Best Tube Screamer Clones?

I guess I should elaborate -

Best mass produced, affordable, and durable clones?

My fave is the SD-1, with the TS-7 as a runner up. 40 to 50 bucks, fairly unbreakable, they've got the real deal 4558 chip, and you can mod them into whatever floats your boat (within reason).

I know that the TS-7 is the real deal, but for many folks it's simply not an 808, which I understand.

My problem is that I'm so hung up on the two above that I feel like I'm missing out on a few. I know that the Green Screamer comes up quite often - what are some others? Your personal favorite(s) and why?

Always trying to expand my horizons...

Bad Monkey. Really cheap, sounds good and has relatively versatile controls. I don't know about durability, I've had mine for a year now and haven't run into any trouble.

I've only played 2 the ts808RI which sounded great and the G2D Creamtone which sounded even better (but they're not cheap)

Boss Blues Driver has worked for me for about 3 years now. Around $80 new but you can pick one up used for half that.

General Guitar Gadgets ITS8 Complete Kit.

Season to taste... :grin:

MI Audio Blue Boy Deluxe.

I have the GGG ITS8, and it doesn't sound that good to me, but to be fair I only got this because I don't like TS's in general. I was hoping this would change my mind.

I still recommend it though, because (as said above), I can tweak it too taste. And I will, one day... :)

I don't like TS pedals either, which is why I LOVE the Blue Boy Deluxe. It's got more bass and gain than a standard TS pedal....plus you can adjust the amount of mids. It's just great.

PP9YfE1nW0w

i use a maxon OD808, bought it used for $50, and an SD-1. they complement my telecasters very well.

I have the GGG ITS8, and it doesn't sound that good to me, but to be fair I only got this because I don't like TS's in general. I was hoping this would change my mind.

I still recommend it though, because (as said above), I can tweak it too taste. And I will, one day... :)

What don't you like? I could probably tell you a few things to tweak to get it to your liking. Probably just a couple of diodes and a cap or two to get it where you might like it.

The GGG stuff is excellent.

I wouldn't consider the Boss Blues Driver a TS-clone, quite a different voicing, to my ears.

Voodoo Lab Sparkledrive is a proven winner with the 'blend' control for versatility. I had a T-Rex Moller for a while, an impressive pedal too.

Having tried or owned the Bad Monkey, BD-2, and similar pedals, I can't say as I consider them to be TS clones.

I also have an excellent Reverend Drivetrain II, but it also has extra EQ features (that are active) and a completely different voicing than a Tubescreamer.

I guess I'm mainly talking about a 3 knob pedal with light drive and at least something approaching a bit of a midrange spike.

I guess I'm mainly talking about a 3 knob pedal with light drive and at least something approaching a bit of a midrange spike.

I agree, too many of the TS-clones are so "improved," that they don't sound like a Tube Screamer at all. The same thing happens with many Rat clones, too.

That said, I really dig my MJM "small box" Blues Devil... 3 knobs and a midrange hump! :mrgreen:

I agree, too many of the TS-clones are so "improved," that they don't sound like a Tube Screamer at all.


Posted just for the reference of future generations... :grin:

To me there are 4 things that make a screamer what it is. change these things a little and you'll have something that sounds like a modded screamer. Change these things alot and you can have something that sounds totally different even though it has the same parts count, and on paper looks like the same circuit.

IMHO it's all about the pre/post eq'ing, the type of clipper circuit used, and the type of user tone control. The screamer has a low end roll off that shapes the signal before it gets clipped. This is set at about 722hz, and is somewhat effected by the gain control - the roll off isn't quite as steep at low gain settings as it is when the gain is increased. This has a big effect on how the distortion sounds. clip alot of low freqs and you can fuzz out and get really muddy tones. This is a touchy area because what's enough for your bridge pickup humbucker to sound nice a full might woof out your neck pickup. This is a big tweak spot with builders.
Then you have the type of clipper circuit. The sceamer uses a non-inverting opamp gain stage with diodes within a feedback loop to limit the gain. There's several ways to set up an opamp/diode clipper distortion circuit. This is just one way used, and has it's own type of sound. The type of opamp and the type of diodes used will have a huge effect on the tone/compression & sustain/wave symmetry. This is the second big tweak spot that can make a huge change in the pedal.
Next is a high freq roll off. When you clip a signal you can get some very bright/harsh distortion overtones along with a good bit of noise. Add to that you stripped out the low end already and you can get some ice pick distortion tones. So the screamer has a hi-freq roll off after the distotion circuit at about the same as the low end - 722hz. This is the 3rd area people tweak alot. You can make the pedal darker or brighter.

