Nobels ODR-1BC Overdrive Pedal with Bass Cut 

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There’s a secret weapon lurking on many a world-renowned guitar player’s pedalboard. A little green box delivering tonal majesty across a number of genres. A pedal which you may have heard on countless records without even realising it. The pedal I am referring to is the Nobels ODR-1. The Nobels ODR-1 is a natural overdrive pedal that has become a staple on the boards of players including Tim Pierce, Robbie McIntosh, and Jerry Donahue. It’s been the darling of Nashville session guitarists for decades garnering devout, underground popularity. Much like Ibanez’s Tube Screamer, it is a little green box that punches well above its weight. And now, fresh for 2020, it’s been given a great suite of functional upgrades.

What is a Natural Overdrive?

A natural overdrive is an overdrive that behaves in a very amp-like fashion whilst fully preserving the character of your guitar. The pedal is designed to push your signal from providing you a little bit of grit through to a reasonable amount of drive perfect for blues or crunchy rock. Crucially though, the pedal does this in a non-compressive manor. This allows it to provide distortion without contorting the tone and character of your guitar into wholly unrecognisable forms. That is one of the keys to its popularity. It enables you to achieve an overdrive tone as uniquely yours as your clean tone. The character of your guitar and your playing style are left recognisably intact after stamping down on that green switch.

The ODR-1BC in Action

Controlling the pedal is straightforward yet powerful and versatile. There are three controls aligned across the top of the pedal, ‘drive’, ‘spectrum’, and ‘level’. Drive is fairly self-explanatory, it increases the amount of drive as it is turned clockwise from almost clean to fairly pushed. The level controls the overall volume which can be used to balance against the amount of drive required. The spectrum control is the ODR1’s tone control, it can be used to shift the EQ profile of the pedal by controlling the amount of treble and bass in unison through a very wide-ranging sweep. The midrange remains untouched staying very open with a dash of warmth to retain the pedals distinct clarity and composure.

As mentioned, the pedal is voiced to be extremely amp-like. As a result, it is highly reactive to the volume control on your guitar which you can use to control the level of gain. Even when pushed into the heavens of gain, winding down your guitar’s volume will clean it right up back to glistening cleans.

What’s New with the BC Model?

The ODR-1BC is the latest update from the existing Nobels ODR-1. For the most part, all of the changes are functional ones. Nothing drastic has been altered in terms of the tone or character of the pedal, it has just been tweaked with a few technical details to improve its performance.

Firstly, and most obviously, the pedal has been given a bass cut dip-switch (hence the newly added “BC” to the end of its name). This switch is really easily accessible under the same hood as the battery compartment which is openable from the front of the pedal. The main focus of the pedal, as stated above, is its ability to play nicely with any guitar which it does exceptionally well. One comment on the original, however, was that the pedal had a tendency to be a little too warm on the bass end for some styles of humbucker. This new switch enables one to trim away some of the bass end for those very scenarios which greatly expands the pedals tonal spectrum allowing it to seamlessly accommodate a wider still array of guitars and pickup types.

Secondly, the engine has been given a few more horsepower. The pedal can now, if you’d like, be powered by 18v supplies. This extra power serves to increase the headroom of the pedal. This means that you can push the drive amount higher before the pedal breaks up. It allows you to get a little more clean push before moving into full on distortion territory.

Thirdly, and most excitingly, the pedals knobs now glow in the dark! This does nothing to the tone but definitely looks wicked. It’s also very handy when fumbling around in the dark for a specific knob to have said knob be illuminated.

The Lesser-Known Green Box

If you’re looking for a transparent overdrive which will drive your tone whilst leaving your guitar and playing style fully recognisable, this should definitely be high up on your list of considerations. Decades of Nashville dedication is not misplaced. This is a tried and true workhorse of a drive. Fully accommodating of any player whilst providing that sprinkle of midrange sweetness that makes electric guitars of any type absolutely sing.

Why Bonners?

Here at Bonners Music, you have the opportunity to try one of these great Nobels effects pedals yourself. Just give us a call on 01323 636141 or better still, visit our showroom! If you can't see the Nobels pedal listed that you are after just call 01323 636141 for availability and the best price.