The Fuchs Audio Technology Plush Extreme Cream II Overdrive is a double overdrive pedal: two channels of the company's Plush Cream II Overdrive circuit in a single enclosure. Pedal of the Day's reviewer put it plainly: "The Extreme Cream II takes everything that we love about the smaller version, and then doubles it"1. For a player, that means two independently voiced overdrive settings you can flip between mid-song, rather than one.
Two Cream II channels in one pedal
Channel A is voiced just like the stock Cream II Overdrive, while Channel B has a bit of a warmer tone throughout1. Each channel features the same control layout: Level, Tone and Gain knobs let you adjust each of these functions for that side of the pedal1. On top of the knobs, there is a toggle switch for each channel, which lets you select between the original Cream's tonal qualities and a more compressed, lower gain setting1. That lower gain mode is similar to the Plush Drive pedal, also created and manufactured by Fuchs Audio Technology1.
The reviewer's overall impression of the sound was that the pedal is "quiet, smooth, articulate and dynamic all at once"1.
"This pedal looks a little complex at first glance, but it's pretty easy to figure out."
From the Plush Cream II Overdrive
The single-channel Plush Cream II Overdrive is the pedal the Extreme Cream II is built from. Pedal of the Day reviewed it in December 2016 and described it as a Tube Screamer-style overdrive, a recreation of the Tube Screamer design, one of the most popular effects pedal models of all time3. The reviewer noted that it features a selected integrated circuit, along with carefully selected resistor and capacitor components3.
In play, the reviewer found it a quiet but dynamic pedal, responding excellently to pick attack or fingerstyle force, with a great tube amp feel, running smooth tones and articulate lead lines3. The Cream II also carries a two-mode Shape switch of its own: the first mode retains the famous tones the original Cream pedal is known for, and the second provides a lower gain, more compressed sound, similar to the Plush Drive pedal in Fuchs' lineup3. That same two-voicing toggle carries over to each channel of the Extreme Cream II1.
If you want to trace the family further back, the original Plush Cream Overdrive is the pedal whose tones the Cream II retains, and the Plush Valve Job Overdrive sits elsewhere in Fuchs' Plush line. For context on where a double overdrive fits on a board, see the site's page on Overdrive Pedals.
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Questions
What is the difference between the Plush Extreme Cream II and the Plush Cream II Overdrive?
The Extreme Cream II takes the Plush Cream II Overdrive circuit and doubles it, putting two Cream II channels in one enclosure. Channel A is voiced just like the stock Cream II Overdrive, while Channel B has a bit of a warmer tone throughout. Each channel carries the same Level, Tone and Gain control layout and its own toggle switch, and an A/B footswitch moves between the two channels.
How do you switch between channels on the Plush Extreme Cream II?
An A/B footswitch built into the pedal switches between the two channels, letting you move from one to the other at a moment's notice. Beyond that, each channel has its own toggle switch that selects between the original Cream's tonal qualities and a more compressed, lower gain setting, so you can set the two channels up differently and jump between them.
Is the Plush Cream II based on the Tube Screamer?
Pedal of the Day's reviewer describes the Plush Cream II Overdrive as a Tube Screamer-style overdrive, calling it a recreation of the Tube Screamer design. The reviewer notes that Tube Screamers are among the most popular effects pedal models of all time and that there have been many recreations of the circuit, with the Cream II being Fuchs Audio Technology's take on it.
What does the toggle switch do on each channel?
Each channel of the Extreme Cream II has a toggle switch that selects between two voicings. One position keeps the original Cream's tonal qualities, the tones the original Cream pedal is known for. The other provides a lower gain, more compressed sound, which Pedal of the Day describes as similar to the Plush Drive pedal in Fuchs' lineup.
Sources (3)
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush® Extreme Cream II™ Double Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-01-19
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush Extreme Cream II Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-01-13
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush® Cream II™ Overdrive, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2016-12-19
