a pedal without adding gain, put the FB in the FX loop of your amp if it has one, and adjust the controls so that the input gain is low and the volume is higher. Or better yet, higher a sound man or get an amp that has a solo or channel switch that can accomplish this. Using the pedal before the amps input will most effectively overdrive the amp since your runnning a boosted signal to the preamp with its 12ax7 tubes which can be overdriven much easier than the power tubes which are in the signal chain after the FX loop. So using the pedal after the preamp but before the amp (otherwise known as an FX loop)is your best bet. In this case the higher the wattage of the amp, the better becouse a high volume level to a 22 watt amp is a low volume level to an 85w amp. So the higher wattage amp will work less to get to that same volume thereeby making it easier for you to add a few db's witout gain.

Second. If you do intend to use it for driving the input of a Marshall or Mesa or any other amp for more gain, its about the most transparent pedal out there. If you use a Boss pedal, a TS9, a Fuzz or another Fulltone overdrive like the Fulldrive 2, your gonna innevitably get artifacts (especially to your pick attack) and a tone that isnt all your amplifiers. Sometimes this is good. Theres nothin I like better then to put a TS9 before a Fender Bassman or a Fuzz like Fulltones 69 before my Plexi for sounds from the classic Jimi Are you Experienced? sound, to Eric Johnsons Ah Via Musicom. But sometimes I just like the sound of the amps gain itself. Just more of it. Thats when I grab my Fat Boost becouse it sounds just like your amps gain just a little smoother and a little more gain and sustain. And no I dont work for Fulltone. I find a few of Mike Fullers pedals questionable at best. The DejaVibe for example. I do own almost every Fulltone pedal though. Fuller makes some great F!@#$%(*& pedals. But as I was saying, even with a Fender amp like a Hot Rod Deville/Delu

I use this thing for one thing only. Boosting the signal before an amp to get more natural drive from the amp. I find this pedal excelent for this purpose. Maybe there is a better one out there but Im in no way dissatisfied with pedal. At least not enouph to warrent the search for a better one.

I consider Fulltone products to be one of the most reliable. Even so thier are gonna be bad ones just like any product. The important thing is Mike takes pride in his pedals and would fix or send replacement parts for any faulty parts.

Mikes a jack ass. I hate to say it becouse I love his pedals and I agree with him on tone and I hope he keeps goin, but the guy is always the most rude, pompus ass on the phone. I can understnad hes a busy guy, but that aint my problem. Im putin money in his pocket and he will always be a dick to me when ever I disagree with him about something or have an opinion about tone or products that doesnt automatically favor his pedals.

Ive called him to talk about different things about 6 times in the past. I got the nice Mike maybe 2 times. Even so, I love his pedals and will continue to be nice when i call. Its worrth putting up with his flippant presumptiouse personality.

For what it is I think its a grat pedal.

It's a three-nob box...how much difficulty can you have? Take a little time, set the tone that maximizes your guitar sound, and leave it on. That's my advice.

Setup: Gibson LesPaul + BOSS stage tuner + Fat Boost + Full Drive 2 + '69 + Hughes & Kettner Tube 20

It is absolutely clean. I always keep it on. Everything else after it in the chain sounds even better because of it

Played live with this gear numerous times and have never had a problem with any Fulltone equipment. Just be sure to keep the batteries in check...no biggie. The heavy-duty construction can take a serious beating. I'm a plug and play kind of guy. I don't like fooling around with gear that's messing up or that constantly needs to be readjusted. Fulltone settings tend to hold pretty well, even after the pedals have been tossed into my gig bag in haste after shows. Unfortunately, due to the cost, I cannot afford to play with backups for any of my pedals. Maybe some day.

Never needed it.

I play indie-pop stuff. Think Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, Swervedriver, Superchunk, etc. Fulltone gear has been completely worth the cost. It's really the only way I know to get the rich tones and vintage/clear sounds I'm looking for. I've been playing out for 4 years. If my setup (see above) were lost or stolen, I would HAVE to replace them. In my experience, Fulltone gear is easy to use, especially live, and can take a beating. Durability is key. I've tried a bunch of other pedals, and Fulltone is the only way to go, as far as I can see. Hands down. I'm working up to getting the choralflange for that flow and that Leslie-like grind it can get. I loved the sound and convenience of my Hughes & Kettner Tube 20 amp in club settings, but the tone wasn't quite thick enough, so I considered buying a new amp. Once I hooked up the Fat Boost though, there was no need to get another amp! My sound filled out instantly and sounded HUGE! The tone is exquisite! I am easily able to get the full, rounded, clean tones like those found on the later Pavement records. In order for my guitar to cut through the mix in the past I had to set my amp a little on the trebbly side. Now, I can actually use less volume and be heard MORE. This is NOT an overdrive pedal. This is a tone booster. It's all about boosting your clean tone and making it richer and fuller. If you have a good guitar going into a good amp, this box will only improve your sound...especially if you play through a samll class "A" tube amp and you don't want to lug around or pay for a much larger amp.