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Nobels ODR-1 · Guitar Effect

£58.05£116.10Clearance
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It’s about time I did a feature on the Other Green Overdrive - which has long since become a firm favourite of Nashville session players. It’s very much a mostly flat-mids overdrive as such where its overall output profile is quite different to the better known TS808 - with quite a bit more low end present and much less in the way of compression - so a somewhat fatter more open-pored sort of overdrive.

If you are, or have ever been part of the Nashville scene, it is likely that you already know about the Nobels ODR-1. Otherwise it is very likely that you have never even heard of this German-engineered pedal. Occupying some of the (enormous) space between the Tubescreamer and the Klon, the ODR-1 provides a versatile yet uniquely flavored take on the overdrive genre. The ODR-1 was first released in 1992, developed by Nobels to contrast with the mid-heavy Ibanez Tube Screamer. According to the pedal’s designer Kai Tachibana, he was inspired by the smooth breakup of a Fender Bassman head, its responsiveness to changes on the guitar’s volume knob, and how it preserved the original sound of his guitar.Nobels is a German company that’s not very well-known in the United States. The ODR-1 Natural Overdrive was first released in in 1992 [1]. In 2002 [2], a silver “tenth anniversary” reissue was released, which was the standard for a long time until circa 2011 when the green version was rereleased. 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. FEATURES: True bypass, remote momentary operation, luminous knob markings, integral pedalboard mounting plates ODR-1 ON [Drive: Noon; Spectrum: Noon; Level: Full]Here is the pedal at its “neutral” setting, which confirms that it is voiced to emphasize the lows and lower-mids. Notice that as long as the drive and spectrum controls are set to equal values the intensity of the lows and lower-mids retain their respective relative values. Compare this spectrogram to the corresponding one for the Boss SD-1, and see that the two pedals are very similarly voiced, with the ODR-1 having an additional boost in the low frequencies, and the SD-1 having some more presence in the highs. Playing with the Heavy Water’s two distinct boosts against a tube amp makes for the most of its fun factor. Running it into a 30-watt tweed combo, we found it only took the lightest push from the clean boost circuit to tip the amp into full-on overdrive – and with the lows control at midday, it sounded every bit as pure and transparent as we remembered from the right-hand side of The Dane.

Both versions of the pedal work really well with a Telecaster; they are a perfect complement to a Fender amp Hand-built using top-of-the-line components in Hudson Electronics’ Yorkshire workshop, the Broadcast might look like it’s come straight out of a 1960s recording studio, but the ideas displayed within are innovative and original. I’ve long meant to get an example of the Nobels ODR Overdrive - but could never fully settle on which single variant would suit me best - while I’ve come close to acquiring the discontinued Mythos Erlking on at least a couple of occasions. The Nobels circuit remains popular though and has seen recently in new varieties at either end of the scale - courtesy of the Vemuram Shanks ODS-1, and brand new Wampler Belle Overdrive Mini. Level: controls the output level of the pedal. This control has a healthy range, but not nearly the level of headroom as a Klon. Another reason that the ODR-1 is a great option for something to color your signal, but probably not a great first choice if you’re looking for a clean boost. The new ODR-1(bc) now offers a bass-cut switch under the battery cover to preset original ODR-1 sound or to preset slightly reduced sub-bass.While it’s a very effective tonal tweak, tightening up the real low-end for those who want it, we preferred the standard sound with its full-bodied warmth. Plus there’s no overt molestation of your tone except for some natural enhancement via the Spectrum knob, which simultaneously adjusts treble and lower mids to add crispness to the clarity or to mellow things down. We think this video may sell a few mini Nobels ODR-1s, as well as the new Pedaltrain Nightlight distortion but we can't wait to see more with delays, reverbs and modulation blind tests. A useful thing on the Nobels ODR-1 is that the batterycompartment is reachable from the front, this is handy if you need to change a battery on your pedalboard during rehaersals. I wish more companies did this, a really nice touch from nobels. Powered by 9 -18 V DC PSU (not supplied) or PP3 9V Battery (9 V DC, centre -, 2.1 mm, ~11 mA current draw) When the Wampler Belle first materialised I though that it would likely be my lead contender - in terms of versatility and controllability - and upon completing the review my mind has been further made up to pursue the Belle as my first preference here.

ODR-1 ON [Drive: 0; Spectrum: 0; Level: Full]You can really see that the circuit of the ODR-1 is naturally inclined towards the lows and low-mids. With the drive and the spectrum controls set at zero, the signal remains relatively unchanged until ~5kHz, at which point the frequencies are drastically cut out. The pedal’s right-side booster derives from the Dane’s clean boost circuit, employing a ‘lows’ knob for thinning or fattening up signals as needed. This all functions the same on the left side booster, with the only exception being that the left boost equips germanium diodes for added grit. Favoured by countless professional players over the decades, the Nobels ODR-1 is renowned for its clarity and versatility, providing a creamy-sounding natural overdrive sound to the guitar's signal.

ODR-1 ON [Drive: Full; Spectrum: Full; Level: Full]The relative increase in intensity is to be expected, but notice the incredible amount of energy in the lows and lower-mids. Again, even at its most maxed-out setting, these frequencies are overwhelmingly emphasized. This is something that we do not see with any of the more typical overdrive pedals, like the Tubescreamer or the SD-1. In 2019, the original designer of the ODR-1 released a boutique, hand-made “custom” version with three extra controls for bass, mids and clipping diodes. The Nordland ODR-C is a marvelously-engineered pedal that occupies the far end of the spectrum from the original ODR-1 and its budget build quality .

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