Just when guitarists thought the golden age of gear couldn’t get better, Robert Keeley has combined two great pedals that sound great together.

One side of his new Noble Screamer OD/boost is inspired by the Nobels ODR-1, the other is a take on the Tube Screamer. Keeley calls it a “four-in-one pedal,” almost like modeling but using a purely analog circuit.

Designed to be user-friendly, the Screamer’s Tone, Level, and Drive knobs work with OD and TS toggle switches to control the temperament of gain, from flat-EQ to boosted treble and bass. In TS mode, the Tone knob acts as a low-pass filter that rolls off highs as Level is dialed up. It’s easy to find settings for hard clipping, bite, and all-around nastiness – everything from buttery boosts to crusty crunch can be had with switchable bypass, powered by a 9- or 18-volt adapter.

Played through a Deluxe Reverb with a Les Paul Standard and custom Tele, the overdrive and boost selections (along with their mix options) produced everything from sweet Nashville punch to L.A. crazy. The Les Paul produced Santana-esque sustain, while the Tele went from twangy to super-thick and ominous, all while preserving the inherent character of the guitar and amp.

Keeley’s Noble Screamer can mold, chisel, or tame – but more importantly, it inspires imaginative textures with highly usable coloration.

This article originally appeared in VG’s December 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.