The Tone City Nobleman is a mini overdrive pedal from Tone City, described by the maker as "an overdrive with impressive warm bright tube sound and less intermediate frequency". In plain terms, it is a compact drive pedal that pushes your amp with a warm, bright character while trimming some of the midrange, and Tone City says it "well keeps the original features of guitar and AMP, so it can work very well in many music styles".1
The controls
The Nobleman keeps the familiar three-control layout players expect from an overdrive, but Tone City notes a difference in how far they reach1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | "acts as you would normally expect", setting the pedal's output level |
| Tone | Shapes the brightness, with a wider range than you would expect |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive, also with a wider range than you would expect |
Tone City's product page sums it up: "Volume control acts as you would normally expect, with the tone and gain controls having a wider range than you would ex[pect]".1 The wider sweep on tone and gain means small movements make a bigger difference than on some drives, so it is worth finding the pedal's sweet spots slowly rather than dialing in a setting at full tilt.
Running it into a clean amp
Tone City makes a specific claim about how the Nobleman pairs with an amplifier's clean side: "The sensitivity of the tone control means that you can run this pedal into the clean channel of nearly any amplifier".1 For a player using a clean amp platform, that means the pedal's tone knob is the main tool for matching it to your rig, brightening or darkening the drive to sit right with your speaker and playing style.
Power, bypass and size
The Nobleman is powered by a DC 9V power supply and draws 11 mA, a light load that most pedalboard power supplies can accommodate alongside other pedals.1
Tone City's product page describes the pedal as powered by a DC 9V supply and does not list battery operation. Plan on a 9V DC adapter or a power supply output.
Switching is true bypass, so the pedal's circuit is out of the signal path when it is off.1
The enclosure is a mini format, measuring 9.4 cm long by 4.5 cm wide by 4.8 cm high and weighing 0.26 kg, which leaves room on a crowded board.1
Where it sits in Tone City's range
The Nobleman is one of several drives in Tone City's mini line. If you want more aggressive saturation in the same compact format, the maker's range also includes the Tone City Bad Horse distortion. For other overdrive flavors, the Tone City Sweet Cream and Tone City King Of Blues cover different territory, and the Tone City Green Tube and Tone City Blue Crystal are newer additions to the maker's Legend series.1
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Questions
Is the Tone City Nobleman true bypass?
Yes. Tone City's product page lists the Nobleman as true bypass, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes straight through without the pedal's circuit in the way. That matters on a pedalboard where several effects sit between the guitar and the amp, since each buffered pedal can affect the signal. With true bypass, the Nobleman only colors your tone while it is switched on.
What power supply does the Tone City Nobleman need?
The Nobleman runs on a DC 9V power supply, according to Tone City. It draws 11 mA, which is a light load, so most standard pedalboard supplies can handle it alongside other pedals. Use a center-negative supply with the correct polarity, as with most compact pedals, and keep it on its own output or a shared output with enough current to spare.
Does the Tone City Nobleman take a battery?
Tone City's product page describes the pedal as powered by a DC 9V power supply and does not list battery operation. At 0.26 kg and in a mini enclosure, there is little room inside for a battery compartment. Plan on using a 9V DC adapter or a pedalboard power supply output rather than expecting to run it from a battery.
How big is the Tone City Nobleman?
Tone City lists the Nobleman at 9.4 cm long, 4.5 cm wide and 4.8 cm high, weighing 0.26 kg. That is a mini pedal footprint, so it takes up little space on a pedalboard and can sit between or alongside full-size pedals. The light weight also helps keep the overall board manageable.
Can the Nobleman be used with a clean amp channel?
Yes, according to Tone City. The maker says the sensitivity of the tone control means you can run the Nobleman into the clean channel of nearly any amplifier. Because the tone and gain controls have a wider range than you might expect, you can shape the pedal's brightness and drive to suit a clean amp platform and keep the amp's own character intact.
