This installment is a special one: we're diving headfirst into eight pedals that have it all. They're high quality, they're trendy and they're very versatile. Personally, I believe extremes are rarely the best option, and trends generally swing from one extreme to the other. A few years ago we were all loaded down with racks; then the pendulum swung to the other extreme, where we are now: no racks, nothing to do with MIDI and therefore nothing digital, and we've gone all-analog and all-pedals. That has the whole market producing in that direction. As a result, solutions of varying merit keep appearing. What we can say about the subjects gathered here today is that every one of them is more than valid and more than delivers as a high-end pedal, and whichever one we choose, it's very hard to go wrong.
The companies that designed and built the eight pedals we're going to review today are Xotics, Fulltone and Mad Professor. Let's say a little about these brands to learn more about them and get an idea of what we have in front of us.
Xotics started in 1996 building basses and guitars, but they really became known when they decided to build pedals, starting with a boost (the RC), and from there they became better and better known.
Then there's Fulltone, founded in 1991 by session guitarist Michael Fuller with the idea of getting close to the sound of Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and the like. So we can already see where they're headed.
Mad Professor is based in Finland, where, besides building all kinds of pedals for all kinds of effects, they also build high-quality amplifiers.
Since there are so many individuals in the lineup today, let's go straight to describing them and find out more about these gems.
Description
Let's start with the Xotics family, because we have to start somewhere, and we'll gradually uncover the whole arsenal. The pedals we'll discuss are the AC Plus, the BB Preamp Plus and the X Blender.
1. AC PLUS: The AC Plus is the little brother of the AC and, as sometimes happens, the little brother grows up bigger than the older one. It does the same thing as the AC, but with a few extra options. For those who don't know, the AC and the AC Plus are boosters, which let us rile up our amp a bit more to get more saturation and a little more volume. The pedal is split into two parts, channel A and channel B. Starting with channel A, it's practically the same as its predecessor, the AC, with a volume, a gain and a tone control, which we'll use for exactly that purpose, as you'd expect. It also includes a boost control that adds a little extra volume to channel A. Channel B has a volume pot and a gain pot, plus the classic bass, mid and treble EQ controls, plus a compression control for channel B. And finally, a switch to choose the order of the two channels.
2. BB PLUS: Same situation as before: the BB Plus has an earlier version, which is very well known and is a common sight on pedalboards all over the world. But what is the BB Preamp? It's a subtle distortion, or an overdrive that's a touch more saturated. We can also split it into two parts, or channels. Channel A stays true to the first version, with a volume and a gain, and then a tone control. There's also a control to engage the compressor, more or less aggressively. Then we have the option of using channel B, which is practically the same as channel A, that is, a volume and a gain, plus a full EQ section, meaning bass, mids and treble. It has a compressor like the one in channel A. Finally, there's a control that lets us choose the order of the channels.
3. X Blender: This is a very specific pedal and very useful in certain circumstances. It has a loop that lets you control another effect you want to blend with the guitar's own signal. There are two footswitches: one provides true bypass and thereby engages the series option in the loop. The other lets us engage the blend control between the original signal and the effect. When we're in series mode, all the other controls are disabled. The boost control gives us an extra 6 dB, but the blend control must be engaged. A switch controls the signal phase, for cases where we have problems with the effects being used. And there are three controls: one for volume, and others for bass and treble. Also, keep in mind that there are two inputs and two outputs: one in/out pair and one loop, that is, send/return.
That covers the Xotics pedals. Now we can move on to the Mad Professor pedal, a delay (I have to say it pleasantly surprised me). The pedal in question is known as the Deep Blue Delay, and I think it's great that it has only three pots, something simple but effective. Personally, I prefer simple products, where I don't have to spend a lot of time getting the sound I was looking for. The pedal is small, which is one more plus. The pedal is a digital delay, and it sounds very clean with clean tones and very clear with more saturated ones. My choice, therefore, is this delay with saturated tones. It has three pots: a level control, which lets us set the delay volume relative to the original signal; a delay time control, which goes from 25 ms to 450 ms and lets us choose how far or near we want the repeat; and finally the number of repeats, from one to infinite. It also has true bypass.
Let's move on to the Fulltone pedals, which have a pretty wide catalog, but today we'll focus mainly on overdrives and distortions. Let's describe each member of the expedition:
1. Robin Trower Signature Overdrive: This pedal carries the stamp of both the brand and the guitarist himself. We all know Robin Trower; he was already obsessing over his tone back in the '70s, so he's someone you really have to take into account if you're after a blues-rock sound. This is an overdrive pedal that blends perfectly over both a clean tone and a semi-saturated one. The pedal comes in a small enclosure and has three pots: volume, drive and tone.
2. GT-500: This is one of the most complete pedals Fulltone offers. It's an overdrive plus a distortion. The overdrive section gives us two controls, volume and drive, plus two more, bass and treble. The distortion section has two pots: one for volume and one for the amount of distortion we want from the pedal. It also provides a full EQ with three pots for treble, bass and mids. And we can choose to put the overdrive/boost first and then the distortion, or vice versa; the sound is completely different.
3. Fulldrive 2 (Mosfet): This is one of the most important pedals in the Fulltone collection. Its popularity isn't undeserved, because it works frankly very well. It's a truly useful, well-built pedal and, of course, it sounds incredible. It has two sections, an overdrive section and a boost section, which can be added to the former but can't work on its own. The overdrive section has three controls: volume, tone and overdrive, as well as a three-position switch that gives us several different sounds. Finally, there's a boost control to choose how much boost we want in our sound, along with a multi-position switch to choose a sound that fits perfectly.
