The Chellee Odie Classic Overdrive is an overdrive pedal from Chellee, a modified version of the company's well received Odie Overdrive. Premier Guitar's press release described it as offering classic TS tones and handmade quality at a mass-produced price point, and the reviewer later suggested that the Odie leaps from the same launch pad as the TS family, the circuit lineage behind pedals like the Tube Screamer12. Delicious Audio called it a new take on a classic overdrive design3. If you are weighing TS-style pedals against each other, see the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison, or the broader Overdrive Pedals page for where a pedal like this sits.
Controls and voicing switches
The Odie Classic keeps the familiar three-knob layout of a TS-style overdrive and adds two switches that change its character. Delicious Audio summed up the layout plainly: "The standard 3-knob (drive, tone, level) controls are there"3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive, Tone, Level | Standard 3-knob controls3 |
| Voicing switch | Shifts between clipping diodes3 |
| EQ voicing switch | Lets you select the bottom end shelf3 |
The drive texture settings break down as follows, per Premier Guitar's press release2:
- Silicon diode clipping
- LED clipping
- Clean boost
The EQ voicing switch is where the pedal departs furthest from its ancestors. Premier Guitar's reviewer called it "a bonanza of bonus tones, combining bass settings with heavy drive settings makes almost an"1, and the press release described an EQ voicing shift switch including a fat mode that doesn't get muddy2. Delicious Audio described the same switch as letting you select the bottom end shelf3.
The Odie Classic can also be run at 18V to maximize this attribute, according to Premier Guitar's review1. The review does not name which attribute the higher voltage maximizes, so treat the 18V option as an experiment rather than a documented setting.
The chip and circuit
Premier Guitar's reviewer noted "The Texas Instruments 4558 chip that takes pride of place on the tidy circuit board"1. The 4558 is the dual op-amp associated with the TS family, which matches the reviewer's observation that the Odie leaps from the same launch pad as the TS family1.
Price and what reviewers said
The price has moved over the pedal's life. At its 2015 announcement, Premier Guitar reported it was "currently offered for direct sale for $100.00 through the Chellee Guitars LLC website"2. Premier Guitar's review lists a street price of $1491.
Both publications came away positive. Premier Guitar's reviewer wrote that "Chellee's Odie Classic impresses with its depth, transparency, cultivated aggression, smoothness, protean flexibilit"1. The maker's own description, quoted in the press release, was: "This pedal gives you the feel and compression of a good vintage overdrive with modern clarity and more tone shaping than any handmade overdrive in its price range."2 Delicious Audio's take was similar: it "offers the articulation and compression of the great vintage overdrives with more options to shape the drive than in any" boutique pedal in its price point3.
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Questions
What chip does the Chellee Odie Classic use?
Premier Guitar's reviewer noted the Texas Instruments 4558 chip taking pride of place on the tidy circuit board. The 4558 is the dual op-amp long associated with the TS family of overdrives, which fits the Odie Classic's stated lineage: Premier Guitar suggested the Odie leaps from the same launch pad as the TS family.
What is the difference between the Odie and the Odie Classic?
The Odie Classic is a modified version of the well received Odie Overdrive. Premier Guitar's press release described it as offering classic TS tones and handmade quality at a mass-produced price point, and Delicious Audio framed it as a new take on a classic overdrive design, with voicing and EQ voicing switches added to the standard three-knob layout.
Does the Odie Classic have LED clipping?
Yes. The pedal switches between silicon and LED diode clipping, according to Premier Guitar's review. The press release put it as three drive texture settings: silicon diode clipping, LED clipping, and clean boost, selected with a voicing switch.
How much does the Chellee Odie Classic cost?
Premier Guitar's review lists a street price of $149. At its 2015 launch, Premier Guitar reported it was offered for direct sale at $100.00 through the Chellee Guitars LLC website, so the price has risen since the pedal was introduced.
Sources (3)
- Quick Hit: Chellee Odie Classic Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2016-03-27
- Chellee Guitars Unveils the Odie Classic Overdrive, Premier Guitar, 2015-05-22
- New Pedals: Chellee's Odie Classic Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2015-06-03
