Fulltone OCD

Pretty simple to get a usable sound out of this pedal. Getting a better sound just takes some user time. I don't find the toggle switch very useful as a live option because of the volume difference.

To my ear seems a little to have a little more "air" and is pretty well sensitive to pick dynamics. The harmonics and overtones are nice. Not sure it lives up to Fulltone's claims but none the less very nice.

Looks like it will be reliable.

Sent Mike at Fulltone an email regarding my Fulldrive 2 and converting it to his bass version. He emailed back stating the two components that would have to be changed and a photo pointing them out.

Blues, blues rock, and that genre. Playing since 1976. Mesa Boogie Subway Blues and MB 12" extension cabinet and several Analog Man modded Boss Distortion/Overdrive pedals and an old Ibanez chorus. G&L ASAT Classic. The pedal matches nicely with the G&L.

Simple to use, although it would be helpful if the target amp / setup that this was made for was included with knob settings ... but maybe that is asking too much?

Sounds very good, not the best OD on the market, but a pretty good all arounder if you play a variety of styles ... it works best with a Marshall type just barely breaking up. I do not like the sound of it on any setting with a Fender Super or Twin. For a $179 pedal, it is average in its class, which is not a bad thing. I think better tones are coming from othe boutique pedal makers like Menatone and Keeley, but this sure beats any stock Boss overdrive.

Fulltone stuff is extremely reliable. In the 10 years or so I have used Mike Fuller's products (12 or so pedals) I have only had a few problems with switches, and he has since replaced the old style switches.

Hopefully you will never have to deal with Fuller. Compared to Robert Keeley or Brian Mena or any of the other boutique pedal guys, Mike Fuller is very trite and not in it for the customer. The good news is his stuff is very reliable.

Solid pedal, and a price drop down to $159 make this a great buy right now. If you crave better tones and need a pedal that covers a lot of bases, get this one. It is a great place to start if you are trying to find your sound.

I have version 3.0, manufactured in April 2007.

This pedal is extremely easy to use. Volume, Gain and Tone knobs, that's it. There are two modes that can be selected with a toggle switch: HP & LP. HP sounds more British, very much like a vintage Marshall Plexi. LP is more of an American Overdrive, like a cranked up Fender. I personally like the HP mode more, but they are both great. The HP seems to be slightly louder, but I think that's because it accents the higher frequencies.

The only thing I would caution anybody with this pedal is that the volume control is very touchy. There's a lot of headroom and it can get away from you really quickly. I leave my volume setting around 9 o'clock, and my gain and tone are both at 12:00 o'clock. This seems to be a pretty good setup for me so far, but I've got plenty of room to adjust as necessary.

In short, this pedal sounds GREAT!

I play various Strats (single-coils & humbuckers) into a Koch Multitone 2x12 Combo. The only effects I use are (in order) a Budda Wah, a Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, the Fulltone OCD Overdrive and then amp. I use a TC G-Major rack processor in the parallel effects loop of the Koch for some subtle delay, but that's it.

I have been playing for 30 years. I have had this pedal for about two months, so I've had time to get used to it. I bought this pedal to give my amp channels a little push over the edge and that's what it does perfectly.

I have posted several sound samples on my web site and you can hear eveything in action (www.mjriley.com)

This pedal is built the way pedals should be built...solid! I've got it mounted on a pedalboard with velcro, but it comes with some nice clear silicone no slip-feet which are a real nice added touch.

The knobs and pots are all heavy duty. I like the fact that the knobs are somewhat 'stiff' and don't flop around when you come into contact with them.

Very solidly built. Great design.

Haven't had to deal with them, don't expect to.

This is a great pedal. I've tried and owned several other overdrive pedals and this one has proven to be the best. It's really brought out the best of my amp and tone. It allows me to get huge tones and feedback at a lower level without shattering my eardrums or windows.

I would recommend this pedal to anyone looking for a good clean overdrive with plenty of volume and gain to spread around.

Nice job, Mr. Fuller!!!

Very easy to use. There's a one page instruction sheet aht comes with the OCD. But, just plug it in and let your ears do the work. Very simple my 11 year old son uses it!!

Awesome tones! I don't know what "ItDoesn'tMatter's" gripes are about. It's obvious he's very disgruntled or jealous with Mike Fuller's company..

Aside for that, the OCD does everything I'm looking for in sound. No altered or muddy tones. I'm personally not into pedals or pedal boards to try to emulate an artist or group. So the sound I'm looking for comes from my amp and guitar. I too have an "expensive amp" and strive for a certain sound. The OCD doesn't alter that sound in any way especially when playing slide guitar.

Do yourself a favor and test drive the OCD if you're serious. You won't be disappointed. Let your ears decide for you.

Very strong construction. The pots that are used in the OCD are pots used on high end amps. They're not cheap pots.

Hasn't needed repairing.

I don't issue "10" on products. In my opinion, this box deserves a 12.

The features have all been listed, ad nauseum. Being a user of highend tube amps, (the $2k and over stuff) the OCD is no where close to the tone of quality tube overdrive, saturation, etc. (Preamp or power amp section).

The OCD's main and worst function is that it is great boost pedal, if you like an unusable level of boost that won't be tolerated by band mates or in a live setting.

I gave this a rating of 3 based on the sweep of the volume only being usable below 9 o'clock. (The rise after that is obscene). The tone knob is the most usable feature but the drive is less than stellar after the 12 o'clock position and uneeded below. More tone sucking than enghancing actually. The LP/HP mini-toggle is best discribed as "less mud, more mud".

The actual footswitch is the type that gives a "pop" when ingaged or disingaged and with today's technology, even in analog pedals, there is no need to use this type of component, by-pass or otherwise. This feature alone makes this pedal unusable for recording if the need to switch is required during live tracking.

