Boss ODB-3 Bass OverDrive
The Boss ODB-3 Bass OverDrive Pedal is tailored to meet the demands of today's bassist with a wide variation of sharply contoured sounds. You can go from a mild overdrive to a hard distortion. The Boss ODB-3 covers the entire spectrum, including 5... read more
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Trusted musician and artist reviews for Boss ODB-3 Bass OverDrive
Based on 26 Reviews
Basic but effective OD
This definitely isn't the best OD pedal you'll ever play if you ever get the chance to try some high-end gear, but that's the situation with most Boss products. The ODB-3 was my first bass pedal, got it along with a Dolby Fuzz when I was younger and obsessed with trying to sound like Muse or Cliff Burton. I still use it.
The ODB-3 isn't without issues. For a start, it's hardly that functional. This thing is designed more to be used on its own or with a small collection of other pedals than alongside a whole array of weird effects. The balance never gets a perfect sound out, and you have to rely on the EQ mixing to get the right tone. However, this thing is perfect for the affordable price. The sound is great, the overdrive itself will blow the roof off, and I think most importantly: it's simple. This is a perfect pedal to start on, and then move on to some more intense, complicated stompers. It's not the best OD pedal you'll play, but it'll be a great tool to start on, and that's what it's there for.

BOSS ODB-3
In particular, the use and sounding can be noted as the convenience of mixing an overloaded bass signal with a clean, unprocessed instrument signal for greater clarity and a more emphasized sound attack. Easy-to-use dual-band equalizer for high and low frequencies. You can note the convenient operation of the Balance knob for the convenience of controlling dry / overdrive bass sound. BOSS ODB-3 undoubtedly provides the very resonance necessary for bass guitarists playing in the styles of Techno, Rock, Funk, Industrial. The effect has been specially designed for use with bass guitars.

edited over 2 years ago
meh
this is a classic pedal, a big part of Flea's sound. I acquired one when I was playing bass occasionally in a friend's industrial band. I put it out front of an old peavey bass amp but was never in love with it for bass. Later I witched over to an ampeg B25 and a fender bassman50 for amplification and just ran them so loud they were a little dirty and used a big muff for fuzz... in another friend's band I filled in on bass and was using the ampeg/fender setup a lot but wanted more hair at a lower level (this friend is a volume wimp who is always trying to get his stage volume down to a whisper) so I brought the boss back out and that was the sound of that band's low end, but I was never in love with it. It always sounds like a repurpoused or rather a re-tooled guitar pedal and doesn't touch a tube bass amp being hit hard. its particularly sterile through solid state bass rigs. There are a million sounds in this box from the 4 knobs, but none of them sound the way I want a bass to overdrive. That said, I've never found a pedal for low gain bass sounds I like better.... although since I am not primarily a bassist I stay in the cheap seats. One thing that's great about this pedal is the balance knob for clean blend, it helps with the preservation of low end for ass and also with disguising the for want of a better word, 'fake' OD sound. The stacked bass and treble controls, while clearly designed to be bass friendly, seem to work better for guitar with this circuit. When this came out treble and bass controls on any pedal not specifically aimed at metalheads were a novelty so I give it some points for that. I used this pedal a lot when recording guitars at home for synthetic sounding OD/Distortion that could reall be tuned in to hit the front end of my guitar amps a certain way. I got rid of this ages ago though, I just stopped having any use for it and couldn't justify keeping it...

Standard bass overdrive used in merge effect loops with clean sound

Not my thing...
If there is one thing that cannot be reproach to Boss ODB-3 it is the range of possible settings with 4 knobs: level, 2 in 1 EQ (low/high with cut/boost), balance (dry sound/OD) and gain. There is the problem: there is so many possibilities that playing with the effect is a little bit like trying to find your keys in your bedroom with all the lights turn off... More, all the sounds I could get are synthetic, sounding cold. Too artificial for me. But it is really a question of taste. Coupled with the BF-2, it could give some interesting spatial, distorted, futurist touch. Also, I had some difficulties to adjust the volume. When the pedal is engaged, it is either it boosts A LOT your output level (and you give a heart attack to the other band members) or it is not enough. I couldn't find the proper setting. I probably didn't have the patience to seek for the proper volume.

overdrive in general, but particularly bass overdrive? its particularly finicky regarding unity output gain vs apparent volume due to the way our ear actually hears. Don't ever look at the knobs, just trust your ears when setting the output for your needs. Also? make sure to check the level from the center of the room as well as where you stand on stage if you are not dong so already.

Thanks for the advice. Actually I went for getting two pedal: an overdrive with the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI and a fuzz pedal with the Stomp Under Foot Green Russian. I have less difficulties to get what I want. Also, I love the tonality possibilities offered by the two pedals. But again, matter of personal taste.

I had a very early stomp underfoot pedal. He is a great guy. It was a one-off made to order, that's how long ago I bought it. If you need mods for your Green Muff clone to suit you just email him. If you send it back he will revoice it for a very minimal fee. I think his name's Matt, right? Its been a decade since we did business, but he was one of the most affable small builders I have ever worked with. The Russian muffs (civil war, green and early black) are all just fabulous for bass guitar. I have owned quite a few originals back when they were common and the USA muffs were worth more in the 90s. I liked them more for bass in he 2000s then I did for guitar. In the end, even the highly modified skreddy mayo or the unobtainium triangle and rams head 70s muffs just don't knock my socks off as a guitarist. The differences are subtle. In the mix they all sound the same... but on bass? the Russian muffs, especially the green one and the 1st gen black one are distinctly better at handling the lower fundamentals produced by a bass guitar.

Solid tone.
Bought because King Buzzo uses one and I like his tone. Definitely more satisfied with this than all the other ODs and Distortions I've bought.

Nice One
Very basic overdrive but it delivers what it promises and pedal that works, just works! I use it rather more like a boost than a overdrive itself. A downside is that I can't make it work nicely with my Big Muff they sort of cancel each other!

Excelente
Estoy super conforme con este pedal me da el drive con distorsion que siempre quise muy Les y Flea,
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Description
The Boss ODB-3 Bass OverDrive Pedal is tailored to meet the demands of today's bassist with a wide variation of sharply contoured sounds. You can go from a mild overdrive to a hard distortion. The Boss ODB-3 covers the entire spectrum, including 5-string basses, so there's no muddiness, even on the lowest notes. Boss provides a balance control so you can mix the effect with the bass signal to keep the power and presence of the original sound. The ODB-3 Bass OverDrive Pedal can also be used as a 2-band EQ.
Specifications
- Get mild overdrive to hard distortion
- Works for four- and five-string basses
- Balance control lets you mix signals
- Can be used as a two-band EQ
edited over 1 year ago
Very useful for bands with only 1 guitarist
I noticed this pedal watching a rig rundown of Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea. He uses it most noticeably on the bass intro to Around The World.
When I decided to switch from multi-effects to stomp-boxes I knew that I needed both an overdrive and a separate E.Q. pedal so I didn't lose bottom end when I turn the overdrive on but this has saved a space on my board because I features a very effective 2 band E.Q.
This pedal is handy for thickening out the overall sound when our guitarist goes into a solo and I have to take over to fill things out. It takes a bit of fiddling to get it just right though.