So the low end roll off keeps it tight, and the hi end roll off keeps it smooth, but what happens is you've now got a pedal with a big mid bump at 722hz. This is a big part of the screamer sound - it's a mid booster. When you change the pre/post eq'ing you will change this mid effect along with the feel of the pedal. Now it doesn't sound so much like a screamer...When you see things like flat mid mods and such they're messing with this area.

Last is the tone control. The screamer actually has an active treble control that's pretty much the same type of control you'd find in a graphic EQ. This let's you boost or cut the hi end of the pedal.

That's pretty much it. There's other things in there like buffer's and such, but it's these 4 areas that to me really make the screamer what it is. It's all about the pre/post voicing, clipping and tone control. You have dead on clones, slightly tweaked clones, and things that have been changed so much they sound nothing like it even though if you just changed the part values you'd have the same thing again.

I have no problems with guys building screamer type circuits. It's a great circuit that can be made to sound a million different ways. The only thing that get's me is when you have guys that change values around, and make you think they're some type of electronic genius. They're not. They just have good ears (or not half of the time). Take credit for tuning these things - that's 90% of it right there anyway. Just don't tell me you've created a new pedal!!
--Paul Cochrane--

What don't you like? I could probably tell you a few things to tweak to get it to your liking. Probably just a couple of diodes and a cap or two to get it where you might like it.

The GGG stuff is excellent.

This, and the Sparkle Drive I had before just don't sound or feel right to me. Sort of compressed & lifeless I guess. I don't know if you have ever played with the negative feedback on a valve amp, but I have one that lets me do this the tone I prefer is when the NFB is low (I think, but maybe I got it the wrong way round)

Mine!

I got tired of everything I saw out there that is mass marketed. They are so cheap! I fully understand why boutique clones cost as much as they are being sold for, but I wasn't about to pay that when I can build the thing myself.

Mine is a bit different only in construction more than anything else. A few tweaks to the basic circuit, but the PCB is a 4-layer board with the ground and power planes inner layer. This cuts down a great deal on spurious signals because of the Farady-like effect. I also use top of the line parts, and very robust Hammond box, and a Fulltone 3PDT footswitch. It cost a pretty penny to design and build, but was damn well worth it.

+1 on the Green Screamer. I like mine a lot. I also like the Retro-Sonic overdrive, which is based on an 808. I actually A\B ed them with the real deal, and couldn't justify paying through the nose for a pedal that old, especially since more tonally versatile pedals exist.

Sort of compressed & lifeless I guess.

I suggest you replace just two components.

Replace one of the clipping diodes with a small LED - 3 mm and any color will work fine. The "side" of the diode with the triangular "flag" in it is the same as the striped end of a standard diode (i.e. the cathode). Make sure you orient it the correct way when you solder it in, or your pedal won't work right!

Replace one of the two .22 uF tone caps with something smaller - .15 uF seems to be the sweet spot, IMO (you can tie together a .1 uF and .047 uF in parallel). I suggest you replace the "first" one - this one goes straight to ground, while the "second" one is in series with a 220 ohm resistor (red, red, brown stripe pattern), and is actually part of the "active" tone control.

The LED will relieve a bit of compression. Don't replace both diodes with LED's, because that will overdo it, IMO.

The smaller tone cap will obviously allow a bit more top end through. A little dab will do ya, so don't go overboard!

Have you tried the Barber Direct Drive? I believe it has that 4558 chip you're talkin about, look on the "tweaks" page there's an up close photo of the internal circuitry.. this pedal has replaced my TS, which is collecting dust.. The BArber products are 1st rate IMHO, and built tlike a tank, and deliever great control over your tone.. especially the Barber LTD which is more of an overdrive box compared to the Direct Drive which has more gain.. and why anybody thinks a Sparkle Drive even compares to a TS is beyond me, that is also collecting dust in my storage box full of unused stomp boxes.. http://www.barberelectronics.com/directdrive.htm

I guess I should elaborate -

durable clones?

...
not really durable but to this day I have always been partial to the TS-5 potato bugs.Like em better then the 7's or 9's....but durable they are not.Always found them easier to dial in then the other TS's
For about $100 used you could score a PedalworX Tejas. Dead on copy of an 808 but the spice knob adds whole new dimensions to the ts sound.....dial in 808 or add more clarity (blanket lifting) to the tone..and built to last.