The box looks cool, if that is your thing.

It doesn't sound anything like Brittish amps of any kind, vintage tones or some other overused industry phrase and it detracts from quality tube tone-saturation. Please keep in mind that my criticism is not from the so called honeymoon period one way or the other.

I have had the pedal for awhile and have tried to like it and yes I have tried moving in every position of the chain or alone, and with 7 different amps and I still don't like it. I also don't hate it, I just didn't hear the results from it that were so hyped in the first place. I use power conditioners, Mogami, George L's, etc. so it's not the cables either.

I'm actually quite pissed because I want to like it based on Fulltone's web presentation and the general internet buzz. I should know better by now, especially having an arsenal of great amps and instruments at my disposal.

Pedal's of any level, especially overdrive, distortion, etc. become more of a liabiliy at some point but I was hopefull that the OCD would be an ehancement. It wasn't and isn't, and even ain't and it should've.

In addition, I did try it on an old but excellent Westbury amp (the only solid state amp I own) which has a early plexi tone for recording and the OCD was slighly usefull in that application. Again however, the tone knob was the primary effect being utilized on the OCD. (I don't use EQ pedals because I don't need to anymore). The OCD seems to be an overpriced, one knob EQ pedal so maybe that's what your looking for. There are better boost pedals but that's not why I purchased the OCD.

I rated this a 4 because the tone knob is useable for tone shaping, but isn't that what EQ is for ?

The quality housing/case of this and many other pedals now on the market far exceed anything from the past. The OCD appears to be well made from a construction standpoint. However, a pretty face sure don't make no pretty heart.

If I don't like it, I won't use it, so in that case it should last a very long time, especially as a rarely used EQ pedal.

In an e-mail to Mikehole Fuller, in search of his advice, his reply was absolutely one of the most UNPROFFESIONAL replies from any manufacturer, ever, and I have been purchasing high end equipment for more years than I care to admit.

I was warned in advance that if he replies at all, he would be a total arse and not helpful, so in that regard, he succeeded. Why bother at all? His egotistical, nasty and negative customer service reputation preceeded him and was consequently, confirmed.

In total positive contrast, guys like Bob Sweet (Mojo Vibe) and others like Bob Weil, Roger Mayer (among many) reply within a day or two and make the effort to be helpful to THEIR CUSTOMERS.

Obviously Mikehole Fuller does not need anymore business and there are other and better manufactures (small and large) now available to musicians who create pedals that now exceed Fulltone's. Don't be lazy and follow the crowd or the hype. Do your homework and link in with manufactures that WANT your business and will work to EARN your loyalty.

We all must choose between being informed comsumers or prostitutes for the economy. You decide for yourself.

Lastly, I like Robin Trower, among many other artists who use this or that pedal, but Mr. Trower (or any developed artist) sound's like themself no matter what equipment they uses. Wake up !

If I could rate Fulltone's customer service any lower, I would.

The box looks cool, if that is your thing, but I already said that.

use this pedal as a boost--the overdrive is great, but this thing will add those harmonics that may be missing & give your amp overtones you may have thought weren't there

no noise. i use lp's & soapbars. the ocd can add some brightness as you desire. it really can juice your tone. it's the overtones you need to listen for. let your amp do most of the coloring--then add the ocd's harmonics until you find your color. you could make a 6L6 amp sound like an EL84 sound if you want. you may not want to use it with an amp that's already bright. but the tone control can take the highs & bring them down if you need. i like this pedal with a fender sound, & from what i know mike fuller has those older fenders, so when he makes a pedal, he's making it for his sound. it works good with a boogie lonestar too, which again in a way comes from a fender background

no problems or worries. i have 2--they are a bit different because they are about 2 years apart. no 2 things are ever really alike. one is a bit darker, which can work with a brighter amp. i like them both, & this can help with the room you're playing in--you know how that can be. when you try one out, listen for these qualities--& try different amps to get a feel for the colors

i haven't needed to contact fulltone. the ocd has worked fine from the start. i have had them both for about 2 years

i have been plying for 25 years. i would by it again if needed. the ocd is more of the flavor i've always looked for in an overdrive pedal. you could leave it on all night if you use it as a boost. the fulltone fat boost is a good pedal, but the ocd gives me the harmonics i like.

V3
This thing has great sounds right out of the box and on all settings. It had an HP (think Brit) and an LP (American)and both sound equally fantastic.

I lost the manual at Church (this is where I play w/ the praise band) because I was in such a hurry to try it out. I didn't even miss the manual it was so simple. I do wish I had kept the sticker - I am pretty proud to own this thing.

I play through a tuner-H2O Chorus/Delay - Digitech EX7 - Fulltone - BBE Sonic Stomp - EB volume - Marshal DSL401. My main guitar is an Epi-Dot(2002) or my Fender Am Deluxe Strat (1999).

I was amazed at the boost this thing gives you. I keep the volume at 9 o'clock and Drive at 10. However, I played around with the drive all the way down and the boost up at 2 o'clok and this thing really adds alot of tone to the sound.

It didn't add any noise to my setup and has a true bypass. When on, it still is deathly quiet. The best thing about this pedal is that it reacts to your pick attack fantastically. WOW!!

so far so good.

I play alot of different styles. This won't give you a rectifier sound, but that is not what I desire. If you want a great sounding OD with a very usable pallet of sounds, this is for you.

I have had Digitech tone Driver (tone killer), Boss GT-5 multiple, Behringer V-Amp - and a Digitech RP-7 and all moels and ODs I have used pail in comparison. This is my OD pedal - period.

