The Plush Cream II is an overdrive pedal from Fuchs Audio Technology, a maker better known for its amplifiers. Pedal of the Day describes it as a Tube Screamer-style overdrive, part of the long line of pedals built on that design, and the successor to the original Plush Cream Overdrive1.
What sets it apart in the reviewer's description is the feel: a quiet but dynamic pedal that responds to pick attack and fingerstyle force, with what the reviewer calls a great tube amp feel, running smooth tones and articulate lead lines1. Inside, it features a selected integrated circuit along with carefully selected resistor and capacitor components1.
A Tube Screamer-style overdrive with a tube amp feel
The original Plush Cream, reviewed by Pedal of the Day in 2014, was described as a "gorgeous tube amp-like overdrive, emulating but not copying a Tube Screamer"3. That framing carries over to the Cream II, which the same site places among the many recreations of the Tube Screamer design, one of the most popular pedal models of all time1.
The distinction matters to players comparing circuits. The Cream II is not a straight copy of the Ibanez circuit; it is voiced through its own selected integrated circuit and component choices to deliver a tube amp feel rather than a clone of the Tube Screamer's character1. For a side-by-side look at two pedals that do sit directly in the Tube Screamer family, see the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 comparison.
The original Cream's hardware gives a sense of the build quality Fuchs aimed for in this line: metal shaft controls and Neutrik connectors3. The reviewer of the original also found it worked especially well with humbuckers, "so dynamic in range and easy to dial in mild rock to metal sounds"3.
"I love it with humbuckers, so dynamic in range and easy to dial in mild rock to metal sounds"
The controls: Level, Tone, Gain and Shape switch
The control layout is the familiar three-knob format:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets output level |
| Tone | Sets the tonal balance |
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive |
| Shape toggle | Chooses between 2 modes |
Level, Tone and Gain are, as the reviewer puts it, what you would expect to find on a pedal of this nature1. The Shape toggle switch is where the Cream II earns its "II": it lets you choose between 2 modes1.
What the two modes do
- Mode 1: retains the famous tones the original Cream pedal is known for1.
- Mode 2: provides a lower gain, more compressed sound, similar to the Plush Drive pedal in the Fuchs lineup1.
In practice, the Shape switch gives you two pedals in one box: the original Cream's voice, and a lower-gain, more compressed voice in the territory of the Fuchs Plush Drive. The reviewer's overall verdict on the pedal and its lineage was positive, praising the work of Andy and Fuchs Audio in the Plush lineup of pedals1.
The Plush Extreme Cream II Double Overdrive
Players who want both modes available at once can look at the Plush Extreme Cream II Double Overdrive, which Pedal of the Day describes as taking everything about the smaller version and doubling it2.
| Cream II | Extreme Cream II Double Overdrive | |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | 1 | 2, with an A/B footswitch2 |
| Channel A voicing | The Cream II itself | Voiced just like the stock Cream II2 |
| Channel B voicing | not applicable | A bit of a warmer tone throughout2 |
| Per-channel controls | Level, Tone, Gain, Shape toggle | Level, Tone and Gain knobs, plus a toggle switch2 |
Each channel of the Extreme Cream II carries the same control layout, and each has its own toggle switch, which selects between the original Cream's tonal qualities and a more compressed, lower gain setting similar to the Plush Drive2. The A/B footswitch built into the pedal lets you switch between the channels at a moment's notice2. Like the single-pedal version, its resistors and capacitors are carefully chosen to voice the pedal2. There is also a single-channel Plush Extreme Cream II Overdrive in the family4.
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Questions
What does the Shape switch do on the Plush Cream II?
The Shape toggle switch chooses between two modes. Mode 1 keeps the tones the original Plush Cream pedal is known for, while mode 2 gives a lower gain, more compressed sound similar to the Fuchs Plush Drive pedal in the same lineup.
How is the Cream II different from the original Plush Cream?
The Cream II keeps the original Cream's tones in its first Shape mode but adds a second mode with a lower gain, more compressed sound, similar to the Fuchs Plush Drive. It is a Tube Screamer-style overdrive built around a selected integrated circuit with carefully chosen resistors and capacitors.
Is the Plush Cream II a Tube Screamer clone?
No. Reviewers describe it as a Tube Screamer-style overdrive that emulates rather than copies the Tube Screamer design. Pedal of the Day calls it a recreation in the Tube Screamer tradition with its own tube amp feel and dynamic response.
What is the Plush Extreme Cream II Double Overdrive?
It is a two-channel version of the Cream II. Channel A is voiced like the stock Cream II, Channel B is a bit warmer, each channel has Level, Tone and Gain knobs plus its own toggle switch, and an A/B footswitch swaps between the channels.
How does the Cream II's lower-gain mode compare to the Plush Drive?
According to Pedal of the Day, the Cream II's second Shape mode provides a lower gain, more compressed sound similar to the Plush Drive pedal in the Fuchs lineup, so one pedal covers both the original Cream voice and a Plush Drive-like voice.
Sources (4)
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush® Cream II™ Overdrive, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2016-12-19
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush® Extreme Cream II™ Double Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-01-19
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush Cream Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2014-03-08
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush Extreme Cream II Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-01-13
