Telenordia TA-100 Overdrive

Easy as pie. Just remember to read the manual. Unfortunately, I DID NOT do this and thought I had a scratchy output pot. I was wrong. Apparently this is part of the design. Perhaps they should have a disclaimer of some sort of their website. Anyway, once I read the manual...no issues.

Holy crap! This pedal sounds amazing. Very warm...I mean, REALLY warm and organic sounding. Tone, drive and output are very smooth and responsive. Best of all, the TA-100 doesn't seem to color your tone at all...and the sustain....ooooooh for days! Absolutely love it! 110% satisfied! Best overdrive I've ever owned.

Very reliable. Built (as the say) "like a tank".

This is the best part. As a couple of earlier reviewers mentioned, Matt is a true gentleman. I emailed Telenordia and within a couple of hours received a phone call from Matt himself. I was stunned! A great guy, and amazing support to boot!

Pricey, but well worth spending the money. A great product and amazing support. What more could you ask for?

Three knobs,Drive,Tone and Output.very easy to use and get exellent
tone from no matter where you tweak them.

This pedal is in a class of it's own, it imparts a tone that's so
inspiring and organic that cann't be described in words, it has this warm grainy complex texture that makes every note sound as if it has some kind of physical presence, it is a TONE that i have never heard from any other pedal vitage or modern,boutique or mass-produced, very usefull no matter where your controls are.It is this kind of pedal that when you bypass it you immediatly feel that something is missing,somthing musical and beautifull, very unique and special.

The term 'built as a tank' has become a cliche but here it exactly descibes how this pedal is built, and this is only the beginning..
unscrew the back plate and feast your eyes..immaculate and clean, like it was put together by brain surgeons.
Another thing that really impressed me is the 'form follows function'
design, sraightforward,low profile but again very beautiful like a piece of minimalism modern art.

Here is the reason why i submited this review in the first place, it is the first time that i have submited a review of any kind of any musical product, but i had to..,Mr. Matthias at Telenordia is an absolute gentelman, really one of the very best, allways answered my emails within the hour,and was allways helpfull and courteous no matter how stupid my guestions were.Doing bussiness with Telenordia was very satisfying and a pleasure.

I mostly play bluse and rock and a bit of jazz, this pedal is the perfect match, but once again i can't think of any style of music where this pedal wouldn't be useful. i think it will work fine with bass too.
overall i am very happy that i came across this pedal and really think that every guitar player should try it, they will not be disapointed.

The unit is very easy to use, yet also very versatile. One thing I like particularly is that the controls aren't real touchy, but seem more gradual. You can bump a knob a hair or two by accident and it doesn't drastically change the overall sound of the unit. It has a different chassis polarity than my other pedals, so I had to get a second 1-Spot unit and run a second DC line out my snake to the pedal board, but considering the sound of the TA-100 and what it does, it was well worth it.

This is the catagory where I'd give the unit a 15 or a 20 if I could. I have never heard anything like the sound this thing makes. It's probably the warmest overdrive I've ever heard. It immediately added a large amount of body to my sound, even when dialed back on the guitar. Very warm lows and low-mids yet the highs were as clean and clear as if it wasn't even on. And the unit is completely, totally silent.
I play a 2006 Fender Clapton Strat and a 1988 Fender 12-string Strat through an AudioTech A-B-C switcher and a Planet Waves CT-04 tuner in-line to a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a Mojo extension cabinet. The 12-string Strat goes through a Boss GE-7 EQ before the switcher so I can sculpt the tone a bit. My effects all go through the effects loop in the amp in the following order: TA-100, Boss BD-2 set for sustain, early 80's blue DOD FX-65 (a cheap, barely-commercial-grade pedal, but I love the sound) and lastly, a Boss TR-2 tremolo. I was using a second Boss BD-2 for clean-with-edge, but the TA has rendered that pedal unneccessary so now I have an additional open space on the board.

I opened it up to remove the battery and the inside looks like something Rockwell would build for NASA. Everything very clean and organized, and the enclosure is thick, sturdy metal. I'm not the least bit worried about using this unit without a backup.

Another catagory that deserves more than a 10. I initially e-mailed Matt Hahn to get the dimensions of the unit, since I purchased it from a dealer in New York (Pedalgeek.com) and needed to know what the footprint was. He sent me back a complete manual, asked what other stuff I was using and suggested where to place it in the chain. We've excanged several e-mails since and it's obvious he really cares about musicians and their sound. Unbelievably good, personal customer support.

BTW, the people at Pedalgeek were great, also.

I play for a living. I'm in four different bands that span a variety of music from rock 'n' roll and blues to newer country and some funk. The people I play with are just astounded by the sound of it. I bought the TA-100 sight-unseen and interestingly enough, it turned out not to be what I was initally looking for. But when I got it onstage through my rig I realized that a truely incredible, unique piece of gear had just fallen into my lap. It will be an integral part of my sound from now on. There are some videos of the TA-100 on YouTube, but they don't really do the unit justice. You have to be standing in front of your amp to really get what this thing does. It's expensive, especally in the U.S. because of the dollar, but if it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it immediately. Now all I have to do is find a creamy sustain that is good enough to stand along side of it, which may not be easy; this unit is exceptional.

easy to use.

drive---tone---output

manual is well written

this pedal is one of the very best and most unique overdrive stompers i have ever had.
it barely colours my tone and adds a very intriguing roughness.
very fat, dynamic and natural sounding.
i am using it with my tele and les paul and both work equally well into whatever amp i have...lots of amps.

german build quality at its very best--no question it will stand the test of time.

customer service from my retailer was great so far...

i have had all raved pedals over the last couple of years and this is one i will keep alongside my "E" and Timmy pedal.
a totally unique and great sounding, inspiring pedal.
telenordia ta-100 totally rocks.
truly a piece of art

Just three knobs - Drive, Tone and Output. No mysteries. If you need the manual, read it. Played the stock version for weeks.