Having been a long time fan and infatuated with the heavy tones and sonic variants Robin Trower has contributed. I started becoming interested in Fulltone after seeing Robin's new effect line is all Fulltone. After playing some 30 years I have never been happy with stock distortions and a lot of pedals and I have used and played a lot of them over the years from ultra vintage Univibe to modern modeler units. Fulltone is the best. After deciding to move to this line I opted for the OCD as Robin stated it was the best he had heard. The Distortion Pro and Soul Bender are much more intense he uses for dramatic effect on some lines.

The OCD is self explanatory and the sheet manual offers recommended twists for various purposes. Fuller is a genius, period. Finally a player who knows what mods and design sound better!

Basically plug the pedal in and start adjusting. I recommend your best clean channel tone and go from there. Bad sounds do not come out of this box. I am supposed to have the new version 3 model but I have not got a clue on how to make sure this is certain other than trusting Humbucker who I ordered it from. UPS 2 day air and it was here. Marvelous.

I just got a new amp the Carvin V3, with vintage cabinet and it is truly an underestimated amp. Marvelous tones I am getting. I am using my Carvin DC400 which has split coil switches and an active clean boost preamp when desired. Playing this unit through my chain which is at present Amp front DC400 Carvin, DOD Extreme Envelope Follower, Vai Bad Horse Wah, OCD into Carvin V3 head and Carvin 4x12 vintage cab. Loop 1 is running at present my reissue Univibe and Boss DDL (not so happy with either right now hope to replace with Fulltone units). Loop 2 on the amp I have set up as a clean boost using the loops volume adjust this makes the V3 sound incredible.

At once on the LP setting this box sounded most promising with gain around 9 and tone around 10 to smooth it out. I gave just wait I was wanting to hear, the dynamic response distortion boxes just don't have. Fuller recommends running a higher voltage than 9 if you can to make the pedal headroom come out more. I am using a 12v supply Radio Shack model as it seems you can't find the older adjustable voltage ones anymore. 12 was as high as I could get. The immediate sound of this unit was impressive it is dynamic to signal input and cleans up and distorts with signal level. In the case of my beautiful DC400 I use the split coil at neck which gives me a nice strat tone I kick on the on-board pre-amp when I want clean boost from the guitar.

Works so well with the OCD unit I was amazed. My wah also sounded great with the unit and I also found my envelope follower sounds great and even in combination with the wah worked very well. Articulate and pure tone. I am also playing detuned as Robin does a full step down might add to my over all better tone as well. Those who complain about the V3 should try this. I was always a dropped D or on 440 guy and when I tried this I just loved how much easier it was to play. The OCD apparently likes it. Running a higher voltage at 12 is also adding to the pedals dynamic. It can take 18 but I am not into batteries and chaining them.

Its all about opinion kids and as everyone knows everyone has one. Having played for many years from the heaviest blues to the hardest metal I know what I like in tone. This pedal I think sounds best for me in the LP mode as booster but it always just makes the tone come alive just what I was looking for. I get tube saturation gain more than most amps can do with the V3. I used to love my Marshall JCM 2000 but his amp is better and does so much more.

The OCD HP mode cranks up the units distortion for the higher gain crowd. I am not so fond of pedal distortion, I mean how long do you need to play before your gain is no longer tone by over the top saturation for bad playing?

This unit on clean channel makes great gain tones by adjusting the knobs. It sounds better than anything else I have tried to use, more musical and articulate.

I can use the LP mode on my high gain channels and it does not mush out my sound but rather helps the distortion have more life and tonal quality. Everything is dependent upon amp. speakers and guitar and you can't expect a pedal to solve your shit tone problems but truly the OCD is going to help you a lot. I think it is the best pedal I have ever had and I cannot wait to try and get more of the line. I wish he would get his hands on an old Mutron III and develop his version, that would be heaven.

The OCD has incredible volume output, Fuller states it is 30db. I have two clean amp boosts and my guitar pre-amp so I have incredible ability to adjust my sound. If you're a new player I can see how you might like the Metal Zone of something like that, you can mod those pretty good. But after you play a number of years one looks for tone more than just gain. How much gain do you need. Tone is the thing and the OCD brings that to the table. Obsessive Compulsive Drive by the way is the name. I love it, could not be happier. I cannot imagine how anyone could get bad sound out

Fuller makes very high quality high end gear. The best components switches (true bypass) even his battery gets shut off when using the phantom power. The knobs are delightfully hard to turn and have that nice quality feel to them. Super heavy box, doesn't get any better. I have had effects for years I cannot see why this one will not last probably longer.

I have not talked to them but I would really like to put the idea in Mike's head to create a new Mutron III envelope unit he would make it amazing I am sure. I have read everything from the web site and have not called them. Its a small company and they are busy as hell I would imagine. Fulltone is the best, I cannot see how much of anything else really can compete with them. Open them up and check out the way its built and the components.

I cannot rate this catagory because I have had no reason to contact them.

As I said above I have been playing about 30 years or more and I know what sounds good. The OCD stays on all the time in my line I cannot say that of anything. It made my already amazing amp sound better and gave me the beautiful strat tones I was looking for in that Daydream Univibe land. It distorts very well but very musically just by touch and guitar boost. I do not use it for the HP higher gain issues but it does that better than other pedals I have. Those complaining it sounds to digital or stiff need to twist around some more roll the highs off and such. I love it I did not find any bad tones and it can distort like the best amp tone I have ever heard. Fuller made this box after the idea of the smaller amps that have great tone like Jimmy's recording setups and such. I found it to be able to produce an intense musical gain distortion I like better than the other ones I have and heard. I like it for the LP tone enhancement quality but it can gain up on HP as much as anyone should need. I mean really is it playing or just hitting the guitar with your violin? I find the HP gain sounds great when you roll off the highs a little, very smooth to fizz if you want it. I like a heavy low end distortion with articulation of notes on the high end. The OCD is a welcome addition and has sold me on the line in general. I paid $180 for it and its worth it. Buy it do yourself a favor and for god sake twist some knobs and try some new settings, experiment. If you get bad sound out of this I suggest a major overall especially speakers. And really look into Carvin their guitars and amps are great I have been using them for years. The Marshall is gone but the V3 rules the hill.

