All user reviews for the Fulltone OCD V1.1

Overdrive super hot like the coals
3 pots a switch HP / LP
and a bypass

UTILIZATION

man you need not engage you turn you find and it sounds
a warm but happiness

SOUND QUALITY

Plugged into an amp you might think we have a marshall behind three bodies, only better ... it sounds simple but it is a killer!


OVERALL OPINION

4 months now ... I triggers to switch to rhythm and solo I added with a DS-1 modified by MSM Worshop history to have more gain, it is mind-blowing good
whatever setting it sounds ... we can cover all productions amp is hot .... OCD is a simple + chorus + delay, and it has had enough and an amp with a clear right and you can go it fits right in! Keep Rocking!

The Fulltone OCD is a pedal of many faces, not just because of the different versions that are available but also because of the different tones you can get from it. Furthermore, it reacts differently depending on your guitars and amps. This is a pedal that you have to try with your own setups, it won't work with everything out there but if it does fit your setup, you are in for a threat.

UTILIZATION

With a very simple control layout, you can get a variety of tones ranging from boosts to serious gainy tones and that's before you have even tried the little HP/LP switch which also takes things into a new direction. And even then, the story is not over because the OCD also reacts different on the amount of voltage you feed it. Run it at 18v for more output and headroom. I’m still not 100% sure what the difference between high peak and low peak is but they both work, the HP in general gives you more gain and a more crunchy tone.

SOUND QUALITY

I have tried the different versions with the exception of V2 and for my rig, the V1 sounded best. I ran it usually with the gain relatively low as that got me a very punchy tone that worked great with single coils and humbuckers. Furthermore, I could boost the OCD with a TS-style pedal for lead sounds or use the OCD with the overdrive channel of my amp. One thing the OCD does well is retain articulation and dynamics. If you are the kinda player who likes to get tones from the volume control of your guitar, the OCD should work great for you.

OVERALL OPINION

At the moment, the OCD is sitting on a shelf as I always want to try other stuff but one day, it will be back on the board for sure.

The Fulltone OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Drive is a high quality overdrive/distortion pedal with amp-like overtones and feel.
There have been several revisions of the pedal, each having slight tweaks to the sound. The pedal I am reviewing is version 4.

Controls include Volume, Tone and Drive, and a toggle switch that selects either HP or LP which I believe stand for High Peak and Low Peak, respectively.

The pedal is powered by a single 9 volt battery or a common 9 volt AC adapter.


UTILIZATION

It took me a while to find the OCD's sweet spot with my rig. The balance between gain and tone can be a bit tricky to find. I had a bit of trouble avoiding a congested, or harsh sound at first, but once I got it dialed in where I wanted, it was a blast to play through!



SOUND QUALITY

I tested this pedal with a Gibson Les Paul, Schecter C-1 Classic, G&L Invader and a cheap Hondo with Fender single coil pups, and then into three different amplifiers; a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, Carvin MTS, and Fender Blues Deville. I felt that the humbucker equipped axes resulted in a slightly congested or harsh sound when used with this pedal. I noticed that while using the Schecter with the Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz coil-tapped, and the Hondo with single-coils, I liked the sound much more.
Using single-coils with the OCD really opens it up and lets it breathe.

Great tones can be had with any guitar however, and it just takes some experimenting with the HP/LP setting and getting the tone and drive set right. I felt that the pedal's sweet spot was with the tone just past noon and the gain at noon. I really liked this pedal as a mid-gain overdrive more than a maxed out distortion pedal.

I also tested this pedal as a boost, to kick my already driven dirty channel into higher gain territory. I feel it was only average as a boost. It always felt stiff and hard and had an undesirable edge to it. Other pedals, like the Xotic BB (which I also reviewed) do the boost thing much better, at least for my preferences and needs.

The HP and LP settings are useful, but can be frustrating. LP has a nice squishy feel. It "gives" like a good tube amp when you dig in to the strings, but this setting can also sound a tad bit muddy. Flip the switch to HP, and the pedal gets much louder, clearer and more distorted. My problem was that it got too nasty in the high end. I preferred keeping the unit in the LP setting and opening up the tone control until it just started sounding bright, but not overly so.

The great thing about this pedal is how much it resembles a real amp, both in tone and feel. You can crank the volume up a bit and strum a chord and hear subtle overtones and complex textures in the gain. Most overdrive or distortion pedals sound flat and don't have that sort of realism or depth.
Overall I'd describe the voicing of this pedal as more Fenderish and American than british. The mids are not pronounced at all in this pedal, regardless of the position of the tone control or HP/LP switch. These controls only affect the high frequencies. The mids always have a scooped sound to them.

