# Fulltone Secret Freq



## georgemg (Jul 17, 2011)

Has anyone heard anything about the Fulltone Secret Freq? For a guy who is usually pretty boastful about his pedals, there is literally no info available on this one - just a picture of it on the site. The funny thing is, I really don't know anything about it but damn it I want one!


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Must be brand new. He does like to talk about the time and effort that go into his pedals so I'm sure we'll see something.


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## georgemg (Jul 17, 2011)

Looks like the Secret Freq is definitely going into production. The look of the pedal has changed, and it has an overdrive knob instead of a distortion knob. Still no information posted on what this is supposed to sound like though. My guess is a Tube Screamer variant, but have to wait and see.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Wild guess that it is a cocked-wah pedal.


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## georgemg (Jul 17, 2011)

mhammer said:


> Wild guess that it is a cocked-wah pedal.


Could be but he already built a cocked-wah pedal for Robin Trower called the Wahfull, so I would think he'd use that name if he were going to make one.


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## Jeff B. (Feb 20, 2010)

My guess is an overdrive with the tone section being gyrator/inductor based with a frequency control on the end of it and Mike Fuller has used inductors in tone circuits before.
Gain wise it's probably somewhere in between the Plimsoul and the OCD.

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Simple, Easy Parametric and Graphic EQ's, Plus Peaks and Notches


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I made a box a couple years ago, that I sold to a guy at work, which I called the "Boost-n-Scoop". "Instant Slash" was more like it. Essentially a modded MXR Distortion+ with an Anderton Frequency Booster in front of the distortion, and a variable scoop after the distortion. A lot of different sounds. Where it was different than a cocked wah was in simply providing resonant boost without affecting the top and bottom _outside_ the zone of resonant boost. And that may be what he was going for. You can stick a wah circuit in a box, and replace the rack-and-pinion system with a simple chassis-mounted pot, but it will lose both top and bottom, the further away you get from the resonant frequency.

A lot of folks think you stick tone controls after a distortion, but sticking them ahead of a clipping circuit gives you lots of interesting tones as well. probably the reigning champ at this is the old Akai G-Drive, that featured 6-band graphic EQ before AND after the distortion section: Akai D2G G-Drive | DiscoFreq's Effects Database


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## georgemg (Jul 17, 2011)

After all that time of not saying much, he he sure didn't hold back on this one when he finally posted the description: 'like no other pedal in the market.' LOL. Still anxious to hear it. 



Jeff B. said:


> My guess is an overdrive with the tone section being gyrator/inductor based with a frequency control on the end of it and Mike Fuller has used inductors in tone circuits before.
> Gain wise it's probably somewhere in between the Plimsoul and the OCD.


Looks like you were right about the Freq knob being a gyrator - check out the post from the Fulltone site below:

Fulltone Musical Products, Inc. | pedals | Secret Freq

*Secret Freq*

_Yet another overdrive distortion. Oh joy! And such a silly name… *Secret Freq*._
Another touch-sensitive, dynamic, natural sounding overdrive/distortion to confuse the marketplace filled with RC's, AC's, Tim's, and about a hundred others made by one-man-shows with the word tone in their names. Yes it does the TS-thing” and the Clean boost thing, but the ‘Freq has more tricks in its bag.
With soft clipping for the lower OD sounds, something else happens as you turn up the Distortion knob and/or hit the strings harder… the secondary clipping kicks in, which has a rich flavor and feel thanks to the character its Germanium Diodes impart. Nothing like the PlimSoul, nothing like the OCD, in fact nothing like any other pedal on the market.
_But wait…what's this "Freq." knob?_
Turn it and a gyrator circuit located in the first stage clipping-loop ads as much as 12db of active narrow band MIDRANGE right where it does the most good, like installing a wah wah right where the distortion is generated. But unlike turning on your wah wah along with your distortion pedal, the bass and treble frequencies don't disappear... Very unique, and not to be confused with a simple blasé midrange control tacked on to the end of the circuit, as is the case with any other pedal with a Midrange control you’ve seen or heard of.
_What's it sound like?_
Along with a slew of basic great OD/Distortion pedal, it allows you to replicate a very, very wide range of your favorite guitar & amp sounds.
At low overdrive settings it simply allows you to shape the pedal to cut through any mix and replaces a few of your pedals on the 'board, and perhaps even an amp or two.
_At more extreme (clockwise) "Freq settings?_
Brings a smile to your face an evokes the coolest Jimmy Page, Michael Schenker, Robin Trower, Tom Scholz tones that you just couldn’t previously get without a bunch of studio trickery, EQ, mic-placement, and amps.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

isn't that kind of like what the Super Tube (screamer) did?


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## georgemg (Jul 17, 2011)

mhammer said:


> isn't that kind of like what the Super Tube (screamer) did?


Well, Fuller doesn't seem to think so:

"Not to be confused with a simple blasé midrange control tacked on to the end of the circuit, as is the case with any other pedal with a Midrange control you’ve seen or heard of."


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Actually, the Super Tube's midrange booster came before the clipping stage, not after. That's why I mentioned it.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

It seems pretty interesting to me. My OCD is my go-to dirt pedal and I love it. I was recently thinking about getting a second one to use for a different setting, but I got to thinking that I should at least try the Plimsoul first, but this might have to be on my list as well.

Attitude aside, Fuller makes some really nice products.


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