Transparent overdrive from smooth to crunchy
The Belle's character depends heavily on where you set the Bass control. Wampler says the Bass control "alters the harmonics from smooth and creamy to tight and crunchy"2. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio found the same thing in practice: with the bass set down and the gain all the way up, "you suddenly find yourself with an awesome transparent overdrive / medium distortion sound with all the crunch you need"4. MusicRadar's Rob Laing echoed that, describing the low bass, high gain setting as "crunch city"1.
At lower gain settings the pedal leans the other way. On the Sweetwater demo video, Don Carr explained that the bass control is voiced to work with the Color control, adding lows to fatten a lower gain sound or cutting lows to tighten up a higher gain setting5.
"The Belle has a nice, full body yet stays crunchy and crispy in milk."
The controls
The Belle carries five controls: Level, Gain, Color, Bass and a Compression Clipping Switch on the side2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets the output volume2 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive, from low gain overdrive up to medium distortion territory2 |
| Color | Boosts or cuts the high and low end a little while the midrange frequencies are left alone21 |
| Bass | Shapes the harmonics, from smooth and creamy to tight and crunchy25 |
| Side push switch | Controls the amount of compression and changes the clipping structure for extra punch21 |
The Color control is the one that sets the Belle apart from a pedal with a plain tone knob. Wampler describes it as more than a standard tone control: dialing it right or left boosts or cuts the high and low end a little, but the midrange frequencies are left well alone2. On the Sweetwater demo, Don Carr put it simply: "the color control leaves the mids alone and fine tunes the high and low end simultaneously"5.
The side push switch changes the clipping diodes. With the button pressed in the pedal is more open sounding; with it out, the sound is more compressed and crunchy5. Wampler says the switch controls the amount of compression and alters the clipping structure in the circuit for some extra punch2.
Sweetwater's demo video walks through the pedal control by control, covering the drive, color and bass knobs and both positions of the side clipping switch:
Pete Thorn also reviewed the Belle on his channel, describing it as a transparent natural overdrive and running it through its paces5:
Where it came from
Brian Wampler designed the Belle by taking a classic low gain overdrive circuit and tweaking it, then adding gain capabilities and the bass control2. MusicRadar noted the circuit is assumed to be the Nobels ODR-1, a session player favorite1, and Guitar Pedal X later described the pedal as Brian Wampler's "2020 Belle Overdrive mini-take of the ODR-1"3.
The Belle Mini launched in October 2020 as one of two mini overdrives from Wampler, alongside the Plexi-Drive Mini1. Guitar World's Michael Astley-Brown noted the pair packed big features into small pedals, with the Belle available only from Sweetwater in the USA and Thomann in Europe6.
At launch, the Belle Mini Overdrive was a retailer exclusive: only available from Sweetwater in the US and Thomann in Europe, at $149.99 in the US16.
Made in the USA
Wampler says each product bearing the official "Wampler, Built in USA" logo is custom designed and assembled in the USA using premium globally sourced components chosen for sound and response2.
Videos
Wampler Pedals
Questions
Who designed the Wampler Belle Mini Overdrive?
The Belle was designed by Brian Wampler, founder of Wampler Pedals. He took a classic low gain overdrive circuit, widely assumed to be the Nobels ODR-1, and added further gain capabilities plus a bass control that shapes the harmonics from smooth and creamy to tight and crunchy.
What does the Color control do on the Belle?
The Color control is more than a standard tone control. Turning it right or left boosts or cuts the high and low end a little while the midrange frequencies are left alone, so you can fine tune the top and bottom of your sound at the same time without changing your mids.
What does the side push switch on the Wampler Belle do?
The side push switch controls the amount of compression and changes the clipping structure in the circuit for extra punch. In practice it swaps the clipping diodes: pressed in, the pedal is more open sounding; out, it is more compressed and crunchy.
Where can I buy the Wampler Belle Mini?
At launch in October 2020 the Belle Mini Overdrive was sold only through Sweetwater in the US and Thomann in Europe, priced at $149.99 in the US. It was announced as available now at that time.
Is the Wampler Belle Mini made in the USA?
Yes. MusicRadar described it as a USA-made pedal, and Gearnews reported both of Wampler's 2020 mini pedals were built in the company's USA facility. Wampler says products bearing its Built in USA logo are custom designed and assembled in the USA using premium globally sourced components.
Sources (6)
- Wampler's new mini overdrives are packing big features into small pedals, MusicRadar, 2020-10-19
- Belle Overdrive, Wampler Pedals, 2026-09-14
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-10-29
- Wampler Belle Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2022-02-16
- Wampler Belle Overdrive Pedal Demo, Sweetwater, 2020-10-16
- Wampler shakes up the mini-pedal market with the feature-rich Plexi-Drive Mini and Belle Overdrive, Guitar World, 2020-10-16
