Fulltone Fulldrive 3 Overdrive / Boost Pedal Reviews

I love this pedal! Definitely staying permanently on my board.

I've used this pedal now for a couple of months and it is fantastic. If you need a fat blues tone with a slight overdrive...this is the pedal for you. If you need a heavy 70s rock overdrive...this covers it. This pedal will make your guitar sing.
This pedal is a must for the blues and rock guitar players.

I play a Fender Jazzmaster ultra through a Blues Deluxe and I lean into clean, overdriven tones. This provides so much versatility and consistency of sound - it is the only overdrive I need.

You need one too.

This pedal took a little getting used to, but it has become completely indispensable to my live setup. I use the overdrive- usually but not always on the wide asymmetrical setting- to give a slight gain and treble boost to my already overdriven tone on my amp. This makes it cut through the mix very well while still being subtle. It also makes controlled feedback come out a little more. I use the boost for solos. The simple compressor in the boost seems to be the thing I've been missing in other clean boosts, and it's perfect for me. I tried the germanium OCD and it doesn't hold a candle to this pedal, for me.

Have been using this pedal for a few months now and it is everything I need in an overdrive pedal. I use it with a stratocaster and a VOX AC15 and it really beefs it up. I use the CC setting and it is the exact sound I want, sounds similar to Kings of Leon guitar tones.

Really great drive , very different that the klon type pedals . Very smooth and can go from almost no gain to quite a lot . I think they should make one without the boost side too . Buffered bypass is great . Robbie Resnick is always very helpful

Full range effects. Love the sound.

I am a Fulltone fan and have many Fulltone pedals, and also own the predecessor to the Fulltone 3-the Fulltone 2. This pedal has great distortion, sustain, and grit. You can dial in virtually any distortion/sustain type sound you want, you just have to experiment with it in your setup. I especially like the added boost feature on this version of the Fulldrive, it's great to kick in when you want to Solo-kicks you right over the top. All of my amps are tube amps and I have a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace that I run it through (my main amp), so I'm not sure how this pedal would work with a solid-state amp. I would definitely recommend this pedal as Sweetwater has a great return policy, so if it doesn't work for you in your setup you could return it and try something else. Definitely an Overdrive/Boost pedal you would want on your pedal board-very versatile!

The new features of the fulltone's overdrive 3 are very cool; boost is severe. Easy to manipulate and light too. Perhaps, the small knob are difficult to manipulate while playing, but it's not a big deal. I highly recomment this pedal.

If you can use, you gonna love it.

I imagine lots of folks here have a Pink Floyd song or two tucked into their cover list and so do I. I've waited a while to write this review until I had all the feedback I needed. Since a couple of 100w Hiwatt stacks are out of the question as well his collection of vintage pedals, I needed to find some way to replicate his sustain on solos for songs such as "Comfortably Numb". Fuzz pedals just didn't cut it, and on a whim I tried this pedal followed by an EHX Soul Food using my Strat with a Dimarzio pre-loaded pickguard and 3 dual blade stacked pups.

Wow. Pretty darn close. Now I'm waiting on the Freqout to see if that will sustain the notes out a little longer. Got a mini FUZZFACE on the way to try that out as I don't have any fuzz pedals and it'll help my pedalboard as well. Many thanks to Kenny Bergle as the #1 salesperson when it comes to knowing what to try in my budget range!

This pedal is cool! I love simplicity, and this thing is EXACTLY that. Independent boost and OD, with a variety of settings. It's also a good, rich warm drive.

Very happy with this device. It truly is two pedals in one (maybe even more). The OD channel provides real versatility with the 3-way toggle switch between modes. Tone control has a way to dial out "too middy" mids. Clisp clean highs like I want. It's not a faux OD, very real, like a large amp turned up, only this delivers it at manageable volumes. The boost adds a different dimension, really giving me the boost I want for cleaner tones out of the amp (I primarily use smaller vintage BF Fenders). The dynamic control will also help with touch, acting a bit like a compressor. The last toggle switch is a very nice touch allowing the player to put the boost first in the chain or last. I haven't had use this latter feature in a gig setting yet but I can see where it can be very useful. Having this one device saves me having to take larger boards. For how I need this, this is a very useful single pedal that functions as 2 or 3 in one. It's designed very well, controls easy to use and built like a tank. Very happy with the purchase.

If you can't find something you like about this pedal, you probably just haven't used it for long enough!

This drive is an absolutely wonderful thing to have if you're working with limited budget or space. I needed a pedal that could do a lot of things well, without having to break the bank, and this little number delivered way beyond my expectations!

First of all, the independent boost circuit is really what makes this thing special. Being able to get a clean boost, or some extra dirt depending upon the situation is extremely useful. Not having to buy a separate boost allows you to save some money as well as some space on your board.

How good does the drive sound? Well, that's a tough question to answer, because this pedal is capable of such a wide variety of sounds. "90's" is your classic "Full Drive 2" sound, "Wide Asym" is the closest this drive gets to "transparent" and can work well if you need a lighter sound. "CC" is a really gritty (and REALLY loud) setting that just offers the drive's natural tone with no clipping enabled. I've found uses for all 3 settings, but since this is my stage 3 drive, I leave it on "CC" most of the time.

