Ibanez Tube Screamers ~ Differences

[Abe]

Who uses the Ibanez Tube Screamers?

For Ibanez Tube Screamers I’ve used a TS9DX pedal, a TS9/808/Silver Mod pedal (AnalogMan), a TS808, and now an Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini. I’ve owned most of those ongoingly. I no longer have the TS9DX but it was my least favorite with it’s extra modes full of low end. A lot of subjective judgement out there about what these pedals offer for differences. I don’t feel they were ever designed to be much different from each other and the actual differences are found in them seeming a maximum of 5% unique from each other. The Ibanez TS808 Original Tube Screamer Overdrive Pedal / TS808 Reissue seems to perhaps stay lower in frequency in it’s knob turning range while the TS9 may have a slight bit more ‘bright bite’ to it that can be dialed in. There is a video below that I find interesting. There are also some shootout videos of people demonstrating comparisons. I've done the compare and contrast a good bit myself as well. Like the amount that would not be in our heads and really be a difference beyond that 5% unique from each other scenario can even just be how separate pedals of the same model will be generally twins yet have a bit of their own personality and character.

I was copying Trey from Phish when I first acquired an AnalogMan TS9/808/Silver Mod pedal 20 years ago, which at the time I paired with the TS9DX and ran them into my AnalogMan Bi-CompROSSor. Not often using them both turned on but it’s a handy way to have one on a less setting and one on a more setting for foot switching. Now with the TS9DX gone I pair my TS9/808/Silver with my Tube Screamer Mini which looks by appearance to be a mini version of the TS808 but is more modeled after the TS9 on the inside while being smaller and not fitting a square battery. Conflicting info out there as far as any and all differences between the TS9 and the TS808 and also which the Mini is the equivalent of.

I feel the more expensive TS808 reissue pedals being sold nowadays are 95% aggressive marketing for all the buyers who have vintageness in mind. To have every type of Ibanez Tube Screamer and taste test them via what you hear blindfolded without being told which is which would always show much inability to be accurate outside the ‘power of suggestion’ preconceived notions of which is the more old school one, or smoother, or warmer, etc. I believe this completely. I’m not saying you can’t find a notable difference, but believe all the difference amounts to like 5% of what the knobs can dial in for tone and drive. Marketing mostly, making the TS808 Reissue extra collectable but not providing any giant difference, even from what the Mini costing less than half as much as the TS808 provides in the smaller package.

So who here is familiar with them? They are my go to for drive boost. I've used them more than Boss DS-1 or anything else for overdrive or distortion. I believe a Tube Screamer is definitely a Tube Screamer. 95% interchangeable with 5% uniqueness with which they can be dialed away from each other’s identities as overdrive pedals.

Of course if I were more so wanting to be SRV or John Mayer I would play what I think they most used/use. If I were trying to completely copy Trey Anastasio from 20 years ago I’d pair 2 of the AnalogMan TS9/808/Silver Mod pedals before my Compressor in the chain. If wanting to do as Trey does current I’d have a couple TS808s on the board.

Currently liking my AnalogMan Bi-CompROSSor sandwiched between my TS9/808/Silver and my Tube Screamer Mini. Usually staying at settings that are creamy sounding and not too aggressive in sound. In addition to that I have the emulated TS808 on the Guitar Rig 7 as well as emulators of other pedals such as the Boss DS-1 which I only use if I want something actually fuzzy.

Ok, I just wanted to scream through a tube is all. I have a Digitech FreqOut on the way to me that I think will go after screamer compressor screamer and before Morley Wah Boomerang Looper and Guitar Rig 7.

Just enjoying being jazzed up about making guitar music again like I used to be. Making some noise means a lot to me in life.

 

[Nadir]

TLDR, sorry

 

[Abe]

TLDR, sorry

Sorry bro. In that case I'll sum it up real quick.

 

[loocnmad]

You’re spot on with the 95% marketing comment. The different versions were mostly just product tweaks and updates. Some were made for supply chain or cost issues and had nothing to do with making it “sound better”. With component tolerances most people would never be able to pick them out of a blind test.

