There have only been a few times in all the years that I’ve been playing guitar that I’ve had an epiphany with a pedal, where after just playing a few notes, a light bulb would go off in my head, and I’d exclaim, “That’s the sound I’m after!” The Fulltone OCD did that to me this afternoon. I just love when that happens! Here are some of the features of this little beast:
- First off, it has a true bypass switch, so when it’s off, it’s off, and you don’t have to remove the battery if you’ve got it plugged into a 9 volt power source.
- Volume knob – speaks for itself. But here’s a real treat: The volume knob can give you up to 30dB of boost!!! Need a clean booster? Here it is, plus you can get that sexy, smooth distortion out of it as well. Special note for my friend IG over at igblog: Here’s your clean booster, and you get a freakin’ amazing distortion box to boot!!!
- Tone knob – according to the manual (and I confirmed this as well), the tone knob only affects the high frequencies, but you can use it to sweeten up a lead or get a more squishy, punchier sound – very cool.
- Drive knob – again self-explanatory. It’ll give you more or less distortion depending up on the position you set it to.
- HP/LP switch. This is unique to this pedal. Set it to (H)igh (P)eak and you get glorious sounding bottom end and increased dynamic range, plus more distortion throughout various volume levels. Set it to LP, turn down the drive, and the pedal acts as a clean booster with the volume knob.
How it sounds…
- Whether you’re in HP or LP mode, the thing that I noticed the most was the amount of sustain it added to the notes I was playing. One thing that can be a bit of a frustration for me when playing my Strat is when I bend a high note (above the 12th fret), there’s just not much sustain in the guitar itself (of course, unless I crank my amp). But the OCD adds a lot of sustain with hardly any tonal interference (that makes your sound really muddy).
- As far as distortion is concerned, the OCD will not muddy your tone – especially at lower volumes, and you get all the juicy, complex harmonics that you get out of a cranked amp. With the OCD, your tonal clarity is retained, even with heavy distortion, AND you get those overtones and harmonics – EVEN AT BEDROOM LEVELS!!! Think of the OCD’s distortion as an extension and enhancement of your tone. It’s very much in character with a box like the Ibanez TS-808, another overdrive box that I have that I love for its transparency.
- With the OCD, you also get the touch sensitivity you’d expect out of a cranked amp. That’s yet another amazing thing about the OCD, it’s sensitive as all get-out even at lower volumes.
- I haven’t confirmed this, but from other reviews I’ve read, and from the dude that sold me the pedal (I trust him mightily), the more voltage you run through the OCD, the better it sounds. I only have a 9 volt power supply, but it’ll take up 18 volts, though I’ve read that 12 volts is probably the best.
In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a distortion box that will make your good tone sound even better, this box is for you. That said, before Mike Fuller released this box, there was A LOT of hype surrounding it. Once it was released, a lot of players were disappointed, thinking that this would be the be-all, end-all of distortion boxes. It’s not. It has a different character; actually, a VERY unique character, that will endear it to some, and ward off others, especially those who are expecting a real low-end oomph. The OCD has that, but that’s not its strength. As I mentioned, it’s a tone enhancer, that will break up your signal as much or as little as you want. It won’t pour on oodles of low-end, especially if your setup is on the thin side.
An important note: The OCD works best with a single channel Class A amp, or on the clean channel of a multiple gain stage amp. It does not sound good when used in the drive channel, which already breaks up your tone. That said, if you do use it with a drive channel, either let it do the driving, and turn your amp’s boost down, or turn down the OCD’s distortion, and pump up the volume knob on the box. Otherwise you’ll get a very rough (read: ugly) distortion. A lot of folks have complained about this pedal clipping too much with their amps. Most likely, they’ve tried to use it in the way I described above.
Comparisons? Well, I’m never one to say this box is better than this box, unless the tonal quality is perceptibly that much better. The closest box I can think of to compare the OCD to off the top of my head would be the box I mentioned above: The TS-808 Tube Screamer. But where the Tube Screamer is more of a midrange booster, and it produces a much more crunchy tone, the OCD has much smoother distortion characteristics, and has way more inherent sustain than the Tube Screamer. Which one is better? Neither. For me, they both have their uses, though I’ll have to admit that the Tube Screamer will most likely be my go-to box for crunchy rhythms, and the OCD will be used for leads and more funky rhythm parts played high on the neck.
