Recent digital innovations may very well have removed much of the fun from the messing-about-with-guitars-and-stuff business these days but luckily enough there are still enough traditionalists out there to support existing technologies, so the FX pedal market is still stuffed with manufacturers both large and small and despite some recent warnings from Analog Man’s Mike Piera, many of them still seem to be thriving. It was with this in mind that it recently become obvious to me that I should really own one of the most famous, and many say crucial, pedals in history. So, I started the process of researching which would be the best Tube Screamer for me- and thats when the trouble started.
There are a multitude of Tube Screamer clones out there, many of which are great devices that have enthusiastic adherents, and the practicalities of getting genuine hands on time with all, or even just a portion of them, were impossible. I also wasn’t going to put myself through the torture of sitting through hours of online demos by irritating ‘influencers’ in an attempt to whittle things down. So, there would be no Tube Squealers, Tube Dreamers, Green Drives or similar derivatives on my shortlist. Being one of the aforementioned traditionalists I wanted a green box of Japanese heritage, although I was aware that, things being as they are these days, they may not be of Japanese manufacture anymore. So, Ibanez it would have to be then.
Buying an expensive and desirable original was beyond my budget unfortunately, and the pricey handwired TS808 was a no-no for the same reason. So, I would have to try to choose one of the later versions or a standard reissue. The TS5 and the TS7 aren’t green and although the edgy TS10 (which, confusingly, appeared before the TS7 much like the TS5 appeared after the TS10) has a family resemblance and was reputedly seen at Stevie Ray Vaughan’s feet for a while, it wasn’t what I wanted. Neither was the DX Boost, the Nu Tube or any of the special anniversary colours. That left the TS808 and TS9 reissues plus the still-in-production TS9DX, plus the mini version of the TS808. The mini was quickly discarded as space isn’t a problem but the others went forward into the shoot out.
But as all Tube Screamer owners know, boxes with the word Ibanez attached aren’t the whole story. The Japanese electronics company Nisshin Onpa had been making guitar FX since the 1960s under the brand name Maxon and it was this company that actually designed and built the Tube Screamer, Ibanez just stuck their name on it and sold the product worldwide. This arrangement continued until 2002, when Maxon struck out on their own. They now have their versions of the classics on the market, namely the OD808 and OD9 as well as a mid boosted, supercharged OD9+ Pro. Still with me so far? Good, then let’s move on to the next complication.
Anyone fancy some chips? The famous processor that most Tube Screamer freaks worship is the JRC4458 chip. But the truth is that the chip has changed many times in the pedal’s history, including inside much lauded versions and the first round of reissues (which were supposedly ‘faithful copies’ of the originals). Some authorities also say that some examples of the JRC4458 are inferior to others. So, that was another complication that I decided to ignore in the end. Finally there is the whole culture of Tube Screamer mods, Keeley and Analogman probably being the two most well known companies who offer modifications that claim to improve the tonal quality of the reissues.
So what was I to do? The options and variations on offer from both stock and modded Tube Screamers made my head spin. In a moment of clarity I realised that my mediocre talents as a guitarist would negate any benefits of modification so that narrowed it down to a standard reissue. I then discovered that, of all the versions offered in my price range, only the Maxon OD9 offered true bypass (I won’t go into the reasons why this was important). So I rejected everything else, and that would have been the end of it but for a friend with a great guitar sound, who absolutely insisted that I give the OD808 a chance and compare the two.
He was right, the Maxon OD808 had the edge and it was ten quid cheaper too. But its not true bypass, so if that wasn’t the deal breaker feature I had insisted on then maybe one of the previously discounted Ibanez versions could have been for me after all, and I would have to go back to square one. Especially as I then discovered that Analogman claim the OD808 is partially a TS10 circuit and not a true 808 at all. But its OK, there is a mod available for it. Of course there is, it wouldn’t be a proper Tube Screamer if there wasn’t.
So, what to do? The sensible thing, of course. Buy what you can try in person and what sounds best to your ears and with your playing style, which in my case turned out to be the OD808 and I’m very pleased with it. Its just as good as a mellow or medium overdrive as it is at tipping high gain heads into tight chug territory. Job done. Don’t expect a demo video or anything like that though, we don’t do that kind of thing around here.