I feel that a mid-boost function would GREATLY improve this unit!

OVERALL OPINION

All things considered, the OCD is a fantastic achievement in getting that realistic amp feel in a stomp box. It excels as a touch sensitive overdrive with complex harmonics and overtones. However it is not voiced to fit in with every rig, and a mid boost function would greatly improve this pedal in my opinion.

I sold my OCD pedal to fund another pedal purchase, but I will definitely be trying another Fulltone in the future! Perhaps a Catalyst or Plimsoul. Thanks for reading!

Overdrive / distortion analog input output, power supply 9/18v
A Miniswitch to move from a low peak (LP) to a High Peak (HP).

UTILIZATION

Very easy to use, wide range of settings, including gain, which can assay a very slight overdrive (especially in LP mode, the one I use most often) that adds just a little rough side when you attack a little (great with a Start for example).
It may even be free of saturation, not Nu Metal, but still sharp, especially in HP mode.
The mini switch allows me to adjust OCD according to the used guitar (Les Paul or Start) of the amplifier used and the desired sound. Practice.

SOUND QUALITY

The great versatility allows its use as boost demand (low mode peak) which stains very little sound.
It's a good pedal, solid, reliable and very versatile. It can be powered by battery (easy access via 4 screws you can tighten / loosen by hand, although seen) or external power supply, what I do. It accepts all voltages between 9 and 18 volts higher the voltage, the higher it is supposed to have dynamics. I use it on 18v, it works very well, I can not really say more, though, actually, the sound seems to respond better to different shades with high voltage.
The "tone" (frequency control) does not lose when it pushes the severe acute is that boast the manual, and it's true. This will keep a sound fat enough when you push the distortion into a corner.
The finicky believe for different versions (from 1 to 4) there are big differences in sound. I leave that kind of finesse. Mine is version 4 (I think) and it works very well.


OVERALL OPINION

I use it for almost two years I've used a truck and distos overdrive over the years and it is very suitable for professional use.
Its versatility and reliability are very valuable, I always bring whatever my setup or guitar amp and whatever the style I play.
It is a bit expensive, but for the quality stuff we really regret it (now if you give it a nice too).

Full analog pedal, handmade in the USA, input and output jack ...
Volume knobs, Drive and Output level, a button to change the internal circuit (or else, not even capture the difference in technology, but the difference is there).


UTILIZATION

Yes, use this pedal is very simple, not yet opened the manual I will admit (but I'll go that step!).

SOUND QUALITY

The overdrive this pedal is quite "creamy" sound a hair coats, perfect on an amp a bit noisy as mine. By no big cons satus a bit "hard" with this pedal!

OVERALL OPINION

For a few years I have this pedal with a couple fatboost the same manufacturer ...
I must confess that I use the overdrive and this Fatbosst as OCD as boost (I just reversed the roles of these respective almost 2 pedals), and that's what sound I wanted ...
I now looking for a super drive tube
I remake that choice without hesitation

The Fulltone OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Drive) is an overdrive pedal designed for use with electric guitar but suitable with any type of electronic instrument.  The pedal is pretty basic in make up as it has standard 1/4 inch connections and requires nine volts of power.  This isn't a rack mountable piece of gear - it is a stomp box.

UTILIZATION

Using the Fulltone OCD is very easy as it only has a few parameters that need to be accounted for.  It has knobs for volume, drive, and tone and also has a high pass/low pass filter.  Even if you don't have much experience using overdrive pedals, I don't think that you'll have much trouble figuring out what is going on here because there isn't all that much to it.  I don't think that a manual is necessary, although I haven't seen it so I can't speak to how well put together it is.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality heard from the Fulltone OCD is very impressive overall.  It has a very realistic sounding tone and works great in a variety of situations.  I have used the pedal for recording with a Fender Strat and a '76 Fender Twin Reverb and I've always been happy with the tone that I am able to achieve with this combination.  The best way that I can describe the sound of this overdrive pedal would be to say that it is very authentic sounding and definitely has an analog feel to it.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Fulltone OCD for only a few months but it has definitely won me over in the short time that I've been using it.  I've used a lot of different distortion pedals and tend to know right off the bat which ones I'll like and end up using and which ones I won't, so I knew pretty early on that this would be a pedal that I would continue to use for a while.  I've overall been very impressed with the pedals made by Fulltone as they are all very authentic sounding and full of life.  While you might pay a little more for the OCD than you would some other overdrive pedals, it is definitely worth it as more times than not you will be getting a superior pedal.

