Old Blood Noise Endeavours Fault V2

The Old Blood Noise Endeavours Fault V2 is a dual overdrive and distortion pedal, an updated version of the company's original Fault Overdrive & Distortion. It carries two gain stages in one box: the first handles the primary overdrive, and a second, footswitchable stage stacks additional gain on top for heavy distortion. Reviewers at launch described its range as running "from clean boost to high gain distortion"¹, so a player can use it as a light touch of grit, a stacked high-gain machine, or something in between.

The V2 update, released in May 2020, brought a greater gain range, a Voice control and new clipping options compared with the original design². It sits in Old Blood Noise Endeavours' gain lineup alongside the original Fault, and the maker's current list price is $229.00³.

From clean boost to high gain

The Fault V2 is built around two gain controls that work together. Gain 1 sets the intensity of the first gain stage, and MusicRadar's Rob Laing noted it can go "from light to tight and crunchy gain"¹. Gain 2 is where the heavy distortion lives: it introduces additional gain when the Gain 2 footswitch is pressed³, and it reacts to where Gain 1 is set, so the two controls are interactive rather than independent. Gearnews reported that OBNE describes the two gain controls as interactive, giving "a wealth of drive tones at your fingertips"².

At the light end, the pedal works as a clean boost. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called the Fault V2 "equally adept for clean boost or higher gain distortion," with the Crush toggle pushing it "into high gain destruction"⁵. For players comparing gain types, the Fault V2 covers ground that would otherwise take separate overdrive and distortion pedals.

The controls

The control set splits into three groups: the overdrive front end, the EQ, and the clipping toggles.

The three-band EQ uses sliders rather than knobs. MusicRadar highlighted this as a deliberate design choice, writing that the "three-band slider EQ offers a tactile and precise control experience for players who need to dial in and edit" their sound¹. Guitar World's launch coverage likewise described the pedal as slider-equipped⁴.

The two toggles shape the character of the gain. Boost sets the range of Gain 1, which Gearnews characterized as moving the knob "from clean to mean"². Crush adds a post-EQ clipping stage at the very end of the circuit³, which MusicRadar described as letting you "shape one final clipping stage before the pedal's output"¹.

How it differs from the original Fault

The original Fault, reviewed by Premier Guitar in 2017-era coverage, was described as Old Blood Noise Endeavors' "latest straightforward entry" in the overdrive/distortion category⁶, with a street price of $199 at the time of that review⁶. It was a simpler pedal: true bypass, but without the V2's added flexibility.

The V2 keeps the dual-gain concept but expands it. Per Gearnews, the new version "takes the original design further with a greater gain range, voice control and new clipping options"². MusicRadar summarized the update as offering "greater gain ranges, voice control and clipping options for players to create a truly versatile gain" pedal¹.

The artwork on the Fault V2 is by Evan M Cohen³.

What reviewers said

Launch coverage was broadly positive about the pedal's flexibility. MusicRadar framed the appeal as a question of why choose between overdrive and distortion when one pedal gives you both¹. Gearnews called it "a refreshing new take" on the overdrive/distortion format in its original Fault coverage, and its V2 coverage emphasized "way more control, way more tones"².

Delicious Audio's launch piece positioned the pedal as a dual overdrive/distortion with two gain controls, noting its equal footing at clean boost and high gain⁵.

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