Milestone Effects Kenodi Drive RC3403ADB Quad Opamp Overdrive OD1 Style

The Kenodi Drive is a faithful recreation of the classic OD-style quad op-amp overdrive circuit. Powered by the same IC and silicon diodes found in the earliest version of the original unit, it’s further enhanced by a tone control and an extra 10 dB of volume boost. This very first batch features:

• Raytheon RC3403ADB quad opamp (date code: September 1978)
• Rohm 1S2473 diodes
• Japanese Nissei and Panasonic film capacitors
• Nichicon electrolytic capacitors
• KOA Speer carbon film resistors
• Alpha potentiometers
• Switchcraft jacks
• CIC 3PDT switch
• Powder-coated and UV printed enclosure

Each pedal is hand-crafted in Portland, OR in small batches and will vary slightly in appearance. I make sure all pedals from the same batch sound and perform as close to each other as possible. Due to the extremely limited availability of the original IC, I can only do so many batches, and future batches will likely use the chip with different date codes.

Power Source

Use 9V battery or 9V DC power supply with negative center (standard polarity). Keep the input jack unplugged when connecting or disconnecting the power source.

Controls

Drive: Controls the amount of drive in the first gain stage.

Vol: Sets the output volume.

Tone: Adjusts the frequency response in the first gain stage. At noon, it reacts the same as the original two-knob circuit without the tone control.

It is strongly advised to use the Kenodi Drive as a boost into an already overdriven amp or another drive pedal that has an amp-like response. Just like the original circuit that it’s based on, the Kenodi Drive cuts a lot of bass. This tremendously helps tighten up the low end when slamming the next gain stage, but it may not sound great as a standalone drive into a clean amp.

The effect of the tone knob is subtle by design. It helps fine-tune the high end and influences the overall gain as well. Note that this is NOT a TS-style tone control that actively shapes the response after the first gain stage.

Compared to the original circuit, the Kenodi Drive is about 10 dB louder at max volume while retaining the same overall sound. This should give you more than enough to push your mildly driving amp to “11” and beyond!

The "brother" pedal in the last picture is not included.

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