Nobels ODR-1 Natural Overdrive Pedal

zZounds Gear Experts Say...

Some call it Nashville's favorite overdrive! The Nobels ODR-1 overdrive pedal has driven incredible tones from country to rock, and everything in between.

Overview

Over the decades, key artists such as Jerry Donahue, Guthrie Trapp, Carl Verheyen, John Shanks, Tim Pierce, Robbie McIntosh, Clem Clempson, Micky Moody and countless other amazing players have made the Nobels ODR-1 Natural Overdrive part of their sonic arsenal. While all single coil guitarists as well as most humbucker users and even bassists love the clarity and versatility of the full sound of the ODR-1 some heavy humbucker players asked for the chance to reduce the sub-bass end.

Under the Hood:

The ODR-1(bc) offers a bass-cut switch under the battery cover to preset original ODR-1 sound or to preset slightly reduced sub-bass.
Operation now is possible from 9V - 18V DC for more headroom, if you want it. The pointers on the knobs now are GitD Glow-in-the-Dark.

The ODR-1 has proved to be a favourite with pros, especially session players, as it works so effectively with guitars' volume controls for on-the-fly tonal changes in songs. The pedal's wide range is controlled by a SPECTRUM control tone pot. Turning the knob clockwise increases the bass and treble at the same time. Midrange stays untouched in either direction to offer transparency with a pinch of warmth.

Features:

- Analog Natural Overdrive Pedal
- Bass Cut feature - helps to tame the low end
- Accepts 18 V power - allows for additional headroom
- Glow-in-the-Dark Knobs
- Remote input jack - allows the pedal to be switched on/ off remotely (tempoary)
- Controls: Drive, SPECTRUM and Level
- Buffered Bypass
-… read more Solid metal housing
- Low current consumption
- Overhead battery compartment - allows for quick battery changes
- Includes 4x Mounty-P Mounting Plates preinstalled
- Powered by 9 -18 V DC PSU (not included) or PP3 9V Battery (9 V DC, centre -, 2.1 mm, ~25 mA current draw)

Specs

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging
Base Item: Shipping Weight: 1.25 lbs; Shipping Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 3 in; Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): ODR-1(bc)

Things To Know

Nobels ODR-1 Natural Overdrive Pedal

Updated May 28, 2025 14:07 by Pat Betzold

Hey, how's it going? This is Patrick with zZounds, and I'm here with the Nobles ODR One. Some things to know about this pedal: this is a reissue of a classic overdrive from the '90s that, you know, was used by a lot of session players in particular, especially guys down in Nashville. This is a kind of natural, transparent, you know, tube-like overdrive, similar to a Tube Screamer but not exactly the same. Just kind of another option in that vein. Stacks really well with other pedals, works really well with a variety of amps and a variety of guitars. It's got, as you can see, a simple control layout. We've got Drive, Spectrum, and Level—pretty basic. The Spectrum knob, from a tone standpoint, instead of being just kind of like a top-end cut, actually, as you turn this knob up, you're increasing both the treble and the bass output, but the mids stay the same. So, you know, I guess hence the name "Spectrum." When it's all the way down, you're going to get a really kind of narrow-focused sound. As you increase it, you're going to be kind of pushing both the top end and the low end. It's a really great pedal for just a variety of sounds. Like I said, stacking works really well with it. And there is a little secret feature here. If you open up the battery compartment, you can see in there—I’ll try and get that—you can see there's a little switch in there, and that little interior switch, you could flip it up or down. That just is an additional bass response switch. So, this… read more is based on a pedal from the '90s. The original one didn't have a ton of low-end response, so if you want to kind of alter it a little bit and add it in, you can do that. It has, you know, input and output, but then also right here it has a remote switch, so you can also control this from another switch. So I guess this is, you know, if you imagine having this in the back of your kind of pro setup with a bunch of rack gear while you're touring, you know, you could just have it back there and then control it with a remote switch. Just again, another thing that goes to show this is like a kind of a pro, you know, played overdrive that was used widely by a lot of session players that needed, you know, a good workhorse overdrive. Another tip here is this is a 9V, 9VDC pedal, but you can run it in 18 volts as well, and that's going to let you just get more headroom, so go ahead and try that out as you get this. Again, highly recommend it—a very good all-around, you know, natural-sounding overdrive. This is the Nobles ODR One. Check it out, it sounds great. Thanks for watching.