I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

[STRATDELUXER97]

Got a chance to mess with this pedal today...Not a really fuzzy pedal in a Stones "Satisfaction" way and not thin at all like in this example..

Has a nice smooth overdriven "tubelike" tone that is very cool and very usable due to the germanium diodes..Cleans up very nicely on the guitar's volume control,plus the pedal offers some extra features that allows for more mids and more fullness and roundness of tone...This pedal really has more of an overall "bluesy" vibe unless you have your amp cranked up to 11 or you're able to really drive the preamp pretty hard and use the 69 to push it alot more...So far I've used it straight into my early 70's 50 watt Marshall,but at lower and cleaner volume settings...I Like it and it isn't at all artificial sounding like alot of fuzz pedals I've tryed...Not at at all thin and wimpy.I also notice that notes sustain easy with my strat and the "contour" knob is cool and allows you to dial up more balls for your strats or dial away a bit of woofy tone for your humbucking guitars...Great pedal,get's my highest recommendations...

I'm going to order the "FoxRox" buffer for my main used wah though because right now you only have a choice of putting the 69 pedal before the wah...To me,this lessens the effect of the wah too much for my tastes..I always run into my wah first and then into my overdrive/distortion pedals...I don't like the pedal effecting my wah's voice...

http://www.foxroxelectronics.com/Wah retrofit 1.html

At least with the Foxrox buffer in my wah,I'll have a choice of putting the wah either before or after the 69...Right now,all I get is screaming and howling feedback if I run the wah into the 69...

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

I love that pedal, as well, tho for my style, the Full-Drive 2 suits me better (boost control, switchable compressor, etc).

 

[DirrtyCraig]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

Ben do you hit the front of your amp with the fulltone for leads or do you just happen to have one you use for whatever?

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

I love that pedal, as well, tho for my style, the Full-Drive 2 suits me better (boost control, switchable compressor, etc).

Our band does some Jimi and Robin Trower and I Just thought this pedal would suit that need better? I'll try it out tonight with my band and see how it does..

John

 

[Thames]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

I was going for a '69 until I got this deal on my J.Everman FuzzDrive... and I wont come back!

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

Ben do you hit the front of your amp with the fulltone for leads or do you just happen to have one you use for whatever?

No, I use the FD2 as a part of the gain circuit, and use a Fat Boost for leads. What I do is set my head's gain at about 4-5, and put the FD2 in front of that, with everything pretty much at 12:00, aside from the Boost, which I keep at 9:00. I only use the Boost when I'm playing a single coil bladed pup, tho (Joe Bardens or Hot Rails) ... don't need it with a full side HB.

The result is amazing tho! Super gainy, old shool distortion tone, with lots of harmonic complexity, screaming artificial harmonics, and clean as a bell; in other words, the distortion doesn't mask over the actual notes.

Edit: ARTICULATE is the word I was looking for!!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

I used to live a couple blocks from Fulltone, which is basically Mike Fuller's guesthouse, converted into a production shop with about 4 assemblymen. He has a pretty killer amp collection too, which is basically a bunch of P to P Marshalls and Fenders.
Between the 69 and 70 pedals, I definitely like the 69 better....just warmer and bigger.
I'd like to know the scoop on what's the exact circuit difference between the different colored Fulldrive II's. The original was a one button unpainted one, then came the Fulldrive II's in orange, then blue, then red, yellow, and the CS white version.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

The white one is the Robin Trower model, right? I know the newer ones have a midrange toggle, but fer the older one (blue, orange), your guess is as good as mine. (Better, probably) Regardless, I love it!!

 

[DirrtyCraig]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

No, I use the FD2 as a part of the gain circuit, and use a Fat Boost for leads. What I do is set my head's gain at about 4-5, and put the FD2 in front of that, with everything pretty much at 12:00, aside from the Boost, which I keep at 9:00. I only use the Boost when I'm playing a single coil bladed pup, tho (Joe Bardens or Hot Rails) ... don't need it with a full side HB.

The result is amazing tho! Super gainy, old shool distortion tone, with lots of harmonic complexity, screaming artificial harmonics, and clean as a bell; in other words, the distortion doesn't mask over the actual notes.

Edit: ARTICULATE is the word I was looking for!!

Soooo, then your using it as a gain/saturation boost of sorts. Is this coloring the overall natural tone of the amp? ..the Rivera?

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

Soooo, then your using it as a gain/saturation boost of sorts. Is this coloring the overall natural tone of the amp? ..the Rivera?

I would imagine that there is some colouration going on, but the FD2 is very, very transparent. I like the layering of the different sounding gain, structures tho. More bite, imo ... I use the FD2 with my Rivera K100 as well as my JCM800 ...

 

[DirrtyCraig]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

ahhh, ok cool. thanks for the info. I'm looking at a Keeley mod SD-1 which is basically a hotter tube screamer, which I want to use in a simliar fashion to what your doing. I think your probably on a step higher gain need than me,, LOL being the metal god and all, but I want some extra saturation for the shreddin' stuff we do, but only on about 20% of our material maybe.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

Yes, that will work perfectly, then! No volume boost, just the added gain stage. You'll get the added boost to do tapping, shredding, whatever. My hair isn't long enuff to support metal godhood! lol

 

[B2D]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

Those '69 pedals are pretty bitchin! I like to dime out all the controls on it and feed it into a loud, slightly overdriven tube amp to get that "1000 Pound Violin" sound that Eric Johnson gets. :burnout: :32:

 

[Curly]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

I'd like to know the scoop on what's the exact circuit difference between the different colored Fulldrive II's. The original was a one button unpainted one, then came the Fulldrive II's in orange, then blue, then red, yellow, and the CS white version.

Joneser,
AFAIK, blue has been the standard FDII color for years now. He added the toggle a couple years ago. The yellow, red, and white have been limited production CS models, at various times.

the Orange ones were made to spec for a shop ( I forget who ), and the circuit was tweaked a little for the mids

I'm sure there are a few more details, but that's the basics.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

That's great John. I sure like mine. I don't use it for anything except Hendrix tones...but for Hendrix tones, the '69 and a Fulltone Clyde Wah or Spina modded Vox Wah Wah are the ticket.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: I Really Like The Fulltone 69 Pedal

That's great John. I sure like mine. I don't use it for anything except Hendrix tones...but for Hendrix tones, the '69 and a Fulltone Clyde Wah or Spina modded Vox Wah Wah are the ticket.

Thanks again Lew for turning me on to another cool product...I tryed it with my band tonight and I liked the way it cleans right up with just some small volume changes on my strat..I was playing some chords with mine tonight also...I still like my wah first though and then the pedal,so I'll fix that by adding the Fox rox buffer circuit in my main used Vox wah...

I thought the pedal sounded very good and though it didn't chop our heads off,it still seem to cut but in a nice smooth way..It was working good within the context of the band,but it was never overbearing at the settings I was using..I need to get the adapter for it also,but the battery got me through the night..The pedal almost acts like an overdrive,in that it's not as ole fashioned fuzzy as much as it's smooth and lightly overdriven in it's tones..My band buddies were expecting it to do "Satisfaction"...Those fuzz tones are too primitive and unusable in my band..LOL

John