A single-knob OD that ranges from pretty clean to pretty mean.
Cheap, easy, and offers a wide range of drive.
Limited by nature.
$109
October Audio NVMBR Gain
octoberaudio.com
Usually when I get the finger, itās nowhere near as much fun as October Audioās NVMBR Gain. With just one dial and a graphic of a witchās severed digit on top, the NVMBR Gain does a lot.
Snap it on with the knob all the way left, and it works as a 5 dB line boostāgood to keep your amp or downstream effects sounding louder but clear. Turn it toward noon, and the output slowly increases. The company says the left side of the dial is a clean boost, but to my ears thereās subtle compression and a mid-forward attitude that TS fans should dig as much as I did. At 12 oāclockāwhere the pedalās character really starts to changeāI got hair and airy sparkle that, with my PRS SE Silver Skyās single-coils, sounded like Hughie Thomassonās opening riffs in the Outlaws classic āGreen Grass and High Tides.ā
The right side is this little monsterās other, nastier head. From noon to floored, it unleashes a soft-clipping-style overdrive that goes from perfect for gritty controlled blues to gnashing. If Sydās āInterstellar Overdriveā tone is your thing, all the way right is where youāll find it. But after, say, 3 oāclock the clipping accelerates exponentially, so abandon hope of much subtlety if you venture there. I could easily see this mere 3.63" x 1.5" x 1.88" stomp replacing another drive or two, to free up pedalboard space. And at $109, it offers a lot of functionality at a bargain tag.
Designed to serve as a 4-in-1 pedal that gives you two very familiar drive circuits and two brand new amp-like distortion tones.
Tone Control
Broad Spectrum Tone Control or Narrow Focus Filter Control: The Noble Screamer gives you two tone control circuits to choose from. When the Tone Switch is up and in the OD Position you will hear a 'Spectrum' type of tone control that has the ability to go from a flat EQ to an EQ that has a boost in the treble and bass response. If the Tone Switch is in the TS Position you have a Low Pass Filter that rolls off the high frequencies only.
Diode Clipping
Hard or Soft Clipping: The Noble Screamer gives you both styles of diode clipping. Diodes are used to create hard clipping distortions or smooth overdrive sounds. If the Clipping Switch is in the OD Position it features Hard Diode Clipping which is an edgier, more aggressive tone. When the Clipping Switch is in the TS Position that uses Soft Diode Clipping, like a tube amplifier softly overdriven.
Noble Screamer Has Both Buffered and True Bypass
The Keeley Noble Screamer features our Vitamin K Infused Buffer for noise free switching. We have developed an amazing sounding buffer which not only makes your rig sound better, it gives you silent switching with no tone loss. No more pops and clicks to distract from your music. If you want to turn that feature off and go back to true bypass, simply press and hold down the foot switch for two seconds and the pedal will switch to True-Bypass (LED will flash twice). True Bypass is great for players that want the effect of plugging directly into their amp when the pedal is off. Alternatively, players that want a strong and clear signal even when the Noble Screamer is turned off, simply hold the stomp switch down for two seconds and the effect is back to Buffered Bypass (LED flashes three times). Enjoy truly silent switching and let your music be the only voice.
More info: https://robertkeeley.com.
The Luxury Drive adjusts the gain of a single transistor to deliver a punchy and clear sound.
Mythos Pedals has collaborated with Tim Jauernig to bring back the classic Luxury Drive Boost pedal. Hitting a clean amp, driving pedals, or pushing an already driven amp with the approximate 14dB of output is designed to get your tone right in the sweet spot.
āTim Jauernig, the original designer, is well known for his signature pedals designed for Greg Koch, Jeff Kollman, and more. TC Jauernig's pedals were always straightforward and no-nonsense and that vision definitely align with Zachās idea for Mythos. Tim has taken a step back from building and Mythos is honored to keep his name and products alive in the minds and boards of players the world over.
Mythos Pedals Luxury Drive Boost Pedal
The Mythos Pedals Luxury Drive comes in a 125B enclosure with Top Mount jacks, and just like many of Timās designs, the baseplate is left raw aluminum for an old-school boutique feel. The Luxury Drive features a single true bypass switch and solitary level control, it doesnāt get any simpler than that. They will be available on March 8th, 2023 for $139 at Mythos Pedals dealers. We hope that this is the first of many collaborations with Tim Jauernig.
For more information, please visit mythospedals.com.