The Korg Nu:Tekt OD-S is a build-it-yourself overdrive pedal kit, announced by Korg's Nu:Tekt sub-brand at NAMM in January 202012. It is a solderless pedal kit: the parts pop together with the tools supplied in the box, and Korg promised a 45-minute build34. What sets it apart from most DIY pedal kits is the circuit itself, which is built around Korg's Nutube 6P1, a fully analog triode vacuum tube in miniature form5.
A solderless tube overdrive kit
The OD-S arrived as the guitar-facing member of a Nu:Tekt range that already included the NTS-1, an easy-to-build synth6. Where most pedal kits assume some soldering skill, the OD-S was designed so anyone can assemble it: no iron, no prior electronics knowledge, everything needed in the box3.
The payoff for a player is the sound circuit. Delicious Audio described the kit as delivering "a warm sound and rich harmonic response that will delight all guitarists," and credited that character to the Nutube mini vacuum tube at its heart3. MusicRadar's review went further, attributing "much of its dynamic and harmonically rich response" to the Nutube 6P1 analog triode vacuum tube in the circuit5.
On the control side, the pedal gives you a choice between two different types of overdrive when building it, along with Volume and Tone knobs and a true-bypass option2.
| Control or option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Two overdrive modes | Choose between two different types of overdrive during the build2 |
| Volume | Sets output level |
| Tone | Shapes the frequency balance |
| True bypass | Optional bypass configuration2 |
Building it
Assembly is the whole point of the OD-S, and Korg kept it deliberately simple. MusicRadar's review summed up the experience in its plus column: "Easy to assemble, and fun!"5
"All in, the assembly will take you 45 minutes and you won't need to take the soldering iron out of the toolbox."
That 45-minute figure matches what Guitar World reported as the kit's promised build time when Korg revisited the Nu:Tekt line in 20234. The steps are straightforward:
- Unbox the kit; all necessary tools are included3.
- Pop the parts together, no soldering at any stage3.
- Choose your overdrive type as you build2.
- Play through it roughly 45 minutes after starting45.
Because nothing needs soldering, Delicious Audio called the kit "ideal for teaching kids how to build a simple circuit," while noting the flip side: more advanced DIY hobbyists might find it less challenging3. For a beginner building a first pedal, that simplicity is the appeal; for an experienced builder, it is a limitation worth knowing before buying.
Where it came from: Nutube and NAMM
The OD-S was shown at NAMM 2020 as part of a series of Nu:Tekt kits Korg presented at the show3. It was the first Nu:Tekt offering aimed at guitarists, following the NTS-1 synth in the same range6.
The technology inside it has a longer history. The Nutube is Korg's own invention, a patent-pending miniature vacuum tube that the company says operates exactly as a triode vacuum valve does89. Korg's Japanese product page for the OD-S BK, a Nutube-equipped version of the pedal, notes that the Nutube can run on battery power and delivers realistic vacuum tube sound7.
The OD-S is one of a family of Nu:Tekt kits built around Korg's Nutube, which the company says operates exactly as a triode vacuum valve9. The Nutube 6P1 analog triode vacuum tube sits in the OD-S's circuit5, and Korg describes the kit as delivering a warm sound and rich harmonic response53. Korg's other Nu:Tekt kits, the HD-S Harmonic Distortion and the TR-S, are likewise based on the Nutube910.
Korg later extended the Nu:Tekt pedal line with the TR-S Power Tube Reactor and HD-S Harmonic Distortion kits in 2023, both Nutube-based, both solderless with tools included, carrying the same build philosophy as the OD-S89. The Korg TR-S in particular was described as offering amp-like sag and power-amp-like compression8.
At its January 2020 announcement, pricing and availability for the OD-S kit were still to be confirmed1.
How reviewers saw it
MusicRadar reviewed the assembled kit in May 2020 and found the build itself the strongest part: easy, fun, and genuinely solder-free5. Its verdict on the circuit pointed to the Nutube 6P1 as the source of the pedal's dynamic and harmonically rich response5. Delicious Audio's take at launch was similarly positive about the sound, calling it warm with a rich harmonic response, while being candid that experienced DIY builders would want more of a challenge3.
Videos
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Noisegate
Questions
Do you need to solder the Korg Nu:Tekt OD-S kit?
No. The OD-S is a solderless kit, and all the tools you need to put it together come in the box. Parts pop or fasten into place, so you never have to pick up a soldering iron. The same no-solder, tools-included approach carries across Korg's later Nu:Tekt kits such as the HD-S and TR-S.
How long does the Nu:Tekt OD-S take to build?
Korg promised a speedy 45-minute build time, and MusicRadar's review of the assembled kit backs that up: all in, assembly takes about 45 minutes with no soldering involved. That makes it a realistic single-evening project rather than a weekend build.
Is the Nu:Tekt OD-S analog?
Yes. The circuit is built around Korg's Nutube 6P1, a fully analog triode vacuum tube in miniature form. MusicRadar's reviewer credited much of the pedal's dynamic, harmonically rich response to that tube, and Korg's own product page for the OD-S BK promotes its realistic vacuum tube sound.
Is the Nu:Tekt OD-S a good kit for kids?
Delicious Audio called it ideal for teaching kids how to build a simple circuit, since no soldering is required and everything needed comes in the box. The trade-off is that more advanced DIY hobbyists may find it less challenging, as the assembly is deliberately simple.
What is a Nutube?
A Nutube is Korg's miniature vacuum tube technology, which the company says operates exactly as a triode vacuum valve does, just in a far smaller package. Korg describes it as patent-pending, and it can even run on battery power. It first reached guitar pedals in the Ibanez Nu Tube Screamer of 2018.
Sources (10)
- NAMM 2020: Try your hands at building a pedal with Korg’s OD-S Overdrive kit, guitar.com, 2020-01-13
- NAMM 2020: Korg Nu:Tekt OD-S, build your own drive without soldering, gearnews.com, 2020-01-10
- New For NAMM 2020: Korg Nu:Tekt OD-S Kit, Delicious Audio, 2020-01-31
- Korg introduces two new build-it-yourself Nutube-driven Nu:Tekt pedals, Guitar World, 2023-01-26
- Korg Nu:Tekt OD-S Overdrive Kit review, MusicRadar, 2020-05-01
- NAMM 2020: With Korg's Nu:Tekt OD-S kit, anyone can build their own overdrive pedal, MusicRadar, 2020-01-10
- OD-S-BK - NUTUBE OVERDRIVE | KORG (Japan), KORG
- Korg Nu:Tekt HD-S and Nu:Tekt TR-S: DIY pedals?, gearnews.com, 2023-01-26
- Korg Nu:Tekt TR-S Power Tube Reactor and HD-S Harmonic Distortion review, Guitar World, 2023-07-20
- Ibanez Announces The NTS Nu Tube Screamer, Delicious Audio, 2018-01-02