Pretty simple, all knobs are self explanatory! One thing I like about this pedal is that the knobs are more stiff than other botique pedals so that there is no chance that your guitar cable can accidentally move your settings while playing. Another feature is that if your using an AC adaptor the battery stays fresh and won't draw power from the battery.

This is where the OCD shines! The equipment I used to test the OCD are as follows: Carvin Belair 2x12 amp, Fender American Stratocaster Hardtail with a Seymour Duncan Jr. JB in the bridge (mini-humbucker). Very responsive in every setting. You can get that SRV sound to the AC/DC sound! With the HD and LD settings it's like having two pedals in one. It nails the British sound in the HD setting while maintaining your natural guitar settings on the LD setting. You can also get a bit of a "scooped" sound on the LD setting and a bit of a mid-boost on the HD setting. HD=Marshall or Vox and Twin or Tweed on LD setting. The best feature on this pedal without a doubt is that you can keep this pedal on and get a clean, Texas Blues and a Fat overdrive/distortion just by using your guitar volume knob.

Effect is very quiet and built solid. Yet to play it live. I just got it but spen several hours getting some great tones! More to explore with more time.

I was really happy with my existing sound using the Xotic pedals for example: AC Booster and RC Booster pedals, but I was seeking some additional tonal flavors. The OCD fits the bill. The OCD can give you all the ballsy distortion and overdrive you need for most of your sound needs. Using the RC Booster in front of the OCD is a great addition adding volume boost and some extra grit if needed! I'll also continue to use the AC Booster for that signature smooth violin-like lead tone. The pedal the OCD replaced was my VooDoo Lab Sparkle Drive. I was getting a better SRV tone from the OCD hands down. In summary, if you are looking for a pedal with a lot of tonal options for you, this may be a great choice for your tonal arsenal. I highly recommend this pedal. The pick sensitivity and tones you get from just your volume knob will amaze you! Check it out! Rock on!!!

I wanted to add something to my previous review. Ivae OCD version 1. I read reviews that state the OCD doesn't get good distortion. I disagree because it gets a wide range from boost to overdirve to awesome distortion (subjective I know). I recently bought an Xotic AC booster and put it in front of the OCD. I turned on the OCD with the AC booster on and wow.... Creamy distortion oozed out of the OCD. I discovered that having a punched up signal via the AC booster changed the characteristics of the OCD. It truly added another level of distortion versatility. Very cool!! It's a great pedal. I think you have to have an OCD in your chain. The question is what sounds better to your tatse -0 Version 1, 2 or 3. Someday I will get Version 3 just because I feel it has to be great beause it has a great lineage.

Easy to use, simple intuitive layout, effective controls. instructions minimal but are just enough to understand how it works.

I used this with a vintage strat and tele, both through a vintage Deluxe Reverb and a recent Crate V series 3112 with Tone tubby. Really it's own type of sound. Better used to drive an amp than as stand alone overdrive. Clean settings really effective. Overdrive leans more toward a fuzz than, say, a Tubescreamer. Higher drive levels become very creamy with alot of low end, but tone control adds highs that are on the harsh side. I foung it difficult to get much past a slightly broken up sound before loosing the best balance of highs, lows and mids. Very responsive to volume changes, attack and remains very clear until pushed into higher drive. It pretty much looses it there. Low pass-high pass switch is effective.

Seems very well made. Very quiet and solid. No issues with functional performance. Would feel confident that it is reliable.

Fulltone apparently has a reputation for making good products and having poor customer service. They offer various upgrades for some items, but never answered my emails. I eventually gave up on my inquiry, but would not have accepted that if I had a real problem.

I bought this from a dealer expecting a current model known as the Version 3. When I received the earlier V2, I gave it a really good try but didn't love it and ended up not keeping it. According to Fulltone's descrption of the changes to the newer version, I might be tempted to try another one as it seems to address what I felt were shortcomings. Would be nice to hear from them before I do it, though.

I have no problem getting very good rock sounds from the OCD. I own the original version. I think it is important to identify which version you are revewing because the Fulltone site explains the differences in components and sounds. Volume - Tone - Drive & a LP/HP mini toggle.

My fav artsist are Trower, Blackmore, Santana, Page, Townsend. I own Keeley modded Boss BD-1, DS-1 (Ultra Mod), VooDoo Lab Sparkle Drive Keeley modded TS-9 and others. The OCD is in a league of it's own in terms of transparency and tube amp like tone and versatility. I have many pedals because there is no such thing as the holy grail. All pedals offer unique characteristics and I appreciate all the pedals I own. I intend to buy the new Fulltone GT500 and perhaps the Fulldrive 2 Mosfet. The OCD has such an open sound. I find it to be very versatile. None of these other pedals mentioned above come close to it's transparency and tube amp like tones. With the drive at 100% on LP setting it gets a great natural amp like overdrive/distortion. Hit the HP setting and it simply increases the distortion level. Pull back on the drive and you get crunch or whatever OD setting you need. I doin't know if metalheads would be satisfied becuae it is not a supoer saturated distortion pedal but if you l like AC/DC, Zep or Deep Purple OD and distortion you will enjoy this pedal immensely. I like that the OCD distortion is not fizzy (with my rig). It has a amp like OD - sharp and biting. I mostly use it in the LP mode. It can be used as a clean boost by keeping the drive down and nudging the volume aboove unity gain to your liking and then setting the tone. BTW- the tone control offers a wide range of tones to compensate for your PUPs and amp. I run it through a Straub Cantus 50 El34 amp. What amazes me about the OCD is it sounds awesome whether the amp is set to clean or with the amp set to overdrive. I am always blown away by that. It cleans up nice when the guitar volume is turned down. It is hte most amp like natural overdrive distortion I have ever played through. If you have a good tube amp and you want to add flexibility as if you are adding additional channels to your amp, the OCD will definitley do the job.

