• alan
  • Silver Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-11-26
  • Posts: 69

Topic: finally found the holy grail overdrive

I ended last week by trying the fulltone fulldrive 2 mosfet double pedal although my utube first impressions weren't

good at all, what proves that you can'T rely on such demos!

Well,I asked the seller to try it home with my goldtop 57 reissue and my blues deluxe reissue, and my BOSS ME 50

(which enables me to master, to lower the amp loudness) and the very evening I tried it on rehearsal too( I was then

first very impressed!)

Three days later, I could experiment it on concert with decibels and what a marvellous , incredible feeling to finally get

the long wanted dynamics , strength, clarity, and accuracy I had been looking for for so many years, EVEN BETTER

THAN THE TS9 which I kept to play songs like the great flood with a gain at 9 o clock;I could succeed in playing my

beloved PAUL PERSONNE SONGS like "ZIC" and pushing with the boost some santanesque solos in the proper way ,

notes echoing in the air until the ultimate thundering of glory and joy , full of orgasmic larsens!

  • From: Burlington, Ont Canada
  • Registered: 2010-04-01
  • Posts: 365

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

I feel like I have tried them all (although I haven't of course) and the Fulldrive 2 is an amazing pedal. To me it is the Holy Grail too. Get some power tube distortion and use the FD2 to "push the amp over the top..." the natural harmonics and controllable feedback you can get is astounding!

alan wrote:

I ended last week by trying the fulltone fulldrive 2 mosfet double pedal although my utube first impressions weren't

good at all, what proves that you can'T rely on such demos!

Well,I asked the seller to try it home with my goldtop 57 reissue and my blues deluxe reissue, and my BOSS ME 50

(which enables me to master, to lower the amp loudness) and the very evening I tried it on rehearsal too( I was then

first very impressed!)

Three days later, I could experiment it on concert with decibels and what a marvellous , incredible feeling to finally get

the long wanted dynamics , strength, clarity, and accuracy I had been looking for for so many years, EVEN BETTER

THAN THE TS9 which I kept to play songs like the great flood with a gain at 9 o clock;I could succeed in playing my

beloved PAUL PERSONNE SONGS like "ZIC" and pushing with the boost some santanesque solos in the proper way ,

notes echoing in the air until the ultimate thundering of glory and joy , full of orgasmic larsens!

Gits: '03 Gibson Historic R7 Goldtop, '06 Gibson R8 Plaintop, MIJ '62 RI Strat,  and others...
Amps: '99 Marshall 1987x Plexi RI, 1969 Fender Super Reverb

My band: www.meanbones.com
  • From: East Midlands, UK
  • Registered: 2008-06-30
  • Posts: 164

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

Glad your winning with your setup now, alan. it's always great when you can translate some of what's in your head in to your fingers and equipment.

i too i have a recently gear revelation and has really improved my tones 10 fold.

happy days are tone-filled days smile

Fender 60's Strat>Fulltone OCD V4>>TC Electronics Polytune>Orange Dual Terror>Torres 2x10 Cab(with a vintage 30 and a greenback)
  • From: Burlington, Ont Canada
  • Registered: 2010-04-01
  • Posts: 365

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

Please explain your "gear revelation"!!

Halesie wrote:

Glad your winning with your setup now, alan. it's always great when you can translate some of what's in your head in to your fingers and equipment.

i too i have a recently gear revelation and has really improved my tones 10 fold.

happy days are tone-filled days smile

Gits: '03 Gibson Historic R7 Goldtop, '06 Gibson R8 Plaintop, MIJ '62 RI Strat,  and others...
Amps: '99 Marshall 1987x Plexi RI, 1969 Fender Super Reverb

My band: www.meanbones.com
  • From: East Midlands, UK
  • Registered: 2008-06-30
  • Posts: 164

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

just adding a booster/loop pedal.
i set my TS9 to change the tone of my drive channel, not use it to boost the gain too much. then add a clean boost for lead work. i can cut through and still retain a thicker tone than just setting my TS9 for a boost. not exciting, but works for me.

