The One Control TORNADO Drive is a high-gain overdrive pedal produced by One Control in Japan, designed by pedal builder Björn Juhl in collaboration with the Japanese guitarist TK (Tory Kitajima). One Control describes the TORNADO Fx line as a new brand made "under the full supervision of Mr. TK"1. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it as an original, non-clone circuit, "a completely new design with completely boutique aesthetics and sound"2. It sits in the wider One Control overdrive family alongside pedals like the Honey Bee, Baby Blue OD and Persian Green Screamer.
What it does
The TORNADO Drive is built around four knobs. The Drive control adjusts the intensity of the distortion, the Tone control adjusts the tone, and the Level control adjusts the volume34. The Brass version adds a fourth knob, High Treble, which One Control says fine-tunes the edge of the top end of the tone and the balance of the entire tone4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Adjusts the intensity of the distortion1 |
| Tone | Adjusts the tone3 |
| High Treble (Brass) | Fine-tunes the edge of the top end and the balance of the entire tone4 |
| Level | Adjusts the volume4 |
De Gregorio reports that Björn Juhl took particular care in designing the Tone control so the pedal integrates well with any guitar and amp combination2.
Brass and Aluminum versions
The TORNADO Drive was released in two versions, Brass and Aluminum2. They are not simply different enclosures: One Control states that "there are also some differences in the component values in the circuit as well" between the two1.
The Brass version carries two internal trim pots for fine-tuning the pedal's acoustic characteristics to suit the gig, whether at a venue or a recording studio2.
The Aluminum version was listed as sold out on One Control's own product page1.
How it sounds
As with any pedal, the sound description comes from the builder rather than from testing here. De Gregorio writes that the circuit is described by the builder as producing tone that is "thick, clear and three-dimensional at high gain settings", and delicate and refined with the Drive turned down2.
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Questions
What is the difference between the TORNADO Drive Brass and Aluminium?
They are two versions of the same original high-gain overdrive circuit. One Control states that there are differences in the component values in the circuit between the two, so they are not identical pedals, and the Brass version adds two trim pots for fine-tuning the pedal's acoustic characteristics to the room or studio. The Aluminum version was listed as sold out on One Control's own product page.
Who designed the TORNADO Drive?
The pedal is a collaboration between pedal designer Björn Juhl and the Japanese guitarist TK (Tory Kitajima). One Control describes the TORNADO Fx line as being made under the full supervision of Mr. TK, and production is by One Control in Japan.
Sources (4)
- TORNADO Fx TORNADO Drive Aluminium (OC-TRFX-OD-ALM), One Control USA
- New Pedals: One Control Tornado Drive, Delicious Audio, 2022-09-20
- TORNADO Fx, One Control USA
- TORNADO Fx TORNADO Drive Brass (OC-TRFX-OD-BR), One Control USA
