OCD Overdrive — Now with Germanium!
Ever since it was introduced in 2004, the Fulltone OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Drive) pedal has wormed its way into the rigs of the famous and filthy. Now Sweetwater is excited to present guitarists with the OCD-Ge — an “old-and-improved” version that uses a pair of vintage-style germanium diodes and two hard-clipping MOSFET transistors to work its overdrive magic, just like the very earliest OCDs, before these coveted components became rare and expensive. Fulltone lucked into a cache of germanium diodes and bought them all up. The result is a limited-edition run of Custom Shop pedals with intense definition, a more tubelike feel, wider dynamic range, increased sustain, and a more highly focused single-note tone. And then there’s that gorgeous metallic teal with chrome undercoat paint job! Grab this beauty while you can.
Related Videos: OCD-Ge Germanium Obsessive Compulsive Drive Pedal
Redesigned output buffer for sonic excellence
Fulltone knows that the pedals you place after your overdrive pedal can influence the sound of your dirt box — that’s why they gave the OCD-Ge an updated output buffer that is impervious to the sonic effects of successive pedals. Said another way, your tone remains consistent no matter where in your chain or loop switcher the OCD-Ge is placed. Fulltone also explains that the output buffer reduces loading on the pedal’s hard-clipping stage, which allows for more sustain.
Premium Class A JFET input
For better performance with single-coil and humbucking pickups alike, Fulltone equips the OCD-Ge with a Class A discrete 2N5457 JFET input section. The input impedance has been raised from the previous 330K to 1 mega-ohm. The result is better interaction with your guitar’s pickups and a noticeably enhanced dynamic range.
Switchable Enhanced Bypass and True Bypass modes
If there’s one thing Fulltone takes seriously, it’s the pursuit of tone. They’ve never been completely satisfied with the buffered bypass circuits found in many pedals, so after years of research, they’ve invented an alternative — they call it Enhanced Bypass. Instead of employing Field Effect Transistors (FET) for unity gain like most buffered pedals, OCD-Ge features FETs in a Class A configuration that maintains the nuances of your playing. Fulltone explains, “all the dynamics return,” delivering a more expressive sound than you can get from traditional buffer circuits. The OCD-Ge also offers True Bypass mode that’s accessible via an internal switch.
Fulltone Custom Shop OCD-Ge Germanium Features:
- Limited-edition guitar overdrive pedal
- Vintage-style germanium diodes and hard-clipping MOSFETs
- Huge palette of available sounds
- Switchable hi- and lo-peak gain settings
- Redesigned output buffer that resists loading caused by pedals further in your chain
- Updated Class A–configured JFET input section with higher input impedance for better dynamic response
- Switchable Enhanced Bypass or True Bypass switching modes, with no pops or clicks in either mode
