Wampler Bellechat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Many users describe the drive as crisp, clear, and musical while remaining transparent to the underlying guitar tone. It's frequently called one of the best overdrives they've owned.

@leafbelly

So glad you did this pedal.\nI never understood the love for the original ODR-1. I think it is perfect for country music, but not very versatile. I was always confused as to why it's so universally loved as it seems such a niche device and, to my ears, muffled. There is no high end at all. It reminds me of a Rockman, like 1970s-era Tom Scholz, but with lower gain and much lower-end EQ'ing. \nBut your version makes it MUCH more versatile, IMO. Thanks, Brian. It's hard to find a bad setting on the Belle.launch

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September 9, 2025

@10thfretTony

Great review of the Belle Leigh. And great playing too! I just got the Belle last week and I can’t stop playing through it. It pairs so nicely with my telecaster and the bass and color knobs just add to the magic in this pedal. Hats off to Brian and his team at Wampler, this is one of the best (if not the best) overdrives of it’s kind. \n\nThanks for the awesome demo. \n✌🏻launch

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September 10, 2023

@mdmusic2130

Excellent video and great performance!!!\nI just want to say that the Belle is a magic little thing full of killer tones!!!\nI had the original Nobels which I like it and the mini Nobels which it really disappointed me and I keep the Wampler Belle in my board because it’s just phenomenal with a great powerful EQ,tones of usable gain and a really smart switch side button that makes another difference in this pedal!!!\nBrian Wampler is a genius!!!🔥🤘🏻🎸launch

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February 17, 2022

@danielmarti

Great video, thanks Pete! I love this pedal. The name says exactly what it does * Belle *. I need it as my main rhythm crunch sound. For Lead stuff i added the 1 or 2 Duke of Tone MXR overdrives. For me, Brian Wampler does the better tone control with the Belle than the Nobels ODR-1. The next pedal I test is the latest Nordland ODR-CS!launch

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December 12, 2021

Commenters see the added Bass knob as a major upgrade over the original Nobels ODR-1, which lacked this control and could sound muddy. Several say this single feature makes the Belle more versatile and useful across different guitars.

@m0j0b0ne

Thanks to Pete, I now have way more icing than my cake probably needed. I was just gonna get an ODR Mini, then I saw the original designer had a couple of new, improved versions under his own name, with bass, mid, spectrum and 'decompression' controls. THEN I saw the boutique price and began weighing options-seems Mr. Wampler had some similar ideas at about half the price, so...another green box joins the choir.launch

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November 26, 2022

@virtuososo

Got one and love it. I think Brian says the bass dimed is how the Nobels is voiced. Maybe why it was popular in Nashville - making Tele into Fender tones thicker. But a lot of people thought it got muddy, so he added the bass cut for more versatility. I usually run the bass around 1:00, color around 10:00, and gain around 3:00. With the clipping switch out (symmetrical). Then goose it with a Tumnus when needed.launch

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November 15, 2022

@slimturnpike

What it seems like almost everyone forgets is that the TS became so popular back in the day precisely for its pronounced mid hump, especially for those using single coils together with blackface amps, a rig that tends to hollow out the mids. For such rigs, the TS and its clones still offer an important asset, for some of us.\n\nSimilarly, the Nobels gained traction because it restored the low end that the Tube Screamers lop off in their focus on mids. I personally liked this a lot as there are times when I feel the TS lacks low end, esp with smaller amps. \n\nSounds like the Belle offers the best of both worlds, with the ability to adjust either way, esp if you don't already have both the TS and the Nobels.launch

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October 28, 2022

@BobbyDoesMusic

Love this video! I already have a Belle, and love it, but I've been thinking of picking up either a Timmy or a Blues Driver. Seems like there's a fair bit of overlap with the Timmy, so I'm probably gonna go with the Boss.\n\nSomething to note on the Belle's bass knob - according to Wampler, having the bass fully clockwise replicates the bass response of the Nobels ODR-1 it was modelled after, which didn't have a bass knob. As you turn the bass counter-clockwise, it reduces the low-end before the gain, cleaning it up, and making it a little more friendly to humbuckers. I think in that regard it's _technically_ subtractive like the Timmy, but it's got so much bass with the knob all the way up, it's probably splitting hairs and being pedantic at that point. I personally usually have the bass knob just below where the lowest notes in a chord start to woof/fuzz out, depending on the guitar and how high I'm setting the gain knob on the Belle.\n\nThanks for the video, man!launch

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March 17, 2022

Users report excellent results stacking the Belle with Klon-style pedals like the Tumnus, fuzz pedals, and other overdrives, describing the combinations as glorious and versatile for both rhythm and lead tones.

