Fulltone Full-Drive 2

Extremely Easy to use other than trying to match up sound levels of the 2 different settings (normal and "boost"). To get a nice drive, the volume increase was hard for me to overcome.

The sound quality is pretty good (certainly, however, not the end-all I was looking for. I originally hoped to replace 2 pedals with this one, and ultimately gave up. The tone gets lost in a mix (in my opinion that is), and the sound of a good 808 tube screamer is better (once again in my opinion. I will say it does a good job of emulating the sound of my amps overdrive with very little coloring which I guess is something to be proud of.

Absolutely no problems. Built very solid.

Never dealt with them.

I would not replace the FD2 if stolen since I feel there are better pedals out there for the price paid. Also, if you cannot fully utilize BOTH of it's channels (which I had trouble doing) it's a waste of space. Better to just have 2 best of breed pedals.

Pretty simple to operate. The typical controls for an OD pedal; OD level , volume, and tone, with the added comp cut and flat mid (if you have the newer model) and a separate footswitchable boost. A very easy to use set up for 3 quickly selectable sounds, clean, slight OD, and boosted OD.

I have been using the FD for about 10 years with Dr Z Maz 38 Studio, Maz 18 Jr, Rivera M60, & Rivera R55-112.. Sounds excellent throught the M60 and both of the Dr Z amps, I don't like the sound through the R55. I play a PRS Custom 22 and an American Strat Deluxe.. the pedal interacts nicely with both the single coil and humbuckers. The pedal is very quiet on the settings I typically use, vol-1:00, tone-2:00, overdrive-8:00, boost-between 9:00 and noon.

I had to fix a solder joint on one of the jacks just before a gig, not a big deal. I do have a back up - for now (see support section)

I did have an experience with Fulltone and my original FD. I was not getting the typical great sound out of the unit so I thought I's simply e-mail Fulltone and see if they had any suggestions. I did not receive any suggestions by rather a note that said fill out the form and send the pedal in. So I did. The communication was practically non existant from Fulltone so I ended up buying a second FD for a recording session (they did not even acknoledge receipt for over a week). I did end up getting a note that siad the pedal would be shipped out on such and such a date... after giving more than sufficient time for shipping I contacted Fulltone again. The apologized for not shipping the pedal. Aparently an oversight. So I receive the pedal.. on the paperwork was written, pedal checks out ok, check power supply, chack cables, check EARS!. I was more than a bit annoyed and very suprised that they would insult a customer by suggesting I cannot hear. So I faxed Mike with the story and my feelings. He responded and basically felt I interrupted their production causing them to loose money because the tech had to stop making the $999 TTE to check out my pedal. We did at least agree that this whole ordeal might have been avoided with some info either on the web site or via the tech e-mail.

I play mostly a mixture of rock, blues, and funk and this pedal is killer. My setup is: PRS/Strat - COT50 - Clyde Deluxe wah - FD2 - Earnie Ball Vol Jr - Maxon AD80 delay - Mojo Vibe - Aria DMX10 flanger - Boss CE2 chorus - Amp. I would replace if lost.. oh yeah I already did that.

I loved the features and the variations possible; two chanels to select from is really nice. Cudos for that. On paper, the Fulldrive II is the perfect overdrive and offers a tremendous amount of flexibility. But in the process of moving from idea to reality, things happen, and that is where I found problems.

Less than spectacular. One reviewer mentioned that the unit is picky with amps - maybe so. My analogman Tubescreamer has a much clearer sound. I have heard there are mods that will bring out the mid-range on these units, take away that muddy slog. But before I could do anything about the sound, one of the switches went south. Okay, no biggy. I contact Fulltone and someone tells me that my year was a bad year for switches and that I can order a new one. Great. The sound problem never really improved. But this did begin a longlasting relationship between my soldering gun, both my Fulltone pedals, and sporadic emails to Fulltone.

Both my Fulltone pedals failed within six months. Switches. My Clyde wah emits a high pitched squeal that aliens can hear in deep space. Dogs gather at my gigs. I have the replacement switch, but I can't get Fulltone to replay to my emails, so I don't know what wires go where (the two switches are different). That leads my review into the bizzaro world of Fulltone Customer Service

After I fixed the bad switch on my Fulldrive II, the other one went out. I had a pretty good experience fixing this factory problem, in terms of Fulltone and helpfulness. When I had to do it again a short time later, I wondered why they didn't advise me to change both switches at the same time? But oh well, I fixed it then started working on the sound problem. When my Clyde took a shit soon after, it was a different story (still without end). But that is another review. Bottom line: contact with Fulltone can be okay or it can suck, depending on what you want and what your problem is. My problem was their problem (factory switch was a loser), and when I think about it in those terms I start to cringe at all the people who report bad dealings with Fulltone customer service. I look at the Fulltone website and gaze at all the georgeous guitars shown in the Fulltone museum (Mikes?). When I think that perhaps some were bought with my money I want to ask Mike how that equipment would sound through my sqealing broken Clyde and muddy Fulldrive II.

This is the first review I have ever posted (this and the Clyde review. Check that one out if want to hear a true rant). I don't use either of my Fulltone pedals anymore. There are others that do it better for me. I need to say that I think there a ton of people who have these pedals and love them, trouble free. They can leave glowing reviews. I can't: my pedals gave me grief, and Fulltone CS is still giving me grief. I just want out.

I used to be a true believer in Fulltone. But that eroded when I ended up spending more time inside my pedals than out. If you can't be personable to your customers (especially when they call about your mistakes), hire someone who will.

Mine is the newer version with the toggle switch for vintage, FM & Comp Cut settings. To be honest, I'm not sure that you can make a bad tone with this thing. Point the knobs anywhere and magic seems to happen. There is clarity in every setting. Great for chords and soloing with the boost on.

