Nobels

108
GUITARIST OCTOBER 2020
Nobels pedals
The other little green overdrive gets a revamp
MANUFACTURER
NOBELS
MODEL
ODR-1 BC & ODR-MINI
CONTACT
AUDIO DISTRIBUTION GROUP HTTPS://NOBELS.DE
PRICE
£99 & £69
PEDALBOARD
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Phil Barker
I
f there’s one overdrive pedal that’s been used by pros but has
slipped under the popular radar, it’s the ODR-1. Finished in a
similar green hue to the Tubescreamer, the ODR-1 came about
because designer Kai Tachibana was not keen on the fact that
the Ibanez and other overdrives featured a strong middle hump.
Instead, he wanted a drive pedal that did what his bluesy sounding
40-watt black-panel Fender Bassman did, reacting to the volume
pot on his guitar, where the overdrive increased slowly and evenly
without changing the basic tonal character. And so the ODR-1 was
born. Since it’s original launch in the 90s, the pedal has gone on to
become a favourite with many respected players, particularly in the
Nashville session scene where it’s currently the go-to pedal for the
likes of Guthrie Trapp and Tim Pierce.
This latest ODR-1 Natural Overdrive we have on review is not
dissimilar to a Boss pedal in its form factor and features some new
revisions. It also has a mini version, which we’ll look at here, too.
ROUND-UP
Nobels ODR-mini £69Nobels ODR-1 BC £99
I
f you want the ODR-1 sound but need something a little more
compact for your pedalboard, here’s the ODR-mini. Following
the standard form factor of this size of pedal with offset jacks,
it has the same three knobs as its larger sibling with the ‘glow in
the dark’ pointers, albeit with no legending around the knobs.
The Spectrum knob, though, does have a notched centre detente
position and in an A/B test with that knob in its detented position
the sound matches the larger pedal (without its bass cut switch
engaged) when that pedal’s Spectrum knob is set to about 4.
Further tweaking of the knobs, however, shows that both are
capable of the same tonal range and that the mini model cleans
up very naturally with guitar volume just like its bigger sibling.
Both versions of the pedal work really well with a Telecaster; they
are a perfect complement to a Fender amp if you play country but
there’s also plenty for blues players in a pedal that can push an amp
in a very natural way.
T
he latest ODR-1 can now run from 18 volts for extra
headroom, and in response to requests from some
humbucker users who found the bottom-end a little too
heavy it now has a bass-cut DIP switch (hence the ‘BC’ in the
model number) on the circuit board that’s easily accessed via
the top-loading battery compartment’s hinged cover.
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. The pedal is
capable of a fully driven sound but we liked the magic that happens
in the lower reaches of the drive knob where you find early
break-up and low-level crunch that can add just the right amount
of grit to a clean amp for core tone or as a solo booster.
VERDICT The perfect alternative for those who need to save space
(and money) and don’t need that bass cut facility
VERDICT With smoothly transparent overdrive, this pedal offers
boutique performance at a bargain-basement price
GIT464.peds_nobels_roundup.indd 108 03/09/2020 11:16