Fulltone Full-Drive 2

The pedal is very easy to use, and to understand. The manual is very basic, but does a good job of outlining the different "modes" of the pedal and the functionality of each control, plus gives 2- suggested settings.

I can sum it up in 1-word... Awesome! I am going to use the Full-Drive 2 pedal with a "newer-model" Top Hat Club Royale. With my Top Hat, I've tried a Ibanez Tube Screamer ( TS-9 ) and a Boss OD-1 OverDrive with my Les Paul Classic. The Boss sounds better than the Tube Screamer, but both the Boss and Ibanez change the tone of the amp ( not what I want )!

No, I can't depend on it! I played a store demo and loved the pedal. I liked it so much I bought one. I got a brand "new" boxed pedal and took it home,expecting to get years of use out of it, but much to my surprise,when I plugged it in...IT DIDN'T WORK!!!! Wait, I just spent about $200 ( with tax ) only to get it home and have it not work...something is wrong here Fulltone! Where's the QC check on the unit before it left the plant? Funny, because he later tells me on the phone that they have received in some questionable parts recently...why use them then?

I called the store where I purchased the pedal and the salesperson said he would replace it once I brought the pedal back to the store ( which is about 1-hour from my house...no big deal). Then I called Michael at Fulltone and spoke with him. I was interested to see if any other out-of box failures had recently occurred, especially since the pedal had been built just a few week earlier ( possibly a "heads-up" that other out-of box failures might be expected ). Michael convinced me to send the pedal back to Fulltone, instead of getting it replaced at the music store where I purchased it from...BIG MISTAKE! I just got an e-mail from Michael saying if I want a "new" pedal back by the time which he had originally promised, I would have to pay for the shipping? What? After paying close to $200 for the pedal, and having it fail before I got a chance to use it, I now need to pay even more money to get a working unit back by his promised date. For this I give a "0" for customer service...there is no "0" rating...too bad!

I want to keep this positive! The unit I tried in the store was great....I love the tone of the pedal and the effect it had on my Top Hat amp. I guess I got a bad pedal ( it can happen ), but when you consider I purchased a "custom" pedal, the damn thing should work after I bought one. I have my fingers crossed that I get the pedal back sometime soon....and it works! Michael, I have other FullTone pedals and love them, but my experience with the Full-Drive 2 to date has not been very good....thus my rating of a 4.

This pedal is very easy and intuitive to use. Knobs do exactly what you think they'll do. Volume has two options via push-pull pot. They are compressed output (down) or uncompressed output (up). Tone control acts mainly for higher harmonics cutoff -- I find that around 11:00 position is neutral. Overdrive control is gain. Boost control is more gain, enabled with a separate on/off footswitch.

I primarily use this pedal as both a controllable clean boost to drive the front end of my amp (Booker V12MA) and as a sweet compressed distortion. The dynamic range of this pedal is fully realized with comp-cut. Lots of gain and lots more with boost on. Be careful--it really is a *lot* of gain. True bypass output when disengaged is a big part of its charm. Drives about as full on as you want for rock and blues, don't look for hyper-fuzz here. This pedal does what it does better than anything else.

It is built into a steel housing that is very firm. The knobs and switches are pretty robust it seems -- I have no reservations about bringing it anywhere.

Mike Fuller is extremely friendly and his responses to questions are both informative and expedient. I've sent him email and I got a response in less than an hour. I obviously don't think this pedal will need much in the way of repair anytime soon.

As a clean-boost type of pedal this kicks ass. As a bluesy mild overdrive pedal this kicks ass. As a full-on rocking distortion type of pedal this kick ass. I'm blown away by the care in construction and sonic quality and I would buy another Fulltone pedal in an instant. I'm very satisfied that I will never need another overdrive.

This pedal is stright foward. There really aren't any tricks required to get a good sound. I have trouble getting a bad sound out of the thing. Bottom line: Easy to use. No PhD required.

