The Fulltone Full-Drive2 has always been a Tube-Screamer killer, plain and simple. The original Full-Drive2 shined with its vicious Comp-Cut (CC) mode, which removed all clipping diodes and pummeled the input of even the most stubborn tube amp. Later on, I added Flat-Mids (FM) mode, offering a slightly more open, less midrangey, more natural sound. The drawback to the older Full-Drive2 was the size, and the fact that many people just don’t use the “Boost” channel that much, so for 22 years people have been screaming for a small, single channel version of the Full-Drive that sounds like the early 90s Full-Drive2s. Well, it’s here...better late than never, I always say.
Enter the Full-Drive1 (FD1) with its JRC4558 opamp, full-size audiophile-grade capacitors, internal battery cradle, 9-18VDC operation, tiny bullet-proof steel enclosure, top-mounted jacks, True-Bypass, a warmer early-90s Comp-Cut mode than any FD2, and an even more natural sounding Flat-Mids mode. Vintage (V) mode has gorgeous, cut-through-the-mix, MIDRANGE but with more harmonic content and a ton of sustain.
This isn’t your Dad’s Full-Drive!
Fulltone FD1 Full Drive Overdreive Pedal Features:
- Single channel version of the early 90s Full-Drive2
- JRC4558 opamp & full-size audiophile-grade capacitors
- 3 Clipping modes for versatile OD voicings
- Tone knob acts as a treble boost/cut with 12oclock for a flat response
- Durable enclosure with small footprint
ON/OFF (3PDT) Footswitch: Fulltone uses the best parts available anywhere, including the best switch in the world, the Fulltone-designed & manufactured 3PDT. This pedal has True-Bypass switching so that your sound is not degraded whether the pedal is turned on or off!
VOLUME Knob: determines the level of the pedal when it’s turned ON only.
TONE knob: This is an active treble Boost or Cut circuit. You’ll find that the 12 to 1 o’clock position to be pretty neutral, turn it CCW (counter clockwise) to 10 o’clock or so for smoother high-gain lead sounds (with Drive knob higher than 12 o’clock) or turn it clockwise for more cut, and a less compressed feel.
OVERDRIVE knob: Turn this Clockwise (CW) for more distortion, keep below 10 o‘clock (with higher Volume knob settings) for cleaner sounds and for boosting your amp’s input without adding much distortion.
CLIPPING switch:
- CC (Comp-Cut) Mode: removes all clipping diodes and pummels the input of the amp
- V (Vintage) Mode: Normal diode clipping with strong midrange presentation
- FM (Flat-Mids) Mode: uses a proprietary feedback circuit that returns signal to the clipping section cancelling out some of the midrange content, creating a very open, natural sounding overdrive
Sample Settings:
Texas Blues: single coil, Neck PU on clean amp
- Vol: 12 o’clock
- OD: 2 o’clock
- Tone: 2 o’clock
- Clipping: V
Rock crunch: bridge PU distorted tube amp
- Vol: 10 o’clock
- OD: 11 o’clock
- Tone: 1 o’clock
- Clipping: CC
Jazz Blues: neck PU on clean amp
- Vol: 12 o’clock
- OD: 11 o’clock
- Tone: 3 o’clock
- Clipping: FM