I play Rickenbacker 330s thru a Fender 65 Super Reverb. The chain goes Vox Wah, FD2 and DOD DFX91 Delay. The Full Drive has 6 different tones. The Vintage mode is something along the lines of a very beautiful Marshall overdrive with a sweet boost for solos. The FM setting starts with that ultra clear "Sonic Youth/Swervedriver" type of overdirve where all the notes of big chords come through. Then the boost on FM gives you... well... more! The there is the Comp Cut. Starts with wonderful clanging yet transparent overdrive and then the boost switch procedes to destroy your speakers for something that is truly special. I've never heard a pedal so completely take over the speakers of an amp. The Buddah is in there somewhere. Honest. I tried a bunch of different pedals to get good overdirve out of my guitars and amp. This is the only one that has been jaw droppingly satisfying. Everything else is either too muddy or too crispy. There is substitute for hand bilt mojo, great components and dedicated vision.

I bought mine used and it seems to be holding up just great. Fulltone is an A+ compnay to deal with that care about its product and artists.

They reeeeeelly care!

If you are looking for more extreme types of Fuzz I would recommend some of the other Fulltone pedals. For classic tones and the ability to let your guitar and amp work with the overdrive I'm not sure that you can buy a better pedal. Again, there are no bad tones in this thing. Worth every penny and I wished I could of had one 10 years ago.The Vibe of the tone and the clarity of dense chords through the overdrive make this a unique pedal in a land of wannabes.

Easy enough. Four knobs, and it's very easy to adjust them to get good sounds. However, I don't like the way that the comp cut switch is located under the tone knob. It makes me not want to use it because I know it will end up getting kicked off when I'm in the middle of a performance. You must also consider that Fulltone has improved their design since this one was made (mine is an older model). I'd like to see how the newer model compares in this category.

Sounds great! I used to use a Z Vex Super Hard On to boost my amp into distortion, but once I got into the studio with it I noticed that the SHO added something that I didn't like to my sound. Zachery Vex called it a "sparkle." Meh. I dig a lot of the other Z Vex pedals for their interesting quirks, but right then I knew that I had to replace this boost pedal with something more transparent.
I decided to buy this particular pedal because Maike Zaite from Dr. Z amplification suggested it as a great pedal to compliment my Dr. Z KT-45. He was right. I mainly use the boost end to let my amp do all the work, but the distortion is also an awesome addition to my sound. It adds susstain and beefs up my leads. It's everything I need for a well defined distortion sound. I love it.

Once I got my hands on this puppy, I opened it up to check out the craftsmanship first thing. It's dependable. Solid construction all the way. Everything was hand wired with care. Before I bought this I heard a lot of great things about Fulltone's craftmanship, and a lot of rumors about Mike Fuller's over inflated ego. Now that I actually own one of his pedals, I can see why. I imagine that it's hard to stay humble when you make such good quality shit.

I never dealt with them, but I've heard good things about their customer service. Still, I can't say.

I just want to point out that I spent $200 on a used pedal because it used to belong to Page Hamilton of Helmet, and they are one of my favorite bands. My band's music is similar to Helmet's style, except we've got more of a classic rock feel. For that I believe this pedal is a good match. Fulltone seems to want to stay true to the sounds and craftsmanship of the 50's through the 70's, which is something that I prefer when it comes to tone and quality. I dislike the digitally distorted sounds that a lot modern metal bands have been using, and a lot of new effects seems to have a shorter shelf life these days. My favorite feature on the pedal is the boost because it really allows my amp to growl, which is perfect because my KT-45 sounds great on it's own. The added distortion is the icing on the cake.

Because it has the 3-way selector switch (comp-cut, flat mids, vintage) it makes it a little more sofisticated to use....

I'm playing a strat through a Fender Vibolux amp. I placed the Fulldrive 2 after my Analogman 'silver' TS-9 on my pedalboard. The Fulldrive 2 I purchased new had a problem with the 'vintage' boost channel not working (defect). The Fulldrive 2 is a nice pedal and provides a decent 'vibe' but doesn't have the sonic clarity or headroom of the Analogman TS-9 (I didn't, however, try to up the voltage to 18 volts DC which Fuller claims increases the headroom etc..). I didn't think that the Fulltone 2 was a good match with my Fender amp (maybe a Marshall plexi type) a great pedal compared to production overdrives but mediocre in the boutique pedal race.

Mike Fuller builds great stuff, I'm sure he built this to endure the road and beyond.

The guy has helped me out on all my questions concerning his gear, even called me up after I faxed him a question. A bit intense if not a tad arrogant, decent support, above average for sure.

A decent value, but there is better out there. I know that tone opinion is subjective, Fuller builds great products, I want fantastic products!

Not much here, older blue one, with comp-cut knob. Four knobs, two switches, easy enough.

Using B-bender teles, into budda wah, seymour duncan pickup booster, boss cs2, barber direct drive SS barber Ltd, boss c5 chorus, original smallstone phaser, carl martin delaylah, into a fender twin. All fx are powered with a VL pedal power. I tried this pedal for a bit, and was unhappy with the results. I remember doing a recording with a boogie mark II, and the fulldrive, and it sounded great, so I picked one up, thinking it would be my main Od for the twin. I was wrong. This pedal is very picky with what amps it likes. I thought Mike Fuller made this to co-exist with fenders, but the only sound I could get was a rather fizzy overdrive, with way too much presence in the extreme top end. It was also a bit muddy in the 200-300 hertz range. This combined with my fender twin, which already has a decent amount of low mid honk, made a very mushy sound. I tried hard to like this box, and as I said, I dug it through the boogie, but it's just not the Holy Grail of Od that everyone talks about. Try it before you spend the $200.

Seems well made, but we've all heard the stories of Mike and his CS skills, so I hope it wouldn't break.

