Keeley Electronics has remixed two classic overdrive pedal circuits, housing them in the same enclosure and giving players the ability to create hybrid sounds from both with the launch of the much anticipated Noble Screamer Overdrive and Boost.
Teasers on social media pointed to something big coming from Robert Keeley. The green was a clue, and the name of this pedal, Noble Screamer, should give guitar players an idea of what it can do for their electric guitar tone.
One side is inspired by the now legendary Nobels ODR-1 Natural Overdrive, the other by a Tube Screamer circuit, and Keeley Electronics describes it as a four-in-one pedal.
It really is a simple design and yet it presents us with a lot of flexibility, featuring dials for Tone, Level and Drive, and toggles for getting creative. Underneath Tone and Drive controls, the individual toggle switches change how both controls behave.
Switch the toggle underneath the Tone control to OD and it activates a broad spectrum tone control mode, that can take you from a flat EQ at one extreme to a boosted bass and treble EQ at the other.
In the TS mode, you have a narrow focus filter control that makes the tone dial behave as a low pass filter, rolling off high frequencies as you turn it up.
Under the Drive control, select OD mode for hard-clipping, all bite and aggression and a little bit gnarly, or select TS for a smoother drive – the friendly sound of a tube amp getting all warm and happy drunk with your tone. The pedal will take 9V to 18V from a pedalboard power supply.
The Noble Screamer also sees the debut of a new aluminium enclosure design from Keeley Electronics, which was designed and made in the USA and not only looks super tough and ready for the road, it features switchable bypass.
Simply hold down the footswitch for two seconds to alternate between true bypass and buffered, with an all-improved buffer design guaranteeing silent switching for your rig. The LED will flash twice to let you know you have activated true bypass, and three times for buffered bypass.
Jacks are mounted on the top of the pedal, and that pedal, it has to be said, looks very cool with green knobs on textured black painted metal. Very nice indeed. And you can add this thing to your pedalboard right now, with the Noble Screamer Overdrive and Boost priced $199.
For more details, swing over to Keeley Electronics.
