Gallery
Description
Features
Reviews
Q&A

Videos (1)

View Allarrow icon
ODB-3 Bass OverDriveplay button

ODB-3 Bass OverDrive

collapse expand iconDescription

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.
Open Box BOSS ODB-3 Bass OverDrive Pedal Level 1

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • 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

Featured Articles

collapse expand iconReviews

4.53

30 Reviews

0%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

Most Liked Positive Review

4

decent pedal

have owned this product for almost 5 years and have had a love/hate relationship with this pedal. I remember first getting it to recreate dirty punk/metal sounds like so many other people that have written customer reviews. At the time I purchased this I was very enthralled with it and couldn't get enough of using it in it's appropriate setting. But I suppose you can say, people outgrow certain sounds, yeah? The description on this pedal claims that it doesn't take away from the presence of your sound, but as time passed, I realized how empty the distortion sound. Instead of providing a thick foundation at the bottom, I found myself fulfilling more of a second guitar role. Eventually, I felt like my bass didn't sound like a bass at all. Gradually, I wanted to stop doing extremely dirty sounds and go to just a little bit of drive and a boost in tone. All I wanted was thick, full tone that was just a little on the rough side. I found that very hard to do even with the balance and gain controls. MF and Boss also advertise this pedal to be used as a 2 band EQ, but it didn't really help or boost my sound. I do love the features of this pedal though, for such a cheap price I love all the control I get. But what are all the options if you can't really get a good sound out of it either way? I think you would have to have decent equipment to make this pedal sound great but usually if you can afford that, you would be buying a more expensive overdrive unit. If you already have good equipment, this pedal, like many inexpensive pedals, will have a negative effect on your sound. For people with budget equipment, there are better products out there for just a little bit more that are a much better investment seeing as they enhance your sound a lot more. In fact, I don't know why everybody just doesn't save up for the Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI. I have more recently moved onto the Tech 21 Sansamp PSA 1.1 which (for $600) gives me not only all the overdrive/distortion sounds I want at programmable presets, but big FAT tone enhancement that the Boss didn't have. And for those who really want to stay on a budget, the ODB3 is good I guess, but remember that you also have to buy the Adapter for this. It not only has a very short battery life, but also is EXTREMELY NOISY without the adapter.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

3

Great for punkish type music, not much for anything else

I bought this pedal when I was going through the common teenage "punk/metal" phase and I emulated Cliff Burton, Angelripper, and the rest of the thrash metal musicians, but now that I have, as another reviewer said, outgrown that sound, I have very little use for this pedal. Don't get me wrong, this is built very well, and sounds excellent for laying down a Sodom track or combining it with wah and playing Anesthesia, but that's where it ends. Granted, I didn't have an adaptor, so that could have been an issue, but it shouldn't have been a big one. This pedal will give you a rough and muddy sound that makes you feel like Venom's Cronos, but want to put a slight distortion on that Entwistle line, and you're out of luck. Once again, quote me on this, when I wanted that sound, the pedal was exraordinary, although an adaptor would have helped, but the second I needed that dash of edge that distortion would have provided, I was frustrated, so take my word for it, and only buy this pedal if you're going to be shredding instead of grooving.

Reviewed by 30 customers

  • Excellent Pedal

    5

    submitted13 years ago

    byGreg Slease

    fromWashington State

    This pedal gives an excellent amount of distortion, and seemingly limitless options. Its effects range anywhere from slight distortion, to a sound that can only be described as amplified thunder. As a beginning bassist, I find that this pedal gives me exactly the metal type sound that I am looking for. I would highly recommend the ODB-3 OverDrive pedal to anyone looking to play metal.

  • Creates that gritty tone for whatever cause you might find

    5

    submitted13 years ago

    bycarmine leone

    fromEast Meadow, NY

    This is such a versatile OD pedal, it sounds great. I only use this for an added touch during certain verses and bridges, but that added touch is more of an aggressive punch in the face, I love this thing

  • Bass OD

    4

    submitted13 years ago

    byCheddar-Tenoch Villa

    fromNapa, CA.

    I got this pedal a year ago. I really like how it sounds but there is only one problem.It clearly says "Bass Overdrive" on it but I hardly get all of th "bass" I want. But that is the only problem I have with it

  • 2 years later...

    3

    submitted14 years ago

    byMICHAEL MEDEIROS

    fromNJ

    I bought and reviewed this pedal about 2 years back and my opinion has changed a GREAT deal. Over time I realized that this thing doesn't have much versatility (on its own). It either gives you a dry boost, or super distorted/muddy/thin bass tone. There really isn't a middle term with this thing. I later learned that what I wanted wasn't necessarily a distorted tone, but that SVT or tube like tone where you have bite but retain lower end and clarity. I later did some research and discovered the Sansamp Bass Driver/DI. My Boss pedal has been collecting dust ever since. BUT I am considering experimenting with this thing in my new signal chain (bass>tuner>Markbass Compressore>SansampBDDI>amp>mxr eq in effects loop).

  • Great pedal, but not casual bass playing

    4

    submitted14 years ago

    byJoshua Bridgeford

    fromRancho Cucamonga, CA

    This is an awesome pedal. If you're looking for a good metal sounding pedal for your bass, this is it. I've had this pedal for almost a year now and I can't get enough of it. However, anything other than metal playing, it's not right for you. As somebody who has looked up to Steve Harris and Cliff Burton and who aspires to be a "lead bass", this pedal is ideal because it brings out your sound and makes it really heavy and hard hitting. It makes some bass chords I play sound like I can fill the role of a guitar. The only reason i gave this pedal four stars is because as you get lower and lower down the scale, your notes sound really mudded up and isn't really pleasant to hear. But when you play the high notes, it screams and sounds amazing.

  • Awesome pedal

    4

    submitted14 years ago

    byMatthew T. Murray

    fromMayfield Heights, Ohio

    This thing packs a punch. The best thing about this pedal is the fact that it allows you to mold the tone and sound to your liking, without having to sacrifice your low end. Not only is is a great distortion/overdrive, but is also a decent substitute for a fuzz pedal and equalizer pedal as well, letting you play anything from Led Zeppelin and Rush to Black Flag and Rage Against the Machine. Besides that, my major issue and the reason for the four star rating is the fact that if you turn up the balance, gain, or level while having the tone on your bass up too high, you get a screeching "rusty nails on a chalkboard" sounding feedback. Another thing is that if you dial the settings up too high you just get a fuzz overload that kills your sound. To get a extra boost, you can use this pedal with a chorus to get a true monster sound. All in all, this pedal is totally worth the money.

collapse expand iconQ&A

Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.

No results but…

You can be the first to ask a new question.

It may be Answered within 48 hours.