The Fender Full Moon is a Fender distortion pedal, currently around $169.29. Close alternatives include the Mr. Black deuce coupe and the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion. It pairs well with the Peavey VTM-120 and the Marshall JCM800 2203.

Fender Full Moon

Fender · pedal

The Fender Full Moon Distortion is a high-gain distortion pedal from Fender, part of the Hammertone series, delivering aggressive, heavily saturated distortion suited to hard rock and metal applications. The Full Moon Distortion provides wide Gain and Level controls alongside a three-band active EQ and a voice switch that shifts the tonal character of the distortion between two distinct frequency profiles. The high-gain circuit with three-band EQ gives players detailed control over the distortion character for both rhythm and lead applications across metal and hard rock genres.

What stands out

  • “High-gain distortion with three-band EQ and voice switch for two distinct tonal profiles, suited to hard rock and metal rhythm and lead applications where maximum saturation and detailed frequency control are the requirements”

    — from the community notes

  • “The Full Moon Distortion provides wide Gain and Level controls alongside a three-band active EQ and a voice switch that shifts the tonal character of the distortion between two distinct frequency profiles”

    — from the listing

  • “the high-gain circuit with three-band eq gives players detailed control over the distortion character for both rhythm and lead applications across metal and hard rock genres”

    — from the listing

  • “At extreme gain settings, low-register note definition decreases in the way common to all high-saturation distortion designs”

    — from the community notes

  • “The three-band EQ and voice switch combination is the most praised feature for tonal versatility within the high-gain range”

    — from the community notes

Trade-offs

  • “At maximum gain in the low register, note definition loses clarity in the way expected of high-saturation distortion designs, which limits technical bass-register playing at extreme settings”

    — from the reviews

  • distortion
  • high gain
  • frequency
  • rhythm
  • saturation
  • eq
  • lead
  • note definition
$169.29View on Reverb

Price updated Oct 22, 2026

Genres the Fender Full Moon is commonly used in

  • Hard Rock
  • Rock
  • Metal
  • Alternative
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Heavy Metal
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
  • Djent
    citedInferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.

Amps that pair well with the Fender Full Moon

Peavey VTM-120

Peavey

19% match

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → tight)

Feed a high gain signal into Peavey VTM-120 and it comes out closer to tight

Comes later in the signal chain

Marshall JCM800 2203

Marshall

19% match
$2899.99via Reverb

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)

Feed a high gain signal into Marshall JCM800 2203 and it comes out closer to mid-forward

Comes later in the signal chain

EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo

Ebs

tonal match
$1046.66via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo pushes a high gain tone toward tight

Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited

Aguilar

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Stack Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited on top and a high gain tone tightens toward tight

Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210

Gallien Krueger

tonal match
$1849via Reverb

Comes later in the signal chain

Stack Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410

Gallien Krueger

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410 pushes a high gain tone toward tight

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo

Gallien Krueger

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight

Ceriatone HRM 50

Ceriatone

tonal match

Comes later in the signal chain

Ceriatone HRM 50 pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward

Pedals that stack with the Fender Full Moon

Soldano SLO

Soldano

16% match
$119.99via Reverb

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → tight)

Soldano SLO takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight

Comes later in the signal chain

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

Boss

15% match
$99.99via Reverb

pushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)

Feed a high gain signal into Boss BD-2 Blues Driver and it comes out closer to clean boost

Comes earlier in the signal chain

Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio

Crazy Tube Circuits

13% match

shapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.

What Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio brings here leans toward tight — that's worth building a pairing around

Comes earlier in the signal chain

JAM Pedals Harmonious Monk MK1

Jam Pedals

12% match
$277.65via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)

Keep JAM Pedals Harmonious Monk MK1 after Fender Full Moon in the signal chain, clear of Fender Full Moon's own gain stage

Comes later in the signal chain

TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay

TC Electronic

10% match

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.

Run TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay after Fender Full Moon in the signal chain, clear of Fender Full Moon's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

Meris Mercury7 Reverb

Meris

10% match
$299via Reverb

sits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)

Run Meris Mercury7 Reverb after Fender Full Moon in the signal chain, clear of Fender Full Moon's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)

Comes later in the signal chain

MXR CAE Wah

MXR

tonal match
$121.09via Reverb

Comes earlier in the signal chain

MXR CAE Wah goes in front of Fender Full Moon — a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal

EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things

EarthQuaker Devices

$299via Reverb

Cheaper alternatives

Demon FX YJM308 Multi-Toggle Overdrive Preamp

Demon Fx

60% similarity
$42.20via Reverb

Shared character: tonal possibilities

Morley MDB2 Dual Boost Distortion

Morley

59% similarity
$130via Reverb

Shared character: distortion

Matthews Effects Architect V2

Matthews Effects

54% similarity
$129via Reverb

Similar role and voicing

Dunlop MXR GT-OD Overdrive

Dunlop

54% similarity
$118.77via Reverb

Shared character: tonal possibilities, treble, aggressive playing

Demon FX Gladiator

Demon Fx

51% similarity
$69.78via Reverb

Shared character: hard rock, treble, distortion

Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion

pedal

50% similarity
$101via Reverb

Shared character: clarity, distortion, aggressive playing

Boutique & premium upgrades

Friedman BE-OD Deluxe

Friedman

59% similarity
$229.49via Reverb

Shared character: hard rock, treble, crunch

Malekko Fetish MKII

Malekko

50% similarity
$234.41via Reverb

Shared character: tonal character, hard rock, distortion

Similar charactersee all similar tone character →

Mr. Black deuce coupe

Mr Black

63% similarity
$199.95via Reverb

Shared character: tonal possibilities

MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion

Mxl

59% similarity

Shared character: hard rock, distortion, lead

Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition

Fender

53% similarity

Shared character: hard rock, tonal character, distortion

Jackson Audio The Optimist Warped

Jackson Audio

52% similarity

Shared character: tonal character

Abasi Pathos Distortion

Abasi

51% similarity
$189.99via Reverb

Shared character: crunch, clarity, distortion

Tone City Golden Plexi V3 Mini Distortion

Tone City

51% similarity

Shared character: distortion, high gain settings, lead

See all alternatives to the Fender Full Moon (cheaper + boutique) →

Questions people ask

What are good alternatives to the Fender Full Moon?+

The closest matches in character are the Mr. Black deuce coupe, the MXL MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion, the Fender Godzilla Distortion Limited Edition. Budget picks: Demon FX YJM308 Multi-Toggle Overdrive Preamp, Morley MDB2 Dual Boost Distortion, Matthews Effects Architect V2. Boutique upgrades: Friedman BE-OD Deluxe, Malekko Fetish MKII.

What pairs well with the Fender Full Moon?+

Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Peavey VTM-120, Marshall JCM800 2203, EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo — Feed a high gain signal into Peavey VTM-120 and it comes out closer to tight.

How much does the Fender Full Moon cost?+

Around $169.29 (live listing price, updated Oct 22, 2026).

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