I heard a story from a friend of mine who worked in a guitar shop, about Mike calling him and bitching him out because he wasn't selling enough of his pedals. My friend promptly told Mike to take his business elsewhere, and discontinued selling his pedals.

I just want everyone to know, you should always, always try any pedal before you buy. It's a lesson that cost me $30 since I had to resell the pedal.

Very easy to use! I have the newer model with the mids switch.

My chain goes as follows - American Strat into RMC3LE Wah, Analogman Boss DS-1, Analogman Chorus, Analogman TS9, Fulltone Fulldrive II, ernie ball volume, EH Memory Man Deluxe, Boss EQ, Boss NS-2, into Upgraded Hot Rod Deluxe. This pedal is hands down awesome. I have used the analogman ts9 for awhile now and it is great but the fulldrive is amazing. It really just adds to your tone and doesn't color it with a bunch of mid-range nasal junk like most overdrives. Truly a great overdrive! So much range in tones!

It is in a metal case... what more could you ask for? Seems sturdy and very well crafted.

Only wrote Mike once and got a response by the next day. Good customer service guy, right up there with Geoffrey Teese and Analog Mike!

I play light rock - bluesy rock. Suits me very well for the sound I am going for. Sweet sustain and responds very well to pick attack and volume level. If it were stolen, I would probably buy a new one, but money isn't exactly plentiful these days so it might not be right away.

This pedal is way too easy to get a good sound out of. It's hard to choose which kind of overdrive you want. I got the newer one, with the black nobs, not the one with the white nobs. The new one has the toggle switch witch allows you to choose between Comp-cut, FM, and Vintage settings. The manual explains it all wonderfully, but the only way to really do it is just plug in and screw around.

I'm using a Gibson ES-335 into a Mesa/Boogie DC-3. As the name describes, this overdrive is just FULL. It can make any guitar and amp setup sound superb. My favorite setting has to be the Comp-cut which just is completly clean and it has the fattest sound. Once you turn the pedal off, you can't see how you ever survived without it. The FM and Vintage settings are amazing as well. You can get a very Eric Johnson fat singing tone. The boost switch is also great for going from Rhythm to lead when you want that extra boost, and overdrives the comp-cut a little, which makes a completly natural overdrive.

Seems totally solid and I would definatly use it without a backup... I wouldn't mind having another one though.

I play a blend of jazz and rock. This is the perfect pedal. I use the Full-Drive 2 like this ES-335>Full-Drive>Boss SD-1>ProCo RAT2> Guyatone MD3> Boss CE-5>Mesa/Boogie DC-3. I compared it to the Super overdrive and also the overdrive on my Mesa. The Fulltone sounded alot more FULL than either. It sounded more like my guitar through the fulltone than effects, and that's the way I like it. I use the Fulldrive through the SD-1 to get a searing lead tone, but you can get a perfect tone through the fulltone, I'm going to have to get another one. I would definatly buy another if stolen. It's the perfect pedal period.

Not the easiest pedal to use. There are so many combinations of tones that it's hard to find the "sweet spot." It seems to either be too dirty or too clean. Hard to find that perfect, natural Fender-like tube overdrive. It's like the manufacturer tried too hard to make it be all things to all players when they should have tried for one perfect tone.

Good sounding, but not as good as the Klon or Reverend Drivetrain. The clean boost is my favorite tone. The overdrive seems to change dramatically depending upon what amp or amp setting you choose. The response to pick attack isn't as natural as I need (either too dirty or too clean). With every room I play, I seem to spend the first set trying to dial in the right tone.

So far so good.

Nver had to deal.

I play rockabilly and honky tonk music. I was trying to find something to get that "just right" natural Fender overdrive at a moderate volume setting. This didn't really do it for me. For me, the Reverend Drivetrain 2 with the cap mod does the rockabilly thing best of all. I thought this might be even better, but it's not. The Klon is great too, but its pricey and takes forever to get.

The Fulldrive 2 is very easy to use, its self explanatory really, I do suggest reading the helpful manual and then its off to the races, this is one of the best if not the best ever.

I use Gibson SG's and Les Paul's through a Marshall Bluesbreaker and a Marshall 1959slp. This thing sounds great with them and I also run a Fat-Boost. I also use both when playing a telecaster through a Fender Bassman, makes a world of difference.

I have had no reliability troubles whatsoever, not only would I gig without a backup I would never buy a backup.

Mike Fuller is a walking mood swing, if you hit him right, hes very direct and nice and gets things done. Other times you can rub his ego a little wrong and he lights up a bit, a friend of mine sent back a fat-boost for repair and never heard a word from him, it just showed back up at his house fixed, kinda weird.

I play rock n roll and nothing sounds better with rock n roll that a couple fulltones, I also play blues, and some country. They work great on everything. If my fulldrive was stolen I would absolutely replace it as soon as possible, no question.

The fulldrive2 is probably the easiest pedal I've ever used to get a great tone. The first time I used the pedal I had no problems getting the sound I wanted. This pedal is very versatile. It has a true bypass so that you can create your own clean sound and the pedal, when ON, gives you a great overdrive sound without comprimising the tone you select on your amp. The manual is very easy to understand and even gives you some sort of reference on setting it. This is got to be the only pedal that I have used to go from clean to overdive to distortion with ease.

I use a les paul standard with a marshall avt 100, and a fender strat with the same amp. The pedal gives great sustain even with the single coil pickups in my fender. However, the overdive "comp-cut" is awesome but the distortion is a little weak. I have to crank the amp to get the volume at my desired level when using the distortion. The sound on the overdrive has given me the ability to get the sound of artist's such as 3doors down, blink182, bowling for soup, bush, eve6, lit, just a great alternativ/pop punk sound.

