Fender Full Moon Distortion Pedal
High-gain distortion pedal from Fender's boutique-styled effects line with multiple voicing options. Aimed at players seeking flexible heavy tones, though user reports suggest significant quality control and tonal inconsistencies.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Multiple gain stages and switching options provide flexibility for shaping high-gain tones
- +MusicRadar gave it 4/5 stars citing solid build quality and gain range
- +Boutique aesthetics and construction at mass-produced pricing thanks to Fender's scale
- +More affordable than similar offerings from smaller boutique builders
Cons
- −Multiple user reports of harsh, blatty, thin tone that doesn't match demo videos
- −Users describe it as 'pleasant as pouring iodine on an open blister' and only useful as a lighthouse
- −Only works well when stacked with overdrive pedal - limited standalone usefulness
- −Canadian Guitar Forum users universally pan it compared to other Fender pedals in the line
- −Quality control issues suggest potential unit-to-unit variation
The Verdict
The disconnect between MusicRadar’s 4/5 rating and brutal real-world user feedback is stark. Forum users and blog reviewers consistently describe harsh, thin tones that don’t remotely match promotional demos. One user flat-out said theirs sounded defective across two different amps. Another noted it only sounds decent when stacked with overdrive, which defeats the purpose of a high-gain distortion. At $210, there are too many proven alternatives (ProCo RAT, Boss DS-1, even Fender’s own Pugilist) to gamble on a pedal with this many disappointed users. Unless you can try before you buy, skip this one.