So far so good - had it about a year but I don't play out so I can't really say. It seems like it is built to last.

Not usre about this. I emailed to ask the differences between the original version (mine) and the latest version and got no response. I eventually found the answer on his web site which is probably why he didn't repond. But a simple reply to say "check the FAQs in the OCD scetion of the site" , shouodn't be too much of an inconvenience. Oh well.

I play variety - beatles, purple, santana, sting and basically classic rock. Playing for 38 years. Have too much gear. My main rig is 1971 LP Custom / 90s Strat Plus w/Lace Sensor PUPs ---> Tonecore compressor ---> Keeley modded DS1 or BD-1 or TS-0 ----> OCD ----> Fulltone Choral Flange ---> Straub Cabtus50 (incredible amp). I would definitley buy it of it were lost. IMPORTANT to underdstand that there are three versions out there. Go to the Fulltone web sitre for the details. I am very curious to to hear the latest version. according to Mike Fuller it has "Stronger Mids - More Sustain - Better Tone Control". Sounds real juicy to me - DAMN!!Guess I'll have to get one eventually. If you review an OCD PLEASE indicate which version you have. Go to the Fulltone site to ID your version.

Easy to use, easy to get a good sound out of.

As others have said: 1. Great, really great clean boost. I don't think I really knew what that was before I used an OCD. 2. Excellent light and medium overdrive. 3. If you want distortion, this pedal doesn't really deliver anything GREAT. It works, sounds relatively good, but not GREAT. Different guitar/amp combos do different things, but for my rig - (strat/tele/DuoJet into a 63 Vibroverb) - no one was ever going to complement my tone using this particular pedal.

I already have a modded SD-1 and DS-1, so I've got a good range of overdrive, light and medium gain. What I was looking for was something to give me a new tone in the medium and high gain range. If I hadn't already invested time and money into the other two pedals, the OCD would have been a much simpler (and maybe preferable) setup. However, if you already have modded od and dist boxes, the OCD doesn't bring anything to the table.

Can't say on this one, but it seems more solid than a boss-type pedal

don't know

This pedal is ideal for someone who wants just one pedal to cover light and medium gain sounds. Can be substituted for a Tube screamer or a light distortion box like a DS-1. Works pretty well with tube screamers, but modded DS-1s compliment TS pedals better, imo. If you're looking for something to go along with your tubescreamer, look elsewhere, you can do better. If you need just one pedal to cover alot of territory, this might be the one.

Bottom line, I returned mine. It doesn't offer much more than what you can already get with a good tubescreamer-type pedal.

Very easy to get the tone I require. With my strat, I turn the drive up 100% due to the single coil pick-up to get the distortion, with my Les Paul, with has 57 classics, I back off on the drive to about 3/4 or less do the pick-up strength. Very basic controls ( Volume, Drive, and tone. Also has a HP (seems to give an extra boost to the signal) and a LP switch (leaves the volume very level or normal).

As far as sound quality, as many have stated already, it is very transparent. I am running through a Marshall 1987X 50 watt Plexi, so the OCD works great in front as a sort of preamp. The Plexi is very loud at lower volumes in a tight room/space and the OCD does the trick.

I bought a Fulltone Fulldrive II at first, but it didn't have the distortion I needed to drive my Plexi. The Fulldrive II had a very smooth distortion/drive but was limited for my use. To be frank about it, I thought my trusty cheap Boss DS-1 kicked its ass as far as distortion and attack. I sent the Fulldrive II back and exchanged it for the OCD.

Just bought it and no problems so far, Built very well.

Haven't had the need to deal with the seller or Mr. Fulltone, hope I don't have to.

I play Blues Rock and this pedal gives me the late sixites sound that I hear in my head. Although, playing in larger halls, my Plexi by itself doesn't need any help to get the tone I want.

Tweaked for half an hour. Tried through a couple of amps with various amounts of amp/pedal gain and tone. All sounds were good but it finally dialed in real nice.

I'm running an American Strat > Keeley Fuzzhead > Jetter Gainstage > Fulltone OCD > Line6 XLT (effects only, no amp modeling) > Fargen Bordeaux.
I'm using the OCD with the neck pup running thru the Blackbird (think Fender Deluxe) side of the Bordeaux. This is the most natural, smooth, bluesy overdrive I've ever played. It very much depends on you having good equipment cause it won't hide a bad amp behind lots of distortion. What this does is brings an already good sound into a beautiful, wide open, big sound. You can dial in quite a bit of distortion if you like, but the best tones are just pushing the amp a bit. I use it for that Clapton tone and it is just right for me.

Fulltone stuff is the best out there. I can't imagine this ever failing.

Never dealt with.

I've played for 37 years and I play mostly in church these days. I've owned lots of pedals, amps, guitars. I'm playing the three pedals I like the most. Each is on the pedal board for a specific sound. The OCD is for that smooth Clapton sound. It complements the other pedals I own.
If my pedal board were lost or stolen the OCD would be the first pedal I would reacquire.
I don't give out 10s but this may be as close to a 10 as I've run across.

