Fulltone '69 Mk II?

[FretFire]

Anyone use one of these guys? I've been through a few fuzz pedals, most of them being muff derivatives (Swollen Pickle, Lunar Module, etc) and have never really bonded with them. In a live setting I run my amps just breaking up and kick in a Fulldrive 2 for added gain, but have been looking for another dirt box to give me a rhythm tone that's a bit more "rude". I'm not really looking for the muff-style wall of fuzz, but more of a lower gain sound with some hair on it. I figured that sounded like a Fuzz Face, and the '69 Mk II seems like a versatile pedal in the FF family. Thoughts?

This is the demo that turned me on to this pedal:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

"Jimi Hendrix in a box".

I've owned a couple of the original Fulltone '69 pedals, and that's how I'd describe the two I owned: "Jimi in a box".

Put a good wah wah either before or after it (I liked a wah before it best) and it's Jimi Hendrix time!

Easy to get Eric Johnson's Fuzz Face tones too.

If you're experienced with playing through a vintage Fuzz Face then you know what the '69 is going to sound like and how it's going to respond.

The sound is that of a fuzz but not as thick, saturated and "buzzy fuzzy" as a Big Muff. Doesn't sustain forever like a Big Muff might.

The Fuzz Face tone kind of "sputters" a little more, with a little more sense of "space" to the tone.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

That sounds brilliant.

 

[SteveAlysis]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

Love this pedal, and looking to get another soon. Wish i never traded it

This dude does some great demos. Check out his channel, he does a lot of pedal reviews. Might find a different fuzz that interests you.

 

[indie folk guy]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

The 69 mkII is one of my favorite fuzzes

It is a germanium fuzz face style it will gt you those axis and are you experienced tones with no problem get a good wah and a fulltone deja vibe and you will have a great rig

Another great fuzz face style pedal to check out is the vfe pedals fuzz duo available through peters custom shop that is currently what i am using

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

If I was looking for a rude rhythm tone, I'd look into a Tonebender moreso than a fuzz face derivative. Probably MKII or MKIII, as the MKI's are really rude, to the point of being hard to control sometimes. I've always found the good fuzz faces to be sweet and singing, not rude. The ones that are more rude are almost always Silicon, but it's not quite rude... just the GE sound with more bite and sustain. I've actually got a MKII being built for me at the moment, and it will be the third GE fuzz pedal on my board. Here's a few examples of nice Tonebender MKII tones:




Here's a really cool fuzz that I got a chance to play at a local Guitar Center for a while. I left incredibly impressed, and I will buy one in the future without a doubt.



One thing to keep in mind about germanium fuzz pedals is that they clean up exceptionally well with the guitar's volume. That's part of the reason I've never been tempted to ditch my Analogman Sunface for a Fulltone - there are so many shades of fuzz at my fingers that I don't need more controls on the pedal. Plus, I'm a firm believer that with these circuts, less is more. The closer you stick to the original design, the better.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

This should also be considered, and it stacks great with other boosts:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I think the Fulltone 69, 69 SR and 69 MK II are 3 of the most overrated Fuzz Face pedal on the market...

I just don't care for almost every single one I've played...in fact I have yet to use one that really knocked me out.

Fuzz Faces I love...Fulltone 69's not so much.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I'm going to go against the purists and put in a vote for silicon fuzz faces. If its mainly chordal work and rhythm sounds you are going for, then the extra definition of silicon will come in handy. That, and the face that silicon is not temperature sensitive and is (slightly) less choosy about what other pedals it is working with. I love germanium fuzz faces, but i keep coming back to silicon for its clarity and reliability. Having a bias control is a real plus also so you can fine tune the feel of the fuzz. If you are keen on the 69, then you should definitely try the 70 before you spend any dough. There are of course other really nice fuzz faces on the market too - juts make sure that whatever you settle on has a bias knob (whether external or on an internal trimmer). Germanium pedals really need the external bias to compensate for temperature fluctuations. Silicon's are not temperature sensetive so an internal set and forget type bias is fine.
Remember also that not many fuzz faces sound good stacked. They always want to be first in the chain, but i find also that if there is anything else downstream (so to speak) they lose a lot of what makes them sound really cool - even something as innocuous as a buffered pedal that is turned off. If you run a fuzz face before, say, a tube screamer you will essentially neuter it altogether. They are fine with a few true bypass pedals (turned off), but in my experience, fuzz faces sound their best when everything else is bypassed altogether. That's pretty much why my live signal chain is made up of two cables and a fuzz face and nothing more. The upside of using fuzz tho, is that you can get a wide array of sounds purely by using the volume and tone knobs on your guitar, so (at least for me) the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

Have fun on your fuzz odyssey!

