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Fireguy8402 « Great Overdrive! »
Published on 12/23/11 at 08:12The Obsessive Compulsive Drive (OCD) is an overdrive pedal available from Mike Fuller at Fulltone, and it lives up to the Fulltone name. It takes your basic controls for an overdrive, Volume (overall volume of the drive), Drive (amount of gain), and Tone (EQ adjustment) and adds a HP/LP switch (high peak and low peak) which changes the pedal from a clean boost to light drive, to a light drive and smooth distortion tone. True bypass switching , a large LED, and sturdy metal construction round out the features.
UTILIZATION
It is very easy to get a good sound out of this pedal, and with about any amp I’ve paired it with. I believe it’s harder to get a bad sound out of it honestly. The pedal is laid out very well and the knobs are sturdy and turn very smoothly. Fulltone manufactures their own custom potentiometers according to their website “because what has been offered as "Industry Standard" has a 20% failure rate within 2 years”. I’m not sure about that fact, but the ones they put out are very nice. The bypass switches are also heavy duty and designed by Mike Fuller.
SOUND QUALITY
This is possibly one of the greatest drives out there for a light overdrive sound. It sounds very close to actual amp drive and allows the user to gain this at lower volumes. It is very capable of getting an almost clean boost, a light overdrive like a tube amp on the verge of breaking up, or a flat out smooth overdriven amp sound. Where this pedal shines is that it keeps the sensitivity and dynamics of your playing like an amp would and it has that same feel when you play through it. It’s hard to describe, but a lot of pedals just sound like you are replacing your tone with distortion, this pedal just adds to your tone just like pushing the front end of a tube amp. It does a straight up rhythm crunch with plenty of overtones and spank to it.
OVERALL OPINION
Fulltone pedals are pricey, but worth it in my opinion. You’re getting a well made pedal that is going to last that has been designed and hand built by a musician. Mike Fuller is a picky man, and it shows in a very good way. Putting a 5 year warranty on his pedals says a lot too. I really like this company and will be purchasing more pedals from them. This pedal is great in every aspect that I’ve seen. Maybe a little more EQ options may open a few more options to this pedal, but that’s really just asking too much. Additional tones are available with the HP/LP switch and that should cover most needs. It’s a super pedal and a great addition to any pedal board that needs an overdrive.
UTILIZATION
It is very easy to get a good sound out of this pedal, and with about any amp I’ve paired it with. I believe it’s harder to get a bad sound out of it honestly. The pedal is laid out very well and the knobs are sturdy and turn very smoothly. Fulltone manufactures their own custom potentiometers according to their website “because what has been offered as "Industry Standard" has a 20% failure rate within 2 years”. I’m not sure about that fact, but the ones they put out are very nice. The bypass switches are also heavy duty and designed by Mike Fuller.
SOUND QUALITY
This is possibly one of the greatest drives out there for a light overdrive sound. It sounds very close to actual amp drive and allows the user to gain this at lower volumes. It is very capable of getting an almost clean boost, a light overdrive like a tube amp on the verge of breaking up, or a flat out smooth overdriven amp sound. Where this pedal shines is that it keeps the sensitivity and dynamics of your playing like an amp would and it has that same feel when you play through it. It’s hard to describe, but a lot of pedals just sound like you are replacing your tone with distortion, this pedal just adds to your tone just like pushing the front end of a tube amp. It does a straight up rhythm crunch with plenty of overtones and spank to it.
OVERALL OPINION
Fulltone pedals are pricey, but worth it in my opinion. You’re getting a well made pedal that is going to last that has been designed and hand built by a musician. Mike Fuller is a picky man, and it shows in a very good way. Putting a 5 year warranty on his pedals says a lot too. I really like this company and will be purchasing more pedals from them. This pedal is great in every aspect that I’ve seen. Maybe a little more EQ options may open a few more options to this pedal, but that’s really just asking too much. Additional tones are available with the HP/LP switch and that should cover most needs. It’s a super pedal and a great addition to any pedal board that needs an overdrive.