Just bought an OCD V4 blind. What should I expect?

[strtdv]

I was looking for a nice OD/distortion pedal that kept the sound of the guitar.

I have TS type sounds and high gain sounds covered, so I wanted something to sit in the middle, and that stacked well.

Will I be disappointed or are they really as good as some people say they are?

(I'm playing Fenders into British voiced amps)

[solitaire]

I'm afraid the one who is equiped to answer that question is you, but if you like hard clipping that is flat or slightly scooped then this is the thing to have! Depending on the speakers of your choice these can be pretty nasty at full tilt too, and I believe the OCD was inspired by the sound of early British hard-rock and heavy metal groups.

[harpinon]

A lot of guys say they are bassy, and I suppose they are if the gain gets above the halfway mark. I'm sure you'll love it. They sound fabulous even with the gain nearly at "0". You'll be a happy camper.

[Joe Porto]

I love my OCD, but it doesn't always play nice with pedals further down the chain. Works great with my Diamond ML, but I can't use it into my Destination Rotation single, as the impedance of the DRS causes a noticeable volume and treble boost to the OCD.

[Russorama]

I love mine although it's a version 3. It stacks really nice with my Zendrive.
Put the OCD first (nearest the guitar) and you keep more of the OCD's sensitivity to volume knob tweaks. I set the OCD gain about 9:00 when I use it this way (very low).
It sounds awesome on it's own too. Gain anywhere between about 9 to 1 o'clock. You don't need to jack the gain to get the goodies with this pedal unless you're a metal-head or something. In that case, you might like another pedal better.....or not.

[jeffbelch]

The OCDv4 is a killer overdrive. There's no mid hump at all (other claim no mid hump, but it generally means slight mid hump for ts-esque pedals) and no bass loss. In fact, there may be the slightest boost in the low end. It gets pretty aggressive pretty quickly, but with the gain very low, it's still able to achieve relatively low gain settings well. Great pedal...enjoy!

[Davo17]

I was looking for a nice OD/distortion pedal that kept the sound of the guitar.

I have TS type sounds and high gain sounds covered, so I wanted something to sit in the middle, and that stacked well.

Will I be disappointed or are they really as good as some people say they are?

(I'm playing Fenders into British voiced amps)

You have chosen well! I have a V4 and I love running a strat through it. I usually place it last in the chain, after a tubescreamer which I used for solos, etc. Recently I picked up a Fulldrive II to replace the Tubescreamer, its great into the OCD.

Also, the way the OCD cleans up is a joy-you can really set it and use the volume all night and not miss anything. Try it at 18 volts, too.:love:

[FenderBigot]

Expect good sounds no matter how you set it! I had a v3 and sold it stupidly... now I'm using a v4. It's one of the best "value" boutique OD's out there IMHO. There are more expensive pedals that may sound better and there are some you've got to wait 4 to 6 months on a list... but this is available on the shelf at GC today for $135!

Like HARPINON, I use the gain below noon and crank the volume up. The great thing is the hp/lp switch can change the character of the pedal on the fly. It's also very dynamic and responds to rolling the volume back to clean up. I can't wait to run mine at 18v, right now it's at 9v.

[pete james]

Small white box with 3 knobs? :bonk

[Ray1960]

I have the OCD v1 and I run it after a TS-9 which to me sounded the best I tried it before but after was it. Also run it at 18v and your love it even more

[sleejay80]

to wait a while

[bettset]

use your ears. i have found with fulltone stuff, they work with some amps & not with others. when mike demos his stuff, he tips you off as to how he uses his pedals. i saw this with the catalyst....he tells you what he's using. when i got mine, my amp is similiar, so my catalyst works great. the fulldrive II mosfet was a good pedal, but not my sound....the tim worked with my amps better. i have the ocd v2. not using it right now, but i like what it does if i need those tones. i've thought about the plimsoul or ocd v4, but right now i don't need those tones either. i think his stuff is very good. have fun, enjoy your tones :munch

[paulscape]

Nice. It's a smooth od not rough and dirty like an old DOD and not fuzzy like some od's. Works well into fenders and marshalls. Also has 18v. Maybe a bit more silky on 18v.

[matthornet]

Just bought an OCD V4 blind. What should I expect?

A lot of hand washing & frustrated days when your pedals aren't aligned to the board & your board to the amp.

[MRCHILL4]

Do yourself a favor, run it at 18 volts. Way huge difference. If you like it at 9, you'll love it at 18.

[strtdv]

Sounds like I should be quite happy then!

Unfortunately the weather in the UK at the moment is likely to delay its arrival somewhat :(

[Tbone135]

I love my v4. These pedals stack really well. I run it after an FD2 set to comp cut and it's been great live.

[meterman]

Great pedal especially at 18V. Does not color your amp tone much just adds gain and boost, I like it best with gain low and volume high. Can sound a bit cold/bright with certain amps, if that's the case the Plimsoul has a similar feel and range of gain but much warmer mids and low mids.

[65bfdr]

It's impossible to predict how you'll feel about this pedal but mine's been with me for a few years now. Most times I've left it at home but lately I've come to like it more. It just takes some tweaking. It has a LOT of overdrive so I keep the drive set low. Same with the tone. It'll get bright really quick so I set it at about 9-10 o'clock. Level around 3 o'clock. (don't remember where I set the toggle...) This gives me an amp like overdrive. And it feels completely different than a tubescreamer even tho it might sound somewhat similar at my settings.
I recently bought a Catalyst which is currently in the same position that my ocd was in the beginning (off my pdl board...). When I get some time, I'm pretty sure I can tweak some cool sounds out of it too. It can get really fizzy actually...

[meterman]

...It has a LOT of overdrive so I keep the drive set low. Same with the tone. It'll get bright really quick so I set it at about 9-10 o'clock. Level around 3 o'clock....I recently bought a Catalyst which is currently in the same position that my ocd was in the beginning (off my pdl board...). When I get some time, I'm pretty sure I can tweak some cool sounds out of it too. It can get really fizzy actually...

yeah I find the OCD kind of bright too and keep the tone around 10:00-11:00.

To the OP, keep in mind that this pedal has output impedance issues and really needs to have a buffered pedal somewhere downstream apparently, when you read about someone finding the OCD muffled sounding and cranking the treble all the way up this is most likely what is happening, they are using it without a buffered pedal after it in the chain.

I have a Catalyst too, cool pedal with some unique tones, the secret IMHO to taming the fizz is to roll off some treble and roll up the bass/mids control to 3:00 or slightly above, it gets very fat at that point and much smoother....

[bxlxaxkxe]

yeah I find the OCD kind of bright too and keep the tone around 10:00-11:00.

To the OP, keep in mind that this pedal has output impedance issues and really needs to have a buffered pedal somewhere downstream apparently, when you read about someone finding the OCD muffled sounding and cranking the treble all the way up this is most likely what is happening, they are using it without a buffered pedal after it in the chain.

I have a Catalyst too, cool pedal with some unique tones, the secret IMHO to taming the fizz is to roll off some treble and roll up the bass/mids control to 3:00 or slightly above, it gets very fat at that point and much smoother....

I never knew this and just tried it out with a tu-2 after it and damn! It's more defined..kinda like putting new strings on after using old ones. I already had a liking for it but was definitely finding it a bit muffled, especially for those lower notes and chords. MUCH better definition now. I've had this as a loaner for a couple months and have to return it tonight and damn if this little tip didn't convince me that I'll need to get one for keeps. Much appreciated.