The Fuchs Audio Technology Plush Extreme Cream II is a double overdrive pedal: two channels of the Plush Cream II Overdrive circuit in one enclosure. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in January 2017, described it as taking "everything that we love about the smaller version, and then doubles it"1. The Cream II it is built on is itself an overdrive pedal in the overdrive family, and Pedal of the Day's earlier review of that pedal described it as a Tube Screamer-style design, one of the many recreations of the Tube Screamer circuit2.
Two channels, two voicings each
The Extreme Cream II gives you two overdrive channels side by side, and the two are not identical1:
| Channel | Voicing |
|---|---|
| A | Voiced just like the stock Cream II Overdrive1 |
| B | Related but distinct, with "a bit of a warmer tone throughout"1 |
Channel A is voiced just like the stock Cream II Overdrive, so players who know the single pedal will find the same character there. Channel B carries a related but distinct voice, which Pedal of the Day found warmer from top to bottom1. That makes the pedal a way to carry two drive sounds, for example a rhythm and a lead setting, without two separate units.
Each channel also has its own toggle switch, which selects between two modes1:
- The original Cream's tonal qualities12
- A more compressed, lower gain setting, described by Pedal of the Day as similar to the Plush Drive pedal, which Fuchs Audio Technology also created and manufactures1
The same two-mode idea appears on the Cream II itself, where the reviewer noted that "the first retains the famous tones the original Cream pedal is known for" while "the new second mode provides a lower gain, more compressed sound, similar to the Plush Drive pedal in Fuchs' lineup"2.
The circuit underneath
The Cream II circuit that the Extreme Cream II doubles is built with attention to component selection. Pedal of the Day's review of the Cream II noted that "it features a selected integrated circuit, along with carefully selected resistor and capacitor components"2. Of the Extreme Cream II, the same publication wrote that "Each resistor and capacitor are carefully chosen to voice the" pedal1.
As for how the Cream II sounds in use, Pedal of the Day's reviewer had this to say2:
"a quiet but dynamic pedal," one that responds "excellently to your pick attack or fingerstyle force"
The review describes a great tube amp feel, smooth tones and articulate lead lines2. Since Channel A of the Extreme Cream II is voiced like the stock Cream II, that account gives a fair picture of at least one half of the double pedal1.
Where it sits in the Plush line
The Extreme Cream II is one of several overdrives in Fuchs Audio Technology's Plush range1:
- Plush Cream Overdrive: the original single-channel pedal the Cream II refined12
- Plush Cream II Overdrive: added the two-mode Shape switch2
- Plush Extreme Cream II: doubled the format into a two-channel pedal1
The Extreme Cream II is a two-channel version of the Cream II, not a replacement for it: Channel A matches the stock Cream II voicing, while Channel B runs warmer, so the two pedals are not interchangeable if you want a single channel that sounds exactly like the Cream II1.
Players comparing Tube Screamer-style drives against one another may also find the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison useful background on the circuit family the Cream II draws from2.
Videos
American Musical Supply
American Musical Supply
Sources (3)
- Fuchs Audio Technology Plush® Extreme Cream II™ Double Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-01-19
- 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 Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-01-13