I play an older PRS and have for the past year played a Fender Deville. As many of you know the Deville is not an amp many people wish to own (I have sold mine). The FD2 really did wonders for my fender. Noisy? No. I use a few settings and can get really different sounds from each setting. SRV? I don't know. Robben Ford? Without a doubt. I have been after Robben Ford's sound for quite a while and without a Dumble the FD2 REALLY helps. I can get there using the following: PRS-FD2-BF Twin Reverb. The BFTR and the FD2 together with capable hands, is Robben Ford. PS: The secret is in the battery! USE A HEAVY DUTY BATTERY (not Alkline)!

It's heavy. Built like a rock. I use it without a backup and bring extra batteries. I have had a batt. die on me and I still don't bring a backup. The backup wouldn't have helped, the song stopped anyway. I could be stupid.

Mike Fuller answered my email about the pedal before I bought it, but now we've got nothing to say to each other.

I play all kinds of blues. Jonny Winter, Albert Collins, Robben Ford, SRV, etc. The FD2 gives me the soul I wasn't born with.
I've been playing about ten years. I don't know everything, but try every OD box you can get your hands on (I havn't played way huge or klon) then buy a Fulldrive. I hope the klon doesn't sound better because I've been happy w/ the FD and I'm broke. Bottom line: It only gets different from here.

4 knobs,and 2 footswitches.Comes with a manual,but you really don't need it!It's pretty easy to use!

I have the burnt orange model(DOB#5/96) that doesn't have the comp pull knob upgrade.Nice clean and uncolored overdrive.A great quality overdrive pedal.I do wish the boost mode had more gain!!!!The overdrive is so WARM and guitar friendly.I can't really give enough praise on how warm the overdrive sound is.It's great for blues and basic rock.My setup is :Fender Strat 62 Reissue>>Vox/Teese wah>RotoVibe>PE Experience>Diaz Fuzz>Boss DS-1>Fulldrive2>Boss CE-2>>Boss RRV-10>Pignose G-40V>2X12 Cab.

Well built!!!!Mike Fuller did a well thought out job on designing this baby.

Mike's very good about returning his E-mails quickly.Always willing to give you his input(if you want it or not!).Mike really stands behind his products.Lifetime warranty,you can't beat that!I might have might Mike upgrade this with the pull comp mode?

A great dual overdrive pedal.I just wished the boost mode had MORE gain!I've played most of the Overdrive pedals out there,so I feel that I know what I'm talking about,and what I'm really playing.It does the blues and rock thing with class.But I still feel that the FDII is not as versatile as the Jekyll&Hyde,but I doubt it was designed for the high gain stuff!I play cover tunes&sometimes a little blues,so it's a great fit for me.If the boost mode had more gain,it would be PERFECT!If lost or stolen,YES I would replace it with another Fulldrive2!This baby is a keeper for life.

This is a great pedal. I tried a *bunch* of different boxes--this it IT! Not much of a manual was provided, but it was easy enough to figure it out. I had it dimed in about 10 minutes.

I have a bunch of guitars and amps--this pedal works with all of them. The greatest thing about the Full Drive 2 is that it retains the orginal tone of the guitar/amp, but adds as much--or as little--of this delicious sounding overdrive!! It also works wonderfully with bass--highly reccommended for any bass players out there.

Seems great so far--and all the reviews I've read seem to indicate that this is a pretty sturdy stomp box. Time will tell, but I'm not too worried.

I just bought it--havent had any problems so far. I'll let y'all know when I do.

This is a great pedal. It's versitile, sounds great, and seems to be well-built. Hats off to Mr. Fuller and all the folks at Fulltone! Great pedal!

Couldn't be easier to use and get a variety of great sounds from. It has four knobs with clear descriptions of what each does.

