The One Control SUPER APRICOT OD is an amplifier-in-a-box (AIAB) overdrive pedal designed to capture the tone of mid 60s Supro tube amps1. It is a Bjorn Juhl design, made by the Japanese switcher and effects company One Control as part of its BJF series, and it was introduced in 2018 alongside the Baby Blue OD2. Where a conventional overdrive shapes whatever amp you are already playing through, an amp-in-a-box pedal aims to reproduce the character of a specific amplifier, in this case the rustic, raw, gnarly tones One Control associates with a classic Supro tube amp1.
The pedal is currently listed as sold out on One Control's own product page, at a regular price of $144.99 USD1.
A Supro-style amp in a box
One Control describes the SUPER APRICOT OD as an AIAB pedal "designed to capture the tone of mid 60's Supro tube amps"1. For a player, that framing matters: rather than stacking gain onto your existing amp's voice, the pedal is meant to layer a different amplifier's character on top of it. Premier Guitar called it "the newest of Björn's 'Amp-in-a-Box' circuits" when One Control introduced it in May 20182.
The maker's own description of the target sound is specific:
"SUPER APRICOT OD is designed to produce the rustic, raw, gnarly tones of a classic Supro tube amp, with surprising amount of dynamic control."
That pairing of raw amp character with dynamic control is the pedal's stated selling point, and it carries through to how the single control behaves132.
The Drive control and dynamics
The SUPER APRICOT OD has one control, DRIVE, which sets the gain1. The rest of the tonal shaping is meant to happen with your hands and your guitar:
- Roll back the guitar's volume control or pick more lightly to clean up the tone1
- Increase the DRIVE control and pick strongly to push the tone into strong distortion1
- Combine it with other pedals freely; One Control says even putting a buffer in front does not affect the sound1
Both Premier Guitar and Delicious Audio repeated this behavior in their launch coverage, each noting that gain is easily controlled via the drive control and that the guitar's volume control and picking intensity can be used to clean up the tone23. For a player who rides the volume knob, that cleanup behavior is the core of the pedal: one knob on the floor, and the expressive control lives on the guitar itself.
The buffer point is worth noting for pedalboard planning. Some vintage-inspired circuits change character depending on what feeds them, but One Control states a buffer in front does not affect the sound, so the SUPER APRICOT OD can sit before or after a buffer pedal or any other effect without the maker expecting a change in tone1.
How it differs from the Honey Bee OD
Bjorn Juhl also designed the Honey Bee OD, another One Control pedal inspired by the same family of amps, and the two are natural points of comparison. The maker is direct about the relationship123:
"Though they share a point of inspiration, the circuits are entirely unique. SUPER APRICOT OD is designed as an 'Amp in a Box' while Honey Bee OD is a true overdrive effect."
In other words, the Honey Bee OD is a conventional overdrive that shapes your signal, while the SUPER APRICOT OD aims to reproduce an amplifier's character. Delicious Audio quoted the same distinction, describing the Super Apricot as "more of a 'slightly after' amp sound than Honey Bee OD," with a tone that is saturated without feeling overly compressed3. Premier Guitar's launch coverage likewise noted that the two circuits are entirely unique despite the shared inspiration2.
History: a Bjorn Juhl design
The SUPER APRICOT OD was introduced in late April and early May 2018, when One Control, in collaboration with pedal designer Bjorn Juhl, launched it alongside the Baby Blue OD as additions to the BJF collection23. Delicious Audio noted at the time that the Honey Bee OD was already another of Juhl's well-known circuits3.
Juhl's name carries weight here because his designs for One Control form a large family of fruit- and color-named overdrives, including the Honey Bee OD and its variants. The SUPER APRICOT OD sits in that lineup as the amp-in-a-box option among them312.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Input impedance | 280 K1 |
| Output impedance | 10K1 |
| Drive voltage | 9 V1 |
| Current draw | 2.5 mA1 |
| S/N ratio | -87 dB1 |
| Size (not including knobs) | 39 W x 100 D x 31 H mm1 |
| Size (including knobs) | 47 W x 100 D x 48 H mm1 |
| Weight | Approximately 160 g1 |
| Power | 9V battery or standard DC power supply1 |
| Bypass | True-bypass switching1 |
| Enclosure | High quality aluminum1 |
The 2.5 mA current draw is low enough that the pedal places almost no demand on a pedalboard power supply, and the enclosure measures 39 W x 100 D x 31 H mm not including knobs, so it takes up little board space1.
Videos
Jake Cloudchair
Hans Johansson
Jack Fossett Guitar
Questions
Does the One Control Super Apricot OD run on a battery?
Yes. One Control lists the pedal's power as a 9V battery or a standard DC power supply, with a 9V drive voltage and a current draw of 2.5 mA. That low draw also makes it easy to run from a typical pedalboard power supply alongside other effects.
Is the Super Apricot OD true bypass?
Yes. One Control's product page specifies true-bypass switching, so when the pedal is off it is out of the signal path. The maker also notes that putting a buffer in front of the pedal does not affect its sound, so it can sit anywhere on a pedalboard.
How is the Super Apricot OD different from the Honey Bee OD?
Both pedals were designed by Bjorn Juhl and share a point of inspiration, but the circuits are entirely unique. The Super Apricot OD is built as an amp-in-a-box, while the Honey Bee OD is a true overdrive effect. One Control describes the Super Apricot as more of a slightly after amp sound than the Honey Bee OD.
Does a buffer before the Super Apricot OD change its sound?
No, according to One Control. The maker states that even putting a buffer in front does not affect the sound, and that the pedal can be combined with other effects. That makes placement on a pedalboard less critical than with some vintage-style circuits.
Sources (3)
- SUPER APRICOT OD (OC-SAODn), One Control USA
- One Control Releases Baby Blue & Super Apricot Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2018-05-01
- One Control Launches New BJF Baby Blue And Super Apricot Overdrive Pedals, Delicious Audio, 2018-04-30