@virtuososo

Got one and love it. I think Brian says the bass dimed is how the Nobels is voiced. Maybe why it was popular in Nashville - making Tele into Fender tones thicker. But a lot of people thought it got muddy, so he added the bass cut for more versatility. I usually run the bass around 1:00, color around 10:00, and gain around 3:00. With the clipping switch out (symmetrical). Then goose it with a Tumnus when needed.launch

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November 15, 2022

@juanjan__

Beauty and the beast! I have bought the Harley Benton TE-62 in a (big) way thanks to you, so thanks for that. I love fuzz. It's for sure my favourite sound. But I also just confirmed that my favourite overdrives are the BD-2 and this Wampler Belle. Dare I say they are both secret fuzzes? I just did, so I think I dared. Thanks for another great video!launch

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October 30, 2022

@AndrewMooreLearningLicks

I have both pedals on my mini board and I stack the Tumnus into the Belle and their just glorious together into my Marshall 2x10 1958x Blackstar Artist 15 and surprisingly brilliant sounding into the clean channel of my Boss Katana 100w 1x12 (version 2 Mark 1) great video and really great sounding pedals 👍🏼💯launch

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November 16, 2021

@wolfganghuber3616

I also have got the Belle and I like the most of my overdrives. It sounds so - musical, but I prefer it more with Singlecoils. It also sound great with a Klon-Style Overdrive before (like Tumnus Wampler for example). I haven´t knew that with the switch in the pedals goes more open sound, it´s a very slight change. Thanks for your video and Tips!launch

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May 9, 2021

Multiple owners say the Belle pairs especially well with Telecasters and single-coil guitars, fattening bright or thin tones without muddiness. One user credited it with 'waking up' a Tele they were about to sell.

@10thfretTony

Great review of the Belle Leigh. And great playing too! I just got the Belle last week and I can’t stop playing through it. It pairs so nicely with my telecaster and the bass and color knobs just add to the magic in this pedal. Hats off to Brian and his team at Wampler, this is one of the best (if not the best) overdrives of it’s kind. \n\nThanks for the awesome demo. \n✌🏻launch

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September 10, 2023

@mikecorey8370

I had my Telecaster up for sale because it just sounded blah going into my Blues Deluxe. I bought the Belle today. This pedal totally woke the guitar and amp up. If you own a Tele and aren't real happy with it, this is the solution. No more reviews or demos. Just buy it. This thing is magic. Great pedal, Brian. And yes, this is NOT a tube screamer. The Tele is no longer for sale.launch

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May 31, 2022

@andrewstendahl36

Having owned the Wampler Belle for over a month now, I gotta say it has a nice mild grit to it and its brighter than my Earthquaker Westwood pedal, which has more bass to it but also a looser feel than the Belle. Belle does a riff like Listen to the Money in Money Talks by AC DC with its Marshall sounding tightness, the strum on Westwood and Way Huge Conspiracy Theory feel looser, theres something to be said about the attack and the clarity about the Wampler Belle. I usually try only to buy full size and not mini pedals because they mess up the visual symmetry of my pedalboard. As many times as I removed the Belle from my pedalboard, I ended up putting it back on my pedalboard. Especially when I needed the exact tone and instant strum attack for the quick bright Belle tailored upstrokes in China Grovelaunch

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November 20, 2021

@JoseK47

This pedal was on MF stupid deal of the day for $50 off and I figured a Wampler pedal of any kind for $100 brand new is worth it. Man oh man was this the pedal I was always missing. I’ve got a Kiesel bolt with single coils that usually sound too bright and somewhat brittle. This fattens them up to the exact sound I want and low gain with single coils is like the dream sound to me.launch

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June 23, 2021

In head-to-head comparisons, several commenters preferred the Belle's clarity and smoother breakup over the MXR Timmy, especially at higher gain, though opinions vary depending on gain level.

