The Way Huge STo Super Terrific Overdrive is an overdrive pedal from Way Huge that takes the Nobels ODR-1 circuit as its starting point. The name is an acronym for Super Terrific Overdrive, and the pedal is sold in the compact Way Huge Smalls housing as the STO Overdrive, model code WM2512. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described the result as "smooth, silky overdrive that sounds like the purr of a freshly tuned-up muscle car"1.
At a glance, the STo stands for:
- An ODR-1-based overdrive, not a Tube Screamer derivative13
- A compact Way Huge Smalls enclosure, model code WM252
- A design credited to Jeorge Tripps1
- A simple circuit built around a 4741 op-amp1
The ODR-1 circuit behind it
The STo exists because the Nobels ODR-1 has become one of the most cloned overdrive circuits outside the Tube Screamer family. Guitar World notes the ODR-1 "is still cloned with the likes of the Way Huge Super Terrific Overdrive and Browne Amplification Atom," though less widely than the TS4. Nobels itself describes the ODR-1 as "a very natural sounding overdrive," a reputation that has kept the pedal in production and drawn a long roster of professional players to it5. The DIY community has long shared the same regard: on Guitar FX Layouts, johnk called the ODR-1 "One of my favourite overdrives, and a nice alternative to the usual TS derivatives"6.
Way Huge's own account of the circuit is more colorful than a straight citation. The company's product page and manual describe it as a design that "has been a special secret passed around for years among Nashville honky tonks and recording studios"27. gearnews.com, covering the launch, cut through that framing:
"The new Way Huge Smalls STO overdrive pedal is Jeorge Tripps' take on the classic STO, the Nobels ODR-1 circuit"
Design and controls
Jeorge Tripps, the designer behind Way Huge's pedals, is credited with the STo's take on the circuit. Delicious Audio reports that when Tripps got hold of an ODR-1, "he stuck his head under the hood and tinkered for days on end" before the pedal was released1. The STo is a simple drive pedal built around a 4741 op-amp, the same integrated circuit at the heart of the ODR-1 design1.
The pedal is part of a broader Way Huge overdrive range that includes the Green Rhino MKIV, the Pork Loin and the Conspiracy Theory, among others. Where the Overrated Special grew out of a hot-rodded Green Rhino circuit, the STo's lineage runs to the ODR-1 instead814.
| Pedal | Circuit lineage |
|---|---|
| STO Super Terrific Overdrive | Nobels ODR-113 |
| Overrated Special | hot-rodded Green Rhino8 |
| Green Rhino MKIV | Way Huge overdrive range8 |
| Pork Loin | Way Huge overdrive range8 |
| Conspiracy Theory | Way Huge overdrive range8 |
The pedal is sold as the Way Huge Smalls STO, in the compact Smalls enclosure, with the model code WM252.
Videos
Jim Dunlop UK
Leigh Fuge
Diego Leanza
News
Questions
Which circuit is the Way Huge STo based on?
The STo is based on the Nobels ODR-1 circuit. Delicious Audio describes it as Way Huge joining the growing list of builders with a clone of the ODR-1, and gearnews.com calls it Jeorge Tripps' take on the Nobels ODR-1 circuit. Way Huge's own marketing frames the source circuit more loosely, as a design passed around for years among Nashville honky tonks and recording studios.
Who designed the Way Huge STo Super Terrific Overdrive?
Jeorge Tripps, Way Huge's designer, is credited with the pedal. According to Delicious Audio, Tripps got hold of an ODR-1, stuck his head under the hood and tinkered with it for days on end before the STo was released as a Way Huge Smalls pedal.
What op-amp does the Way Huge STo use?
The STo is built around a 4741 op-amp, according to Delicious Audio's product write-up. The op-amp is the active core of the circuit, shaping the pedal's gain and tone in the same role it fills in the ODR-1 design the STo is based on.
Is there a Way Huge Smalls version of the STo?
Yes. The pedal is sold as the Way Huge Smalls STO Overdrive, with the model code WM25 on Jim Dunlop's product page. The Smalls line is Way Huge's compact housing, and the STO is the ODR-1-based overdrive in that smaller format.
Sources (8)
- Way Huge STo Super Terrific Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2023-01-05
- WAY HUGE® SMALLS™ STO OVERDRIVE, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- Way Huge Smalls STO: a super smooth overdrive pedal, gearnews.com, 2021-07-05
- Keeley's Noble Screamer combines two iconic drive circuits, Guitar World, 2023-09-19
- Nobels - die Kultmarke unter den Overdrive Pedalen, Nobels, 2015-10-15
- Guitar FX Layouts: Nobels ODR-1, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2014-03-20
- WM25.pdf, Jim Dunlop, 2021
- Way Huge announces Smalls Overrated Special Overdrive pedal, Guitar.com, 2018-07-17
