Fulltone OCD for metal?

[Harley Barley]

Forgive my ignorance I haven't been on here in a while and I forgot the best way to search... or there is nothing on the forum about the OCD which I highly doubt .

Anyways, I tried out a V4 today at a store and seemed pretty awesome used it with a rectoverb25 *what an amp I want one* it had a very different tone/variety then any of the tubescreamers I've got (not really a fan of screamers but you need them to record the heavy stuff with guitar players that don't pick hard). Although I didn't find much on it about using it with say a 5150 III etc. Anybody have any experience to share about it? I think I'm gonna pick up a used one tomorrow for 70$ might even be a V3. Thanks guys!

 

[~BURNY~]

I have the EH OD glove which is supposed to be a copy of the OCD (a very accurate one from what I've heard) and it will do fine, less middy than the TS more "transparent" in a way.

 

[Harley Barley]

I've got a glove too, sounds nothing like an OCD though.. didn't know it was supposed to be an OCD, although it is a nice pedal for sure. Didn't get up grabbing an OCD yet unfortunately

 

[Exocaster]

It does have a healthy amount of output, and it's a nice sounding distortion in its own right. That being said, it doesn't do the bass cut/mid boost thing a TS does. Transparent is a good choice of words. HP/LP mode does offer you some tonal variation- I always preferred HP mode for my own personal use, finding LP too dark. HP mode and judicious use of the tone control could get you there.

That being said, I tracked a doom/death record a few years back where we experimented with my OCD v4, Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, and the guitarist's TS9 as an occasional boost. The plain old TS9 won. We had a Dual Rec, Mark V, Triaxis/2:90 and a Diezel Herbert kicking around as well for the high gain stuff, so it's not as if we were constrained by amp choices.

It does sound badass into a somewhat overdriven AC30 for rock tones, this I can verify. As a boost into a high gain amp for metal, YMMV. Worst case, if you think it sucks, you can always take it back.

 

[deLuther]

I`m using Joyo Ultimate Drive which is closer to OCD V4, recently prefer it to TS in most time.
For me it acts like TS in reverse frequency wise - i.e. cut mids.
Works great with single colis or humcancelers on clean channel.
Of course there is some differences between UD and OCD, I`m modded my unit to have High/Low switch as OCD and made True bypass (did not liked sound through it`s active bypass). Still it seems that OCD have different input buffer (different transistor type), while OP Amp and clipping MOSFET`s are the same.
Stock Joyo sound slightly different than OCD in direct comparison.

 

[kvoid]

I also have the Joyo UD. Played an OCD several times. They're close enough for me, and so is the Glove. Nice OD, no Tube Screamer. Well, it is technically a TS clone (diodes in the feedback loop of an op-amp generating clipping), but without the mid hump of a TS, which makes it kinda useless for metal.

 

[deLuther]

It is absolutely not like TS: first stage is MOSFET buffer, then Op-Amp amplification stage (no diodes in feedback loop), then MOSFET clipping stage (V4 and Joyo with additional germanium diode), then additional Op-Amp amplification stage (to increase level after MOSFET clipping), also no diodes in feedback loop. That`s all. Different schematics.
Most clipping comes from MOSFET clipping stage, due to pentode characteristics it sounds like some kind of tube poweramp distortion.

 

[JeffTD]

due to pentode characteristics it sounds like some kind of tube poweramp distortion.

This. The OCD is a great pedal but is very raunchy, chunky, and dirty - not in the way you'd want for a metal tone, but in the way you'd dig for rock, pop, grunge, etc.

 

[deLuther]

Some examples of UD vs TS (different pickups test):
https://soundcloud.com/deluther/pickups-comparison-v3-with
https://soundcloud.com/deluther/pickups-comparison-v3-with-1
Without any boosters:
https://soundcloud.com/deluther/pickups-comparison-v3

 

[brianhood]

I have the OCD, and use it all the time.

That being said, the only times I've found it usable is for rock bands, "raw" hardcore bands, and slightly dirty tones. Not much use for metal.

 

[wetpenny]

I just couldn't get on with my OCD. I really wanted to like it but it didn't work for me on guitar or bass.
After I brought my EVH5153 I went through a bunch of overdrives and finally settled on the MXR Zakk WYLDE berzerker o/d as a boost