Sometimes, it’s just in the stars…
I stayed home from work today to take care of my toddler who has an ear infection. He’s been cranky all day with a fever, and of course, the incessant annoyance of the inner ear infection. So to calm him down, and help him take a nap, I took him for a drive. I wasn’t actually intending to go to my local guitar gear shop but I ended up exiting the freeway on the street that the shop was on, and just happened to drive in the direction of the shop (I really wasn’t meaning to go there, dammit! š ) Anyway, as I was driving, I noticed the “Guitar Showcase” sign, and turned into the parking lot. I figured I could browse around in the nice, air-conditioned space, which would be great for my little boy with a fever. So I put the baby in the stroller and entered the store.
Once I entered the store, I noticed that Peter, who sold me my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe was working behind the counter, so I struck up a conversation with him. He’s a touring musician, so I asked him how the gigging was going, and we swapped stories. Then it occurred to me to ask him about a good drive/distortion pedal that I could use in conjunction with my TS-808 (which he also sold me and also plays through). He said, “Man, here it is: The Fulltone OCD. This’ll do the job for you. You can use it as a clean boost, but you’ll get the sweetest, creamiest distortion you’ve ever heard. Other pedals, can sometimes make your tone turn muddy, but this will break up your signal and retain your clarity.” Peter knows what I play through, and the guitars that I have, so he knows how important my tone is. With that, I replied, “You know, I wasn’t banking on buying any gear today, but based on what you’re saying, I’ve got to try this pedal out.”
So Peter hooked me up to a Hot Rod Deluxe. I played one simple phrase: An ascending minor scale in E. Actually it was more like 4 notes with a bend and vibrato at the end, and my jaw just dropped!!! I couldn’t believe the sexy tones that came out of this little box! It was like the sea had parted and the way was made clear! Then Peter twiddled the knobs a bit, then told me to play some funky rhythm line, and it’s like the song just came to life! I swear, within a minute of playing through the OCD, I just turned to Peter and said, “Sold. I’m gonna play a bit more, but you can start writing up the order. I’m not leavin’ the store without one.” So, I am now the proud owner of a Fulltone OCD.
[…] 4th, 2007 by goofydawg Since I recently did a review on the Fulltone OCD, I thought that I’d do a review on the much-revered TS808. As many in the know, this is the […]
your mini review of the fulltone OCD was especially helpful to me. stumbled upon it when googling to find thoughts on the pedal. heard loads of great stuff. was actually going for a hotcake but a friend suggested trying the OCD as the hotcake sounds thin on strats, which i use.
really wanna hear your opinions on the subject. email me or just post your comments here would be great. btw i also own a xotic BB preamp that i absolutely adore and a modded ds-1 for drive sounds.
keep up the good work with the blog and merry x’mas.
Thanks for the warm regards!
After having used the OCD for a few months, I can confidently say that I have absolutely no negatives about that pedal. Like you, I’ve found that many drive pedals sound thin with Strats, no matter how much low-end EQ you dial in. But the OCD has really responsive EQ, so even with a Strat, you can get that awesome, thick, metal distortion, or dial it up to get some singing highs. I usually set the EQ slightly left of center.
As for sound characteristics, the first thing you notice when you plug it in is that especially with Strats, you get incredible sustain. The OCD takes the natural harmonics that your instrument produces, then enhances them somehow. The net result is a beautiful, resonant and shimmery sustain that is so pleasing to the ear.
Strats are naturally thin-sounding. With the OCD, it’s not so much that you get a thicker sound. What you get is a bigger sound; and with the harmonics and overtones so emphasized, it just “feels” thicker. You don’t lose the fundamental characteristics of what makes the Strat so distinctive.
One of the things that I’ve found that is oh so cool is running my OCD behind my TS-808 Tube Screamer. What a combo! I love the mid-range boost that my 808 produces, then combined with the sweet tone that comes from the OCD, the tone is magical to me.
On another note, I’ve found that using my Maxon CP9 Pro+ compressor really helps bolster the Strat’s tone. Running that in front of distortion boxes adds to the sustain and thickness of the tone.
I have used a Full Drive 2 for years and just bought an OCD. It’s great as noted above.
I finally got some time today and wanted to compare the 2 to see if I should part with my FD2, as maybe it was a bit redundant.
Well… I was surprised to find that with my FD2 on CompCut and Boost on, I can get a sound so close that it is pretty hard to tell the 2 a part.
The OCD is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but perhaps the reviews were not in comparison to other Fulltone products. Then there’s the FD Mosfet, which I have no idea how that fits into this picture.