Fender 60's Strat>Fulltone OCD V4>>TC Electronics Polytune>Orange Dual Terror>Torres 2x10 Cab(with a vintage 30 and a greenback)
  • From: Burlington, Ont Canada
  • Registered: 2010-04-01
  • Posts: 365

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

I use a TS-808 in a similar configuration - just to add some honkyness/woodiness to my lead tone off of the Fulldrive 2..sounds killer

Halesie wrote:

just adding a booster/loop pedal.
i set my TS9 to change the tone of my drive channel, not use it to boost the gain too much. then add a clean boost for lead work. i can cut through and still retain a thicker tone than just setting my TS9 for a boost. not exciting, but works for me.

Gits: '03 Gibson Historic R7 Goldtop, '06 Gibson R8 Plaintop, MIJ '62 RI Strat,  and others...
Amps: '99 Marshall 1987x Plexi RI, 1969 Fender Super Reverb

My band: www.meanbones.com
  • alan
  • Silver Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-11-26
  • Posts: 69

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

If you want to discover the sound I was yearning for,go to "TARATA" on the web and choose as artist THE P letter and

after "PERSONNE PAUL" and listen to the videos "FAIRE SEMBLANT ,or GENERAL LEE and so on, and you'll enjoy and

realize the orgasmic feeling I got

I saw this french singer and guitar heroe several times in france and could experiment his great skill and feeling

You can also listen to the paul personne"best evermade solo" on utube ,type paul personne and will become addicted!

soon a new Cd will issue and I hope a coming tour!It worth while coming in france to see him and try the french cookin

to by the way!

  • From: Burlington, Ont Canada
  • Registered: 2010-04-01
  • Posts: 365

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

Yeah I checked him out - I can see why you want that tone. NICE Les Pauls he is using as well!

alan wrote:

If you want to discover the sound I was yearning for,go to "TARATA" on the web and choose as artist THE P letter and

after "PERSONNE PAUL" and listen to the videos "FAIRE SEMBLANT ,or GENERAL LEE and so on, and you'll enjoy and

realize the orgasmic feeling I got

I saw this french singer and guitar heroe several times in france and could experiment his great skill and feeling

You can also listen to the paul personne"best evermade solo" on utube ,type paul personne and will become addicted!

soon a new Cd will issue and I hope a coming tour!It worth while coming in france to see him and try the french cookin

to by the way!

Gits: '03 Gibson Historic R7 Goldtop, '06 Gibson R8 Plaintop, MIJ '62 RI Strat,  and others...
Amps: '99 Marshall 1987x Plexi RI, 1969 Fender Super Reverb

My band: www.meanbones.com
  • Registered: 2009-01-01
  • Posts: 665

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

Do you guys have the Fulldrive 2 on "FM" or "Vintage" setting? I switch between the two depending on the mood of the day. There are obviously some significant differences. Just curious what you have.

  • alan
  • Silver Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-11-26
  • Posts: 69

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

I use it essentially on the vintage position and without mosfet , on standard for I find it's the best position for the

style I play

This way I find it more transparent, that's all folks!!!!!!!

Listen to Paul personne videos as I advised you and you'll understand what I mean!

  • From: Burlington, Ont Canada
  • Registered: 2010-04-01
  • Posts: 365

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

Yep - Vintage/ non-mosfet for me too. BTW I can't really find a 'bad' sound with this pedal...I wish I bought one years ago

Bluesbreaker wrote:

Do you guys have the Fulldrive 2 on "FM" or "Vintage" setting? I switch between the two depending on the mood of the day. There are obviously some significant differences. Just curious what you have.

