Fulltone OCD Overdrive Review
Our Verdict and Review Summary
At its price point, the Fulltone OCD is just a little too high for what you get. It's not quite heavy enough for metal, and is more of a traditional overdrive pedal with a limited job description. Still, if you're looking for vintage or classic rock tones, the OCD is good at what it does and doesn't cheap out on tone.
The Fulltone OCD overdrive is a difficult pedal to review because it's fairly popular, but also on the expensive side. We want to give it high marks, but at that price, is it really doing anything that other overdrive pedals - many of which are significantly cheaper - can't do?
For the most part, we'd say it's your garden-variety overdrive pedal.
Solid and reliable?
Sure.
But is it a must-have with features, tone, or versatility that hasn't been replicated elsewhere? Not really.
So if you don't mind the price tag, add some points to our final numbers and take the $130 plunge.
Otherwise, the comparison section below might be particularly helpful to you.
Comparison Section
How does the OCD compare to other overdrive pedals? Use the compare buttons below to look at pricing and basic specs. We partner with Sweetwater to support our site, so consider shopping through our orange buttons at no extra cost to you.
OVERDRIVES | DETAILS | Rating | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulltone OCD Overdrive | 75.7 | |
 | EHX Crayon Overdrive | n/a | |
 | Boss SD-1 Overdrive | n/a | |
 | Wampler Paisley Drive | n/a |
The OCD Scorecard
The OCD's biggest problem is the higher price tag, which is reflected in the cost/value score below. It does its job well, but the price probably needs to be at or lower than $100.
IDEAL FOR: Grunge tones, classic rock, and non-metal distortion needs
TONE
77
BUILD/EXTERIOR
80
CONTROL
78
COST/VALUE
68
PROS
CONS
Tone and Musicality
This pedal leans to the bright side of the EQ spectrum with a wide range of voicing on the tone control. You'll get really high mids and treble tones, if you run it with single coil pickups. Even with humbuckers it's still high, but a little more tame as notes fill out. Increasing the drive control adds some chunk and sustain to the distortion, particularly filling out the low end.
If you want a smoother tone, run the drive up while keeping the volume down. While this can make the pedal sound thicker, it still isn't what I'd consider a "metal" distortion.
We like the OCD for the task of taming bright amps or for building vibrancy in darker amps.
The pedal is designed to handle a more dynamic range and to interact well with both single coil and humbucker-equipped guitars.
We'd recommend checking the video below for a good rundown of the tones and sounds the Fulltone OCD is capable of.
Build and Exterior
Fulltone runs a simple 1/4" to 1/4" connection in this pedal, with a 9V power input and the typical metal casing.
Knobs are a hard plastic and the pedal itself is fairly small.
Though as we'd expect from Fulltone, the pedal is fairly tough and can take some abuse.
Along with the highpass and lowpass filter switch, the volume, tone, and drive knobs present a familiar slate of controls that we often see in overdrive pedals like this one. It's all you really need to tweak the sound and accommodate different voicings.
Cost and Value
This is where the OCD starts to lose us.
While we appreciate the increased impedance and the JFET input, it still doesn't give us a lot of concrete improvements over your garden-variety overdrive pedal.
What exactly are you getting above something like the Boss SD-1?
Yes, the technology is better and the OCD is a bit more versatile. But at the end of the day, is it worth the price difference? In most cases we'd argue that it's not, unless you're really enamored with the OCD's tone, in particular. It's good, but it's not quite enough to justify the additional cost.
Conclusion: Should you get it?
So, should you buy it?
The one caveat we'd mention is that this pedal does do a good job of accommodating both single coils and humbuckers. If you play a mix of the two types of guitars, you might consider investing in the technology of the OCD that makes it play nicer with both types of pickups.
Otherwise, we'd probably recommend something cheaper or getting your overdrive/distortion directly from your amp.
Read more: Distortion from a pedal or amp - which one?
Questions
Do you have questions about the Fulltone OCD overdrive pedal? Maybe you have questions about the alternatives we've mentioned?
If so, leave it in the comments section below
We'll see you there.
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Written by Bobby on Pedals and Roundups
Written by Bobby on Pedals and Roundups
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