Very durable. This pedal has been to alot of gigs and has never been undependable. I would use this pedal at any gig without a backup.

I play alot of pop punk and alternative rock. This pedal has always given me the sound that I want. I have been playing for about 15 yrs. I also own the ROBERT KEELEY modded BOSS DS-1 ULTRA, BOSS CHORUS, and BOSS TREMALO. I compared it with many other pedals before I decided on the fulldrive2. I chose this one because of its versatility. Although I dont like the distortion that much its still an awesome pedal. I would definetly buy another one if it was stolen. GREAT PEDAL.

Not very easy to use. This is one of my main complaints. It's like the manufacturers tried to make it do everything when they should have concentrated more on doing one thing very well. It has various switches and knobs that take hours of tweaking to find a decent sound. This one has the 3-way comp cut, flat mids, vintage mids switch along with the boost knob and switch. I guess I'm too low-tech, but the fewer knobs and switches the better if you ask me. A few knobs and great tone would be perfect in my book.

I know this opinion will be controversial, but I just wasn't that impressed once I played it on a few gigs. I sounded great in the store at low volume, but when I tried it on several gigs, the sound seemed to change dramatically depending upon what guitar and/or amp setting I used. I has a very nice clean boost and the Billy Gibbons/Southern Rock sound is decent, but I couldn't find a sweet spot in the "naturally overdriven old Fender Bassman" area. That surprised me, because I thought that this is what it would do best. I think most the problem has to do with what I commented on above - there are too many different settings and controls to find the one sound you're looking for. After about three weeks of gigs, I put my Reverend Overdive II back on my board and took the Fulltone out. As for gear, I use a Guild Starfire III with TV Jones Filtertrons into my overdrive of choice, then an Ibanez AD9 delay, and then into my home-made low-power tweed Twin. I also play a home-made Warmoth tele on some stuff.

No problems.

Haven't had to deal.

I play rockabilly and honky tonk country. In my never-ending quest for more magical tone, I was looking for a pedal that would come even closer than my Revered Drivetrain II to getting that "can't tell you're using a pedal" tone. I'm not going to say the Fulltone is a bad pedal, just not what I was looking for. The only other pedal that might come closer is a Klon, but I've never tried one. I'll probably just stick with my Reverend.

I've tried ou this pedal three times (about six months apart each time) because of all the good reviews I've read. The first time I thought it wasn't very transparent, more of a distortion than an overdrive. The next time I had the same impressions. The last time I wanted to try one I brought my guitar (Tom Anderson Drop Top T), my favorite OD pedal yet (Reverend Drivetrain 1 - black and white) and went to my favorite guitar store to try it out again. I hooked up four pedals, the Fulldrive, my Drivetrain, a used Drivetrain II and a Nobels OD pedal. I plugged all of this into a Bogner Metropolis (a KILLER amp). The Nobels was interesting and actually quite good. The Fulldrive might be a little better but the Drivetrains shot the Fulldrive right out of the saddle. Tone wise the Drivetrains sounded almost identical except the Drivetrain II seemed to have a little sharper mid range. The Fulldrive really had a raspy, square wave sound that didn't sound like a cranked amp at all. Another thing, The Fulldrive did not compress at all. the Drivetrains have some compression. I set the drive low enough that you really can't tell the pedal is on until I hit two notes at a time. Then it sounds a lot like an amp cranked. I've read a lot of people saying a pedal doesn't compress like that's a good thing. Running a compressor into the front of it reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughn's tone, which is usually very compressed. He relied on output tube compression. I'm 49 and have been cranking amps for over thirty years. Fender tweed amps, Fender Black face, Fender blondes, non master Marshalls and the thing is when they're dimed they all compress, usually a lot. Angus young has the classic cranked non master marshall tone and it's really compressing. It's what brings out feedback and pinch harmonics. It's almost impossible to try all of the ODs out, there are so many, but I've tried a lot and so far the Drivetrain wins easily. I didn't care for the Klon Centaur at all or the Pete Cornish Soft Sustain. I actually thought the new yellow Digitech had a pretty good dound. I want to hear some Menatone pedals but there are no dealers near Kansas City. Sorry to rag on the Fulldrive but I thought I should state my "research".

Ill admit you have to spend a good session with it to achieve the right tone from each setting, but besides that, four knobs...its pretty simple.

This is the best overdrive i have ever used/owned. The thing is simply amazing. Before i bought this i owned a marshall bb2, dont get me wrong its a great od, but u just cant compare (i still use its boost mode tho) When i was searching for "that overdrive" pedal, the one that would define my sound, i started at the obvious place...the ibanez tubescreamer. I personally dont care to much for the TS9 but the reissue TS808 is a great pedal, yet still nothing compared to the fulltone. The ibanez was limited, didnt produce a lot of gain and didnt have true bypass. For a little more you can purchase the fulldrive. My next stop was the voodoo lab sparkle drive and rt 66 american od, both amazing pedals, and unique. Yet the fulldrive just stands above, it is undeniably natural and fullsounding, it doesnt color your sound at all and it is simply a remarkable pedal. My rig as of right now is a Fender 69' thinline tele goin into the fulldrive than into the marshall bb2(on boost mode), boss dd6 delay mod(analogman high end cut mod), than a RMC wizard(sensational wah) and boss tu2 tuner into a fender hod rod deville 212. overall it produces an amazing sound.

built like a rock

I play classic rock/blues/jazz and a little bit of fusion. It is just an awesome pedal, without question, i recomend it to anyone looking for the ultimate od, its just awesome.

Some people here have said that this isn't the easiest thing to use, but i disagree. Pick one mode out of the three, dial in the amount of gain you want, adjust the tone knob, set the output, and you're set.
The boost option is isn't really a second channel, but adds more gain to push your sound over the top.

