Fulltone OCD

Easy, though it does take a little tweaking.

Well, here's where I have a little different take then others. The OCD sounded fantastic at home, but when I got with my band, it disappeared in the mix. I use old Fender Blackface amps, and these amps don't have a lot of midrange. That's why Tubescreamer style pedals with "mid-humps" (like the Fulldrive II) work so well with them. The OCD seems to have a slightly scooped sound. The bass is boosted, and the mids, even if they're flat, sound scooped. In a band mix, by guitar sounded kind of like white noise, with no presence. No punch. Too much bass, too much highs, no mids.

If you use an amp that is already "mid-rangy", than I think this pedal would work much better. Every other good comment you've heard about the OCD is true. Lots of harmonics. Great clean up.

If Mike put in a mid-boost switch, I would LOVE this thing. As is, it didn't work for me. I sold it already to a friend.

Fulltone=quality. I own several.

N/A. I've heard all the stories. The good, bad and ugly.

I wish this pedal worked for me, but it doesn't.

Damn easy to get great sounds out of it. It has volume, drive, and tone controls, as well as a HP/LP toggle switch. HP is "british mode Marshall or Vox like" and LP is more transparent like a cranked Blackface or Tweed.


Right out of the box it sounded great at just about any setting. Makes your guitar more expressive and easier to play.

I use fender strats/tele's, gibson lespaul, es335,es175, SG, Rickenbacker 330 etc........

Amps I use are Fender Blackface Twin, Super Reverb, Tweed champ
Marshall half stack, Orange half stack, Vox AC-30.....

I own a lot of pedals too including just about the entire fulltone lineup (will probably buy all their stuff eventually). Also own Keeley moded BOSS SD1, Keeley DS1, TS808, Barber LTD to name a few.


Buy far this is the nicest distortion/oD pedal I've heard. I also won the Fulldrive 2(custom shop) and 69 and 70 and prodistortion.

The sound is hard to describe and is different with each guitar/amp combo. But one thing is that is is very dynamic, it'll make sensitive right hand pick attack or left hand bend and vibrato much more pronounced. This makes it easier to express yourself, and thus makes your guitar easier to play.

Picture it this way. On one extreme is the OCD, on the other is a wah wah with a toe up/heal down mode. The wah wah in this mode makes it very hard to play since it all sounds the same. The OCD is very responsive and quick. Not thick and soupy like the FD2, TS808,SD1 etc......


A must have in my opinion

Don't know what makes it tick. I have to pull it apart and check out the guts, but haven't done that yet.


The FD2 uses the JRC4558 IC like ts808 and SD1.

The 69 uses germanium NKT275 transisters for that classic FUZZ.


The OCD sounds somewhat in between. Like a Marshall tube amp with a solid state diode rectifier that is quick and responsive. Where the FD2 and TS808 sound more like a tube rectified amp slower with a SAG.


I really can't articulate the differences, just buy a whole bunch of stuff and hear the difference yourself.


Reliablility of other Fulltone products is top of the line and I see no reason why this wouldn't be as well.

Mike is a musician first. (Mike Fuller who started/owns/runs fulltone) He actually won 1993 Guitar Player magazine's "Ultimate Guitarist" in the blues catagory.

He is a musician true and blue and that comes through in his products. He stands behind them! with a 5 year warranty!

I play country/blues/rock/classic rock styles of music. This pedal sounds awsome for each genre mentioned. Very SHHHWEEEEEET indeed.

Easy. I tried it out at a music store through a Fender tweed twin reissue. A good amp with a solid clean tone.

Tom Anderson Drop Top T with a single coil at the bridge and a humbucking at the neck. This is a very even and full sounding guitar.
Here's where I dissent from the other reviewers here. I didn't care for it much. Compared to my Reverend Drivetrain pedal it's not as transparent. Sweeter highs and lows with the Drivetrain but the Drivetrain has a little too much compression even with the drive all the way down. That's why I was hoping the OCD would be a better pedal. But overall the OCD has too much of the square wave sound for me, not as bad as the Fulldrive though but still too much. The soundclips on the website sound better than the pedal did in person. Some people (not me)love the Fulldrive so different strokes for different folks. I'm sure it's a better pedal than stock Tube Screamers but not really natural enough to do what I want. I've been on the waiting list for an AnalogMan King of Tone since July so I'll wait for it. I'd say the OCD is about equal to a Tone Bone Classic that I had and sold, also because I still prefered the old Drivetrain.

