Q: I’ve read that I can run my Fulltone Fulldrive 2 at 18v instead of 9v. Is this true? What does it do for the tone?
A: It’s true; certain stompboxes, including the Fulltone Fulldrive 2, can be run at 18 volts instead of the more usual 9 volts.
DISCLAIMER: Check with the manufacturer of your pedal before you attempt to run a non-standard power supply or voltage into it. You could fry your pedal if it can’t handle the higher voltage.
On the Fulldrive 2, the idea is that 18v operation provides more headroom (in this case meaning the distorted signal will be slightly less compressed with slightly less gain), slightly tighter bottom end, and slightly more open overall tone. The consensus seems to be that this might be good if you have an amp that “gives” a bit when you hit it, but may not be great if you have an amp that has “hard” response. The difference is subtle (see all those “slighties” in the sentence above?); the only way to know if you like it is to try it.
DISCLAIMER: Check with the manufacturer of your pedal before you attempt to run a non-standard power supply or voltage into it. You could fry your pedal if it can’t handle the higher voltage.
There are several ways to get 18v power for your pedals, including using optional Y cables with the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2, using the Dunlop DC-Brick (which has three 18v outputs), or using the Dunlop ECB-004 18v wallwart, among others.
