I've been looking for a decent distortion pedal that can give me tight, clear distortion without getting fizzy at higher gain levels. I'd tried a few out but they'd either sounded too 'classic' or too fizzy/more suited to metal.
On the way home yesterday I popped into the local music shop and mentioned my predicament to the owner. He didn't really have an instant solution but said '''give the Fender Full Moon a demo" because he liked their Pugilist pedal.
Having tried their delay I wasnt expecting much more than an ok, solid pedal....but wow, the Full Moon is genuinely great. The tone and gain dials are really responsive, the two switches offer even more shaping options, and there's even a boost switch. Plus, even on full gain, it didn't get fizzy or out of control, and my tone stayed intact the whole way - even on neck pickups the clarity was maintained.
Tried it with a good spec guitar and a Squier Bullet Mustang and both performed admirably. I think I'll be investigating this pedal further....
(For band references, the distorted sound I'm after is along the lines of recent Hopesfall - somewhere between a classic rock sound and heavy metal).
Comments
All these fender pedals have been a real let down, they all sound like they cane from Argos.
i was expecting good things when Fender announced a new range of pedals, but I think they really missed the mark. The yellow distortion one is the worst drive pedal I’ve ever tried.
I guess that's your experience, but I liked it. It sounded good when I tried it out with a decent rig in the shop, so I'm going to stick with my experience. I'm no stranger to gain myself. I can't speak for the equipment/circumstances you had when you tried it, but with a decent guitar (and a budget one) through a decent amp it sounded good to me when I dialled the sounds I was looking for. Maybe it was a fluke, but I can't imagine being disappointed with it myself if I got one and took it home.