Didn't buy it but I'm sure it's very well made, like all of the Fulltone products.

n/a

No learning curve to speak of, yet this pedal is truly varied and complex in how it treats your guitar signal, but that's for another part of the review...
I will add that the enclosed manual is brief and to the point. It is without fluff but contains all pertinent info.

As another reviewer said, this is indeed, THE Overdrive Pedal. Nothing really comes close to the dynamics, the tone, and overall performance of this pedal. Mike's description and sound clips on his website do a good job in providing orientation -i suggest checking it out (www.fulltone.com). With that said, if you're looking for a pedal that gives you the ability to achieve that cranked up, overdriven amp sound..this is for you. It also excels as a basic boost pedal that doesn't impart any overt coloration to your tone. I wish this thing had come out 10 years ago. At least it's here now i suppose. I have a JCM 800 50w Marshall that has it's own IC chip in it for increased gain. With the OCD i now just plug into the 'Normal' channel using the pedal for extra drive and distortion. The low end boost you get with it switched to "HP" is very full sounding without adding unwanted muddiness. I really can't say enough good things about this pedal. It's also compatible with any qualified 9V to 18V adapter, you aren't instructed to ONLY use a Fulltone adapter. This is the first time i've reviewed a piece of gear and it is because this thing is really in a class of its own.

Just bought it so i can't honestly speak for its reliabilty but the Fulltone reputation is held in quite high regard.

No direct experience with them but based on other feedback, am confident i will be treated will if a problem arises.

After years of using pedals out of necessity rather than desire, i've finally bought one that i feel adds something to my tone. It's always felt like a compromise to use a pedal to achieve extra gain when you can't just turn the amp up full blast, the OCD is the first overdrive box to counter that. I don't mean to suggest that this will suit everyone's tastes and in fact, if you have an amp you're less than enthusiastic about and need a distortion pedal that "covers" some of its shortcomings...you may not hold this thing in such high regard. I have a Line 6 distortion modeler that i play with when i feel like futzing around with super distortion or modern rock sounds...the OCD is what i use when i'm seriously playing.

A no-brainer. Volume, Tone and Drive. It has a switch that adds a bit of volume boost and tone shaping that will giv eyou a British Stack kind of sound, if that's what you're looking for. I use it with this switch off as it brings through the natural tone of whatever guitar you are putting through it. This is pedal number 20, so I guess it's out of his first lot.

Complex set up. Wah -> Aural Exciter -> Klon Centaur -> OCD -> Keely Tube Screamer -> Chorus/Flange -> Tremolo -> Super Hard On -> Marshall TSL 100W (Fulltone Tape Echo on Aux Send)-> Fender ToneMaster 4 x 12 cab. I play guitars I have custom built, a Les Paul, a Strat and a Gretsch Setzer...it depends on the gig. Everything is true bypass and quiet...I don't use a noise gate. The OCD adds very little noise as song as I keep the drive below 12 noon. The pedal gives your tone an EDGE that is similar to a Super Hard On pedal. It improves the clarity, adds harmonics and can give you anything from a clean driven sound to total grunge, all with nice harmonics. I haven't found the adjustment of the volume knob on my guitar that helpful and I tend to avoid that since I think kicking your volume knob down sucks the tone right out of the guitar.

I will say that this is THE best overdrive pedal in terms of pure tone that is out there today, and I own them all. I replaced my Keeley modded Blues Driver with this pedal on my pedalboard...and the Keely pedal is a truly wonderful device. You will love this device.

I've used quite a few Fulltone products over the years and have never had an occasion to complain or replace on in mid-performance. The switches are good quality. I have a large pedal board that is whisper quiet and does not suck tone compared to going direct into the amp, and I think a lot of that is due to Mike's pedals. I keep a cable tester and a backup Overdrive in my roll away case, but I am equally happy to just kick the channel up on the Marshall if I want to guarantee that the police get called to the party.