4. OCD: This pedal is completely geared toward a good distortion. It has three pots, volume, tone and drive, and we all know what each one means. Plus an HP/LP switch, which gives us a result richer in harmonics.
So far we've discussed what the pedals offered and how they were built, but we hadn't said anything about how they sound. Now it's time to find out what we'll hear when we step on each pedal's footswitch, what it pairs best with, what type of guitar suits it best, and so on.
Sound
At last we reach the most important part, the one we were all waiting for: the sound, that is, what each pedal sounds like and what we'll find on each switch. So let's not waste any more time and analyze each of the article's protagonists individually. Let's go in the reverse order of the build descriptions, starting with the Fulltone family:
1. OCD: The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about the OCD is that it's a great pedal you should take seriously. Dealing with a particular case like a distortion pedal is delicate for me, because they usually go overboard on the distortion itself, or sometimes they lack harmonics, or conversely have too many and sound very artificial. But with the OCD, they hit the bull's-eye: it has the amount of saturation needed to live as a distortion, without sounding overly processed. The harmonics are there, but in a natural way. The HP/LP switch is great, especially for playing with the humbucker/single-coil question. I could say that HP would be used for brighter sounds and LP for darker ones, but I don't see it that way. Every case is different, depending on what you're trying it with and under what circumstances you'd choose one setting or the other. The pots work perfectly and respond easily to knob movements.
2. Fulldrive 2 (Mosfet): Now we focus, as mentioned, on what I consider one of the most important pedals in the Fulltone range. As we said before, it's an overdrive plus a boost. The overdrive sometimes reminds me of a Tube Screamer, but without so many mids. There's a three-position switch, which takes us from a fully harmonic sound with plenty of volume to sounds that saturate a bit more, with somewhat fewer harmonics and highs. It blends perfectly when you combine it with other overdrive pedals or with the more saturated channel of the amp itself. When we engage the boost, it gives us the rest of what we were missing, mainly for solos or more saturated parts. It's the classic pedal you bring along when you don't know what amp you'll find on stage and don't want to take any chances.
3. GT-500: I have to admit this was the pedal I had the hardest time dialing in, because it's not that easy. You can't just plug in and sound great; it takes a little more time. The overdrive can be thought of as an overdrive closer to a light distortion, since it saturates a bit more than a regular overdrive; it also stands out in the highs and mids. When we step on the distortion, we get that extra saturation, more than enough in fact, meaning there's plenty of distortion to work the drive pot with. The overdrive/distortion order control is very interesting, because it changes the sound a lot; I notice it mainly in the compression. When it comes to combining it with anything else, we can't say it gets along with everyone, but it does work wonderfully with delays.
4. Robin Trower Signature Overdrive: This is a full-on overdrive pedal. It's characterized by a bass-rich sound, great for Strats and Marshalls, helping to tame that excess of mids and highs. In terms of saturation, I think it has a bit more than we generally get from our everyday overdrives, but it's very useful. When it comes to combining it, it works great with whatever you want, but if you overdo the saturation, you can end up with an over-compressed effect.
That covers the Fulltone pedals we had a date with today. Now let's move on to the Mad Professor delay, which gives us plenty to talk about:
Deep Blue Delay: I have to say I'm a big fan of delay pedals, because I think they're decisive in getting a good tone. It often happens that you can have a great delay that doesn't blend perfectly with your rig, or that simply gets out of control on stage. Or you have a great delay with a thousand options that drive you crazy and that you always have to readjust in the middle of the show. But in this case the Deep Blue's sound is a great choice. It's simply great, and it blends perfectly.
I did the tests with a Matchless Clubman, a Koch Studiotone and several boosters; it worked perfectly, both in front of the amp's preamp and in the effects loop. I should mention that although it sounds great clean, it's really at home with saturated tones. It's hard for it to get out of control and start throwing out those delay tails that end up driving you crazy. It also works with overdrive before or after it. A great option that deserves serious consideration.
Let's take apart the last batch of pedals, from Xotics:
1. AC PLUS: What can be said about the AC that hasn't been said already? It's the classic pedal that sounds incredible no matter what. Although I'm personally a big fan of the earlier model (the AC), this one works frankly very well, just like its predecessor. The main thing to keep in mind is that it respects your tone as if that were the most important thing; you'll hear your guitar with just that bit more saturation and volume the pedal gives you. The new channel B gives you an extra helping of saturation that sometimes even reminds me of the BB Preamp.
2. BB Plus: Like its fellow in this article, what can be said that hasn't been said already? The BB is known for blending perfectly with whatever you like. It has a saturated, driven sound that gives you that classic harmonic at the crucial moment. It's another pedal you bring when you don't know what amp they're going to put out for you at the gig. It's interesting how the new channel B works, with its higher gain level and the compressor helping to rein in the signal a bit more.
3. X Blender: This pedal is a weapon you need to take seriously. How many times have you hooked up a chain of pedals and, when you played your guitar, it was lacking in harmonics and had no “mojo” at all? Surely many times. This pedal is the solution to those problems; with it you can get your sound back as if you were plugging the guitar straight into the amp. Especially great for wah and saturated tones.
Conclusion
What more can we say about these pedals? Mainly, we can highlight that they have a set of qualities that are “a sure thing”: if you have a Xotics AC, a Fulltone Fulldrive or a BB Preamp, you can never go wrong. In other words, these are essential pedals for a reasonably versatile guitarist who takes care of his tone and wants to sound good at every moment, whatever the circumstances.