Hands down, this is the best overdrive i have ever used. I've played for 25 years, and at this point the most important thing to me is that the natural sound of my fingers on the strings (i don't use picks) comes through, as i believe that that is my sound. This pedal does exactly that. This isn't going to turn a crap sound into something great, it's made for people who already have a great sound and want to add some boost or overdrive.
I don't think there's a bad sound in this thing. The comp-cut mode is the most tranparent, and adds a boost, the FM mode (flat mids) sounds great, and the vintage mode (my favorite) adds the most gain.
So far i've only used it with single coils (i think they are much better for hearing the fingers on strings), but i'll get around to trying it with my Ibanez RG which has humbuckers.
I don't notice adding any noise that wasn't already there (i play my guitar into the Fulldrive into a Fender Blues Jr), and i just added a Digitech Digidelay today, and it sounded great with that too.

I've only had it about a month, so i can't say yet, but it seems like it's built like a tank. I don't expect any problems, and would definitely gig without a backup.

Never dealt with them; based on the website, and what i've read, they seem very helpful.

I'm playing blues-rock with a touch of fusion, and this pedal has given me the sound i've been searching for. It's pricey, but well worth every cent to me. Again, i'm most concerned with the sound of my hands on the strings, and this is the best thing i've found to reproduce that.

With four knobs plus the comp/cut switch, it's quite easy to use.

I have played the FD2 with an ENGL Screamer 50 head, a Gibson GA-15 combo, and a Soldano Astroverb 16. There's no question in my mind that it is much more useful with an amp that lacks an overdrive capability on its own, such as the Gibson GA-15, than for an amp that already has a good overdrive sound. The GA-15, when cranked by the FD2, enters a sonic region it wouldn't dream of entering otherwise. Full-throated silky overdrive tones. But when driving a high-gain amp like the Screamer 50 or the Astroverb 16, the FD2, while certainly adding a lot to the sound, doesn't have nearly as dramatic an influence. Conclusion: if you have an amp that definitely needs a kick to get the overdrive sound, get a FD2. If you already have healthy overdrive, get the FD2 only if you're a total tone freak that needs the extra volume.

Had mine since February 2004. Reliable so far.

Mike Fuller is a little cranky sometimes. Aren't we all? He'll answer your e-mail, but try to be direct and to the point.

The Fulltone Fulldrive 2 can add that Plexi tone to an amp that really needs the boost. I would imagine "clean" tube amps like the Fender Twin, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Dr Z Carman Ghia, etc. benefit the most, while amps like the Soldano SLO 100, Bogner Ecstasy, or Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier need it the least.

This is the fulldrive 2 model with toggle switch to choose any of the 3 modes-comp/cut,flat mids,and vintage.Then there is the boost footswitch to add more gain into the mix.Quite a number of different options available so takes some tweaking to get the best sounds from it.

The sound quality on all 3 modes is very good,I have had this on my board for over a year now and it's done around 100 gigs playing mainly classic rock covers.I started off with it in vintage mode in front of a Matamp 100 watt head used as a solo boost with the amp set clean.In this configuration the fulltone excels-the vintage mode has the most available gain of the 3 options and yields a lovely liquid type sustain,very Santana like with a neck humbucker.There is a noticeable mid hump when used like this but I personally like this sound for leads,it fattens out single notes at the top end of the fretboard.
The FM mode has slightly less gain and as the name suggests flattens out the mids,this sounds good when playing rhythmn on the neck pickup.
The comp/cut is a great clean boost which does not colour your guitar tone but enhances it,if you have a good sounding rig the comp/cut will improve your tone.
After experimenting with the 3 modes I have decided that the comp/cut works the best for my set up.I have this running with an 18v supply and the comp/cut sounds fantastic,more headroom and articulation than 9v.In the green mode(stage 1) it will just 'fur up'the sound slightly in a very musical way and then step on the red footswitch(stage 2)for a very nice solo boost which does not compress like the other 2 modes.
The vintage and FM channels are very similar with only subtle changes between them,slightly more gain and mids in vintage which to my ears is much like a TS9.There is a lot of gain and volume available in the 2 high gain modes and endless sustain with harmonic feedback is no problem.However the tone control which is basically a presence control is not as effective in the 2 high gain modes,I had it set at 3(o'clock) on vintage and 2 on FM,any less than that and the sound became muddy.Also in these 2 modes the 2nd gain stage does not lift the volume it only dumps more gain in the mix,so it will not turn a single channel amp into a 3 channel amp,although I can do this by setting the amp clean,fulldrive on vintage for a solo boost,and then backing off on guitar volume for a rhythmn crunch.Works very well that way and retains tone when backed off on the guitar.
Now I get to the best feature of this pedal for my application anyway-the comp/cut,what a beautiful sound this is in front of a quality tube amp set clean,the 18v supply has made a big difference to this mode-if you have a fulldrive I suggest you try it,I am not saying that it will improve your particular rig but with my set up it has made a huge improvement,but only in the comp/cut mode,I can hardly tell any change in vintage and FM modes with 18v,although after over 20 years of live gigging I am partially deaf anyway,so what do I know.
Another plus is that the 2nd gain stage gives a much bigger volume lift in comp/cut than in the other 2 high gain modes,so playing lead work on a strat neck single coil becomes a truly uplifting experience in the red channel and you can cut through the live mix just fine.
Used this way the fulldrive is very unforgiving and will not tolerate sloppy playing-no hiding behind a huge wall of distortion with notes blurring into each other,you can hear every individual note and it has certainly made me think more about my guitar playing,and probably tightened up my technique.Also the tone control is more effective I have it at 10,and there is more volume available,I have that on 10(all settings are o'clock)as well,whereas in the 2 high gain modes it was set at 2 or 3.