I have used this heavily for about two years, using a Carruthers Custom Strat and a variety of Teles, 335's, etc. Haven't found a guitar it doesn't sound good with. Even sounds great with the old vintage Magnatone lap steel. I have usually used it with either a Mesa Mk 1 reissue or a Rivera 55-12. The clarity and fluidity you get from this thing is really outstanding and it allows the distinctions of the guitar to come through - the day after I bought this my entire collection of Tubescreamers and various other distortions were posted for sale.

I've dragged it to just about every gig I've had for the last two years and never worried about a backup

Haven't dealt with Fulltone at all about this, never needed any repairs or service

I've been playing for about 30 years and I judge my gear by how little I need to worry about it. I play professionally and ever since I've had this my overdrive/distortion worries have been over. I always get asked about it and I'm sure I've sold them a few in the process. I play everything from R&B, blues, rock, jazz, David Torn-esque sonic experimentation, I've taken it on tour with a West African band, a Persian group, used it on country sessions, you name it - it's never let me down. This is the first review I've ever filled out and wouldn't be doing it if I weren't such an enthusiastic supporter. I really couldn't recommend it more highly. No matter what gear I consider taking along to a gig, this always gets thrown in the bag.

If you're using even semi-decent equipment, it's damn hard to get a bad sound from this unit!! Very easy to use, manual is nice.

I'm playing a PRS Mcarty through either a 74 Bassman or a Dr. Z Carmen Ghia...this pedal sounds great with the Bassman, and OUTSTANDING with the Ghia!! I was using a TS9 with the 808 mod, and it sounded good, but i wanted something different. I also didn't like the way it colored my sound,when bypassed especially. This pedal is perfect...transparent, and beautiful!

I've only had it a little over a month or so...seems very sturdy. Mr Fuller seems like he would fix any of his products...he takes a lot of pride in his stuff.

Before I bought the pedal, I called to talk to the man...unlike other reviewers, I found him to be extremely nice and helpful. He talked to me for a good while about my setup and tone in general. Great guy!

I play rock music mostly...this pedal will not get death metal sounds, but will sing with beautiful glassy tones for days!!

Right now, my Twin is not working, so I've been using my Fender Frontman 15R for a few weeks. It took a lot of messing around, but, much to my surprise, I have found some settings that make my practice amp sound pretty nice, downright good at times. The manual is only two pages, but that's all it needs, and explains the features well and gives some tips. I give it a 9 because it took a while to get reasonably good sounds for my amp--I know, I know, this is the design: it doesn't force it's tone onto your amp, it lets your guitar and amp's natural tone shine through.

I give this pedal a ten out of ten for sound quality. I use a Carvin DC-127C and usually a silverface twin reverb, although I haven't been able to use it with this pedal. I tried this through my friend's Fender 4x10 Hot Rod, and it completely blows the amp's distortion channel out of the water. It sounds better and is quieter and is more usable than the onboard distortion. No comparison. And it let's the great clean channel of the amp shine. Very quiet, very versitile. I can get some sounds of my favorite artists with this, not all. I can nail the sound of some songs, but I really haven't tried much, becaise the pedal is good enough so that there is no need to copy someone elses tone.

Haven't had it for long enough, but it looks sturdy.

Never dealt with the company.

I play blues and classic rock, and this is a great match! If it were stolen or lost, I would get another. When looking for a good, versitile OD/distortion, I tried many pedals, such as the Boss Blues Driver, the Jeckle and Hyde dual distortion pedal (I don't remember the company's name), the Peavy Dirty Dog, a few other Boss pedals, the Danelectro Daddy-O, a few fuzz pedals, and the Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal. The Peavy and Bluesdriver made the best impressions on me. The Peavy was designed with a simmilar goal in mind, it seems to me, it was very transparent and natural. The blues driver had a very versitile gain knob, and was very dynamic. It colored the tone too much, though. So eventually I narrowed it down to the Peavy and the Fulldrive. I think the Peavy was more versitile with two completely seperate channels and a couple other features, but the sound was not nearly as rich or musical as the Fulldrive.

