What is it?
The Nobels ODR-1 overdrive pedal flew under the radar for quite some time, but that’s no longer the case as its well-documented use by a coterie of US session players, particularly in Nashville, has increased awareness and take-up of the ‘other’ green stompbox.
We last looked at a Nobels with the release of the ODR-1 BC (BC standing for bass-cut), which featured a dip switch in the battery compartment to attenuate the bottom-end.
This latest iteration offers more flexibility on that bass-cut by giving the facility its own mini knob. What’s more, it also can deliver more gain than previous ODR-1s via a Gain Boost button.
Specs
- PRICE: $149/£129
- ORIGIN: China
- TYPE: Drive pedal
- FEATURES: Selectable True/Buffered Bypass, 18V operation for extra headroom, integrated Mounty-P mounting plates, glow‑in‑the-dark pointer knobs
- CONTROLS: Drive, Spectrum, Level, Bass Cut, Gain Boost switch, True/Buffered bypass switch, bypass footswitch
- CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output, Remote (TRS)
- POWER: 9V battery or 9V-18V DC adaptor (not supplied) 15mA
- DIMENSIONS: 73 (w) x 127 (d) x 55mm (h)
- CONTACT: Nobels
Usability and sounds
The ODR-1X has standard Drive and Level knobs, but like its predecessors it facilitates EQ changes with a Spectrum knob, a double filter tone control that simultaneously cuts/boosts lower mid and treble frequencies, and is very effective whether you’re going for pushing the clarity of your top-end or calming it down for a mellower vibe. This works well in conjunction with the Bass Cut control.
The pedal is endowed with a substantial bass content that may suit some players but not others (things could get a little bit muddy for humbucker users or with certain amp setups), so to have the ability to roll that off to your exact needs is a very practical asset and a distinct upgrade on a purely switched bass-cut.
Keeping the Drive control at minimum and pushing the Level to somewhere in its final quadrant delivers a useful clean boost. But it’s really in the just-beyond‑clean and low-level crunch where the pedal truly excels, making it a shoo-in for completely natural drive sounds that don’t mess with your core tone.
Of course, it is also capable of more substantial drive, too, especially so with the gain boost, which basically puts the gain knob into a higher range and can take things into cranked-amp classic rock territory.
Adding a remote footswitch will give you switchable gain boost, although to our ears the jump is a little too much and we’d rather do it by stacking another boost pedal.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★½
Guitar World verdict: The ODR-1’s long-term efficacy as a transparent drive pedal is all still here in the ODR-1X edition, freshly enhanced with fully adjustable bass-cut, but the extra gain on tap adds a flexibility that means it’s capable of going beyond that traditional role.
Hands-on videos
Nobels
Tone Junkie
Pedal of the Day
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