Outstanding build quality,no problems.

Had a slight problem with my fulltone choralflange which turned out to be operator error-fulltone responded to my e-mail within 24 hours and gave me advice to solve the problem,excellent.

This pedal is a great asset to anyone playing classic rock/blues type music and is a vital part of my tone,if it were stolen then I would replace it immediately.I've been through a lot of o/d distortion pedals,including the standard boss type and also several boutique pedals and this is one of the best.
I like the comp/cut even better now at 18v,and the vintage and FM modes are both excellent overdrives.The true bypass does just that and does not affect the tone when in standby.
I am very pleased with my sound and the fulldrive has improved my playing.The vintage mode which was my favourite initially,has been replaced with a TS9 on my pedalboard,a classic pedal which I love,but the fulldrive in vintage mode can sound exactly like a tubescreamer if you want it to.
After owning the fulldrive for a while now and getting to know the sounds inside it,I don't think the comp/cut mode at 18 volts supply and put in front of a great tube amp can be beaten,if you like playing some nice blues licks try it,I don't think you will be disappointed.

Actually is extremely easy to use. I personally use it for 2 purposes: for the bluesy tone and also for the booster. In fact lately I use to booster my screaming leads when I go direct to record from my Line6 Vetta.
On live it's very friendly.

The quality is great. I don't use one distortion box only. I like to use different boxes and amps -including a Marshall, Line6, a Music Man, Ibanes TS10 (Analog Man modified), ADA MP1, Mesa Boogie, and other stuff. I do a lot of studio work.

The Full Tone is very natural sounding and seems to sing enough in a lot of situations.

Extremely reliable. The battery lasts long enough. Mine has been trough a lot of gigs and sessions.

Haven't needed it so far.

Let me clarify - I got the Creme Custom Shop FD2 with the mode switch in between the TONE and OVERDRIVE knobs. I would presume that it's in the same ballpark as the blue ones. If you're thinking of tweaking *just* the pedal for a good sound, then you're going to be in for a big surprise. POINT: My amp has 11 knobs with two push-pull swtiches for extra mid-gain and brightness. The pedal has four knobs with a three way mode switch and two footswitches. The point is, it's not just about the pedal, it's about the amp as well. So I rate this a 6 as it's not as easy to use as I would've thought.

Want high gain Marshall/Mesa type sounds? Megadeath? Cradle of Filth? Corrosion of Conformity? Well, stop reading this review or any of the others. The heaviest tone you'll get by using this pedal is probably AC/DC. Unless you already have a Mesa. And of course if you define 'heavy' as 'the amount of distortion used on a down-tuned guitar'. Is Korn heavier than SRV? Hmmmm...

Setup: Japanese Stratocaster --> FD2 --> Fender Deluxe Reverb II. I have other effects, but for the purpose of this review, that was my setup.

It's not particularly noisy. Although I must say there's an increased amount of noise when I engage the pedal. This noise, however, was already present even before I used this pedal, albeit at a lower level. I guess it's the single coils. And since the pedal is a signal booster of some sort, it just amplifies that.

I bet most people agree with me that TONE is SUBJECTIVE. So I can't say if the pedal is 'great' or 'weak' sounding. But I went out on a limb and bought this pedal through mail order because of the reviews over here. What it gives me is versatility. I can nail the Clapton (current, seventies, Mayall-era) tone to a 90% accuracy (less for the Mayall-era tone) of some sort (this was confirmed by both guitarists and none guitarists alike). But if I want a Buddy Guy type tone, I can back off the OVERDRIVE and BOOST, flick the switch to Comp-Cut, and get something in the same ballpark. I haven't tried the SRV thing, though. Might work, might not.

I highlighted the last paragraph with some popular artists' sound so that you and I have a common reference. But try not to think of it as a pedal to immitate a specific artist e.g. SRV, but something as an enabler to get different sounds. Have an open mind, some patience and good tones will prevail. Remember that there are thousands of variables to get different tones. Some of it gear (amp, guitar, cable etc), some of it technique (pick angle, pick dynamics etc), some just pure luck. I bet if I played Clapton's rig, I won't sound exactly like him to save my life.

Haven't tried it with a transistor amp. Wouldn't know what that would sound like. But I bet my life it's suppose to work better with valves. Oh, get a low-ish wattage amp too. About 20-50 watts. I *think* if you have a hundred watter, you'll still need to play the amp damn loud before this pedal makes any appreciable difference. But I might be wrong.

It's a brilliant pedal, though. Solid 10. Does what it's supposed to do.

I don't gig all that much. Just the odd jam session with friends. So don't take my word on Reliability for it. Doesn't feel as tough as a Boss, though.

Never dealt with them. But for someone who is across the Atlantic, and has this reputation of being such a egomaniac, well... says a lot about Mike Fuller, right? I mean, you don't have to know Michael Jackson to know that he's a weirdo. But I'm not here to date Mike, just use his pedals...

I've been playing for 9 years. Still trying to find my own 'sound' on guitar, but the process is wonderful. And this pedal is definitely one of those 'enablers' for me to get to a new chapter. If it was lost, I would definitely want it again, but I don't know if I could shell out the money.

Loves - It's simple job which it does brilliantly. BOOST THE SIGNAL!! BOOST THE SIGNAL!! The colour. Creaaaammm...

Hates - I'm nitpicking, but if the mode toggle switch was actually a footswitch... I wouldn't have to bend down in between songs. I could change the tone of my guitar mid-song... I could do a lot.

I went through this Radiohead-phase where I bought a bunch of pedals for weird effects. And then I heard 'From The Cradle' and took the blues quite seriously. It's nice to downsize my rig. From having 10 pedals to just one. Gives my sound some breathing space. And as much as I want to attribute this pedal to my sound, always remember that there's a reason why SRV is SRV, Clapton is Clapton, King is King. I think it's more technique than anything.

