The Mosky ULTIMATE Overdrive is a hand-built overdrive pedal from Mosky, a maker of budget-priced effects. Mosky's product page describes the circuit as an Obsessive Compulsive Drive pedal, the Fulltone OCD, and describes its sound as "Tube-like overdrive and touch-sensitive response"1. According to the maker, "The Pedal delivers the sounds of a great tube amp, as sell as the same sensitivity and response to your playing style"1.
The controls
The pedal keeps the layout simple: "Along with standard Volume, Drive, and Tone controls"1, plus the voicing switch that sets the OCD design apart from a straightforward overdrive pedal.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level1 |
| Drive | Sets the amount of overdrive1 |
| Tone | Shapes the treble response1 |
| HP/LP switch | Instant re-voicing between two characters1 |
The HP/LP switch
The switch is the feature Mosky highlights most. It is the OCD's HP/LP (High Peak/Low Peak) switch, and per the maker it "takes the pedal from a clean boost to manic, sustain-laden distortion"1. In practice that means one set of Volume, Drive and Tone settings can cover two very different jobs: back the switch to LP for a boost or lower-gain overdrive, flip to HP for a heavier, sustaining voice that leans toward distortion pedal territory.
Build and bypass
Mosky lists the ULTIMATE Overdrive under its Hand-Built Effect Pedals line1, and the pedal uses true bypass switching1, so the circuit is removed from your signal path entirely when the effect is off.
Mosky describes the ULTIMATE Overdrive as delivering "the sounds of a great tube amp, as sell as the same sensitivity and response to your playing style."1
Mosky sells several other drives in the same budget range, including the Mosky Obsessive Overdrive, the Mosky Golden Horse and the Mosky Green Screamer.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Mosky ULTIMATE Overdrive true bypass?
Yes. Mosky's product page lists true bypass switching for the ULTIMATE Overdrive, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes straight through without the circuit loading it. That matters on a crowded pedalboard, where buffered pedals can gradually dull the top end of a long chain.
What does the HP/LP switch do?
The HP/LP (High Peak/Low Peak) switch re-voices the pedal instantly. Mosky describes it as taking the pedal from a clean boost to manic, sustain-laden distortion, so you can set your Volume, Drive and Tone once and flip between a low-gain and a high-gain character mid-set.
Is the Mosky ULTIMATE Overdrive based on the Fulltone OCD?
Mosky's own product page describes the circuit as an Obsessive Compulsive Drive pedal, which is the Fulltone OCD. The pedal also carries the OCD's HP/LP (High Peak/Low Peak) voicing switch, which Mosky references directly in its description.
Is the Mosky ULTIMATE Overdrive hand-built?
Yes. Mosky lists the ULTIMATE Overdrive under its Hand-Built Effect Pedals line on the maker's product page.
Sources (1)
- ULTIMATE Overdrive_Hand-Built Effect Pedals_Products_mosky pedal, moskyaudio.com