I have resources to repair anything that I need fixed without having to bother to send them back, but I have never had to fix a Fuller product. I'm using his Wah pedal, Chorus, OCD and Tremolo now and have used two generations of the Fulldrive and have yet to have a problem with any of them. I have purchased directly from Mike and also picked up stuff from other sources. I've never had an issue. My definition of a good business is one that purrs quietly in the background and has consistency. Mike Fuller does a good job. He and Bob Keeley are the only two primary vendors that I would trust to purchase a new product just on their say-so.

I'm a rock and blues guitarist who finally has enough resources to buy whatever he wants. I'm 55 and been playing in front of people since I was 16. I only write reviews when I encounter a product that I really think will help others because it helped me. You will definitely be able to do new things with the OCD that you can't do with a lot of other boutique equipment. Take my word for it.

This is about as simple as it gets for a complex overdrive. The HP/LP switch is a nice feature that allows you to thicken up the low end (HP) or keep the sound of your guitar more natural (LP). Really easy to make radical changes on the fly unlike the Fulldrive 2 which I found required more fine tuning.

Well, you have to trust me on this, I am giving this pedal a critical review here but I honestly can't find a damn thing wrong with it. A 10 I feel is a bit meager but it's the highest option so... It's been a fun weekend trying this thing out. The greatest achievment here is that this pedal does actually give you that cranked amp sound at any volume. Many pedal makers make that claim but few deliver - this one delivers in spades. I really like the versitility this pedal offers. I play many styles from jazz to experimental rock and everything between and I find I can get whatever I want from thick saturation to just a bit of edge AND a nice clean boost if you want too. The OCD also delivers on it's claim that your guitar retains it's original tone. I must mention that the OCD sounds great with humbuckers as well as single coils. IT'S QUIET TOO! WOW!! You know, I don't think you could make this pedal sound bad. In case anybody cares - my setup; 64 strat or Ibanez as-200 into a few choice effects, (OCD being one of them), then to a 64 deluxe reverb or a 1959 Ampeg jet- GREAT recording amp btw. Tone heaven!!!

It's small, heavy for its size, and tough. I'm sure it will make it through my lifetime.

Well I hope I never have to find out if they are helpfull or not. Many people say bad things about Mike Fuller like he's rude or whatever but so long as he honors his warranty I could care less if he's nice.

For guitarists the drive pedal is the most critical part in the pedal chain but also the most challenging spot to fill. I had reached the point where I just decided to do without because every OD I tried, and I've tried too many including the FD2, just sounded like a veneer of distortion on top of the guitar signal. The OCD has got the drive back on the pedal board again though. For me, it's the pedal that I kind of always wished existed somewhere, the pedal that if you want can sound like a cranked Marshall or Vox or tweed deluxe but doesn't change your tone. Mike Fuller has always made quality pedals but I can't say that he's all that original. He's good at taking a classic old pedal and making it better and more reliable, the OCD though, is a true stroke of brilliance. Sorry to be so gushing with praise but.....go try one.

This is one of the easiest, most intuitive pedals, I have ever owned. It is incredibly easy to use and has effectively blown the doors off any pedal I own or ever have owned.

Amazing - seriously this is without a doubt the finest sounding pedal I have owned. I have burned through Tube Screamers, Boss's, EMMA's, Dunlop's, you name it, even Mike's other pedals, like the Full-Drive, 69 and the Soul Bender. It is remarkably rich in tone and depth, it has taken pedals to a new level. Simply volume adjustments along with planned and precise pick attack allow you to shape tones that I have never been able to find. Who are you looking to sound like? What have you been dreaming about in terms of tone..? Grab this pedal and plug it in.. you will find it. I ran mine with a Suhr Strat, to the OCD, through a Fulltone Deja-Vibe 2 into a Rivera Chubster. Unflipping believable... I played well into the night without exhausting the tonal ranges available. There is no noise, hiss or loss, there is onl additive explosions of sound you've never heard. Enough!!! You'll love it.

As with all this guys stuff - sturdy and tank-like

Mike has a bad wrap - he has been super reponsive to my emails and has never left me lacking for more.

Stellar achievement. If lost I would buy two... cause the horror of not having one would be too much to deal with.