Nux Horseman NOD-1 Gold/silver

A "Centaure" Overdrive Revisited in Mini Format

In the family of transparent overdrives from the great era of the 90s, the "gold" and "silver" versions of the famous Centaure have gained reference status: an organic grain, preserved attack, and that little extra harmonic content that makes the amp seem to breathe better. The NUX Horseman captures this DNA in a compact form, adding a modern and very practical approach: two distinct characters (Gold and Silver) and an architecture designed to easily integrate into any pedalboard.

For Whom, Which Styles, and In What Contexts?

The Horseman is aimed at guitarists who want a clean boost to cut through the mix, a natural overdrive for blues and rock, or a more pronounced drive for punchy rhythms without tipping into heavy distortion. It suits both beginners looking for an "always-on" pedal to enhance their tone and experienced musicians who want to sculpt their gain in stages.
In the studio, it helps maintain a defined and usable sound, especially with single-coil pickups. Live, its mini format and two modes make it an effective solution for switching from a solo boost to a denser crunch, while remaining clear and dynamic under the fingers.

Controls, Modes, and Operating Tips

The NUX Horseman is controlled with three essential knobs: gain, treble, and output. The gain acts as a blend between clean and saturated signals: at the beginning of the knob's range, you keep the attack and definition of the original sound while gaining presence; as you increase it, harmonics and saturation take over, delivering a warm tone that remains usable over a wide range.
The treble control adjusts brightness to suit the guitar and amp, from a rounder, softer sound to a brighter attack. The Gold mode targets a very transparent boost/overdrive feel, while the Silver mode opens up a wider gain reserve, capable of approaching light distortion when pushed hard.
To switch from Gold to Silver, hold the footswitch for a long press (more than 1.5 seconds). For pedalboard integration, the pedal offers true bypass or buffer bypass: a real advantage if you use many pedals and long cables. The selection is made at startup (holding the footswitch while powering on the pedal), with LED color indication (red for true bypass, green for buffer bypass).

The Sound

The Horseman stands out with a transparent and responsive character: it preserves the guitar's identity, highlights the mids musically, and adds fine saturation that follows the right hand. In boost mode (low gain, high output), you gain perceived volume, clarity, and presence-ideal for making a clean tone sing or waking up a crunch channel. In overdrive (medium/high gain), the sound becomes thicker and more harmonic, with moderate compression that remains pleasant and respects playing dynamics.
The Silver mode delivers a more energetic and tighter feel when the gain is increased, useful for rock riffs and leads that need to cut through the mix. With the internal 18V conversion, the pedal offers more headroom and broader dynamics, helping to keep attacks sharp even with high-output pickups.

Technical specifications

Effects	Distortion / Overdrive / Fuzz, Boost, Overdrive	EQ	Treble
Technology	Analog	Settings	gain, treble, output
Format	Pedal	Type	sector
Inputs	Instrument jack	Use	guitar
Outputs	Jack amp	Color	Gold
Modelling number	2	Power supply	DC 9 V
Display	Led	Weight	174 kg
Switch	On/Off	Dimensions (mm)	94 x 51 x 53
Number of effects	1

Category	Overdrive	Weight (kg)	0.174 kg
Number of Models	2	Documentation	yes
Knobs	gain, treble, output	Internal Conversion	9V to 18V (increased headroom)
2 modes	gold & silver for different tonalities and gain reserves