A lot of ways to get sound from this pedal is both it's greatest strenght, and it's greatest weakness.

I personally feel the pedal has too wide a range, making it so that if you nick a knob and it turns slightly your tone can change a little too much.

Overall an easy to use pedal... do yourself a favour and run it in 18w mode though.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to run a pedal for a while before you decide how 'sweet' it really is. After the initial hype wears off, you'll realize what the sound quality really is.

My rig consists of a Vox AC30 from the 70's and a Gibson ES-335 with a pairing of Burstbucker Pro's installed in it.

I find the pedal can be quite transparent in lower gain, or clean boost settings. Being used as a clean boost, or something to hit the front end of your amp harder so that it goes into a natural tube overdrive is what this pedal definatley excells at.

When you start getting up into higher gain territory the pedal starts loosing a lot of top end, in fact I have the tone knob set to 3:00 and the drive set to 10:00 and I'm getting a huge low end rumble from the pedal. Diminished chords seem to get lost, and the response becomes very 'solid state' feeling... Especially in the LP mode.

Switching to HP and upping the tone to 4:00, backing off the gain a bit, gave me a really nice heavy high gain tone that still had some top end sparkle. Very balanced, but not transparent in the least bit.

Compared to my Crowther Audio Hot Cake (a very simliar sounding and responding pedal) the OCD is in a distant second. The Hot cake is just simply more expressive, more transparent, and just overall a nicer sounding box.

Don't get me wrong, the OCD is a great box. I hate most distortion boxes, and have been relying on my Hot Cake for years, but now I finally have another box that I can use with my Hot Cake for more versatility.

seems well built

never delt with the guy

I play a lot of rock music, but my influences are from punk, metal, blues, and classic rock; and my writing reflects all of those, so I need something versatile.

I wish the OCD was more versatile... more like my Hotcake (in fact I ordered another hot cake to replace the OCD the other day...I'll still keep it in the board though...)

The ability to run it on various voltages, and the huge sweaps is both a nice feature, but also frustrating... its a good pedal, and I'd miss it if it were gone. But overall I think for the money there are better boxes to get... the Crowther Hot Cake for $20 less is a good place to start...

Real, real easy to get a great sound out of it immediately.
I couldn't wait to get this in the mail.
When it finally came, I plugged it in and just LOVED it right away.
(Just the opposite of when I plugged into a Danelectro Daddy-O, what a complete total piece of absolute crap).
There's no manual, just a two sided printout about the pedal in general. You do not need a manual. Just play it and twist knobs. It sounds great. The knobs have a nice feel to them BTW. Nice firm tapered feel while turning them and a little tweak makes a difference too.. Very nice. I'm going to be giving a lot of 10's in this review. If that bugs you oh well.......

The OCD does not sound like a pedal. I recently bought a Reissue Bassman LTD. and needed something for low volume situations when you can't crank the amp for overdrive. I tend to HATE pedals. They all sound like absolute crap to me. I hate Tubescreamers, Rats, Expandoras..all that junk. THIS sounds GOOD! Not 'pedal-like', sounds like my Bassman turned up lound if you set the knobs right (Drive fairly low sounds killer to me but if you want more, it's in there and it sounds good too). Now if you 'shred' or want to sound like Slipknot or some crap like that you may not like this pedal but if you like REAL music and musicians like SRV or Clapton or Walter Trout or Robben Ford or Chris Cain or Tommy Castro or Johnny Winter or Buddy Guy or even Gary Moore's bluesy stuff you might just like it a lot. I do. As I said, so far I like to set the Drive low (about 9:00) the Volume about 10:00
and the Tone about 1:00 and then turn the guitar volume knob down a bit for cleaner tones.....or crank it up to wail on some blues riffs.
Sounds an awfull lot like the Bassman screaming on about 6-10. Very organic sounding. Very responsive to your touch. Very amp-like.
It's not noisy. It's got a COOL blue light that gets seriously bright and throws all these little rays out (real trippy). It sounds great with it set on LP or HP equally. I kinda like the less in your face tone of the LP..........or do I? It's just a blast to play if those are the kind of tones you seek and don't want to sound like you're playing through a crappy pedal. It seriously sounds very much like the Bassman turned up real loud and distorting even with the drive set pretty low...amazing.

Feels and looks VERY solid. Nice heft. Very quality feel and sound.
And did I mention the blue light? Real unique and hard to describe. It's not a regular ol LED type thing. Very, very cool.
I can't afford two of them so yeah, I guess I'll use it without a backup. I can't really imagine anything going wrong with it, it seems real solid.

Wanna try the higher power adapters they say you can use.
It can take 9-18 volts! They say it gets even better sounding
on higher voltage.
They even include a battery in it out of the box. How many effect
manufacturers do that? Yep, comes WITH a battery.

I play Bluesy styles primarily as well as R&B and Soul and
Gospel type stuff etc. You know styles that are all about cranked
Fender for the most part or Marshalls and such. Edgy breakup to full
out power tube wailing. This is a great match for those styles. Think Clapton on his "From The Cradle" album.....it does that style of overdrive and more.
I've played for like 40 years I guess? OK electrically maybe 30? Long enough to develop strong opinions aye?
The only thing I wish it had is another footswitch button to select between LP and HP modes instead of the little toggle. That would be cool. I tend to put the pedal ON the amp anyway though instead of on the floor so I don't have to bend over to knob twiddle so maybe it's ok. I can just reach over and tweak it. It is a little small though and kind of between the two top knobs. That's my only complaint really.
What I love about it really, as I already said, is that it doesn't sound "pedally". It doesn't sound transistory or thin or buzzy or any of that junk you get with so many overdrives/distortions. If you're more into Freddie King than some goth-metal shred dude you'll probably like it. I can now gig with the Bassman at low volumes and still have convincing power tube crunch and overdrive when I can't turn the amp way up like I would at loud blues gig or an outdoor stage gig. I'm stoked.

