Boss OD-3 vs Nobels ODR-1 Overdrive Pedal Comparison and Review

To my ears, the green one on 18V has more crispness to the front end of the note, but that may just be me hearing what I expect to hear.

You are the king of the OD-3 , thanks for the share these experiences

OD-3 ❤

Just got an ODR-1 today! Sounds sooo good!

I experienced a sense of relaxation and relief every time you switched to the OD-3. Something closeted in the Nobels, at least with this setup. The Nobels seems like it would be very useful for recording to fine tune a sound in the mix

Od3 is a superb pedal, it's a great always on pedal. I use mine on my board, as always on, straight into the desk live, via a few other pedals, of course

Only thing I hear is that the OD3 isn't pushing the front end of the amp as hard as the Nobel's.

Like both, but PREFER the ODR1’s transparency and the spectrum control really gives more versatility.

9 & 18volts may have mattered in the past for some pedals. Yet I think it has become marketing just like 180g vinyl doesn't mean much nowadays.

do you have a Boss od3 and Ts9 comparison?. Josh from jhs said these pedals are of the same breed.

I think ODR-1 18v sound little "deeper" than 9v

My two favourite overdrive pedals. Can’t go wrong with either

Nobels has that lower mid nose(nasal)
Boss has a slight upper mid bump much nicer.

Genius. Best comparison & instructional video for these 2 pedals & guitars & stacking too!

OD3 👏👍

A green pedal will always be a TS9 or a Phaser!

ODR-1 ftw

I have both of them. I love my odr1 but the boss is still awesome.

Boss is thin

dude- you can't review an ODR1 without mentioning the sizeable hump in the low end around 250-300hz. The OD3 is far more flat on it's EQ than the ODR1.

this is a great in depth review. (excellent playing btw) I am a long time user and fan of the OD-3 but have had the Nobels ODR-1 and variants (Visual Sounds, etc.) over the years but the OD-3 is just a great overdrive pedal. I wish i had a dollar for every time I've been at a gig and get compliments for the overdrive tones and a majority of the time the pedals doing the heavy lifting are either and OD-3, BD-2, or SD-1. They all have their place but that OD-3 can just about cover EVERYTHING. It's always a toss up between it and the BD-2. The BD-2 in some ways is a bit ahead because you can actually use it as a "clean" boost whereas the OD-3 will have a little bit of dirt even in the minimum settings on the drive control. Having said that, the OD-3 is a very natural "spongy" type of overdrive that is very easy to get along with in a live setting. Can't bring myself to part with it and I in fact have 3 of them which i use in different rig configurations. Definitely a staple in the toolbox. Something you may want to check out sometime is the MXR Super Badass Overdrive.... the little gold box. It's actually a great OD pedal but dammit I like the Boss form/function for live gigging but that MXR thing is a gem. Don't know how they did it but it has the "juicy thing going" that I also find so appealing in the OD-3. - Cheers!!!

Thanks for explaining the spectrum knob like that! I have both of these pedals, but just left the spectrum knob in the middle because I didn't understand it. I will now try it out with more of a black faced scoop on my clean tones. :)

New to your channel. Loving your videos. Thanks.

Thanks! I did not even know my Nobels had that bass cut switch. I like it better with less bass.

great comparison and the OD3 sounds killer to me. How would it go into a driven "gainy" amp, like an Orange - you know, for a lead tone? Was thinking I could use one in front of the Orange so that, on clean channel, I get a gritty "dirty/clean" sound when i click on the OD3 and, when on the dirt channel, I get a lead boost? Do you reckon it would work for that?

Really helpful. You got great hear and really clear explanations, I can easily follow your impressions. Thanks for the video.

I dont miss the Nobels, I Really have to check the OD-3 again.. 🤓

I'm getting more and more intrigued by the OD3.

👍👍👍

I had the Nobels ODR-1 mini, it was the dullest sounding OD I've ever heard even with the tone full tilt?

ODR 1 , sounds good .singing ....so , next pedals , of great....feels good....

WOW... These sound WAY more similar than I thought they would!

Od 3 is more to my liking

both have FET transistors( luv!), just compared Mad Prof Royal Blue ( after clean Simble) with the BOSS OD-3, with the intention of selling the OD-3, but no: the BOSS OD-3 is very good EQ and all, the Royal Blue s got more definition, but the OD-3 is very very nice( two FET stages), Im selling one of my Nobels just for its versatility( I found myself using it more stratty than darkish jazz...), luv, K😎

The odd has a lot of clean signal in it, odr1 much better here

In front of a clean fender amp like yours the boss OD-3 is excellent of transforming it into a more driven marshall sound..

Nice video. I love my OD-3. I have been lusting after an ODR1 but your video has shown me that they have quite a similar sound... so maybe if it ain't broke I shouldn't fix it!

Great review. I've been using the ODR-1 for a while but didn't know that about the Spectrum control.

The OD-3 with my humbucker-equipped guitars was a revelation. It brought my Octave Fuzz to life!

Nice video. Insightful review.
I used to like the sound of the odr1 but now I think the mid focussed sound of the od3 would be smoother, less annoying and cut better.
How do the pedals feel to play? My intuition is that the odr1 would be a bit more dynamic, fast and responsive whereas the od3 sounds a bit squashed and lifeless to me.

Both good

have two Nobels for darkish jazzy tones, now ordered one BOSS OD-3 for fat stratness...

Good review.

Sometimes it’s not what we here in the monitor or headphones, it’s how it feels and perceived when we’re actually playing it. These two sound similar in this comparison, but my preference is for the Nobels hands down.

These are the only 2 overdrives I own and theyre both excellent.
I'm actually surprised by how similar they sound. I love the Nobels on a tele. I do agree with "Nobels - Single coils & Boss OD3 - Humbuckers".

thanks, i liked this video. i'm actually thinking of getting a nobels to define my too dark humbuckers when they are pushed with only moderate gain. and i'm sure it'll flatter the beautiful p90's sound of my godin kingpin.

I have never tried the Nobels, but I have often heard that they are very similar. I love my OD-3 and use it regularly. I play mostly with acoustic guitarists, and no drummer, so it works great in that situation. I tend to use it so I can get some nice crunch at lower volumes and I don’t need to “cut” through a mix. Even with my lowest wattage amp it can get too loud for living room jams by the time I get to it’s sweet spot.

The OD-3 lets me get to the sweet spot at any volume. I like the fact that it’s OD sounds so tubelike. It can basically augment my amp without changing it’s character too much.

Are u the alien guy in Portsmouth ohio?

I am on OD3 fan and that slight "mid-bump" is so lovely. That said, my favorite combination is my epipihone sheraton + BD2 + fender super champ

For 3 or 4 years I used the ODR with 9 v, but now use with 18v (Ibanez Power supply) increase the headroom and clarity