Because the Sparkle Drive has 2 4558 chips
Jim

Monte Allums SD-1 808 mod. It takes the SD-1 and makes it sound even closer to a Tubescreamer than it already does and then some! Great pedal and the mod is only 20 bucks! New and used SD-1s are so cheap so for a really low price you get a really great pedal.

Have you tried the Barber Direct Drive? I believe it has that 4558 chip you're talkin about, look on the "tweaks" page there's an up close photo of the internal circuitry..\

Yeah - had one for awhile. Great pedal. Very smooth - no grit at all, IMO. In the end, this is why I sold it.

not really durable but to this day I have always been partial to the TS-5 potato bugs.Like em better then the 7's or 9's....but durable they are not.

Yeah - I tweaked a few of the 5's myself. I've broken the stomp mechanism in most of them, and a few TS9's, to boot. This is why I've gone to the 7's and SD-1, primarily.

A pedal only sounds good if it works!

Another interesting Tubescreamer Clone is the VINTAGE OVERDRIVE made by Joyo.
In the US its mostly sold via Ebay, in Europe on www.mypedal.de for about 40Euro/40$
It has True Bypass and a great Tubescreamer Sound.
I wonder how i can put some Youtube-video in here??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rWid6aO0_Y

Nice Video with comparison between TS and Vintage Overdrive

I like the MXR GT-OD.

Not sure why people feel the need to drop $300+ on a "boutique" TS copy when there are so many viable options under $100.

I woulda plonked down the dough for a friends used Green Rhino - if I didnt already have waaaay to many pedals:-/

That unit seriously sounds good.

BBE Green Screamer.

I got a used Rodenberg GAS 828 Pedal that would count as a mid priced unit if you consider all the TS combinations I get in in one box: - under $200.00 on ebay from a guy in Austria. TS combinations are just about all he makes and mine is the sturdiest pedal on my board by a mile - stainless steel box. They are very tweakable and very musical, but I don't know about what chips he uses or about modding them. He also makes a GAS 728 which basically gives you a 707, 808, and 909 all in one. I like that I can build a song in layers/stages with the one box.

I like the Deltalab TO-1...definitely my fav matching Keith's description.

I like the MXR GT-OD.

+1

Having tried too many to count TS's - stock, modded and clones - I've concluded that I just don't like the basic TS sound. That said, of all the pedals I've tried, the MXR GT-OD is the best. Three knobbies, better tone versatility and more gain.

Talk about Necro-posting, this one is four years old. It's still relevant though, soo....

The JF-1 Joyo Vintage Overdrive (OD808) (http://www.joyoaudio.com/en/product/show_124.html)is about the closest, in fact, almost identical to, the TS, as seen in the video above.

The GFS Greenie Classic Distortion 4558 "Tube Screamer" (http://www.guitarfetish.com/NEW-DESIGN-Greenie-Classic-Distortion-4558-Tube-Screamer-_p_1075.html) is almost identical, except they added a three mode switch.

Both of these units use the same JRC 4558 chip and the circuitry is almost identical (GFS's switch and associated filter caps).

I will be ordering one of these shortly.

Green Screamer

Xotic BB preamp is the best and smoothest TS variant. I also like the Fulltone Plimsoul.

I would say the Joyo Vintage Overdrive......$40 shipped.I was surprised how good it sounds and is built.

Visual Sounds Double Trouble. Two TS808 in one pedal, with plenty more volume on tap, a bass boost for each side and a buffer. Cannot beat it. I could not do without this pedal.

Yeah - I tweaked a few of the 5's myself. I've broken the stomp mechanism in most of them, and a few TS9's, to boot. This is why I've gone to the 7's and SD-1, primarily.

A pedal only sounds good if it works!

That's exactly what I'm sayin, 11

Help me out, those that know. What is a buffer and what do it do?

Way Huge Green Rhino MkII... By far the most flexible as well, letting you smooth out some of the mid hump and also letting you add some low end back in. The MXR Modified OD is similar, but more in the modified SD-1 vain but when you kick on the little switch for bump, it makes it dead on like the Rhino.

Crikey, this thread was started over 4 years ago.. !

@BigWilly - a buffer can do a few things , but the short - non techie - answer is that it helps preserve / restore your signal through long cable lengths and also through a while chain of True Bypass pedals.
It is good to have at least one pedal with a good quality buffer in your chain.
But never place it in front of a fuzz or vintage type booster.