(Originally written by Topprog/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
I own the OCD version 3 (June 2007).

Analog overdrive/distortion. The housing is a bit larger than a MXR pedal. On/off switch and big blue LED (red on version 4). Volume control (with amazing +30-dB boost). Very effective drive and tone controls (the tone knob is a HF filter).

But the best feature is the voicing switch to select between HP (high peak = British sound) and LP (low peak = US sound). The pedal produces a vintage sound, so it's also modern since vintage is trendy!!!

Nice look (OCD logo), sturdy (professional product), hand-made in Californian, numbered, manufacturing month and year.

The LED is very bright when the effect is on!

9-volt battery or 9/12/18 volt PSU operation.

UTILIZATION

The housing could have the same format as the Fulldrive because it's a pity that you can't switch between HP and LP with your foot due to the position of the switch (What to do? Use two OCD!!!).

Very effective controls. They are very close to each other so be careful not to change the tone setting when you turn the volume if you have thick fingers!

High-class bypass: no noise when bypassed and almost no noise when the effect is on.

Slight level difference between LP and HP (louder).

SOUND QUALITY

I was looking for an overdrive with a clear sound because my amp (Peavey Bandit) produces a very colored and muddy distortion with high settings.

I use it with an 18-volt PSU and there is almost no difference with the other operation voltages.

I plugged it directly to the clean channel of my amp.

It can be used as a clean booster when the drive control is set to 0. When you set drive to maximum you get a very fat, fuzz-like distortion (especially with humbucker pickups).

But I think this pedal wasn't conceived for such extreme settings. It's amazing for rhythm parts and soloing when the drive is set between 9 o'clock and 4 o'clock: clarity, brilliance, dynamics, linearity, power...

The sound is always clear and brilliant... It's clearly audible when you turn the effect on. It's a pedal that makes itself heard! It emphasizes the sound character of your guitar and your amp... It enhances qualities but also bad things. So it's not a pedal for beginners! If you don't play properly (especially arpeggios and solos) the pedal will highlight every mistake you make.

The response is linear: it faithfully reproduces the signal regardless of level and drive settings. My Strat still sounds brilliant and warm, and my Aria Pro II still has its fat humbucker sound.

The pedal adds no warmth nor coldness (but it does sound warmer with a tube amp than with a solid-state).

Power: the volume raises rapidly and you get a killer boost!! I never set the volume control above 2 o'clock. Watch out for your ears (I'm not joking!) especially when you use the HP voicing (mid/high boost).

Dynamics: This pedal is like magic... It enhances the sound responsiveness (almost as if you would play with a tube amp). Depending on the strength of your attack you'll get an articulated clean or crunch sound. Increase the volume of your guitar and you'll get a perfect overdrive with a long sustain for solos!!! You don't need to change anything on the pedal, and you will still be able to recognize the character of your guitar... It's surprising in the beginning, but it's certainly worthy of its name (obsessive/compulsive!) because you won't be able play without it once you try it. The three knobs and the HP/LP switch provide you a wide range of overdrives: Buddy Guy, Rory Gallagher, S.R.V, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and many more depending on your guitar and your amp.

It's magic!!!!

Update, 9 March 2009: It sounds even better with a Line 6 Spider Valve 112 (tube + emulation)!!! The sound is a bit less aggressive than with a solid-state. I'll definitely keep this pedal!!!

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it for three months and it fulfills my needs for a clean and transparent blues sound.

Is it the best distortion pedal in the world? I don't know... But it has a unique dynamic range you won't easily find with other pedals, even tube models.

It transcends my amp, which is simply a good solid-state amp.

I had the opportunity to use it with a Fender Hotrod and it was stunning (the LP voicing is very similar to the drive channel of this amp...). I read on different forums that many professional musicians with high-class amps use it (for example I bought it to a Texan who wanted to buy version 4, he played a vintage Strat + Pro Reverb!!!).

It enhances the sound of your setup in every application even if you need some time to get used to it.

The price is on the same level as other high-class pedals.

I strongly recommend it.

I also recommend you to visit the manufacturer's website where you'll find sound samples to get a better idea of the sound.