Push Pull pot for Comp Cut is the only down side to this pedal. Otherwise it really runs itself. With a Vintage type Marshall or Fender Blackface it takes just a few minutes to dial this in.

Keep in mind this is the Older Orange 1996 issue FD2. Mike fixed the problem of the push pull in 2003. I am considering a buying another one for the Toggle opition. But this one ain't going nowhere!

These 1996 FD2's are really amazing. I have owned three stock blue FD2's prior to this one and this one is heads and tails my favorite. The Mids are just wonderfull. I like the Flat mid option but I just can't stop playing this pedal. WIth my JTM 45 it is just like peanut butter and jelly. Have not heard a better drive pedal in my 20 years of playing.

This one has the older switches (Black Top). I don't think they are as sturdy as the newer 3PDT's . But it has been around for 8 years and is still going strong. I gotta give it a ten .

Always helpfull and Pro.

Belive it or not I paid $125 bucks for this "vintage" FD2. I found it in the recycler ads. I was in the Hollywood Guitar Center last week - They have two in the Glass Case for $400 and $500 bucks. ridiculous? Yes I think so - But the tone is very much worth $250. If you run across one of these old FD2's before the FM switch over and have the $$$$. Give it a shot - I will never sell this pedal.

This is certainly not the easiest pedal to master. You have to choose from three modes (Vintage,Flat Mids and Comp Cut), and then you have to adjust your volume, tone and the drive for each channel (OD & Boost). Getting the two channels to sound the way you want them at the volume you desire takes some careful tweaking. Plus, you have to consider the overall volume that you're playing at. What sounds good at low volume may not sound the way you want at higher volumes. That being said, you can dial in some very happening sounds if you have patience and good ears. Those who can't work with the Fulldrive II are usually lacking in one or both of these qualities or they have inferior equipment. With all of the options, anyone should be able to attain a great overdriven tone.

Using a Carr Rambler amp and a variety of guitars (Reverend Slingshot, Tele Special, Les Paul, Galveston Resonator and Harmony Stratotone) with the Fulldrive in the Vintage mode, I get closer to the sound I want to hear than with anything else. And I've tried dozens of pedals from the "boutiques" on down to the pedestrian with mostly disappointing results. I had an older Fulldrive II that I sold because I didn't like the push/pull pot for the Comp Cut and I wasn't exactly happy with the Flat Mids sound. When I saw that the new version had a mini toggle switch to go from Comp Cut to Flat Mids to Vintage, I figured I'd better try one out. I'm glad I did, because it sounds excellent. There is a noticable difference in the Flat Mids and Vintage settings (despite what some of the other reviewers say) and you definitely hear it more with single coil pickups and a clean amp. I can go from a nice blusey breakup to a singing, sustaining tone and still hear the characteristics of each guitar. There is some noise (especially in the Boost channel), but it's livable. One of the best overdrives avaiable and my personal favorite until something better comes along (if it ever does!).

Very well built! My old one never had any problems and I don't expect this one to have any. Of course, things can break, but Fulltone's products are very high in quality.

Haven't dealt with them.

Been playing Blues and Blues/Rock for over 30 years in mostly small to mid-sized clubs. I would definitely get another (I already did). I love the sounds, but could do with a little less tweaking of the knobs. Still, the rewards are there if you work for them. The fact that I had one and missed it when it was gone should tell you a lot. It is expensive, but not overly so. The guy who said that anyone with a soldering gun and $25 worth of parts can build one of these should build me one of his own and I'll rate it for him!

this pedal is really easy to use, all the knobs are very straightforward as far as how they affect the sound...but then again what pedal isn't? the manual had some great info also.

my current set-up: 76 epiphone les paul, mid 90's mim strat into dunlop volume, buddha wah, eh small clone, eh holy grail, fulltone fulldrive 2, maxon OD-808, ts-9 tubescreamer, x-series digidelay, boss tr-2 tremolo, eh small stone, eh big muff, a/b box with one channel into a boomerang phrase sampler then a silvertone twin twelve, and the other into a 50 watt plexi through a vox 2x12 cab. both cabinets have celestion greenbacks.

yeah that's a lot but i like having a large palette available and in my band my current role is geared mostly towards ambient sounds and a little rhythm and lead. suprisingly this set-up doesn't really suck too much tone, it sounds almost as good as straight into the amp, not very noisy either. having listed all that, if i had only one pedal available to me it would without a doubt be the FD2. i have all my overdrives set to different settings cause i play in a 3 guitar band, and for the OD i keep on the comp-cut setting for a great volume boost with a super clear, ballsy, bright overdrive. i use the boost channel for solos, and both settings cut through very well. (especially with 2 other guitars driving) i have the volume at about 60%, tone between 10-20%, overdrive about %90 (to get a good tube breakup) and boost i pretty much reset every time i play to get a good solo volume level.

before i got the other overdrives i used the FM & vintage settings with the volume at 90%, tone around 60%, and drive at about 20% and got a pretty good full sound while using the boost to fatten it up a bit more when needed.

sorry i tend to get a bit wordy...

only problem i've ever had was a scratchy pot but i sprayed some contact cleaner and it's great again. i'd definitely use it without a backup. the only thing that scares me are the plastic knobs, but the only reason for that is the fact that the enclosure is so heavy-duty it makes them seem light(which they're not).

never had to use it, but the site is pretty comprehensive, plus the fact that mike signs every pedal leads me to believe they'd be pretty helpful.

i play rock that ranges from heavy pop to almost metal, and i a m definitely rooted in blues and soul, but this pedal is a great match. i've been playing 9 years, seriously for about 2.

if i lost this i'd definitely replace it, even at the expense of one of my various other pedals.

i love that the FD2 doesn't color my sound, also the clarity of this pedal is brilliant as opposed to the 808 and ts-9, it's just a great overdriven cut-through volume boost that not only preserves the tone of both guitar and amp, but also pulls out the natural tone of the guitar and enhances the best qualities of both. don't get me wrong, i love the other two also, they just have different qualities.

i chose this cause one of my favorite musicians (ian moore)uses it, and i love that i can get similar tones and create my own stuff with it.

i think it's the perfect overdrive cause it has so many options, it's true bypass, and it's built rock solid.