Unfortunately there are some buffered pedals that have shocking quality buffers - i.e. they rob the low end, and the sparkle.
Usually cheaper, older (80's) pedals - but not always.

A Klon Centaur has a buffer / buffered bypass in fact.

Off the shelf pedals with decent buffers - there are some
Boss buffers are fine, in moderation (like.. don't stack 10 of 'em ;) ).
VisualSound have v. good buffers.
Ibanez / Maxon TS type pedals are 'OK' too - Not too bad.
Nobels pedals are really quite noticably bad. Sadly.

Most really old pedals that have buffered bypass, or non true bypass will be hurting your sound.
Old Wah-Wah's as a general example, or old EHX pedals.

PS
I always likeed the Boss SD-1 as TS style pedal. But it does improve with a couple of minor tweaks.
The Biyang 'Baby Boomer' is pretty impressive low cost Tubescreamer clone.

Thanks telepath. Cool pic

Boss Blues Driver has worked for me for about 3 years now. Around $80 new but you can pick one up used for half that.

1+

My current TS is an Ibanez 808 RI with the Machine Head Pedals Common Sense mod but if I had to go out and buy one I'd get the Maxon OD-808. Don't ask me why; I really don't know how the circuit might differ from the original or other clones. It's simply a pedal that's always worked out well for me right out of the box.

If I was looking for a TS-like pedal that offers something more, I'd look very closely at a Mad Professor Little Green Wonder.

I had the Green Rhino,Green Screamer and HW CM-2...........loved them all, but sold them and kept my HBE Power Screamer (awesome clone with tons of volume and a boost)

Of all the pedals I've tried, the MXR GT-OD is the best.

What's funny is that the GT-OD is a SD-1 clone as opposed to a TS clone.

This thread is completely zombified. A little suspicious IMO that it was resurrected by someone with a post count of 7. Kinda smells like that meat in a can...hope I'm wrong.

Help me out, those that know. What is a buffer and what do it do?

Helps restore the amount of signal lost in the chain of pedals.

What's funny is that the GT-OD is a SD-1 clone as opposed to a TS clone.

This thread is completely zombified. A little suspicious IMO that it was resurrected by someone with a post count of 7. Kinda smells like that meat in a can...hope I'm wrong.

Aren't there a lot of similarities between an SD-1 and a TS?

Aren't there a lot of similarities between an SD-1 and a TS?

:idea: :grin:
Edit: Removed my response, as it was totally eclipsed by 11G's way, way better - and more informative / accurate answer below!

:cool:

Aren't there a lot of similarities between an SD-1 and a TS?

There are similarities, but actually a lot of differences as well. If you are familiar with the "brown mod" that changes the two output resistors in a TS9 to 808-spec, the SD-1 uses its own values. They are actually the same for most Boss pedals.

Boss was also VERY smart to use different components for some of the high pass and low pass filters, which means that they were able to use regular film caps in spots where the TS uses electrolytics or tantalums. At the tone circuit, the voicing is slightly different because the frequencies filtered are different.

The input impedance of the SD-1 is slightly lower than a TS. And besides the difference in clipping diodes, there is no small 51pF cap to bleed off some high treble. The "minimum gain resistor" in a SD-1 is 33K, in a TS it is 51K. So you can set a SD-1 for a lower minimum gain.

The SD-1 has a 1 meg drive pot versus the TS's 500K, so it has more max gain. It is also a linear taper pot versus the TS's log (i.e. "audio") taper unit, so the SD-1 really doesn't add any more "observable" gain past 1:30 or so.

The TS has an input cap that is half the size of the SD-1's, so again the TS will be a bit brighter, and the SD-1 a bit thicker. The TS value of .022uF has become a sort of "dirt box standard" for many cutting/bright OD's, and you will find it on a lot of the higher distortion-level pedals as well. The Rat also has a .022uF input cap. Just in comparison, something like a Timmy has the same value as the SD-1 for the input cap - the value is .047uF.

The SD-1 has a cap at the 2nd gain stage that kills a lot of treble - it is something that is a "bad idea leftover" from the OD-1 that the SD-1 was based off. This is why the "clip C6 mod" is almost universally accepted as sounding great by all who do it.

Almost all Boss pedals use a 10K level pot, and the SD-1 is no different. The TS uses a 100K pot. While it doesn't really lead to much of a perceptible difference, the 10K unit tends to typically reflect more insight of design principles (lower values tend to pass on less noise, but there isn't much that can be generated with the average OD design like this).