I've owned this pedal for two weeks and waited until now to write a review.

The only reason I'm giving it a 9 is that 18 volt adapters are not the most common and I don't own one yet. I am ordering a Dunlop DC Brick for my pedalboard to do so. According to fulltone the unit sounds better with one. "You'll be amazed at the sonic differences. The higher the voltage, the cleaner, louder, and more dynamic the sound, kind of like the difference between a 50 and 100 watt marshall."

I plugged this in originally using the suplied 9volt battery my chain was as follows:

Ibanez artcore 75 (335) with dunanc HB102's> Monster Cable 'rock'> OCD> Monster Cable 'Rock'> Laney LC50 (6L6 power amp)w/ Eminence 'the wizard' (clean channel with volume at 3)

I started out on the LP setting with all knobs at 12:00 and....................................................:

Pure Bliss!!!! Great cranked amp tone, very dynamic.

I then turned the unit off and switched over to the amp's dirty channel and tried to recreate the sound with marginal success. I couldn't get the same complexity and detail with sustain, it was close but not as good as the pedal.

I then tinkered with the gain and level eventually getting to where the gain was dimed and the level was about 10:00. This gave me only a slight boost in volume when turned on.

At this setting the amp sounded like a cranked vintage marshall/ hiwatt but I think it was even more articulate than the actual amps. My subsequent attempt to recreate this tone on the amps dirty side w/ out the pedal was a complete let down. I even inserted a weber load dump and cranked the amp but could not get a smooth and articulate sound like the pedal produced.

I then flipped to the HP setting and found exactly what I was looking for, Soldano type saturated smooth overdrive with every note ringing true.

With the gain cranked on HP and the level around 9:00 (give or take :30) Tone still at 12:00 I got ripping overdrive/ distortion that was not super high gain but was plenty for my taste. I would say it's on the level or slightly higher gain than Warren Haynes when he plays with gov't mule. Keep in mind this is with fairly high-output humbuckers. You certainly have enough gain to play almost any rock including GNR and Tool. If you think you need more gain then you probably aren't good enough (no offense) to cover those bands anyway.

I a/b'd the OCD a week later with my Tonebone Classic through the same amp with the same cables but brought out a few more guitars:

MIM tele deluxe w/ fralin blues specials
2004 Les Paul Studio with 490/ 498 stock pups
2006 Fender Deluxe Players Strat with Vintage Noisless (stock)

On all four guitars the OCD sounded much more natural and open making the tonebone sound slightly compressed and solid-state-ish. The OCD was slightly more dynamic and articulate, although the Tonebone had more gain for sure. The extra gain proved to be of use with the single coil guitars as you can dial in some great raunchy classic rock/ shred tones that are not available on the OCD with single coils but the humbuckers get muddy at the same gain levels IMO.

So to sum it up I think the gain on the OCD is more of a mix of the sound of preamp and some poweramp distortion while the tonebone is pure preamp especially at the high gain setting.

I also prefer the sound of a wah (535Q) into the OCD better than the tonebone which tended to get a little 'quaky' for me.

I didn't have noise problems with either pedal.

It hasn't left my house and it's still workign great so I can't comment. Although the pedal seems fairly simple so it is probably more reliable than my old tonebone.

I play a bastardized version of rock/ funk/ blues/ jazz.

Some guitarist whose tone I admire:

Steve Kimock
Michael Houser
Mark Knopfler
Warren Haynes
Jerry Garcia
Derek Trucks
Jimmy Herring
Marc Ford
Charlie Hunter
Jeff Beck
David Gilmour
Eric Krasnos
Adam Jones
Nils Cline
Etc.....

For now this is exactly what I was looking for in a overdrive/ distortion pedal:

1) touch sensitive/ dynamic
2) Smooth or chunky depending on guitar and settings
3) small
4) uses 9 or 18 volt adapter (tonebone needed wallwart 15v)
5) Sounds like an amp and not a 'metal zone' etc...

Dead-easy to elicit great sounds: all controls work on a very wide range of possible settings.

I just got one it does just what I want it to: faux AC-30 sounds from a Fender Blues de Luxe. Even with a Roland micro cube and a Tele I was able to get that Syd Barret sound.
This is the most touch sensitive pedal I have ever played with; from a light crunch to a nice bite just using your attack.
Sounds great with any guitar ( P 90 sounds fat yet open, a Tele can really sparkle without sounding harsh).
The higher gain settings are good but this pedal excells in the Goldielocks-zone of crunch.

Built like a tank. You could probably use it as a hammer and only damage the paint. Use it with care and I don't think you'll need a backup.

Sorry, no experience with customer support.

I've been playing for over 30 years now and at the moment I'm in a Blues band. We do some R&R, Country and Pop songs and that's where the OCD comes in very handy. It works very well with other effects like chorus, delay and reverb and with this one your sound won't clutter even if you decide to use'em all at the same time for that dramatic solo.
I did contemplate the purchase of an AC-Tone by Carl Martin but I came across this one first (Sorry Soren).

Easy to use

Here's where I depart from the crowd. The OCD is quite useful as a transparent clean boost, but you would literally have to be on crack to say it sounds like a plexi Marshall. I found the overdrive sterile, fizzy and actually "solid state" sounding. I prefer my Boss BD2 with a Monte Allums mod, which is like a Keely or Analogman mod, but $20 instead of $70. Bottom line, $160 is simply too steep for a clean boost. Again, if you expect a solid state device to sound like an overdriven tube amp, maybe it's time to give the pipe a rest.