How hard can an overdrive be to use? With every thing at 12 o'clock, It sounded great. For someone who is usually pretty picky about tone, I was easily satisfied with controls set at neutral levels. The manual is as good as the pedal, in that there are no spelling or grammatical errors, it was straightforward, and personal. (Thanks for writing it yourself, Mike) BTW, mine is a newer FM model.

I play a Les Paul Special (w/P100s) and an Am.Std. Strat through a late 70's Marshall MKII 50w, and a 412. I use the amp distortion (set to an ac/dcish crunch) i use lots of mids and bass and barely any treble. Most of my other stomboxes are pretty noisy when engaged in this setup. I purchased the Fulldrive partly because it was they quietest of all the overdrives I tried out that day. The fulldrive always sounds great. Period. Every guitar player should have this pedal. This sound quality, of course, is the principle selling feature. (Rather than it's good looks, true bypass, versatility, sturdyness, etc.)

The pedal always functions fine, with the exception of the knobs. I believe they should not be so easy to move. In fact I'm constantly bumping into the controls with my feet, knocking them out of position. For such a versatile pedal, the knobs should stay put. (Thank goodness the pedal usually sounds great under any settings.)

I hear it's the best in the business. Don't take my word though, since I've never had any issues with the pedal. Read some further reviews...

Going on about the Fulldrive would be just beating a dead horse. Everyone knows (or should know) that this is the best overdrive. (I just wish those knobs would stay put)

Pretty self-explanatory. Be sure to turn the volume knob all the way down before you pull it up for the compression cut feature-- the volume difference can be a suprise. The instruction sheet that came with it is well done and gives you Mr. Fuller's favorite settings and even suggests what types of batteries to use for best performance.

Mine is the newest version with the flat mids (FM) mod. This one is definitely a keeper, and I've been through A LOT of pedals since ditching my multi-effects box earlier this year. Other reviews on this list have compared the sound to overdrives such as the Ibanez Tubescreamer or Mesa/Boogie V-Twin. I have both of these and I feel that the Fulldrive2 fills its own nich and doesn't necessarily replace these other overdrives. The V-Twin has that unmistakable Mesa/Boogie sound and is used for singing leads (a la Santana) or heavy rythmic chunk (i.e. Kirk Hammett). The Tubescreamer (with TS-808 mod) gets that Texas blues/SRV sound that, and yes, has boosted mids and cut lows. As far as I'm concerned, the Fulldrive2 falls into the category of a "neutral" overdrive, that is it doesn't give you a recognizeable, trademark sound but instead takes the sound that you're already getting from your guitar and amp and simply overdrives in the most natural way possible. I use vintage type Marshall and Fender amps without master volumes. These sound heavenly when cranked up to their limits, but the nieghbors don't seem to care for this much :-) The V-Twin and Tubescreamer gave me great overdrive at bedroom levels, but sometimes I want to replicate that natural sound of the cranked amp without the added coloration of the other pedals. This is where the Fulldrive2 comes in. There's no artificial boost of the mids and it seems to become one with the guitar/amp combination I'm using. To top it all off, the true bypass is greatly appreciated, and I now consider this an essential feature of anything that comes between my guitar and its amp.

Seems very sturdy. Looking inside reveals a neat and professional looking circuit board and wiring scheme. My only qiestion is in regard to the footswitches. They are the smaller type that engage with a soft "click," as opposed to the clunky kind used by most manufacturers. Sometimes they feel a little spongy and I wish for the more positive feel of the older style switch.

Haven't had a reason to deal with them.

This pedal fills a much needed role I use it whenever I want to preserve the true sound of my gear. The quality and tone are second to none and I will not be selling or trading this pedal anytime soon. I'm really sold on Fulltone's products overall and have already purchased a Soul-Bender fuzz, which is also outstanding. I plan on getting a '69 Pedal and one of the new ChoralFlange pedals as soon as they're available. If I ran my own effects company, it would be just like Fulltone. They're pedals seem to read my mind and give me exactly the sounds and features that I'm looking for.