So when you add up all the small things with the few big things, the two are actually nothing more than cousins, and it's no wonder that many folks will prefer one and not care for the other.

Not me. I likes em both!

Hmm, so the GT-OD is close to an SD-1? What is the MXR Classic Overdrive (or GT-OD/Wilde OD)?

I had a TS-9, that I modded from some kit from Ebay. It was okay... I used it for a year or two, but was never quite happy with it. It kinda drove me away from TS pedals... I tried a Bad Monkey and had a good one... Bought one and didn't like it. When I tried the Classic Overdrive I was hooked again. I like it with my Blackface amps. Whatever it is, it sounds like a Tubescreamer to me.

I replaced my TS-5 with a Green Screamer. That pedal got me through the gig last night. I didn't have a chance to dial in my Zendrive or Direct Drive before we played (10 minute change over). I find that a Direct Drive is different from a TS type pedal. I have both on my 'board and use them for different things. I'd say that the DD is darker and smoother, at least the way I have it dialed.

I still use my TS-5 with my living room rig.

I find that a Direct Drive is different from a TS type pedal.

The Direct Drive and OCD are pretty similar in a lot of ways, with IMO the better design principles being found in the DD, despite the OCD ultimately being more popular.

Since the OCD is based off the Voodoo Lab OD, and the VLO is basically a "Super OD 250," or a DOD OD 250 with a second gain stage, it's not going to be much like a TS at all.

Hmm, so the GT-OD is close to an SD-1? What is the MXR Classic Overdrive (or GT-OD/Wilde OD)?

By all accounts, they are all very similar or the same, IIRC. There are folks who have bothered to trace out the circuits to confirm it.

Thread resurrected by a sales pitch.

Another interesting Tubescreamer Clone is the VINTAGE OVERDRIVE made by Joyo.
In the US its mostly sold via Ebay, in Europe on www.mypedal.de for about 40Euro/40$
It has True Bypass and a great Tubescreamer Sound.
I wonder how i can put some Youtube-video in here??

Does this count as spam or violate any forum rules? All seven of the posts by new member Mrtelly are about Joyo products, all put in at the same time of day. Pretty obvious what's going on here.

Thread resurrected by a sales pitch.

Does this count as spam or violate any forum rules? All seven of the posts by new member Mrtelly are about Joyo products, all put in at the same time of day. Pretty obvious what's going on here.

As if the tdpri needed extra joyo spam ...

4 years old!!??

Oh well.

BBE GreenScreamer
MXR Classic Overdrive

Does this count as spam or violate any forum rules?

I would say probably yes, and it's what the "hot button" to report stuff like that is for. Not knowing for certain, the mods can handle it from there.

By this point, I would assume there's been multiple reports made (probably because of the content of the 6 other posts), but who knows? Lots of us (myself included) seem to let things slide, I guess just because this is a rather relaxed forum.

If it bugs you (and why wouldn't it), you can always report it despite if it's already been flagged.

4 years old!!??

Oh well.

BBE GreenScreamer
MXR Classic Overdrive

Dig both of these! sound great and affordable!:wink:

What exactly does the clip C6 mod do? I borrowed my my buddies SD-1 today and I already like it better than my Green Rhino. It has been modded but I don't know by who or what mods were done.

Also, what's the difference between the Maxon 808 and the Ibanez 808? They are different right? All this TS stuff does get confusing, at least to me.

What exactly does the clip C6 mod do? I borrowed my my buddies SD-1 today and I already like it better than my Green Rhino. It has been modded but I don't know by who or what mods were done.

Also, what's the difference between the Maxon 808 and the Ibanez 808? They are different right? All this TS stuff does get confusing, at least to me.

Clip C6 and you eliminate a lo-pass filter, letting more treble through. The TS design has no filter there.

Clip C6 and you eliminate a lo-pass filter, letting more treble through. The TS design has no filter there.

Thanks, I don't think I'm lookin' for more treble tho. Do people think they're not gettin' enough treble out of the SD-1? I had a Japan made OD-1 once and thought it sounded great but too much treble. This was a while back and I didn't know much about mods. I still don't really but I have successfully done several of the Monte Allums mods on my friends Boss pedals.