We like to romanticize by saying things like SRV started using a TS9 then a TS10 therefore they must sound better. Truth is those were the pedals available at the time and guitar players weren’t so obsessed with chips and versions.

 

[Simon Says]

TLDR, sorry

fucking hell man, how did you even make it trough elementary education with this attitude?

Who uses the Ibanez Tube Screamers?

For Ibanez Tube Screamers I’ve used a TS9DX pedal, a TS9/808/Silver Mod pedal (AnalogMan), a TS808, and now an Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini. I’ve owned most of those ongoingly. I no longer have the TS9DX but it was my least favorite with it’s extra modes full of low end. A lot of subjective judgement out there about what these pedals offer for differences. I don’t feel they were ever designed to be much different from each other and the actual differences are found in them seeming a maximum of 5% unique from each other. The Ibanez TS808 Original Tube Screamer Overdrive Pedal / TS808 Reissue seems to perhaps stay lower in frequency in it’s knob turning range while the TS9 may have a slight bit more ‘bright bite’ to it that can be dialed in. There is a video below that I find interesting. There are also some shootout videos of people demonstrating comparisons. I've done the compare and contrast a good bit myself as well. Like the amount that would not be in our heads and really be a difference beyond that 5% unique from each other scenario can even just be how separate pedals of the same model will be generally twins yet have a bit of their own personality and character.

I was copying Trey from Phish when I first acquired an AnalogMan TS9/808/Silver Mod pedal 20 years ago, which at the time I paired with the TS9DX and ran them into my AnalogMan Bi-CompROSSor. Not often using them both turned on but it’s a handy way to have one on a less setting and one on a more setting for foot switching. Now with the TS9DX gone I pair my TS9/808/Silver with my Tube Screamer Mini which looks by appearance to be a mini version of the TS808 but is more modeled after the TS9 on the inside while being smaller and not fitting a square battery. Conflicting info out there as far as any and all differences between the TS9 and the TS808 and also which the Mini is the equivalent of.

I feel the more expensive TS808 reissue pedals being sold nowadays are 95% aggressive marketing for all the buyers who have vintageness in mind. To have every type of Ibanez Tube Screamer and taste test them via what you hear blindfolded without being told which is which would always show much inability to be accurate outside the ‘power of suggestion’ preconceived notions of which is the more old school one, or smoother, or warmer, etc. I believe this completely. I’m not saying you can’t find a notable difference, but believe all the difference amounts to like 5% of what the knobs can dial in for tone and drive. Marketing mostly, making the TS808 Reissue extra collectable but not providing any giant difference, even from what the Mini costing less than half as much as the TS808 provides in the smaller package.

So who here is familiar with them? They are my go to for drive boost. I've used them more than Boss DS-1 or anything else for overdrive or distortion. I believe a Tube Screamer is definitely a Tube Screamer. 95% interchangeable with 5% uniqueness with which they can be dialed away from each other’s identities as overdrive pedals.

Of course if I were more so wanting to be SRV or John Mayer I would play what I think they most used/use. If I were trying to completely copy Trey Anastasio from 20 years ago I’d pair 2 of the AnalogMan TS9/808/Silver Mod pedals before my Compressor in the chain. If wanting to do as Trey does current I’d have a couple TS808s on the board.

Currently liking my AnalogMan Bi-CompROSSor sandwiched between my TS9/808/Silver and my Tube Screamer Mini. Usually staying at settings that are creamy sounding and not too aggressive in sound. In addition to that I have the emulated TS808 on the Guitar Rig 7 as well as emulators of other pedals such as the Boss DS-1 which I only use if I want something actually fuzzy.

Ok, I just wanted to scream through a tube is all. I have a Digitech FreqOut on the way to me that I think will go after screamer compressor screamer and before Morley Wah Boomerang Looper and Guitar Rig 7.