External bias pedals:
anaglogman sunface with sundail (any variation of transitor with the sundail circuit)
Fulltone 69
Hartman bc108 silicon fuzz

Internal bias pedals:
Fulltone 70
Any dunlop fuzz face (the bias control is under the circuit board)

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I almost forgot about this pedal (sad considering it's on my board and one of my favorite pedals). For only $10 more than the cost of a new 69 MKII, you can get a Foxrox CC Hybrid. It's a hybrid fuzz face - one silicon transistor and one germanium. It also features a bias control, power jack, and LED. I have it on my board next to my Analogman NKT275 Sunface, and I absolutely love it. It's got the cut and sustain of silicon with the warmth and woodiness of germanium. The bias control (grit) is also very handy for getting different textures of fuzz. I don't mess with it much (stock tone is around 11 o clock) but I've got some great gated fuzz tones by diming the grit. Most people will agree that a good fuzz face sounds much better on battery power, but I've powered my CC Hybrid exclusively from my PPII+ and it sounds wonderful.

Here's a little sample:



Also worth noting is that Prymaxe Vintage always has a 15% coupon going, so it's only about $155. I will never get rid of mine, it's one of my favoritest pedals ever.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

oh yeh. people rave about the hot silicon too! id love to try one of those hybrids.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

Just a word of advise...not all Dunlop Fuzz Faces have an adjustable bias and the ones that do shouldn't be messed with...

Also, if you have a Sunface with no bias pot there is still a bias trimmer inside the pedal.

 

[LReese]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

Another thumbs up for the '70 pedal. Got the blue big box model.

Wasn't so impressed with the '69 but I'd like to give it another shot someday.

Also have an old MJM London Germanium, an Analogman rebuild of a Dunlop and a Captain Coconut with all 3 fuzz card versions. The MJM is my current favorite, with the '70 in for second.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I think the Fulltone 69, 69 SR and 69 MK II are 3 of the most overrated Fuzz Face pedal on the market...

I just don't care for almost every single one I've played...in fact I have yet to use one that really knocked me out.

Fuzz Faces I love...Fulltone 69's not so much.

I sold both of mine. But I thought they did what they were supposed to do and I was able to get convincing Jimi Hendrix tones out of them.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I sold both of mine. But I thought they did what they were supposed to do and I was able to get convincing Jimi Hendrix tones out of them.

I guess they sound like a good Fuzz Face...until you hear them next to a good Fuzz Face!

I will admit I am nuts about Fuzz Faces so my feelings and findings might be a tad over the top for a lot of guys but to me the Fulltone 69 is just nothing special in the world of Fuzz Faces.

The 70 is the same thing for me truth be told.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I guess they sound like a good Fuzz Face...until you hear them next to a good Fuzz Face!

I will admit I am nuts about Fuzz Faces so my feelings and findings might be a tad over the top for a lot of guys but to me the Fulltone 69 is just nothing special in the world of Fuzz Faces.

The 70 is the same thing for me truth be told.

I've never been crazy about fuzz. A nice bush? Sure! :naughty:

Merry Christmas Christian!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I've never been crazy about fuzz. A nice bush? Sure! :naughty:

Merry Christmas Christian!

I here ya but all fur jokes aside a good Fuzz Face is easily one of the most expressive pedals of any kind I have ever plugged into and as soon as you plug into one and learn how to use it you'll find all kinds of beautiful tonal shades starting with a bluesy grunt all the way up to fuzzed out leads that sing and sustain for days and there are loads of points in between from Hendrix to Clapton and EJ to Bonamassa...it's all in there!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

I'm not a fuzz pedal user either...I too had the early version Fulltone 69 pedal,but sold it pretty quickly..Wasn't for me!

 

[ken361]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

Skin pimp pedals are handwired with PTP turret boards, there fuzz's sound good

 

[guitarded]

Re: Fulltone '69 Mk II?

Anyone use one of these guys? I've been through a few fuzz pedals, most of them being muff derivatives (Swollen Pickle, Lunar Module, etc) and have never really bonded with them. In a live setting I run my amps just breaking up and kick in a Fulldrive 2 for added gain, but have been looking for another dirt box to give me a rhythm tone that's a bit more "rude". I'm not really looking for the muff-style wall of fuzz, but more of a lower gain sound with some hair on it. I figured that sounded like a Fuzz Face, and the '69 Mk II seems like a versatile pedal in the FF family. Thoughts?

This is the demo that turned me on to this pedal:

Been using one for about 6 months. The clip you posted is pretty honest. That's pretty much what it sounds like. Works better with single coilish guitars and cleaner amp settings, though I use it on the lead channel of my Mark IV and work the vol control. It does add some cool cleanish tones with the guitar vol roll down.