Nobels is a German effects pedal company founded in 1985 by Bernhard Kurzke in Hamburg. Kurzke had been running music retail and distribution businesses since the late 1970s, and partnered with electronics technician Kai Tachibana to develop the brand's first products. The company's debut offering was the Sound Studio 1 portable headphone amp, followed by the SST-19 PROG, an early programmable multi-effects processor for guitar. Nobels' guiding philosophy, summed up in Kurzke's motto — "No fashion, just straight, high standards with that little extra for the musician" — has shaped the brand's no-frills, player-focused approach from the beginning.

The pedal that put Nobels on the map is the ODR-1 Natural Overdrive, designed by Tachibana and released in 1993. Inspired by the smooth, dynamic breakup of a mid-1960s Fender Bassman, the ODR-1 was designed to deliver tube-like overdrive that preserved the natural character of the guitar. Though initial reception in Germany was lukewarm, the pedal found a devoted following among Nashville session musicians and studio players, eventually achieving cult status worldwide. The ODR-1's circuit has been widely cloned and imitated, and the pedal has appeared on the boards of players like Guthrie Trapp, Tom Bukovac, and Tim Pierce.

Beyond the ODR-1, Nobels offers a growing line of compact pedals including the ODR-1X (an updated overdrive with external bass cut control and switchable bypass), the ODR-mini2, the DEL-mini delay, the CHO-mini chorus, and the MOD-mini modulation pedal. The company also produces the Mounty-P, a metal mounting plate system designed as an alternative to velcro for pedalboard setups.

Nobels has 26 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Overdrive Effects Pedals, Delay Effects Pedals, and Tremolo Effects Pedals. Their gear is featured by 38 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock, Pop, and Blues. Notable users include Tim Pierce, Peter Honoré, and Guthrie Trapp. Most Nobels products fall in the mid-tier range — professional-grade without flagship pricing.