Just enjoying being jazzed up about making guitar music again like I used to be. Making some noise means a lot to me in life.

I've read that alrighty . I don't really use overdrive pedals anymore, but I always have a few Tube Screamers in my house. I should have a TS808, TS9, and Maxon OD9 somewhere in the moving boxes. They are all reissues, as I'm not into spending £300 and up for vintage stuff. I used to have a 1983 TS9 for years, but I felt guilty about stomping on it with a heavy boots, so I gifted it to a good friend from Cumbria. He's coming over for a gig in my city later this month, and he always brings his rig, so I might see it soon.

I'm not exactly sure what I like about the Tube Screamers, but it's a bit about the feel and the way they react to single coils. When paired with a Strat, a bright, crunchy amp, and a Tube Screamer, it feels like home. I know they have a wide range of uses from blues to heavy metal, but I prefer them with Strats, not so much with heavily overdriven amps and humbuckers

 

[Simon Says]

Sorry bro. In that case I'll sum it up real quick.

Want!

 

[Steve Dombroski]

Ever since I put a ts-808DX on my board as a boost for my Mesa Dual Rectifier Roadster, I get stopped constantly after gigs by people complimenting my tone and asking me what I'm doing.

 

[Prs Mods too]

Sorry bro. In that case I'll sum it up real quick.

Please tell me this is real....

 

[RickP]

Tube Screamers are a classic pedal, but there were a lot of iterations made for whatever reason. Sometimes parts, sometimes just trying to keep the attention of us flighty guitar players always changing things. You could hardly say a drive pedal collection was complete without at least one of them. I've got an old one from 1982 and, however I might describe it, it sounds like what I think of when I think "tube screamer." I really only use pedals at home, and that rarely. Still, I have 4 OD pedals not counting pure boosts like the EP. Recently I put a Tumnus in front of the FM9T and was pleasantly surprised at the result. So I guess the FM9T pedal is a pretty darned good "pedal platform" too!

I need one of those Effecticon Transformers!

 

[Simon Says]

You guys remember TS10 going for £50 used?

 

[Bogner]

So Many Pedals, So Little Time...

I Could Get Very Long Winded Here But I Think It All Comes Down To What You Are Needing And How You Go About Using Things. I Have Some Pedals That Are Magic On Some Amps And Terrible With Others. I Have Always Thought Having The Right Amp For The Job Was The Right Move And That A Pedal Can Only Do So Much. I Went Down This Rabbit Hole Very Deep On All Kinds Of Things And Feel Like I Have Gone Back To The Simplicity Of As Few Of Pedals For A Sound As Possible. A Good EQ Pedal Will Likely Do Everything And Maybe More Than A Boost Ever Would In Many Situations And Usually Plays Nicer With Other Pedals You May Be Using.

The Pedal Hype Is At Fever Pitch Due To So Many Pedals Being Available. It Is A Great Time To Be Alive For Gear Options But It Is Also Maddening If You Are Unfamiliar With Things And Have To Make A Choice Because Of Option Overload. I Am At The Point Now That If I Do Use A Pedal For A Boost Or To Dust The Amp A Bit Sonically I Just Grab The Pedal I know That Works For Me And The Particular Amp I Am Using At The Time. I Have Pedals That Work Well For Me At All Price Points. The Ibanez/Vemuram TSV-808 Is A Fantastic Pedal That Is One Of The Best I Have Used. It Is Now Pricey. The Original Tim/Timmy Pedals That Cochrane Put Out Are Exceptional And Work Well With Anything. The SD-1 Is Great As Are The Maxon 808 And Its Various Iterations. Nothing Beats A Peper's Dirty Tree Into A Dual Rec IMO. If You Want An All In One Get The JHS Bonsai Pedal...An Incredible Pedal. The Nobels ODR Is Great For A Lot Of Things. I Don't Find Any Pedal To Be Identical To Itself If You Have Two Of The Same Thing. Close...Yes. Close Enough For Rock And Roll? Absolutely...But Not Identical. There Is A Sound Aspect To Boosting As Well As A Feel Thing. I Think It Is Really Easy To Get So Caught Up With Options And Thinking You May Be Able To Find Something Better With Each New Release Coming Out But If You Found Something That Works, I Say Stick With It And Develop Your Sound From There.