Seems solid.

Never had to contact them.

I'll give it an 8 for solid construction and quality components, which clearly contribute to the "clean-ness" when it's used as a clean boost, but as I said, the overdrive is just so-so.

extremely easy to use. Tone Drive and Volume knob, and a switch for high and low power.

Great for blues. I can nail clapton, SRV and many others. More importantly, I have the sound I want. Very versatile, slight movement of the controls get very different sounds. Very responsive to pick strength. True bypass is great. I use this with either a digitech RP200 on cleans for quiet practice, DI box for recording, or into my Fender Hotrod Deluxe. It sounds great with whatever I use it with. Does have the ability to do a huge clean boost.

Very reliable, very well built. I gig without a backup because this is my only pedal. I waited 3 months to get it after trying it (it sold out at the shop before I could buy it) and it was worth the wait.

Overall Great pedal. I would definitely replace it if lost, I love everything about it. Compared it to all the pedals I could and this one broke the mold.

every increment of the knobs does something good as in you dont have to look for the sweet spot because the whole thing is one big sweet spot.

i play a fender koa strat into a fender blues deluxe amp. this pedal is the answer to my quest for tone. the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end when i tried it out at the store. i was ready to take the plunge and spend $200 on a Fulldrive 2 Mosfet when i decided to also try the OCD. i loved the fulldrive but i felt the the OCD had a bit more range of tone to it. this is the only piece of equipment i ever bought that i only have absolutely nothing negative about. i recommend you go and buy one and dont't even waste time trying. what ever type of overdrive tone you are looking for lurks within the heavy gage steel shell of the OCD. my only complaint is that i don't have two of them, one for light drive and one for nastier overdrive.

if i where in a death match where the only weapons you could choose where effect pedal, i would choose a fulltone pedal.

i get the feeling like i may never find out. though i might just email the folks at fulltone to thank them.

truth to tell, a decent strat, a decent tube amp, and a fulltone OCD are all i really need... and it only cost as much as 2 boss pedals that i would like a lot but never be completely satisfied with.

(bowing in the direction of the fulltone factory)

Easy to get good tones.

Here's where I'm gonna depart from the crowd. What Harmony-Central needs is a honeymoon policy, which should say "DO NOT REVIEW THIS PRODUCT UNTIL YOU HAVE OWNED IT FOR 30 DAYS, OR USED IT AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES." The OCD sounds good, but not great. I found it most useful as a clean boost, at which it clearly--pun intended--excells. It is quite transparent when dialed in to minimal drive settings. When you begin to inch up the drive--on both toggle settings--the pedal becomes, for lack of a better description, "sterile". It doesn't sound ANYTHING like a tube amp. In fact, I'm frankly sick of claims that solid-state pedals sound like tube gear. They don't. If they did, then any decent amp manufacturer would be able to create a killer amp with a solid state front end and a tube power amp. But they haven't and they can't and never will. So that's my little tirade. In any event, if you want a good transparent boost to push your tube amp over the top, get a used Boss BD2 and mod it with the Monte Allums H2O mod.

Solid.

I'll give it an 8 because it's well made, true bypass, and sounds good.

very very easy Volume, tone, gain and switch Down American amp tones Up British amp tones. BLUE LED and built like a little tank.

I HAVE A first AND THE 2nd VERSION. That is the reason I am posting my review, to set all the hype about the new version. I used both with Tele, strat, les paul, Es-335, PRS p-90's, 59 Tweed Deluxe, Kendrick tc 2x10", Bad cat, Fender, Marshall and Two Rock. I like the 1st version the best, is a better boost, Better for solos or Rythm, the 2nd version is smoother maybe like a tube screamer but if I want a Tube screamer I go and get one. Is not as good for solos specially and it sound great. Because the OCD is about the very best you can buy. I will only put another overdrive/boost pedal in this category. 1- ocd 1st version + Throbak Overdrive boost 2- ocd new version 3- ts-808 + klon + boss sd-1 + burriss....I hate to say it but MIKE FULLER finally did it.

SO FAR SO GOOD

WELL I MUST SAY HAD A FEW BAD EXPERIENCES WITH MIKE IN THE PAST. BUT THE VERY LAST TIME I SPOKE TO HIM IS LIKE A CHANGED MEN. I AM WORRIED BECAUSE IS HUMAN AFTER ALL.

THIS A KEPPER AND I WOULD GO TO THE END OF THE WORLD TO GET ANOTHER ONE OF THIS OCD PEDALS.
KILLER KILLER KILLER

Easy to dial in!

I got a great deal on this OCD pedal.
It's Hands down the best pedal Fulltone makes.
It is transparent but a little bit fizzy in the hi-end department.
I did an A/B test with my other pedals & it does hold up well, but
not enough to keep it. Rock, Hard Rock, Punk Rock, Blues it can
do all that. It lacks it's own distinct tone. The toggle is cool
& very usefull.

I'm sure it would last forever.

Pretty cool to deal with.

I use 2 pedals in my set-up. One Overdrive pedal in front of my
Bassman or Bandmaster & one overdrive pedal for solo's. I play
Hard Rock/Punk/Alt Country (it's all just Rock music to me).
The OCD sounds good, but there are many other pedals out ther that
kick its ass. Maybe if I would have bought this pedal before I tried so many other Fulltone pedals it would stick around. It's better than any modded pedal you'll ever find. Try one out for yourself & make a decision. Barber, MI Audio, Aramat & HAO to name a few make incredible pedals. You may end up trying them all like I have.
Thank god for Ebay. I would not buy this pedal again.