I'm an sd-1 man through and through. Have one modded to t's-808 specs (monte allums) and while it is good I just went out and bout a stock one today because I prefer it. Problem is I find them so versatile I could just about have 3 on my board. I'm currently using mine as a very slightly dirty boost (I like the color it adds) but its very close to knocking off my daddy-o for my low gainer spot

another vote for the Voodoo Sparkle Drive. and the blend in feature even makes it more versatile.

Thanks, I don't think I'm lookin' for more treble tho.

It's not really more treble, it's just less treble removed that you could never get back with C6 in place. By clipping C6, the tone circuit becomes very similar to a TS, so it doesn't become a "treble imbalance" as much as allowing the tone circuit to simply do its job better.

There's already a "fixed filter" in both the TS and SD-1 that remove treble above ~700Hz, so C6 in the SD-1 is sort of redundant.

IMO, the number of folks who approve of the clip C6 thing probably exceed 99%.

The SD-1 was designed around the OD-1, which pre-dates the TS. A "proper tone control" was an idea that was still in its infancy. Boss tried to carry over a few elements from the OD-1 that IMO didn't work out as well as they could. Since the TS had a tone circuit from day 1, Ibanez/Maxon understood that something like the equivalent of C6 in a TS would not work, or at least they had a good hunch!

My TC elec spark boost replaced my sparkle drive..both are nice..with ability
to mix in clean

(but) the spark boost and sparkle drive are not really clones...the tube screamers all have a mid thing going on..

Bad Monkey. Honestly, you change a few caps and you can have a totally different pedal over and over again...

I made mine a 'bass monkey', and it totally smoked the Boss OBD-3 that was kicking around the rehearsal studio...

+1 on the MI Audio BB deluxe.

Boss Blues Driver has worked for me for about 3 years now.

Not a clone at all. Two completely unrelated,
and very different circuits.

Ja, the BD-2 is not at all related to the TS-XXX circuit.

I hate to be a negative nancy, but...

"The Truth About Tubescreamer Mods":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QiaPK5oj7U

I personally never much cared for the tubescreamer sound. I understand blackface Fenders take 'em better than tweeds, but through my tweed amps they always sound muddy to me.

Okay, what's the big issue with "necro threads"
and more over, why should it be suspicious?

And as to "more Joyo spam" I'll take that over
threads that go like this "am I the only one who
wants every pedal Joe Bob Billy Frank makes, or what?
And I'll gladly have his babies too. Gosh, I sure love all
his pedals so much I could cry" or summat.

Okay, what's the big issue with "necro threads"
and more over, why should it be suspicious?

And as to "more Joyo spam" I'll take that over
threads that go like this "am I the only one who
wants every pedal Joe Bob Billy Frank makes, or what?
And I'll gladly have his babies too. Gosh, I sure love all
his pedals so much I could cry" or summat.

OMG! Does JBBF have a new pedal I must have? The YouTube video must be amazing!

:lol::lol::lol:

I hate to be a negative nancy, but...

"The Truth About Tubescreamer Mods":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QiaPK5oj7U

I hate to have criticisms about that, but here goes:

1. Vox'ish type amp that is already breaking up, if I'm correct

2. Humbucker-based guitar - some twist on a LP? All that emphasis on the fundamental frequencies, really low-mid heavy

3. Demo guy doesn't even realize that the Keeley mod is a "2X gain" thing, so it almost disqualifies it from being considered similar, IMO

It's not that I expect some informal video with a camera mic to be very revealing, but it would help if the playing field were just a wee bit level, and and some more thought went into how the pedals were set up. Since it is just a simple 3 knob OD, it wouldn't even require a great deal of sophistication.

But a guitar that puts emphasis more on the overtones and harmonics (e.g. typically something with single coils, but not always), and an amp that is as clean as possible are kind of foundational necessities, at least for lower gain dirt boxes.

Save the breaking up amp for a booster shootout, and save the bucker axe for the hard rock or metal pedal shootout. IMO.

This is why I tend to think of these shootout things as basically entertainment as opposed to anything else...

While a Maxon OD-808 was the TS I liked best over others I've tried, the Visual Sound Route 808 ran a good 2nd (place). Meanwhile, until I'm able to get a Maxon again, a Mooer Green Mile more than adequately serves my current TS needs.

A real sleeper is the HBE Power Screamer

OMG! Does JBBF have a new pedal I must have? The YouTube video must be amazing!

Yes, and so does Yahozna Teledildonics and you must
buy all of them fanboi! Rant and rave slavishly while waiting
for the Brown Truck to bring them. Mindless allegiance to
expensive product or we'll spank you for life.

