The following article is a Fulltone Plimsoul review discussing the features and performance of a very popular overdrive pedal.
Fulltone Plimsoul Review
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Guitarists are always on a mission to locate the ideal paradise of tone especially when it is about distortion and overdrive. May be you are guilty of this; you think that you have found the ideal pedal but the gear acquisition bug bites you and you have to try something else! Once you plug in the Fulltone Plimsoul overdrive pedal you will not stop playing.
Despite its small enclosure, the Fulltone Plimsoul is a very versatile pedal. Its fancy control knobs provide a blend of heavy distortion and smooth overdrive with extremes available at the both ends. Heavy distortion is mixed by the small Stage 2 knob which by design is rotated slightly off centre, while lighter distortion is controlled using the Sustain knob.
Its miniature enclosure is attractive, compact and durable. Apart from the on and off LED indicator, there is another LED indicator designed to light up to indicate that a signal has passed to a higher level of distortion.
There are few pedals in the market which can deliver distortion sounds from a smooth overdrive to heavy distortion. The Fulltone Plimsoul is capable of this despite its small size and intuitive control knobs. It will take you a short time to understand how the different control knobs interact; their configuration is extremely expedient. The amount of gain that is available by using the Level knob is impressive.
The Sustain knob functions like a gain knob (on an overdrive pedal) , adding both volume and distortion, while the stage two control knob adds crunch without any increase in volume. The overdrive that you obtain from the lighter distortion stage does not emphasise normal frequencies.
Features and controls
Level Knob – It controls the volume that comes out of the pedal. There approximately 30 decibel of gain available which is more than Distortion/Overdrive pedals. You can run the volume control below 11 o’clock and still get a lot of output.
Sustain Knob – Is a knob that controls the level of distortion for the soft-clipped stage and has several diodes that are placed on an amp loop to obtain an irregular waveform. The asymmetrical (irregular) waveform has many even-order harmonics. This knob will get you a distortion that is above 12 o’clock.
Hi-Cut Knob – Is a tone knob that exclusively affects high frequencies. The 3 o’clock position and clockwise are neutral relative to the settings on Stage 2 and Sustain knobs.
Stage 2 Knob – It controls the hard-clipped stage of distortion. This stage produces a symmetrical waveform with a percussive feeling and more low-end response. If you use Stage 2 in conjunction with Sustain you will craft the texture you desire.
Stage 2 LED – This is an indicator that is located above the Stage 2 knob and will show you the level of clipping of Stage 2. The higher the Counter Clockwise setting of Stage 2 the brighter the glowing of the LED and vice versa. A tiny glow can be seen while playing in a dark room and it is sensitive to voltage fluctuations. When Stage 2 knob is in full Counter Clockwise, Stage 2 LED is not “in play”.
Tone and performance
Fulltone Plimsoul offers a beautiful midrange: soft-clipping asymmetrical and hard-clipping symmetrical that produce a diverse array of sounds. The pedal is touch sensitive; it is clear when you pick soft and distorts when you pick hard. It interfaces well with other pedals; it has a perfect 500K input impedance and very low 10K output impedance. It also offers a lot of distortion probably the most flexible wide-ranging and amp-like distortion.
There are endless combinations you can obtain which allow you to blend the soft and hard clipping to various levels. You may also decide to have only hard-clipped or only soft-clipped distortions.
The Fulltone Plimsoul is innovative and unique; it is capable of producing an impressive variety of practical tones. It has a high quality of construction and broad versatility which justifies its high price point. If you are looking to increase your overdrive options, from blues, rock to high-gain metal you will not be disappointed.
You will discover a lot of saturated distortion, even when you use clean amp sound foundation. By critically looking at the above Fulltone Plimsoul Overdrive Pedal Review, it is a practical replacement for any less versatile pedal.
Customer Review Rating
The Fulltone Plimsoul overdrive pedal is rated 4* out of 5* on Amazon – Check Reviews Here
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