This is an amp in a box - a very good amp. It??s natural and all my other overdrive pedals (Fulldrive 2 Mosfet, Fulltone GT 500, original TS 808) sound like plastic toys compared to this rocker! It sounds great with Strats, Teles, P-90 guitars and a good tube amp like Vox, Marshall or Fender. I??ve tried all and the TA-100 ate them all up.

I hope so. Solid as a rock.

The Telenordia guys are great! Contact them and you??ll get great support.

It??s the perfect match for Rock??n??Roll! I love it and it??s a true inspiration. Best overdrive pedal I??ve ever heard - in my opinion. I had a Hot Cake, Emma Reezafratzitz, Lovepedal Woody, Keeley BD-2 Phat, Fulltone Soulbender, 69, Fulldrive 2 Mosfet, Fulltone GT 500, Fulltone OCD, Dytone Ooh-Drive, Maxon OD-820 Overdrive Pro, Durham Sex Drive & Mucho Boosto, 1979 Ibanez TS 808, TC Jauernig D.G.T.M., Boss DS-1 TwoVoice Tonehunter Mod....just to name a few. The Telenordia is my absolute favorite. The winner! It??s almost in the name of the company: Telenordia - Rock??n??Roll Gear!

3 knobs - Drive, Tone and Output. The classic layout.

It??s a fantastic overdrive completely based on germanium semiconductors. It is the most natural and tight overdrive I??ve ever played. This thing sounds like a good classic tube amp. It??ll sound the way you play. If you play raw and nasty, it??ll sound raw and nasty. If you play gentle and smooth, it??ll sound warm with rich harmonics. FANTASTIC! I use it with a good Telecaster and a Vox AC 30 or a Victoria Double Deluxe. This ist the first overdrive pedal that works brilliant with the Vox and the Victoria. Completely cranked full, the low strings can be a bit fuzzy, but you can eq that if you turn the drive knob a bit down.

Built like a tank. I believe it??ll last forever.

WOW! Mr. Hahn ist a true gentleman. Perfect support, nice and friendly.

I play classic rock. Stones, ZZ Top, Blues. Turn up your amp, stomp on the Telenordia TA-100 and you??re in rock??n??roll heaven! I??ve had Fulldrive 2 Mosfet, TS-808, Fulltone GT 500, Hot Cake etc. The search is over, they??re all for sale. Go and get one! Telenordia rules.

very easy to get a good sound of it, just turn it on.
the best distortion pedal i have used in 30+ years.

i??m using it live with tele and stratocaster guitars, andersons and suhrs.for amps i??m into a combination of fargen 49x54 / vox AC15 twin, it works pristine on both of them.me and my producer have used this pedal and the telenordia booster with a zemaitis metal front and several old marshalls down in england.tt sounds very well and transparent in all situations i have worked in.
it??s not much like a pedal, it is pure art.

i generally carry a lot of backup gear with me, but i??m sure i will never have to backup for my telenordia.
it is of a built quality i have never seen before in any other product.

have never had to deal with them.

i do recording and live jobs in all genres and have used literally every pedal before i acquired this one.all i want to say is that this will be my lifetime distortion pedal from now on.
i love it and would buy 10 more if i just could afford them.

Straight forward Overdrive-Pedal. Three controls: Drive Tone Output.

This is simply the best Overdrive/Distortion Pedal I played until now, and I listened to alot of them. I play through it with my 68 Strat and my 76 Tele into several Amps( 65ProReverb, JCM800,76SuperLead,Orange, Groovetubes Soul-o75) and it really sounds great with all of them. It's not a Higain-Pedal. It sounds like a cranked up tubeamp, totally fat and dynamic, no bass-loss at all. It colours the sound in cool way, germanium-style I think, warm midrange with tight bass. I was very excited about this pedal when I played through it in my studio. When I was rehearsing with my band the pedal worked like a charm, although it has lots of bass I was able to cut though easily. The pedal works brilliant as a booster as well, a little bit warmer and rounder than my fulltone fulldrive.

This pedals are made in Berlin, hand-build, build quality is second to none. If you open this box you will agree, at least as good as my fulltone fulldrive. Amazingly tidy, german build quality at it's best.

I had them on the phone to tell them how much I liked the pedal. Very friendly guys, that's all what I can say.

I'm a producer, guitarist and studio-owner. In this function I have to deal with lot's of different styles, but when you look on my equipment-list you can see easily that I'm more focused on vintage gear and guitar-tone, ZZTop, AC/DC, LedZeppelin but also QueensOfTheStoneage, Kyuss, etc.
I checked quite some pedals before I bought the Telenordia (Baldringer, EMMA Reezafratzitz, RC/AC Booster, just to name a few) and although I think it's quite expensive I bought the Telenordia. It was so much more open and dynamic sounding compared to the other pedals, but still has lots of character. I think the high price is because of the fact this pedals are hand-build and they are using expensive parts like NOS Germanium-Semiconductors, etc . If it were stolen I would get another one immediately.