Overdriveland ODL-1-CS

The Free The Tone Overdriveland ODL-1-CS is a dual overdrive pedal based on the legendary Dumble Overdrive Special amp. After more than 3 years of development, the development of their own components and around 10 prototypes, the ODL-1 is finally available. The difference with 99% of the pedals on the market which are advertised as replicating the legendary sound of these amps? Well it's simple: it's the only pedal that recreates the character and dynamics of "one of the actually made Dumble amps." In this case the ODS. Why this one and not the others? Because Yuki Hayashi has 3 original Dumbles, which other manufacturers don't have!
So what does the gentleman say? Well he says that 99% of the “Dumble” pedals on the market have nothing to do with THE Dumble sound because there is not ONE Dumble sound, but as many sounds as amps made because they were all custom made. And to recreate the sound of one of them, would you still have to have it on hand?

So, to put it simply, the Overdriveland ODL-1-CS, which is manufactured in the brand's Custom Shop, is a little bomb and the only realistic and authentic option available for those looking to make this legendary sound their own. . This, without spending 100,000 euros and without marketing trickery.
Yuki Hayashi's ambition with this pedal? An honest approach: Recreating the “drive” of such an amp within a pedal with all its complexity was impossible. Yuki therefore focused on what was “miniaturizable” by focusing on the dynamics, response, headroom and general “grain” of the OD Special. Fan of Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Mayer? To put the odds on your side, if you are lucky enough to own a Two-Rock amp, it will bring you even closer to the original concept and the desired objective.

Externally, the die-cast and laser-engraved case presents with class and simplicity. The pedal has 2 channels, a normal channel and a drive channel. The normal channel interacts with the controls: Norm. Level, Tone, Gain and the Glass and Jazz/Rock mini-switches. The Drive channel interacts with the controls: Drive Level, Tone, Gain, Drive and Push, as well as the Glass, Jazz/Rock and Hi-Cut mini-switches.
Custom Shop manufacturing requires, the components are handpicked and selected or manufactured only for this model. The PCB is "state of the art" and the pedal will be extremely reliable.

What we immediately notice from the first minute plugged in is the extreme dynamics and articulation enjoyed by the ODL-1 CS. The Normal channel produces the equivalent of a clear channel under stereo. Little gain, but crazy dynamics with a huge attack and controls of a musicality rarely seen. Fan of John Mayer, SRV and others... this is a must, especially with nuanced microphones. The Drive channel allows you to attack Bonamassa styles or muscular Blues-Rock leads.
Let's talk a little about controls. The Push allows you to adjust the input signal by modulating the gain and adding a Loudness effect with bass and "umppff" to the attack. This works in perfect harmony with the power stage which, together, recreates the dynamics and attack of the ODS. With the pedal running on 19V internally, you have a ton of headroom available and a very fast response. All the magic of Overdriveland is there. Dynamics management. You can influence this by decreasing or increasing the desired voltage.
The EQ section is extremely effective. The Tone can be used throughout the race and the mini-switches are real game-changers. You have maximum versatility and total control over the effect that you can sculpt to measure.
Engage the Drive switch and the ODL-1 CS propels you to another level of gain and "massiveness". The additional gain stage attacks the Normal channel and allows it to be pushed into these corners. The grain is dense, massive, the headroom is available in abundance. It's definitely impressive to see a pedal sound like a real (quality) amp channel. If you have a pretty bright guitar, when playing with this much headroom you might want a little less stiffness and dynamics, which is where the Hi-Cut and Jazz mode come in. They allow you to soften the pedal and obtain a more “spongy” dynamic.
The icing on the cake is that the Overdriveland is equipped with the HTS system, the brand's ultra-transparent buffer.

The Free The Tone Overdriveland ODL-1-CS is impressive. Really. If you have a very high quality amp to support it, it could well make your jaw drop. Forget ordinary drives, the ODL-1 CS is clearly in another league. An exceptional pedal, as very few can claim.