Way Huge Smalls STO

The Way Huge Smalls STO Overdrive is a compact, analog overdrive pedal from Way Huge, model number WM25. Way Huge describes it as "delivering smooth, pillowy overdrive straight out of Nashville honky tonks," and the manual calls it a "smooth, silky overdrive that sounds like the purr of a freshly tuned-up muscle car"¹². It is a three-knob pedal aimed at players who want a simple, responsive drive rather than a multi-band shaping tool.

The pedal is no longer made. Jim Dunlop lists it as a legacy product, no longer in production, and notes it was produced as a special batch run¹. When Gearnews covered it in July 2021, it carried a recommended retail price of USD 149³.

What it does to your sound

The STO is built to add drive gradually while leaving the core tone of your guitar and amp intact. Way Huge says it has "the ability to gradually butter up your tone while preserving the fundamental character of your guitar and amp"¹. The company pitches the three-knob layout as "just about the fastest and easiest ride to overdriven paradise"¹.

The Drive control gets particular attention from the maker. Way Huge says its "range is wide and responsive and makes it sound like your amp is breaking up naturally without excess volume"¹. That points at the pedal's purpose: amp-like breakup at manageable volume, the territory of the Nobels ODR-1 circuit it descends from.

How it is controlled and powered

Power comes from a single 9-volt battery or a 9V DC external supply drawing 10 mA². The power input is a 5.5mm x 2.1mm jack with the positive voltage on the outer sleeve², which RockBoard lists as center negative⁴. At 10 mA it is a light load on any isolated supply.

The bypass is true hardware switching on a 3PDT footswitch², so your clean signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off. The manual also lists a noise floor below -100 dBV, A-weighted, with all controls at their mid positions².

Where the circuit came from

The STO's story starts with a circuit that Way Huge says "has been a special secret passed around for years among Nashville honky tonks and recording studios"¹. Gearnews identified that circuit directly: the pedal is "a simple three-knob drive pedal based on the Nobels ODR-1"³. The ODR-1, made by Nobels, is a long-running overdrive with a strong Nashville and session-player following⁵.

Jeorge Tripps, the designer behind Way Huge, is the person who translated that circuit into the STO. The manual puts it in characteristically colorful terms²¹:

The result of that tinkering includes a specific component choice: the manual says the pedal is "equipped with his beloved 4741 op-amp for an even smoother, more pillowy sound"². For players comparing circuits, the 4741 op-amp is part of what separates the STO from a straight ODR-1 clone.

How it differs from other Way Huge overdrives

The STO sits in the Smalls series, Way Huge's compact enclosure line, alongside drives like the Way Huge Smalls Red Llama Overdrive and the Way Huge Smalls Overrated Special. Where those pedals take different circuit routes, the STO is the company's take on the Nashville ODR-1 sound: three knobs, smooth and pillowy rather than aggressive³¹.

Gearnews noted at launch that "this new version is nice and compact"³, which was the practical selling point over larger Way Huge enclosures like the Way Huge Green Rhino MKIV or the Way Huge Saucy Box.

What the press said

Coverage at launch was brief but consistent with the maker's positioning. Gearnews described it as a super-smooth overdrive based on the Nobels ODR-1, compact, and priced at USD 149 RRP³. The pedal appeared first on Way Huge's Instagram and on Reverb listings before reaching the main Way Huge site³.

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