Gits: '03 Gibson Historic R7 Goldtop, '06 Gibson R8 Plaintop, MIJ '62 RI Strat,  and others...
Amps: '99 Marshall 1987x Plexi RI, 1969 Fender Super Reverb

My band: www.meanbones.com
  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

I tried to tell everyone...  tongue  Seriously though, I've basically been through most gain boxes out there and I feel similar sentiments about the Fulldrive 2.  It really does sound different than cascading 2 tubescreamers together.  For the kind of humbucking tones I like, I feel that I can use that pedal into any amp to get close to what I hear in my head.  For less than what the TS808RI costs (which I also own and love), everyone should own one of these things.  The are so much more flexable and can turn a one channel clean amp into a 3 channel tone machine.  cool

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.
  • Registered: 2009-02-24
  • Posts: 197

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

FD2 is my holy grail too. I've owned:

Klon
Zendrive
TS9
Timmy
Barber LTD & LTD SR
Pork Loin
FET Dream
...and I'm sure quite a few others I can't remember.

And the Fulldrive 2 ruled them all.

Altho, I prefer the pre-mosfet versions... they are warmer & fatter. I actually owned several versions at once, the and the pre-mosfet versions just killed.

  • rpic
  • Titanium
  • Offline
  • From: Sonoma, Ca.
  • Registered: 2006-08-16
  • Posts: 852

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

Another convert......Picked up 2 new toys recently, The Fulltone 2 and a BBE Wah. What a great pair together. Love the vintage sound out of the Fulltone also. I've only had the 2 for about 3 days so still alot of knob twisting to do.

Somebody wrote it on another thread that they were going for a darker/smokier sound, as am I, and these 2 nail it.

  • Registered: 2009-10-27
  • Posts: 250

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

Interesting feedback on Fulldrive II -- Holy Grail?? I have one, but I found Providence SOV2 (Stampede) to be a better OD, much more transparant and doesn't color tone at all.     

All just personal taste, as I find myself using my Dumkudo or even TS808RI before it, but that's just my tone color for the day lol...maybe tomorrow my FD2 will be back in action.

  • From: Farmington, CT
  • Registered: 2010-04-23
  • Posts: 64

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

I had the Fulldrive 2 and liked it a lot, until I tried the OCD. Now I just use two of those and it gives me (I think) a much fuller range of sounds. At least it's still Fulltone. Mike Fuller deserves a load of accolades.

"Another song, another mile." - The Black Crowes

JPrzech's Website

  • From: Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-02-11
  • Posts: 453

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

t92780 wrote:

Interesting feedback on Fulldrive II -- Holy Grail?? I have one, but I found Providence SOV2 (Stampede) to be a better OD, much more transparant and doesn't color tone at all.     

All just personal taste, as I find myself using my Dumkudo or even TS808RI before it, but that's just my tone color for the day lol...maybe tomorrow my FD2 will be back in action.


I know what you mean. I have been using the fulldrive 2 solid for a couple of months. Last night I plugged in my blackstar HT-dual and fell in love with it again. I'll be using something else in a few months. Note to self, I'm not selling anymore pedals because as sure as I'll want it back in a couple of months!

  • Registered: 2007-11-04
  • Posts: 404

Re: finally found the holy grail overdrive

I've been preaching the Fulltone Fulldrive for awile.  It is the best overdrive pedal I've ever played thru.  And I've owned a few to say the least. The Les Paul into Vox AC30 Tone needs a creamy overdrive to offset the sharpness of the Vox.  The Fulltone does it magically.

I love the FM setting.  I think the Vintage setting is a tad muddy for a humbucker, personal opinion... The FM setting is a little clearer and but it takes away some of the mids so you need to dial in your amp and guitar a little more carefully or you will be a tad thin. 

I run my Fulldrive right into a Ocean EFX Texas Deuce.  I have the Overdrive on both pedals set at 9pm or about a quarter volume, the volume on both pedals at 12 oclock, and the tones about 1pm. 

This way I can hit the fulltone for the light thick overdrive. then I can either add the boost for more drive... or I can add the boost on the Texas deuce for a tone of available clean boost, or I can add the texas Deuce overdrive for a nice lead tone. 

Its a great combination.

Now I got to try to figure out how to add a Fulltone 70's fuzz into the mix. I have no idea how to go about that.

till next time.

JG