 

[FragileThunder]

I dig TS style pedals. I’ve found my happy place with a TS-9 and JHS Bonsai. @Abe here’s my all purpose jam band rig in a bad living room floor pic:

 

[DISTORT6]

My MXR GT-OD has served me well.

 

[El Fenix]

I've still got a plastic TS-5 in a box somewhere.

 

[Abe]

I dig TS style pedals. I’ve found my happy place with a TS-9 and JHS Bonsai. @Abe here’s my all purpose jam band rig in a bad living room floor pic:

Hey man. Tell me about your Boomerang III. I've had the old version for years. Was thinking of buying the newer Boomerang III like yours or maybe the Boss RC-600 instead. The old Boomerang like I have has an Output Level roller wheel that can be controlled with a foot, yet it seems the new Boomerang III like yours does not have that, so it seemed like a step forwards yet a step backwards. Do you like have to reach down with hands to tweak the volume of the playing loops or is there some other way you got it set up to go about that? Thanks.

 

[FragileThunder]

Hey man. Tell me about your Boomerang III. I've had the old version for years. Was thinking of buying the newer Boomerang III like yours or maybe the Boss RC-600 instead. The old Boomerang like I have has an Output Level roller wheel that can be controlled with a foot, yet it seems the new Boomerang III like yours does not have that, so it seemed like a step forwards yet a step backwards. Do you like have to reach down with hands to tweak the volume of the playing loops or is there some other way you got it set up to go about that? Thanks.

So you’re already familiar with Boomerang and how it functions. The III has a discrete volume knob for each loop, so yes, for on the fly volume changes you would have to reach down and turn. There is a decay setting (that I admittedly don’t really mess with much) that controls how the volume decreases over time/repeats. For the way I use it, it is fine. I basically have a “loud” loop, and the other 2 set lower and pick which I’ll use based on function. I never really use more than 2 at a time so this works fine. I DO like the roller and wish it had remained a feature but the reality is for my use, it isn’t “missed”.

 

[Anono]

I think the subtle differences between these pedals is probably less apparent than differences in the power grid, or a scratchy pot, etc. Our fingers, skills, etc. strings, humidity, all make far more difference than a version of a pedal or not. SRV sounded like SRV. He could play a made in China knock-off with 8s and still sound like SRV. Same with Trey or whoever. Just go play and try to sound like yourself.

 

[Abe]

So you’re already familiar with Boomerang and how it functions. The III has a discrete volume knob for each loop, so yes, for on the fly volume changes you would have to reach down and turn. There is a decay setting (that I admittedly don’t really mess with much) that controls how the volume decreases over time/repeats. For the way I use it, it is fine. I basically have a “loud” loop, and the other 2 set lower and pick which I’ll use based on function. I never really use more than 2 at a time so this works fine. I DO like the roller and wish it had remained a feature but the reality is for my use, it isn’t “missed”.

Hey, thanks for the details. I will likely decide between the Boomerang III and the Boss RC-600 to improve my looping situation.

 

[MarcWink]

I have one Tubescremer, a TS808 hand wired. That's the only Tubescreamer I've ever owned and I don't plan on owning any other variants. If anything were to happen to that particular pedal, I'd replace it with the same thing just because I've gotten used to how it sounds and how it interacts with the amps I use it with.

 

[Bogner]

I have one Tubescremer, a TS808 hand wired. That's the only Tubescreamer I've ever owned and I don't plan on owning any other variants. If anything were to happen to that particular pedal, I'd replace it with the same thing just because I've gotten used to how it sounds and how it interacts with the amps I use it with.

This Is Key When It Is All Said And Done No Matter What You Use. Make it Yours...Know Your Gear And Go To Work With It.