I’ll probably sell my FD2 now, since the OCD is smaller, but was wondering if anyone here has done any A/B and if they feel OCD renders the FD2 obsolete and then what about the FD Mosfet? I haven’t heard that one yet.
Hmm…. good question. From my point of view, they’re two different animals. From my perspective, the FD2 is an excellent and versatile overdrive pedal, capable of performing different kinds of boost, while the OCD leans more toward the high-gain distortion box side of the equation. Plus, the OCD enhances harmonics and overtones, so it does a bit of “tweaking” to your signal. So what we’re talking here is a bit apples and oranges.That said, the Full Drive into the OCD would be a powerful combination. If I didn’t have my TS-808 Tube Screamer, I’d probably put a FD2 in front of the OCD. The reason to chain these is that while I love the OCD, it distorts evenly through the frequency spectrum – some folks think that it lacks mid-range. But that’s not true; it’s just even. With my Tube Screamer, I get a big mid-range overdrive boost, so it really thickens up the tone coming from the OCD. It’s a great combination!So I guess what I’m saying is run the FD2 into your OCD. I think you’ll be pleased with the results.
goofydawg, great review man!
I’m thinking in to buy this pedal.
You said that this pedal work very well with ibanez ts808. I have a ibanez ts9dx. Do you think that will be a good combination?
I play blues, rock, some grunge and hard rock some times, and I’m looking for good overdrive pedal that work together my ts9dx. Do you think that the OCD is the pedal for this function?
Thank’s a lot!
Jack, from Brazil! Sorry for my really bad english!! š
Either one will work just fine. I even use the OCD in line with a DigiTech Bad Monkey, and the two just rock!
hey man, i may have just missed it, but what version of ocd did you test/purchase? i have a mayer strat through a 65 deluxe reverb, and ive heard that the version 2 is the way to go for that type of combination.
I have the second version of the pedal. I bought it without ever using the first version, so I can’t speak to which is better, but knowing Fulltone, later versions usually have lots of improvements – especially a version 2.
Great review. I’ve been interested in the OCD. So I think you said in there that it wasn’t for metal players, and while I’m not a metal head I do like a fair amount of oomph in my tone. I could still achieve this with appropriate settings on my amp right?
Also, you live in San Jose?! That’s awesome. I do too. I didn’t know Guitar Showcase carried OCDs.
Hmmm… I don’t think I said it’s not for metal. š I did make mention that it isn’t the be-all, end-all of distortion pedals. No pedal is… However, that said, I don’t think it’ll ever leave my pedal board – ever. It’s a pedal that I can’t live without; that, and my TS-808 Tube Screamer that I often play along with the OCD – really SWEET combo. Ungodly amounts of sustain. Makes me giddy just thinking about it. š
You can certainly use the OCD for metal. Set it to High Peak, crank up the drive, and roll off the tone knob to bring out the lows a bit more. You’ll get that really nice, compressed drive by doing this. Works much better with humbuckers and P-90s than with Strat-like single coils.
If you go down to Showcase, talk to Peter Alaimo. I’ve bought lots of gear from this dude (incl. the OCD and Tube Screamer), and he knows his stuff. He does a lot of country punk and bluesy rock, so we’re aligned in our tonal tastes. However, in general, he’s really knowledgeable – just be prepared to shoot the sh&t with him for awhile. That dude loves to chat it up! š He’s got great stories. Ask him about getting Steve Miller’s pedal board…
i checked out a few OCD pedals over the last few months and am strongly thinking of getting one. right now i got an Ibanez TS9DX, but i feel like it doesn’t sound like the amp cranked up. my set up is like so: 1958 Gibson Les Paul Special w/P90’s, Frankenstein Telecaster with P90 in bridge and mini humbucker in the neck and option for being in or out of phase or parallel or series or a Gretsch Electromatic G5129 w/Dynasonics through either a Fender 1966 Bassman, Reissue Deluxe Reverb, AC15 or a Traynor YBA-1A and while i prefer to just plug in, turn up and play, i dont want to be so loud that i drown the rest of the band out, so i got an overdrive box last year but the tube screamer sounds harsh and generic to me, even in the plus mode, where you’re supposed to get more distortion and true geetar signal, so back to the drawing board. i play a hybrid of rockabilly, surf, garage, rhythm and blues, and country and an amp on 2 (no matter what pickup i got) just sounds bland! a lot of those old recordings were done with the amps pegged and a lot of people dont realize this since the distortion was kind of under the note, rather than over it! all in all, i think its worth a shot to hear it in my set up for a few gigs at least!