I have a original TS9 from 1981. I just got the Joyo Vintage Overdrive from Amazon uk and I have to say it´one of the best sounding screamers I´ve ever played. I guess it´s more like the 808 than the ts9, but I don´t know anything about the electronic.

Let´s see how long this cheap thing will last :-)

Save the breaking up amp for a booster shootout, and save the bucker axe for the hard rock or metal pedal shootout. IMO.


I agree with the first part, but IMO tubescreamers are fantastic with Les Pauls and PRS humbucker guitars. Sound every bit as good as they do with a Tele or Strat. And of course humbuckers are/were used on a ton of classic rock, light rock, and new country and not just for metal.

I have a original TS9 from 1981. I just got the Joyo Vintage Overdrive from Amazon uk and I have to say it´one of the best sounding screamers I´ve ever played. I guess it´s more like the 808 than the ts9, but I don´t know anything about the electronic.

Let´s see how long this cheap thing will last :-)

^ I really want to try that one!

I like my Maxon OD820. Sounds good, built like a tank and not extortionately expensive.

Keep in mind I love my Boss OD-2 and OD-3...

It's not really more treble, it's just less treble removed that you could never get back with C6 in place. By clipping C6, the tone circuit becomes very similar to a TS, so it doesn't become a "treble imbalance" as much as allowing the tone circuit to simply do its job better.

There's already a "fixed filter" in both the TS and SD-1 that remove treble above ~700Hz, so C6 in the SD-1 is sort of redundant.

IMO, the number of folks who approve of the clip C6 thing probably exceed 99%.

The SD-1 was designed around the OD-1, which pre-dates the TS. A "proper tone control" was an idea that was still in its infancy. Boss tried to carry over a few elements from the OD-1 that IMO didn't work out as well as they could. Since the TS had a tone circuit from day 1, Ibanez/Maxon understood that something like the equivalent of C6 in a TS would not work, or at least they had a good hunch!

Thanks, that explains it quite nicely.

IMO tubescreamers are fantastic with Les Pauls and PRS humbucker guitars.

I'm not arguing that they aren't - I'm just talking within the context of a "shootout video," especially one that is trying to target whether or not there are audible differences between what are assumed to be very similar pedals.

Especially if the demo is going to be done with a simple camera mic, some "obstacles" need to be taken out of the equation. The low mid emphasis of humbuckers/PAF's/etc. will typically cause "standing waves" in your "average demo environment," even at nominal volumes. Overdrive from the amp will also reveal less about pedal differences, or it will only give you clues about that particular amp, set that particular way, with the particular pedals set the particular way.

All of this said, a demo highlighting the use of an OD with a humbucker guitar specifically - that's totally kosher. It just requires a little thought IMO that the demo that was linked to, lacks.

The very same thing somewhat happened with the Visual Sound mythbuster videos. They used a LP and swapped out op amp chips in their 808-derivative to illustrate how slight or completely unobservable the chip swaps were. While I would like to back them up on what they were demonstrating, again the use of a guitar that emphasizes the fundamental frequencies much more than the overtones and harmonics, along with what IMO was too high of a drive setting on the pedal, just didn't reveal quite what it could have with a different choice of guitar and drive setting.

Many guitar pickups have published specs, and even humbuckers that are wound to match the old Gibson stuff have a considerably lower resonant frequency than Fender single coils. In order to "level the playing field," you'd have to go with a humbucker like a Fender Wide Range, or a DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell or Eric Johnson signature model.

There is also the issue of pickup output, which is measured in millivolts. The lower the resonant frequency and the higher the output, the more the fundamental vs. harmonics/overtones will be emphasized.

For evaluating any piece of gear, all of these things obviously need to be considered, IMO. It's not a statement against using anything for any specific usage. If it's ignored, IMO it just reduces these shootout-type exercises into entertainment, or something that really no hard conclusions can be made from (other than, "yeah - pedal X has those haunting mids and bloom, dude!").

I am a little surprised not to see anyone recommend the Vox ValveTone V810. It is a great TS808 clone with the JRC4558 Chip. Love mine!!! (Cool looking pedal too! :mrgreen:)

I woulda plonked down the dough for a friends used Green Rhino - if I didnt already have waaaay to many pedals:-/

That unit seriously sounds good.

...aaand I bought the Green Rhino. It hangs with my King Of Tone V2 and Red Snapper, at least at cranked home volumes. Will take it out soon.

