Fulltone RTO

[Ed Reed]

Years ago I preordered a Distortion Pro just knowing it would be my "Marshall in a box". I was very disappointed and sold it. Then when the OCD ocd hit I dove in again, Vers 1 really didn't do it for me, upgraded to Vers 3 but never really bonded with it either. When the news came out about the RTO I was sceptical and thought I'd wait a good long time before I bought one. Some time has past and the RTO really hasn't caught on much at all. There really hasn't been much said about the pedal here at all. I wondered why and assumed maybe it wasn't very good? Anyway, I got the chance to pick up a store demo for what seemed to be a good price so I thought I'd try it and man it sounds great. This pedal lives up to the hype of the Distortion Pro or the OCD and beats them both. Mike got this one right.

[Jay Douglas]

Years ago I preordered a Distortion Pro just knowing it would be my "Marshall in a box". I was very disappointed and sold it. Then when the OCD ocd hit I dove in again, Vers 1 really didn't do it for me, upgraded to Vers 3 but never really bonded with it either. When the news came out about the RTO I was sceptical and thought I'd wait a good long time before I bought one. Some time has past and the RTO really hasn't caught on much at all. There really hasn't been much said about the pedal here at all. I wondered why and assumed maybe it wasn't very good? Anyway, I got the chance to pick up a store demo for what seemed to be a good price so I thought I'd try it and man it sounds great. This pedal lives up to the hype of the Distortion Pro or the OCD and beats them both. Mike got this one right.

I think it has caught on, I'm looking at mine, #890 and the pedal's been out what? 4 months?

[Ed Reed]

Yeah but it's sure not as crazy as the OCD, they were going for more than list for quite some time. That's really besides the point, this pedal is GREAT, if you were like me and had some doubts, go try one if you can.

[archtopjazz]

I think it's a great pedal.

[charless]

Years ago I preordered a Distortion Pro just knowing it would be my "Marshall in a box". I was very disappointed and sold it. Then when the OCD ocd hit I dove in again, Vers 1 really didn't do it for me, upgraded to Vers 3 but never really bonded with it either. When the news came out about the RTO I was sceptical and thought I'd wait a good long time before I bought one. Some time has past and the RTO really hasn't caught on much at all. There really hasn't been much said about the pedal here at all. I wondered why and assumed maybe it wasn't very good? Anyway, I got the chance to pick up a store demo for what seemed to be a good price so I thought I'd try it and man it sounds great. This pedal lives up to the hype of the Distortion Pro or the OCD and beats them both. Mike got this one right.

Well, different strokes I guess.

I think the OCD is far superior, but I am thinking of dynamics and 'amp like' when I state this.

The RTO sounded just a little better than my SparkleDrive. You don't hear that the RTO sounds pretty much like a tube screamer clone? :huh

[Ed Reed]

Maybe I need to try out a sparkle drive?

[charless]

Maybe I need to try out a sparkle drive?

It's a nice pedal, has the option of blending the clean with the drive, you might like that feature.

Seriously the RTO is a really nice box, I think I would rather have that than my Sparkle Drive, but they do sound close in tonality, the SD is an 808 clone and the RTO seemed to have the EQ set up in the same range as the SD. The RTO also is a standard overdrive in that it has plenty of compression.

[Jet Bycraft]

I like my Fulltone Robin Trower Overdrive very much! I have serial #34. It works perfect for my Blues/Rock rig. I run the gain on my Marshall JCM-800 on 6 and when I want more drive I just kick the RTO on and I'm in lead tone heaven! I like to run it at 18 volts with a Danelectro 18 volt adapter. It sounds great!

[RickB]

It's a nice pedal, has the option of blending the clean with the drive, you might like that feature.

Seriously the RTO is a really nice box, I think I would rather have that than my Sparkle Drive, but they do sound close in tonality, the SD is an 808 clone and the RTO seemed to have the EQ set up in the same range as the SD. The RTO also is a standard overdrive in that it has plenty of compression.

I have a SD that I really dig (Keeley modded). So the RTO has the TS midrange think happening? That's cool if it does because I often wished that Mike would make a single channel FD-2 (take up less space as I don't use the boost on it that miuch).

[charless]

I have a SD that I really dig (Keeley modded). So the RTO has the TS midrange think happening? That's cool if it does because I often wished that Mike would make a single channel FD-2 (take up less space as I don't use the boost on it that miuch).

Sounds like you might need a RTO then! :bong

[Ed Reed]

I have a SD that I really dig (Keeley modded). So the RTO has the TS midrange think happening? That's cool if it does because I often wished that Mike would make a single channel FD-2 (take up less space as I don't use the boost on it that miuch).

Agreed on the FD, the boost is not used at all here. To me, the RTO is more like a Maxon SD9 than a TS9 but with the tone control fixed. I really like the SD9 by the way.

[RickB]

Agreed on the FD, the boost is not used at all here. To me, the RTO is more like a Maxon SD9 than a TS9 but with the tone control fixed. I really like the SD9 by the way.

Thanks Ed and Charless. Ed - I have never played and SD9. Can you elaborate a bit more? They just got the RTO's in at my local shop so I am going to make it by there to actually play one by tomorrow but the comments in this thread are very helpful. :)

[FAC]

How does the RTO sound with humbuckers or P90's, given that it is named for someone known for using strats?

[GTRJohnny]

Damn overdrives! Why must I buy a new one every couple months!! They are just so alluring... I am powerless against them!!! :)

[swangdb]

Damn overdrives! Why must I buy a new one every couple months!! They are just so alluring... I am powerless against them!!! :)

Sometimes I think I belong to the "Pedal Of The Month Club."

[Jay Douglas]

How does the RTO sound with humbuckers or P90's, given that it is named for someone known for using strats?

My Humbucker-Eqiupped guitars (335 and custom strat) have real old PAF's, which are very low output. They do amazingly well with the RTO. That's one of it's "sells" really, it was supposedly designed with higher headroom (for Trower's gawdawful heavy .013-?? strings) and heavy touch) so it delivers very well with Humbuckers...at least with PAF style humbuckers.

[Ed Reed]

Thanks Ed and Charless. Ed - I have never played and SD9. Can you elaborate a bit more? They just got the RTO's in at my local shop so I am going to make it by there to actually play one by tomorrow but the comments in this thread are very helpful. :)

The SD9 sounds very much the same, set the drive at noon, volume at 3:00 and turn the tone almost off. Work the guitar volume for gain. Great with SC or HB.

[Ed Reed]

My Humbucker-Eqiupped guitars (335 and custom strat) have real old PAF's, which are very low output. They do amazingly well with the RTO. That's one of it's "sells" really, it was supposedly designed with higher headroom (for Trower's gawdawful heavy .013-?? strings) and heavy touch) so it delivers very well with Humbuckers...at least with PAF style humbuckers.
Played the RTO with a LP with Rolph's in it and I agree, sounded great. Also sounded good being boosted by a RC Booster.

[jzucker]

Well, different strokes I guess.

I think the OCD is far superior, but I am thinking of dynamics and 'amp like' when I state this.

The RTO sounded just a little better than my SparkleDrive. You don't hear that the RTO sounds pretty much like a tube screamer clone? :huh

Not at all. Check out the reinhardt amp clip I did in the demo section which uses the RTO. NOTHING like a TS9.

[fish01]

I think it is a blend of the fulldrive and ocd sounds. It is a great sounding pedal.