Isn’t it that way with any pedal? You never really know how it works for you until you’ve gigged with it. But let’s be very clear: The OCD wasn’t meant to sound like a pegged amp (I don’t think I’ve heard any pedal do that. What the OCD does is give you a nice, crisp distortion that also picks up and emphasizes the overtones and natural harmonics your guitar produces.
It’s incredibly responsive to your attack and volume knob as well, so you can do a lot of shaping with this pedal, once you’ve found the sweet spot.
Here’s something you might try: Chain your TS9 and OCD together. Run the TS9 before the OCD, and see what that sounds like. I just love what that combination does. Sustain for years! You get that midrange hump from the TS9, plus that creamy smooth distortion from the OCD. It’s wonderful to hear. š
Great review! “Chain your TS9 and OCD together”.
That is exactly what I do. Without the TS (I have a STL) I could not really find a good lead tone. The midrange boost is a key to that.
Have you tried the fulltone distortion pro by the way ?
I just put it on my board and experiment with it. Somehow this pedal has never become as popular as the OCD or the Fulldrive.
Ciao Alex
[…] recently purchased a Fulltone OCD overdrive pedal.Ā I had been doing some research and had read some positive reviews online and was recommended the pedal from a guy I know at Guitar Showcase in San Jose, […]
Up untill about 2 months ago, the only drive I used was my tube screamer, which believe me holds its own. But, being in a jam band, I like to get varying tones so I figured I would try out the OCD. Now I can’t imagine my pedal board without it. I tend to leave the tube screamer on all the time with the drive nob all the way up and the volume a little past halfway, and then if I want to cut into a lead I switch the TS off and the OCD on which is cranked. If you really want to tear someones face off keep both on. YIKES..haha anyways i love this pedal and anything fulltone. I also have the Coral Flange and the Mini Deja-vibe.
Like you, my TS is almost always on. But depending upon the guitar I’m using, I either set up the OCD to complement the TS to simulate adding another gain stage, or if I’m using humbuckers, I use the OCD as a booster in high gain mode. It’s really good in that department.
[…] this is the best-sounding overdrive pedal I’ve ever played, and I’ve played a lot. You know how taken I was with the OCD, but even that lost out to the Holy Fire, which is yet another killer overdrive/distortion that […]
I retain listening to specific news speak about getting free on-line grant applications so I have been seeking around for unique best web page to get one.
[…] Review: Fulltone OCD […]
Nice thoughtful review!
I dig the OCD, had the v3 missed it after having some very good TS mod circuit ODs. Got the v4 in my latest board config. I use it more for the cleaner boosty thing very little drive. It works on my high gain channels as well. Also a Fat Boost 3 which is major coolness by itself or w the OCD. It is a stay on all the time pedal. As for another OD, I have had the Fulldrive as well, I have my sights on the new ICE NINE Vox JS coming out late June. Promises to be a wet dream OD pedal for those who like TS mods and better darker drives. It has a modern/vintage and the “more” boost fav of Joe, been waiting for the shipments to come out. Only $129 so far.
Yeah, the OCD is very cool, though I no longer have it. Haven’t tried the ICE9 yet, but will be checking it out soon. My latest fav OD is the Doodad Guitars Check-A-Board RED pedal. TS-like, but it has a sound and dynamic response that’s completely all its own.
Hi guys, awesome article and comments. My current setup is Gibson Les Paul R8 to OCD to Fender DeVille 4×10. I am very happy with the setup and the OCD. However, somehow I always thought that it coulc sound a little bit BIGGER on rythm. So from what I have read so far I believe getting a TS808 maybe the next step. What type of settings have you guys used with the TS808/OCD combo?
Get the Drive on the OCD up to about 3pm, set Level to about 12, and Tone between 11 and 2 so you filter some of the highs out. Then adjust the OCD where you want it. The TS will give you TONS of sustain, then the OCD will give you that extra “oomph.”
Wait, so you recommend that specific OCD setting (3,12,11-2) and then setting the TS as desired? I am assuming you set the TS so that it doesnt distort much, is that correct? Thanks GoofyDawg
No, the other way around. I always preferred running the TS into the OCD, then using the OCD to boost the signal and slam the front end of my amp with gain. The combination worked great!
