Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Nordland Electronics 30th Anniversary ODR-C is the Greatest Evolution Yet of the Venerable ODR Circuit
Key Points
Nordland Electronics' 30th Anniversary ODR‑C continues Kai Tachibana’s ODR lineage (he designed the ODR‑1 for Nobels in 1992). The Sparkling White & Gold (Blanco Madreperla) limited 200‑unit run had its first 40 sell out the morning of November 30; Kai is making further batches; contact Kai or Nordland Webstore.
It adds an H/L (High/Low) Gain switch and an Internal Presence switch, retains Drive, Level, Spectrum tone‑stack, ODC (Overdrive De‑Compress), Lo‑Cut and Mids controls; noted for its unique frequency profile.
As of November 30, the price was £249. Kai is a one‑man‑band; for electrical safety or opening/modifying, consult a qualified tech.
In 2020 I featured Kai Tachibana’s then latest progression of his ODR circuit which he very first designed for Nobels back in 1992 as the ODR-1. His upgraded ODR-C model added in 3 further controls over and above the original’s Drive, Level, and unique Spectrum tone-stack.
The ODR-C was a significantly more tweakable pedal where the ODC (Overdrive De-Compress) knob was able to roll off some compression, the Lo-Cut able to tighten the low-end response - and the Mids control for achieving an even better blend of output frequencies. The ODR has always been the Nashville Session Players’ Secret Weapon as its output is quite distinct and specially differentiated from all other overdrives.
In fact I composed my cool ’2 Camels’ infographic to better get across the unique nature of the ODR’s frequency profile - as below
So I'm delighted to announce that we now have a new Sparkling White and Gold (Blanco Madreperla) 30th Anniversary Edition of the ODR-C - as pictured up top and to the right of my own ODR-C.
I'm alas a little late to this news as these initially went on sale on the morning of November 30th - that is to say the first batch of 40 - which according to Kai sold out way quicker than expected. He's currently working on the second batch of units - and I fortunately managed to get to him in time to secure one for me.
This overall limited 200 unit run in different batches features an additional H/L : High / Low Gain Switch for greater granularity of output, and there's also a new additional Internal Presence Switch - which helps you further refine the High Frequency profile of the pedal.
The ODR-C was already a 'Tweaker's Delight' with exceptional Range and Tone-Shaping abilities - while the 30th Anniversary edition has been truly brought to the peak of this circuit's prowess.
Kai is a one-man-band - meaning it takes a while to produce the full 200 unit quantity - which is being split into smaller batches which will go up for sale whenever a reasonable quantity has been assembled. You need to ideally contact Kai direct to check on availability, and / or wait for them to go up on sale on the Nordland Electronics Webstore - you're going to have to keep your eyes peeled! They are priced at €249.
I will likely swap in some gold metallic knobs to make it look even more special for me! I've already picked out the likeliest ones on the Love My Switches site.
Demos
