Fulltone Ultimate Octave

Very easy--it's a stompbox. What's nice about it is that the fuzz and octave effects are both footswitchable. It's got a good range of fuzz tones--in either the fat or bright modes--it would be nice if these modes were footswitchable, if only for live gigs, but I find that I usually use it in fat mode...it I use the bright mode, it's usually because I've changed guitars, so I hit the switch at that point. On top of that, the octave effect is great, and can be dialed in to be either subtle or in-your-face. It's easier to get going than your little brother when the fleet's in town.

I'm a convert--true bypass is the way....hallelujah.....I've been using the UO in front of the fulldrive2, and it's a good way to go...this pedal can provide a lot of gain, so you can dial in a lot of attack, and control the master volume with the fulldrive2, giving me a lot of options. The fulltone stuff is obviously designed to replicate a lot of hendrix-era effects, and it does sound great with my strat, but I get a lot of utility out of the UO with my les paul, SG, tele, all my guitars.....it's a nice ingredient for getting a good, cutting lead sound. I don't use it for rhythm sounds much, don't think that's what it's designed for. It gets a great screaming sound, just like your sister did last night.

Lifetime warranty. Or, as long as Mike Fuller is alive, I suppose. It seems well-built, just like your mama.

I sent Mike Fuller an e-mail, he replied! I felt special. He is a lovely man. He explained what the terms "tone" and "volume" meant, which was hugely helpful. Thank you Mike Fulltone! You da bomb.

I play blues and klezmer with hawaiian power chords. This pedal provides triscuits and brie for a party that's been weened on popcorn and cheese doodles. It's the Real Deal Neil......however, I would not recommend it as your sole distortion source; it's not an overdrive pedal, but for sheer volume and fatness, it's bigger than one of your uncles at an all-you-can-eat buffet. I tried a vox tonebender, and it sucked. I tried one of those big muff pedals from the 60s, but the guy wanted $200 for it, and it was falling apart. So, I punched him out and bought an ultimate octave. The first time I played it, I pissed off the neighbors. It's that tasty. If you like fuzz, or if you just play guitar, it's worthy of your consideration.

controls are 2 footswitches, one for fuzz the other for octave, vol. tone and fuzz knobs plus fat/bright switch.Really straight forward yet not really as easy to dial in as some pedals. there are alot of tones in this little box but you have to work somewhat to get 'em.

Ahhh...truly amazing sounds. I thought i would use this box a little to add color here and there but find i'm using it alot more than i expected. my rig as it stands now: G&L legacy or ASAT Classic> Erni Ball Volume Pedal> Voodoo Labs Micro Vibe> UltiMate Octave> Full Drive II> Supa-Trem> EH Memory Man Delay> Boogie .50 Caliber. I usually use the Ultimate in Fat mode but sometimes switch to bright for a more gritchy sound. The thing i like about it is the fact that it is alot more predictable than all the other fuzz octaves i have tried. it rules!

This thing will definately outlast me. I would gig without back-up no problem.

Mike is a really great guy and has promptly answered all my e-mail enquiries. i doubt i will ever need to repair this or any of my other Fulltone pedals anyways!

This pedal is definately worth checking out if your into cool weird sounds like i am. i cannot reccomend it high enough. If it were lost or stolen i would run out and get another immediately.I love the way it screams when you hit it. I have tried most all of the others (experience, octafuzz, proctavia, C.O.B. etc.) and this is the one. sorry about the gushing review, but the sound of this pedal haunted me when i first heard it and i had to have it. my kids think it is the devil embodied when i turn it on. doing double stops above the 12th fret makes true mayhem come out of your speakers. worth the price of admission.

Not as easy as your usual 3-knobbed box.You have to experiment with settings a lot with this thing.You can get insane sounds out of this, but you need to have a knowledge of the interaction of the fuzz and tone knobs on the pedal, as well as how to tweak your own amp.

Can you say PHAT?

Can't really say yet. One positive thing i've noticed is that the 9v battery has lasted much longer in this pedal than in any of my others like the grunge or delays, etc.

never dealt with fulltone. The instructions that come with the pedal are obviously printed out on a home computer and give no insight into how one might tweak sounds, but maybe this is to encourage experimentation.

This pedal is rad! Don't think that it's just a retro or 'hendrix' pedal. You can get ring mod sounds from it, crazy feedback, and more. There is so much room for tonal shaping here that i can't even begin to list the possibilities. Without a doubt the most versatile (tonally) pedal i have. Don't mistake this for a 'high gain' pedal, though. this is fuzz, a la the fuzz face. The only thing that i would change about it is to relocate or alter the fat/bright switch. THis switch is a toggle located right above the 'octave-up' footswitch. For those of us with big and clumsy feet, it would be easy to snap that fat/bright switch right off. It seems like fulltone should have installed one of those red flip tops (you know, like they have on 'self destruct' buttons on space ships in the movies) over the fat/bright. other than that, this pedal rocks

Don't get me wrong on this one. Let me explain.... This pedal has Volume, Tone, and Fuzz knobs; a Fat/Bright switch; an on/off footswitch and an "Octave-Up" footswitch. We are dealing with a lot of shit here. It is not that individual controlls on the pedal are hard to figure out, but the pedal is very sensitive to adjustments to the pedal itself, as well as the controlls on the guitar and amp. It takes A LOT of experimentation to get the straight fuzz and fuzz+octave tones that you are looking for. I LOVE THIS PEDAL, but you cant just pull it out of the box and sound like Ian Moore.

This pedal truly lives up to its name. You can use it like a regular fuzz unit, and then kick in the octave-up when needed. The fuzz sounds really beefy when the Fat switch is activated. Turning down the volume on the guitar with just the fuzz running cleans up the sound without sacrificing playing volume. The octave-up is the best I have ever heard. It tracks extremely well on any string anywhere on the neck. Depending on the guitar volume and pickup position settings, the octave-up note can go from subtle to nearly drowning out the fundamental note.

I have only had it for three months, so this is hard to answer. The pedal is heavy like a brick and is made out of 18-g (or 16, I forget) steel. Everything looks heavy duty, with the exception of the flimsy looking Fat/Bright switch. That thing really scares me, because it sticks out like it's just asking to snag something. I would rather it be just a regular stomp switch like the on/off and octave-up switches.

The nearest Fulltone dealer to me is three states away, so Mike Fuller sells directly to me. I have ordered from him three times now. He has always been very frendly on the phone, and has never been too busy to answer any questions. Some people say that he sounds arrogant, but I never got that impression. He is not afraid to tell you that his pedals kick ass, though. It's not bragging if you can back it up. Make up your own mind. Give him a call @ 310-397-3456

I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I have played tons of other fuzz units and octavia-ish devices, and this is the best by far. The price might seem a little steep, but it pales in comparison to what you get in return. I wish the Fat/Bright switch was a little more rugged, but that's it.