The Fulltone OCD is indeed an amazing pedal. When I purchased the OCD I purchased a Fulltone Fat Boost-3 to compare – with the intentions of only keeping the one I found most useful. Both are great pedals in there own way. Both pedals can also be used together as a great combination. But I stuck to my guns & returned one of them. The pedal I ended up keeping was the OCD. I’ve purchased many different overdrive & boost pedals over the years to sadly come to the conclusion that most pedals just aren’t up to par. I’ve found that most pedals fall into the category of being more of a novelty then a useful tool. The obvious reason is that most pedals just rob, rob, rob your guitar/amp of tone. Very few pedals actually stand the test of time & tone. The OCD is one of those few very special pedals. It’s worthy in front of any & every RockN’Rollers amp. Nothing about the pedals features would I consider a waste of space. I use the OCD as a boost in front of my amp. I like to dial down the drive just to where it’s opened up while dial up the volume 2/3 to 3/4 & sometimes all the way. I will usually leave it in the HP (High-Peak) setting with the tone somewhere between 3 o’clock or all the way for a sparkling boost with allot of sustain. If I want a warmer tone – I’ll switch it to the LP (Low-Peak) setting with the tone knob somewhere near the middle. You can set & forget or you can be like me, constantly fiddling for new available tone. Just incredible! What a wonderful pedal! & you can get into it for $135! If your searching for “THE” overdrive or boost pedal, don’t waste all your money trying a bunch of cheapos. This pedal can solve almost any tonal issue & make any amplifier sound twice as tasty.
Today I bought the OCD by Fulltone I plugged it into my Marshall half stack JMD:1 and my 60th Annniversary Strat with 1957 pick ups….very cool….I sound like Trower….Now I have to buy one darn good uni-vibe , or Deja Vibe. But my wife wants a central vacuum. Oh Dear.!
You should check out the Voodoo Labs Micro Vibe. I chose it over the Mini Deja Vibe. Does all the Trower and Pink Floyd you want!
I am on my 2nd OCD, had the v3 traded it off, missed it, and got a new v4. Now that I have used it on my board for some time, I have mixed feelings about it.
I have come to use the pedal more as clean boost than dist drive as I have several other gains. I also use the ICE 9 OD and I do not love that pedal either but it works as good OD. Does not clean up like the OCD. The OCD does a decent Trower drive on roll off, I found the secret is using the Fat Boost w it, now that is a bit of Strat heaven there.
As a clean boost the OCD does a decent job, my main complaint with most Fulltone and so many other OD pedals is the lack of a real tone control. These are all simply treble rolloff filters not really “tone” controls. One I realized that I sort of feel out of love w the pedal. And I am sick of TS green boxes. Visual Sound makes a super great TS type box for $100 that has bass enhancement AND they have what might be the best buffer circuit made, in all their pedals.
So if you really do not want your high rolled off or like me you have a StellarTone control which is a high pass tone control. There is no option here for any added bass or treb, or treb cut adding some bass. The HP switch will go from a flat response to a slight peak about 1K and the bass might be a little enhanced but it is not as clean as when on LP.
Bottom line there are hundreds of drive pedals out there, this one wears a little thin after a while. If you want the best drive and most versitile of models check out BARBER. The Cool Drive, LTD or the Direct drive will have you playing for days with the best tones ever! Internal pots for tweaking and some have a push pull on the tone knob for more options!
Even the Hardwire OD is cool as it actually has tone controls and is only $100. It runs on an internal stepped up voltage, really a great series. So many clean boosts out there are well, Visual Sound makes a cool True Tone and super cool is the new EP booster by Xiotic for only like $100, I know guys who use 2 of them set differently before and after gains or ODs. Two major cool boxes for $150 are the two new Ibanez King King models (red-gain&whiteOD) high voltage real tube drive and dist, major killer tone!
I am a Trower fan from long ago. I got the idea of using the OCD w the Fat Boost from him. He uses the DejaVibe by Fulltone, a great pedal, about $250. MicroVibe & BBE, make good photo cell circuit boxes but the Deja is better quality and more adjustable. It is a real super clone Univibe underated by some players probably their amp or guitar.
The T-Rex Viper Vibe and the Lovepedal Pickle Vibe are not photo cell vibes they are tuned phasers, OK but not the real deal. Move up to $300 and you can get the VersaVibe, or the Ubervibe, and the Electrode tube vibe is around there. Roger Mayer’s Vibe is the super king running around $4-500. Satriani perfers this one. The VoodooLab Micro Vibe is cool for the bucks or the BBE Soul Vibe for like $130.
Paul
I meant Ibanez Tube Kings, sorry no spell check on these windows.
