Fender Full Moon distortion pedal

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joetelejoetele Frets: 947
edited November 2018 in FX
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). 
MUSIC: Pale Blurs
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Comments

  • TenebrousTenebrous Frets: 1332
    I've not had a chance to try it out myself, but I did watch a few demos of it. First one I saw was the Andertons demo, & I thought, "damn, that sounds great... I bet it's like £240+" - But it isn't!

    I'd definitely rock one.
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  • joetelejoetele Frets: 947
    Tenebrous said:
    I've not had a chance to try it out myself, but I did watch a few demos of it. First one I saw was the Andertons demo, & I thought, "damn, that sounds great... I bet it's like £240+" - But it isn't!

    I'd definitely rock one.
    Yeah for sure. I think the amount of controls and options it has is fantastic - and the tone was less 'vintage' than things like MXR etc. It seemed like a brilliant modern distortion that could also cover classic stuff and even act as a drive if you wanted. Plus having a boost switch is invaluable too. And they retail for just over £100! 
    MUSIC: Pale Blurs
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  • TenebrousTenebrous Frets: 1332
    Yup. In the world of boutique effects & limited edition runs, it seems like a bargain for what it offers.
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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    Absolutely horrible. Raspy tone that lays kind of on top of your core tone and has no depth or weight to the sound. Metalzone does drives much better than this. 

    All these fender pedals have been a real let down, they all sound like they cane from Argos.
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  • joetelejoetele Frets: 947
    timmysoft said:
    Absolutely horrible. Raspy tone that lays kind of on top of your core tone and has no depth or weight to the sound. Metalzone does drives much better than this. 

    All these fender pedals have been a real let down, they all sound like they cane from Argos.
    Subjectivity isn't it. I liked it and pretty sure I didn't hear that. But it depends what you're looking for I guess. 
    MUSIC: Pale Blurs
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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    joetele said:
    timmysoft said:
    Absolutely horrible. Raspy tone that lays kind of on top of your core tone and has no depth or weight to the sound. Metalzone does drives much better than this. 

    All these fender pedals have been a real let down, they all sound like they cane from Argos.
    Subjectivity isn't it. I liked it and pretty sure I didn't hear that. But it depends what you're looking for I guess. 
    As someone who mainly plays gained up sounds and has done for 25 years, that pedal just sounded like chuff. There’s nothing amp like about it and it would definitely disappear in a two guitar mix. To me it sounded like a poor mans Danelectro FabTone.

    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. 
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  • joetelejoetele Frets: 947
    edited November 2018
    timmysoft said:
    joetele said:
    timmysoft said:
    Absolutely horrible. Raspy tone that lays kind of on top of your core tone and has no depth or weight to the sound. Metalzone does drives much better than this. 

    All these fender pedals have been a real let down, they all sound like they cane from Argos.
    Subjectivity isn't it. I liked it and pretty sure I didn't hear that. But it depends what you're looking for I guess. 
    As someone who mainly plays gained up sounds and has done for 25 years, that pedal just sounded like chuff. There’s nothing amp like about it and it would definitely disappear in a two guitar mix. To me it sounded like a poor mans Danelectro FabTone.

    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. 
    MUSIC: Pale Blurs
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