@andrewstendahl36

I have both. The Wampler Belle was the first drive pedal that I liked right away. MxR Timmy has a looser feeling, woolier gain structure and its a bit more bass heavy. It's voiced more like a fuzz than a regular drive pedal. The grind feels sort of like Earthquaker Westwood but the tone itself is not as clear as the Westwood. Both the MxR Timmy and Wampler Belle are really nice because if youre using a clean channel amp that doesnt have a built in bendable gain dial -both of these pedals dont need any amp gain blended into them. If I had to choose one or the other, I'd reccomend the Belle because its range makes it more versatile. Of course the Westwood has become my favorite overdrive pedal. I got on the klone kick for a while. Now it feels refreshing to hear pedals that do not imitate the Klon Centaurlaunch

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January 26, 2024

@Unusednickname_1970

One of the best demos of the Belle I’ve seen, well done. \n\nThe Belle has become my favorite low/medium gain drive pedal. I’ve had many of the usual suspects including the Timmy, Lightspeed, and Blues Driver. All great pedals, but I really love the Belle’s smooth clipping, and snappy upper mid bite. Cleans up with the guitar volume nicely as well. Love it.launch

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November 3, 2023

@Ghost_Electricity

The Timmy is definitely open sounding in that it does little to the EQ of the clean signal, but something about the breakup is not pleasing to me. It sounds gritty/sandy/gravely. The Belle, which is based of a Nobels odr-1 just has a smoother more pleasing breakup to my ears, but I do miss some of the more chimey top end.launch

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September 19, 2022

@mdmusic2130

Excellent video and great performance!!!\nI have both and I love the Wampler Belle mini so much!!!killer pedal in real life!!!!\nI own a real Timmy(v2 and V3)and I am very disappointed with the Timmy MXR mini.To me the MRX lacks of headroom and clarity compare to the original Timmy.It’s an ok pedal but not worthy for the money.Thanks for the video and for the great information!!!launch

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January 18, 2022

Owners say the pedal sounds great through a wide range of amps, from tube combos like Princeton Reverb and Marshall to solid-state and budget mini amp heads, even bringing out organic tube-like character.

@mlimbolimbo-Bill-Hawkins

I've had this beauty and beast for about 6 months now and it will not be going up for sale like the hundreds of other pedals I've had. In fact, I'm thinking of getting a second one for my bedroom amp. My only complaint is that I couldn't read the print on the controls from more than 2 feet away and had to add labels of my own. I run it on a switch between three amps; a Princeton Reverb, Marshall Origin 20, and Vox AC10. it plays well with all. Thanks for the videolaunch

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August 3, 2023

@JoseK47

I plugged it into my tube amp and it sounded great. What I didn’t expect was when I plugged this into my $100 hotone 5 watt solid state mini amp head that it would make it sound more like an organic tube amp. Really blown away because that open more airy sound I usually cannot get out of this solid state head and now I am even considering making this my practice and smaller venue rig 😐launch

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June 26, 2021

@davidbeal8054

Like you, I almost always like Wampler overdrives. The Clarkdale has been my favorite with Telecasters through Fenders. This combo you showed here (Strat + Belle + Twin) sounded terrific. It would be hard to sound better out on a gig. Any gig. Thank you, Jack. Yeah, I'm another one of your subscribers who just put the Belle in my Sweetwater wish list.launch

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March 1, 2021

Buyers note the Belle offers strong value, with one calling the price reasonable compared to other boutique overdrives and another getting it on a deep discount, finding it well worth it.

@JoseK47

This pedal was on MF stupid deal of the day for $50 off and I figured a Wampler pedal of any kind for $100 brand new is worth it. Man oh man was this the pedal I was always missing. I’ve got a Kiesel bolt with single coils that usually sound too bright and somewhat brittle. This fattens them up to the exact sound I want and low gain with single coils is like the dream sound to me.launch

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June 23, 2021

@tomcaron9113

This is one of the nicest sounding OD \npedals I’ve owned and Ive had a lot of boutiques. \nCan be used as a boost if you want or front end to another OD.\nPrice is reasonable also..launch

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November 1, 2020