It's also built like a tank! It's made of solid metal, so no need to worry about damaging it on the road. It's price point is also pretty fantastic, as I've seen similar models (think JHS Kilt or similar) running for well over double the price.

Overall, I really don't have anything bad to say about this pedal!

Love this box as you can dial in the exact boost that you want - all you have to do is tap the boost switch after that! Nice overdrive and I put this box behind my fuzz pedal. Works as advertised - love it.

The Fulltone Fulldrive exceeded all expectations.
From subtle and smooth to angry and biting, this does it all. Overdrive flavored range from almost clean to tubescreamer tones, as well as the clean boost function being a stand alone effect.
Well done.

I really like my new Full-Drive 3. I own one of the earliest Full-Drive 2's out there. In fact it is the earliest serial number (in the 300's) with the Comp-Cut feature, which Michael modded for me at my request. Anyway, this sounds as good and I really like the independent boost feature. On the FD-2 I always wished I could have an independent boost. I also really appreciated the online video that Sweetwater posted showing the features. It's always nice to see how someone else uses gear. This is a very solid box. It has many sounds available and is built like a tank. I also like the fact that it is smaller as it barely fits on my crowded pedal board.

My first fulltone purchase was the fulldrive 2 and I was thrilled with the little blue box, so.....my curiosity was telling me to check it out, Well let me tell you! Another great pedal. Being able to select the order of boost and overdrive is a way cool idea , not to mention tweakable options. Now I'm gonna go for the red GT 500, the grand slam!!! What a great set of options very affordable and well built. Thanks Justin for your advice, another good pick!

I had a brand new set of Jimmy Page SH18 Whole lotta hummers somebody just gave me, but I needed a really bad*** dedicated rock guitar to put it in and not make any more holes adding in dpdt / spdt switches and I hate'em since the. 1980s. I came across this TS-1 by accident and watched the vid on Youtube two days ago and ordered a set immediately and they arrived today with my brand new $179.00 Fulltone 3 [dumble in a box] which I also discovered by accident the same day.

30 minute installed of SH-18s the with the TS-1s in less than 30 mins all soldered in and done. Then I did a slight fret dressing on the guitar in five additional mins! I ran it through my big rig then combos and had a genuine lovely experience discovering the tonal combinations clean and dirty.

It does a convincing tele, strat, Brian May out of phase and full blast Jimmy Page at my fingertips. I am so happy my head is about to explode. FYI blues jazz fusion players my 30+ year quest for dumbletone ended today with the Fulltone 3. I almost bought a used Fuchs ODS amp and an ethos and saved myself around three thousand + dollars combined. I am going to build a second one with the JS23 natural oil with JB/Jazz when it arrives at Sweetwater expected in mid May 2015 per my sales engineer and a third one with Duncan 59 set.

You will obviously have to get your own pickups for this or convert an exiting guitar with four wires per pickup. Seymour has wiring schema for all other MFGs out there to work with this system. Absolutely brilliant and sounding amazing! Kudos!

I am fast becoming a fulltone fan, ....very versatile pedal with tons of tonal options, hand built, giant value ,U.S. made, and sounds fantastic!!!!..I also have the full-drive 2 and will be buying a few more of the other pedals. thanks Justin Lieberman for the help, Its great to have the help of a sales engineer that is great at his job. at first I thought he was a standard pitch man and I gave him a hard time, INSTEAD OF GETTING A BAD TUDE he just upped his game and showed me he was the real deal!!!!..p.s. change the tie,L.O.L

Just bought a Fender 65 reissue Twin Reverb, very clean amp. Bought the Full Drive 3 by Fulltone and now my Fender Twin Reverb can get very dirty. Love my new pedal, recommend it highly. The price, shipping, warranty and delivery will be hard to beat. Saved buying through Sweetwater instead of other famous sites.

sounds sexy, very sexy

Thanks to Fulltone for listening to customer feedback and making some wonderful changes to the Fulldrive. The left half of this pedal is a smooth Tubescreamer clone with 3 clipping mode. The 90's clipping is the Fulldrive 2 tone we all know and love. The Wide Asymmetrical clipping is a bit more open ended, with a bit more sparkle from added high and low end. The no-clipping mode is an exceptionally loud and raw rock sound the shows your guitar's true colors (not my personal favorite, but it has its place).
The right half of the pedal is a JFET clean boost circuit, a noticeable change from the 2's MOSFET boost aka more gain button. You also have the ability to choose whether the boost comes before or after the drive. Before, it adds more gain and afterward it makes the volume louder. The dynamics switch is one of the favorite features: it cuts out the annoying peaks that so often come with a boost and eliminates them. It's like a strange little noise gate/compressor/limiter thing.

Overall, this is an awesome overdrive pedal that will suit many different styles and can impress even the pickiest tone snob.