The OCD can make a fender amp sound like a plaxi marshall amazing! i own a custom vibrolux fender amp and whit this pedal sounds great add a tubescreamer for boost the ocd(before the ocd) and thats it ,sustain!!!!
I play a 97 MIA Roadhouse Strat through a modded blues jr with larger than stock size hardwood cabinet and cannabis rex speaker, Bill M mod too of course. Dang this rig sounds good for blues but I’m having a hard time getting Hendrix / Trower tones out of it. I’m thinking along the lines of “Little Wing” and “Daydream” . Will the OCD help (Trower uses one) or should I try some other pedal? Would be nice to get close with just one pedal although I probably will need a good wah and/or uni vibe eventually. Thanks guys!
Funny how much my rig has changed over a year or so.
OCD long gone. Got into Wampler pedals the last year.
If you like the OCD try the Wampler Plexi-Drive most love that box and it has a great tone range like all Wampler’s. Gains more than the OCD and is more an open tone. Just a better tone, really.
The problem I see all the time is not knowing the difference between an overdrive and a high gain pedal. Metal tones use an OD only with an uber gained up tube head to tighten it up and make it more articulate. The OCD is not a great one for that. There are a lot better pedals out there, I was under the Fulltone myth for sometime myself. I still use his DejaVibe as the best Vibe. But all the others I had left on the trade in wagon. I think I miss that Fat Boost 3 the most but it got a horrible hum above 9v’s. Trower uses a RTO by the way not an OCD. Most of the tone is his JVM Marshall’s the he likes more of a cleaner boost OD to hit the amp front end.
if you want Metal pedal dist there are a million different options out there, everything is problematic to ones guitar and amp. No box is going to make a shoebox amp or a cheap ass badly intonated guitar sound better,
A great OD for the Strat is the Wampler Ecstasy (now called the Euphoria) Drive. 3 modes of different diode configs from clean to some light gain, very open and transparent like all Wampler. Does a great Dumble thing.
Fulltone is OK but I sort of moved away from them over time. If you are pondering an OCD you might try an RTO first sort of does what most like about the OCD. Myself I would go with numerous others, Lovepedal, Wampler, Barber, Xiotic, or how about the new Klon Centaur coming out.
I am exactly the same way with my rig! While reading your feedback, I realized that what I’ve found to be awesome has been dependent upon my rig at the time. Like you, my OCD is long gone. It served its purpose for a while, then when I went to different guitars and different amps, it just didn’t sound good with my new gear, so I sold it. That doesn’t take away from its overall quality for how I was using it at the time, but as my rig changed, it just didn’t have the versatility where I could adapt it to the changes.
Thanks for the feedback!
This is the most helpful review i’ve read in a long time. Thanks for being good at what you do.
This seems like a really cool pedal. I’m really debating whether or not I should buy it because I have a ProCo Rat, which I like. However, this pedal is SO much cooler and it seems to be a bit more versatile. One can argue that the Rat is very versatile, but this thing definitely has a great deal more versatility. I really like how, if you push the drive way up, the tone gets really thick and almost fuzzy sounding. I would have to say that the Rat is fairly fuzzy, but it sometimes sounds a bit “fizzy” if you don’t crank it, especially on solos. The Rat is very capable of sounding very grungy, but my taste for tone may be shifting a bit. It shifts every day though, haha.
The Rat is a distortion pedal, whereas the OCD is sort of a hybrid drive pedal, providing a more “open,” amp-like type of distortion and dynamics, plus gain boost.
you are wrong about the battery. When it’s off it’s “on”. It killed my copper top within a week and I only played it twice.
I have been playing pro original music for 30 years…and have found that it takes 3 distortion pedals to cover all situations. One for flat out screaming leads…a pedal with an overdriven Fender sound like a Boogie or other California type amp…that jumps out without competing with the vocals or the other players especially if my part is more like the stab of a horn section with rests between chords..
and a third…. like a Tube Screamer that gives you a great accompaniment sound when a clean sound won’t do.
The OCD is like a tube Screamer …BUT…the sound is huge.in fact massive….it does a perfect 60’s type Marshall stack…think Cream or Hendrix ( with his pedals off.)
Take Clapton on Sunshine of your Love…he hits 2 chords then completes the riff with single notes…and the single notes are as full as the chords…and yet the sound leaves room for the vocals….perfect!!!
The sound if defined …never muddy and with a massive low end yet no mud…
You can set the thing up to do other sounds …but lots of pedals do those sounds as well or better…even cheaper.