BBE Green Screamer. A diamond in the rough...

I own the Sparkle Drive myself. I never liked the boxiness of the overdrive. Luckilly I just use it as a dirty clean boost. I use a Blues Driver for my overdrive.

-Jagg

Sorry for resurrecting an old post if folks are tired of it, but I felt I should another option out there:

CMATMODS' Signa Drives are phenomenal pedals. I've got a Super Signa and it definitely captures the TS vibe. Here's a shootout with a Keeley-modded TS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFUIgoFkG7k

The drive has three gain / clipping modes: medium (heard in the vid, closest to a TS), low (great as a shapeable boost), and high (crunchy, will do a Marshall-y vibe in a pinch). Very versatile pedal with loads of tone & gain shaping functions. Plus a boost!

I woulda plonked down the dough for a friends used Green Rhino - if I didnt already have waaaay to many pedals:-/

That unit seriously sounds good.

They sound good but are just a tad too fuzzy at higher gain settings for me but great when they gain is backed off. Might just need to change out the clipping diodes and pit in some 1N4148's or 1N914's for a tighter type overdrive....

I have a joyo vintage overdrive but just picked up a mxr badass modified overdrive and I love the thing. Honestly the joyo really sounds good and fairly transparent. I was gonna trade it in but they would only give me 12 bucks for it, figured I would keep it as a back up or for friends that come over.

Well since the thread is back, I use a Fulldrive 2 and a Keeley BD-2 to get all my dirt.

They sound good but are just a tad too fuzzy at higher gain settings for me but great when they gain is backed off.

That's what I love about my Green Rhino. Gain below 12 o' clock it adds a little dirt but the sound is transparent. Anything over 12 o'clock, the midrange kicks in and it starts to get furry. Dime the gain and you're in Cream-era Clapton tone with a neck pickup.

I actually keep the pedal in a place on my board so I can move the gain pedal with my foot for that exact reason.

What's something like a TS-808 but with little to no bass cut and maybe a bit less compressed and clearer and that sounds more defined when playing chords? I find my Sparkle Drive sounds a bit harsh when I play chords with it - easier to notice when playing arpeggios - If play a note and strike a second one while holding the first it's there, if you know what I mean. The SHOD doesn't suffer from this - each note rings out individually without strange artifacts - but I want a bit more compression and gain. It's going to be used for "bluesy" lead playing more than rhythm (I'll leave the SHOD for the later because that's what it does best IMO) still, the definition with chords is very important for me.

So, I'm thinking of a mid-gain type of drive pedal. Main gear is Tele + 6L6 2x12 amp. Eternity? Landgraff? Signa Drive? Zendrive? MP Little Green Wonder? I know I'm not looking for the OCD kind of thing.

IMHO, this is by far better than an 808, or TS9 . . . (atleast for my needs)


http://www.jacquespedals.com/index.php?page=products&product=tubeblower&PHPSESSID=7577c24d89aa354532b3cc4fe261dbc8



http://www.jacquespedals.com/images/_tubeblower/tubeblower_gaincomparison.jpg



And for the money, it is a bloody bargain, compared to an 808's asking price.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/jacques-tb-2-tube-blower-overdrive-pedal - $129.00

What's something like a TS-808 but with little to no bass cut and maybe a bit less compressed and clearer and that sounds more defined when playing chords?

Any 4-knob TS style pedal will totally meet your needs. Try...

Bad Monkey
Screaming Blues
Garagetone Drivetrain
BB Preamp
Caline CP-18

I would say start with the Bad Monkey, or it's cousin, the Screaming Blues pedal (which is more transparent) because they are a great bang for the buck and built to last.

JMHO. YMMV.

What's something like a TS-808 but with little to no bass cut and maybe a bit less compressed and clearer and that sounds more defined when playing chords?

Give the Green Rhino a shot. I like the clarity on chords and it has a bass boost knob.

I'd also recommend the Digitech Bad Monkey and its more upscale cousin the Hardwire CM-2.

I sold my Green Rhino,HW CM-2, and Bad Monkey. I found that I didn't need a TS style with a bass boost, I like the Bass cut of a normal TS style pedal. It keeps the bass tight when used at high volume. Keep the speaker from farting out. I kept my Keeley TS-9,HBE Power Screamer,Keeley VL SparkleDrive, and SD-1. All with no bass boost(well the Keeley SparkleDrive has a little extra bass)

Thanks for all the recommendations, guys.