I am a Tube Screamer fan and I put the three position switch in the 90's TS position (down is asym OD-1 clipping diodes and the middle is no diodes) and went head-to-head with a slavish Tube Screamer clone. I liked the Full-Drive 3 better. The distortion is more pleasing to my ear and the controls (Tone and Overdrive) have more usable range than the clone. The OD-1 mode sounds fine but is not my preference. Nothing not to like about the boost function which I plan to use after the OD for a clean boost alternative.

As a retired electrical engineer I have to ding them for flying wires and components suspended over the circuit board that should have been taken care of with a revision of the circuit board (probably when they switched from true to buffered bypass in early production, buffered is also something I prefer). At first sight of that hack I wanted to return the pedal but the tone is just too good. Undoubtedly it could be manufactured less expensively and be slightly more reliable if they just went ahead with a new circuit board.

LOVE this pedal! Great having the overdrive/boost-boost/overdrive option. I even use the boost on my acoustic rig when the band starts getting too loud. With the 2 different types of overdrive, it's like having 3 pedals in one.

Originally bought FD-2 but returned it. Sounded fantastic, but I was disappointed that boost would not work independent of drive.

Enter FD-3... Huge step up form FD-2.
FD-3 sounds amazing, and has independent boost that can be placed before or after drive. In essence it is two pedals in one. In addition it is smaller than FD-2 and you can access the battery without performing surgery. Only issue is that dynamics effect ether doesn't work, or it is so subtle I can't tell what it does.

Over all exceptional pedal. Well worth it!

This pedal is one of the sweetest ODs I've tried! Trust me, I own and have owned quite a few, but this is my new favorite. At my last gig, I used it all night in front of a Brown Note ODS 44 D'Lite amp (D*mble-ish clone), and I was playing with a big smile on my face all night. It's a really versatile OD with the three way voicing switch and the switch that lets you choose the boost before or after the OD stage. The boost in combination with the limiter can get this pedal to put out some singing sustained sweet OD tones. I'm sensitive to if a pedal colors the original tone or not, and I've found that most pedals mess with the EQ range. Not this one! It just adds sweetness and crunch. It's also very quiet, which is something I really appreciate. I don't think I'll need another OD pedal in a long time.

I prefer a clean guitar but there are those times when you just need some dirt, some drive and/or some boost.
This pedal does all of that well with versatility for many subtle (or not so subtle) changes.
I dropped a point due to the lack of "touch response" meaning it doesn't clean up with a softer pick attack.
To my ears, it's somewhat "dark" in a way that I absolutely love.
On top of all of that, I like they way it looks.

This is my first fulltone pedal. I read about the great quality and sound and I wasn't disappointed. The pedal gives a nice crunch but doesn't go into metal type distortion. I've had a few distortion boxes but this is my first overdrive as I'm trying to get away from over the top metal tones to more classic rock crunch.

The pedal does this well. I'm still playing with it and learning the different tones it can produce. I did find the hotter the pickup on the guitar, the more crunch the pedal can produce. I generally play strats and for now I think the best pairing is my Eric Clapton strat going into the fulldrive.

I really like the fulltone quality and my next purchase will be the Deja Vibe as I really love the univibe/chorus sound.

Sweetwater were great as the first pedal I received wasn't working. I sent it back and got a replacement which was fine.

Very impressed with Sweetwater as the Customer Service is fantastic and the selection is great. I've bought a few things from them and am always totally satisfied with the price, shipping and customer service.

Thanks!!

Got my Black beauties, gold tops, ES-335, SG's,historic 58's PRS, I mean I'll confess I got great guitars. and a great amp. And I'm proud of it! my amp is actually a modified fender deluxe reverb new speaker, tube sockets, pots, you name it the guy (the great George Alessandro - google his name!) totally turned this whimpy Mexican factory made junk into a guitar beast. Anyhow, this pedal is probably the least liked pedal I own. The boost and the overdrive don't fare well together but I'm pushing into drive turning up my fender to 8 and 9 so sometimes I get this oversaturated almost like a solid state amp with emulators. Bottom line, just because 99/100 people think its good doesn't mean it will work for you. I actually was going to sell mine but like its so cheap no one wants to even buy it LOL. I would suggest separating your overdrive from your boost....these all in one combo's - dunno then again I'm the kind of guy who digs boutique pedals.

I read all the hype and forked out $. After adding it to my pedal board, the first thing I noticed...BASSY. The boost was okay but the overdrive sucks. I shouldn't have to turn the tone knob to 5 o'clock to get rid of the bassiness. And even then, the tone wasn't good.
I really can't understand all the rave reviews. Am I the only one who notices how bassy it is? Maybe I got a crappy unit, but I doubt it. My gear is not the problem...Gibson Explorer with Gibson '57 pickups through a Blackstar HT40 with a Celestion Creamback. I tried the pedal in different situations...rehearsals, inside and outside gigs...tweaked the pedal settings, tweaked my amp settings...and it sounded crappy everywhere. Returned it and I'll go with the OCD.