The iStingor OD-1 Super OverDrive is an overdrive pedal from China's iStingor FX. It is a China-made pedal that Americans can get for $79 via Amazon.com. Where the original Boss OD-1 kept its controls to a minimum, this one gives the player a full control set: Treble, Middle, Bass, Level and Gain knobs, plus a Voicing switch with Turbo (louder, punchier, wirier) and Normal (more subtle) settings12.
It is a China-made pedal that Americans can get for $79 via Amazon.com. The reviewer bought his own unit in the UK and paid around £150 for it1.
MOSFET clipping with a crunchier bite
The heart of the pedal is its MOSFET clipping stage. This OD-1 has quite a distinct profile, with that slightly crunchier MOSFET clipping and a distinct bite to its output1.
That character is what separates it most from the Boss original it resembles. The Boss OD-1 used an asymmetrical clipping circuit designed to reproduce the pleasing sound of a driven tube amp, with warm, fat tones rich in even-order harmonics, and Boss says that pedal effectively invented the overdrive category in stompbox effects345. The iStingor takes a different route: its clipping comes from MOSFET transistors, giving it a slightly crunchier character with a distinct bite to its output.
In use, that MOSFET clipping gives the pedal a character of its own: quite a distinct profile with a slightly crunchier feel and a distinct bite to the output, rather than the Boss unit's tube-amp-style warmth154.
Controls and voicing
The control set is fuller than the three-knob Boss original. The iStingor OD-1 gives you1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Treble | EQ knob for shaping the output profile |
| Middle | Sets the midrange |
| Bass | Sets the low end |
| Level | Sets the output volume |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive |
| Voicing switch | Turbo (louder, punchier, wirier) or Normal (more subtle) |
The voicing switch is the headline feature of the control set. Turbo is the louder, punchier, wirier setting, with Normal the more subtle option, alongside the Treble, Middle, Bass, Level and Gain knobs1.
How it relates to the Boss OD-1
The Boss OD-1 OverDrive was produced from 1977 to 1985 and is now discontinued6. It went through two versions: the original 1977 "quad version" built around a 14-pin RC3403 op-amp, and a later "dual version" after Boss replaced that chip with dual op-amps such as the JRC4558DD6. Aion FX notes it as a precursor to the Tube Screamer7, and Premier Guitar's history of that pedal records that Boss already held a patent on solid-state asymmetrical clipping when the OD-1 arrived8.
Against that lineage, the iStingor OD-1 is a lookalike rather than a clone. Karlsson was direct about it21:
"the core timbre and character is markedly different, and it's not a substitute for an OD-1, OD-2, or SD-11."
Guitar Pedal X
Players shopping the OD-1 name should also know it appears on more than one modern pedal: the Drunk Beaver OD-1, for example, is a compact, budget-friendly recreation of the Polish Exar OD-1 rather than anything from iStingor or Boss9. Same name, three different circuits.
Where it is made and what it costs
iStingor FX is a Chinese maker, and the OD-1 Super OverDrive is made in China. US buyers can get it for $79 via Amazon.com; the reviewer paid around £150 for his UK unit1.
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Questions
Is the iStingor OD-1 a copy of the Boss OD-1?
No. It shares the OD-1 name, a similar yellow enclosure and a Boss-style top-loading battery compartment, but Guitar Pedal X's reviewer found it is an entirely different circuit built around MOSFET transistors. He described the core timbre and character as markedly different, and not a substitute for a Boss OD-1, OD-2 or SD-1.
What does Turbo mode do on the iStingor OD-1?
Turbo is one side of a Normal/Turbo voicing switch. The reviewer described Turbo as louder, punchier and wirier, while Normal is more subtle. He found the pedal particularly impressive in Turbo mode, calling it a versatile overdrive distinct from the Boss OverDrives its naming and color evoke.
Where is the iStingor OD-1 Super OverDrive made?
It is made in China by iStingor FX, and US buyers can get it for $79 via Amazon.com. The reviewer, who bought his own unit in the UK, paid around £150 for it.
Does the iStingor OD-1 take a battery?
Yes. The enclosure has a silver screw that opens a top-loading battery compartment, in the Boss style. The pedal also ships in packaging with a clear plastic window on the box and includes a matching patch cable.
Sources (9)
- Guitar Pedal X - GPX Blog - China's iStingor FX delivers the intriguingly monikered OD-1 Super OverDrive which looks very Boss-adjacent, but is actually quite a different circuit!, Guitar Pedal X
- Guitar Pedal X - GPX Blog - iStingor's Metal Shredder MS-1 is a killer Super High Gain Distortion, Tight and Modern-leaning with Superb Low Noise Floor and Extensive Range, Guitar Pedal X
- BOSS - PX-1 | Plugout FX, BOSS (boss.info)
- BOSS - PX-1 | Plugout FX, BOSS (www.boss.info)
- BOSS - PX-1 | Plugout FX, BOSS (boss.info)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- Parhelion Vintage Overdrive / BOSS® OD-1 Overdrive, Aion FX, 2021-03-19
- Green Giant: History of the Tube Screamer, Premier Guitar (www.premierguitar.com), 2011-10-18
- OD-1 by Drunk Beaver, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
