Nobels ODR Natural Overdrive and Alternatives

The alas now discontinued ODR-S was a natural evolution of the ODR-1 where the Spectrum control was replaced by a full 3-Band EQ - giving you a tonne more tone-shaping options and more versatility to tune the Overdrive towards the Guitar Input and desired Amp Output. The ODR-S came variously in 3 different coloured enclosures - silver, green and the final black IMP version - meaning it came with Integrated Mounting Plates. There's currently a handful of mostly silver enclosure ODR-S's on both Reverb.com and Ebay ranging from around £100 to £150 Equivalent for the ones in better condition. If I decided to go for this variety I would be looking to spend no more than £150 on one of the later black varieties. My understanding is that the underlying circuit here is exactly the same as the ODR-1 - it's just the Tone Stack that is different.

This purportedly is voiced somewhere between the ODR-1's stock and Bass-Cut setting - albeit the circuit is somewhat different in the smaller enclosure - and there is no hidden or internal Bass-Cut switch. This means that the ODR-Mini is not quite as suitable/versatile for humbucker style guitars, while single-coil players can save some significant space by going with the smaller version which has exactly the same control knobs as its larger original sibling - or Drive, Level and Spectrum. I've always wondered at the wisdom of leaving the Bass-Cut switch out - especially in light of the brand new Wampler Belle Overdrive Mini - which delivers a little more, admittedly at a higher price level though.

PCB and Kit experts Aion always seem to have a smart take on the classic circuits, and the ODR-1 derived Aion is no exception. Instead of a basic Bass-Cut switch it has a dedicated Depth/Bass control - to go along with the Level, Drive and Spectrum knobs. I can't say I've seen many of these on Reverb.com - but I know that Alchemy Audio make the occasional one - and you could probably contact them if you wanted one. This is a slight enhancement on the original ODR-1 and comes with a very marginal premium.

Guthrie Trapp is himself one of the most celebrated Nobels ODR-1 users, so it's not too much of a mystery that his signature GTO Overdrive from J Rockett Pedals is very much based on the ODR-1. The labels are somewhat unusual - Level, Gain, Accent, Warmth - where the latter two are actually more conventional 2-Band EQ controls than they sound - with Accent essentially being Highs, and Warmth the Low End. This is a very decent alternative to an ODR-1 - obviously honed by one of the masters of that craft.

I've actually been tracking this discontinued pedal for a while and have so far passed up on two opportunities - obviously had more pressing priorities at the time or the price / condition wasn't quite right for me - possibly the shipping was out of whack. In any case this was my ODR-1 type frontrunner for a good few years now and we'll see what it's status is in the Final Thoughts below. This is another 2-Band EQ style take on the ODR-1 with controls for Gain, Level, Bass and Treble.

I apologise for having unwittingly initially left out this Nordland ODR-C Custom Overdrive which is developed by the original Nobels ODR-1 circuit designer one Kai Tachibana under his own Nordland brand, and has been in production for about a year now. First made available in the bright green, but now also offered in a black variant. These pedals are made in small batches and get snapped up very quickly indeed each time they get announced.

The core circuit and components are identical to the original vintage ODR-1 with some additional smart controls and refinements. And while you should be familiar with the Drive, Level and Spectrum (Tone) controls, there are 3 new controls - one regular-sized knob Mid frequencies control, and two mini-knobs - O.D.C. (Overdrive De-Compress) and of course Lo-cut.

The fact that you have control over the degree of compression makes this an even more formidable proposition than the ODR-S variant. It's slightly up the baseline on pricing, but I believe this is now my frontrunner and next likely acquisition target.

I've already contacted Kai with a view to doing a proper feature of this pedal on the site at some stage in the near future - obviously pending availability.

As is usually the way - this Vemuram John Shanks Signature Overdrive is easily the priciest in the lineup - being near enough twice as expensive as everything else. The ODS-1 sports 5 controls actually - Volume, Gain and Tone knobs on the front, and externally accessible trim-pots on the rear for adjusting Bass and Saturation. I often feel that Vemuram would be better off with a few more dials on the front - rather than the one or two extra trim-pots around the back - which are easier to get to than most equivalents, but still something of a pain when everything is cabled and wired up. Tone controls for me are rarely set and forget - I typically need them front-and-centre! There is no doubting the quality and credentials of this pedal - and that beautiful brass enclosure. The price tag though will be a problem for some, and I feel there are other varieties here which are just as good.

And so to the brand new Wampler Belle Overdrive Mini - which really sparked off this piece to the most significant degree. I had always intended to do more of a focused feature on the Nobels ODR varieties, and the timing just seems right now. This tiny pedal just seems to be perfect - in having all the same core controls - Color (Spectrum), Level, and Gain - and some extra refinements courtesy of a 4th Bass knob, and additional push-button Clipping switch which give you more punch and compression. I'm always bemused when a mini pedal has a greater feature set than its larger siblings - and such is somewhat the case here. Brian is still the reigning 'King of Drive' and he has a great ear for these kinds of tones.

The XTS Imperial is another interesting 4-control variety where the 4th control is a 'Dynamic' voicing switch which deliver the classic twangy Nashville tones in the up position, and in the down position you get a faster, more articulate attack. The 3 classic knobs are still at the core here - Volume, Gain and Color (Spectrum). It's about $50 over the typical boutique pricing level for such pedal - but some may find this take on the format more to their liking.