Plug your guitar in, dial ANY random setting and play...
THERE IS NO BAD SOUND OUT OF THIS PEDAL!

But even if you want to go "by the book",
the manual is simple and clear.
It's a drive pedal after all...

With the little toggle switch (Vintage,FM,Compcut) actually giving 3 different sound profiles, plus the boost switch and all 4 pots,
there is a lot to explore. (and find....)

And it's TRUE bypass.

Fender - Warmoth Stratocaster and Epi Dot 335 Ltd on 1982 b/f Fender Twin Reverb. (All other pedals are OUT of the rig...)

It never gets noisy when played with a humbucker equiped guitar.
When "super driven" with a Strat (single coils) it can get noisy in positions 1,3,5. But i mostly believe that it comes from my amp which needs filter cap replacement.

"Vintage" position.
With drive set to 0 you get a signal boost and a slight "breakup".
Adjust the tone to make your sound brighter or mellower.
By lowering the volume, you gradually eliminate the breakup.
Humbuckers will breakup earlier of course.
As you roll the drive up, you get a rich, full drive(...) but always musical and singing due to the exeptional transparency of the pedal.
Adding the boost, things get serious getting into distortion territories, with great succes though.
More low-end and much more drive.
When i play the semi-hollow 335 with these settings, i have to ...travel away from the amp to avoid feedback...

In my opinion the "Vintage" profile is better when you want the typical saturated sound. (low or high)

In the "Flat Mids" position, things are similar with the "Vintage" but a little bit softer due to the lack of mids. As Mr Fuller suggests in the manual, the FM mode sounds magic with a Strat's neck pickup. It's really cool with the neck humbucker as well, as with all other pickup types and combinations, i might add...

Although the signal is overdriven, there is still so much clarity and definition. Muddy is a word that has NOTHING to do with the FD-2...

Finally, the "Compcut" position is nothing but CLEAN POWER.
And when i say power i mean power capable to tear apart a 4x12 cab!
The mild output of the Strat becomes Huge and the humbuckers must be tamed with the volume control to avoid ...heart attack!
If you dare to engage the boost channel, either you must be wearing earplugs or just live alone in a deserted area...
At least this is what happens with my 135 Watt twin...
The harmonics flow through the speakers clean and loud without ever being distorted. (Especially if you apply 18 Volts which increases headroom and clarity)
A very cool setting i use is normal and boost drives at full, volume at "9 o'clock" and tone around "3 o'clock". This way i manage to get an overdriven signal but with lots of character...


Summing, i'd like to point that in this pedal there is PLENTY OF DRIVE FOR EVERYONE, and i mean that there are so many sounds you can get out of it.
But the best way to find out is to try one, or play it for some time.

Looks strong, feels strong. I don't think it will have any problem.
No backup needed.

I bought it from the internet 'cause there is no authorised dealer in my country.
The dealer(Italian) i bought it from was simply PERFECT.

Once i contacted the "headquarters" their reply was immediate and helpful, although i sensed a little "attitude"... (Maybe i am wrong)

I read other reviews stating an "attitude issue" about them, but i
think people respond to others the way they are treated.
And this applies to both sides. (...peace, people!)

The fact is that they have done a great job and that is what we should focus on.

When i first bought it i was so amazed that i posted a review which was so glowing it was finally aborted...
But after having it for about 6 months i realized that i couldn't play without it and my opinion is still the same. (No flaws IMHO...)

S I M P L Y . . . P R E C I O U S ! ! !

It took a couple of weeks but I finally got a great sound out of this pedal. Originally, I was pulling out the comp cut switch. This was really fattening up the clean sound through my amp (Fender hot Rod Deville 2X12) however, I wasn't getting much drive at all.
Also, with the comp cut switch pulled, the mids really stand out. It gets a little too punchy but if you're looking to push your sound through the mix this is the way to go.

With the comp cut switch pused in and the drive turned up a bit we're startind to get into tube screamer country. The boost side of the pedal really just pushes it over the edge. I now get a really nice singing 'fulltone' sustaining gain sound. nice for soloing with the boost on and great for rythm without the boost.

Great sound quality. I don't know if this pedal is really worth the $200 they charge at retail but the quality is much better than the other, more mainstream companies....sound wise anyway. You get a fairly full ranght of frequency through the pedal. Although FUlltone will tell you the pedal doesn't change the sound of the guitar through the amp (i.e exact frequency range), it's not true. The sound does change somewhat, I felt that I lost some of the high end edge going through a blues deville with PRS.
However, it's still better then the cheaper Boss and DOD effects and other such brands.

Seems great.
No problems as of yet.

I emailed fulltone with a question about a month ago. I'm still waiting to hear back.
Not great.

It's a great pedal and I'm finally really getting the sound that I'm looking for. I bought this pedal for $110 used and I think it's worth that much. I would never buy this pedal for $200 + TAX ETC. I don't think it's worth that much, i don't care if it's handmade etc...
This is a simple boost/overdrive pedal that can be built by anyone with basic soldering skills for about $25.
I'll throw in an extra $75 to have it immediately and save the time but $200 is getting up there for a drive pedal.

Overall, i'm really starting to like this pedal.
Buy it used, there are tons of used ones out there in the market.
One of the better drive pedals.