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T808 OD and T808 Mod: based on Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Here we have it: the holy grail of overdrive pedals. Stevie Ray Vaughan depended strongly on the TS9 (or “on them”: he sometimes stacked them). One of his Tube Screamers listed for $11.000 in 2016. Other famous users include John Mayer, The Edge, Trey and probably just about every player out there.
The first version was the TS-808 Overdrive Pro from the late ‘70s with the legendary JRC 4558D chip. This one is considered to sound the best, and people pay for it. The early ‘80s TS9 successor sounded similar (and can be modded to sound exactly the same) as the TS-808. A lot of versions followed.
Vintage Tube Screamers were made by Nisshin/Maxon for Ibanez. Maxon now carries its own line of pedals.
The Tube Screamer uses symmetrical clipping, opposed to asymmetrical clipping used in Boss’ OD-1, with which it competed. It’s said that the choice for symmetrical clipping was made because of Boss’ patent on solid-state asymmetrical clipping.
The Tube Screamer’s unique feature is its “mid-hump”: it boosts the middle frequencies. This helps to push the guitar to the front of the mix. This is why it’s a favorite of many blues players playing single coil guitars. Other players dislike the pedal just because of it.
The TS is also used by rock players to boost a rock or metal amp, to tighten, fatten and focus the amp's distortion.
Professional modders like Analog Man and Robert Keeley are known for their modifications of Tube Screamers. These mods provide more gain, true bypass and more bass.
More information from Analog Man
Also, many manufacturers have designed overdrive pedals based (improving) on the Tube Screamer.
Technical information on Geofex
Tube Screamer’s Secret
The pedal has three controls:
The T808 represents the real deal. The T808 MOD captures some of the popular mods, resulting in a broader frequency range and more gain.
About CPU:
Link to the list of published threads
T808 OD and T808 Mod: based on Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Here we have it: the holy grail of overdrive pedals. Stevie Ray Vaughan depended strongly on the TS9 (or “on them”: he sometimes stacked them). One of his Tube Screamers listed for $11.000 in 2016. Other famous users include John Mayer, The Edge, Trey and probably just about every player out there.
The first version was the TS-808 Overdrive Pro from the late ‘70s with the legendary JRC 4558D chip. This one is considered to sound the best, and people pay for it. The early ‘80s TS9 successor sounded similar (and can be modded to sound exactly the same) as the TS-808. A lot of versions followed.
Vintage Tube Screamers were made by Nisshin/Maxon for Ibanez. Maxon now carries its own line of pedals.
The Tube Screamer uses symmetrical clipping, opposed to asymmetrical clipping used in Boss’ OD-1, with which it competed. It’s said that the choice for symmetrical clipping was made because of Boss’ patent on solid-state asymmetrical clipping.
Premier Guitar:
“If you look at the schematic between a Tube Screamer and a Boss OD-1, they’re almost exactly the same thing,” Lomas says. “The OD-1, though, is what they call an asymmetrical clipper. When you put a signal in it, it does not distort the top and bottom of the soundwave the same. Instead, it distorts one differently—the way a tube would. The original Boss OverDrive was designed to be a tube simulator, which was really big back then because, of course, most amplifiers were starting to get away from tubes. They were solid-state, and they really sounded like shit. So there was a market for tube-simulation pedals. I believe that’s probably why the Tube Screamer was named the Tube Screamer.”
“If you look at the schematic between a Tube Screamer and a Boss OD-1, they’re almost exactly the same thing,” Lomas says. “The OD-1, though, is what they call an asymmetrical clipper. When you put a signal in it, it does not distort the top and bottom of the soundwave the same. Instead, it distorts one differently—the way a tube would. The original Boss OverDrive was designed to be a tube simulator, which was really big back then because, of course, most amplifiers were starting to get away from tubes. They were solid-state, and they really sounded like shit. So there was a market for tube-simulation pedals. I believe that’s probably why the Tube Screamer was named the Tube Screamer.”
“The TS808 also differed from the OD-1 in that it had a Tone control, featured a common JRC 4558D integrated circuit (IC) chip, and had a small rectangular footswitch. “The Tube Screamer was really the first pedal I saw that had an IC in it,” says Lomas. “All the overdrives prior to the Tube Screamer were built around transistors.” Lomas contends that the sweet, vocal midrange sound the TS808 is known for has everything to do with that JRC4558D IC chip—which explains why Lomas and many other overdrive aficionados prefer the sound of the original over other permutations of the pedal that have emerged over the years.”
The Tube Screamer’s unique feature is its “mid-hump”: it boosts the middle frequencies. This helps to push the guitar to the front of the mix. This is why it’s a favorite of many blues players playing single coil guitars. Other players dislike the pedal just because of it.
The TS is also used by rock players to boost a rock or metal amp, to tighten, fatten and focus the amp's distortion.
Wikipedia:
"The Ibanez Tube Screamer is a guitar overdrive pedal, made by Ibanez. The pedal has a characteristic mid-boosted tone popular with blues players. The "legendary" Tube Screamer has been used by guitarists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan to create their signature sound, and is one of the most popular and most copied overdrive pedal".
"The Ibanez Tube Screamer is a guitar overdrive pedal, made by Ibanez. The pedal has a characteristic mid-boosted tone popular with blues players. The "legendary" Tube Screamer has been used by guitarists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan to create their signature sound, and is one of the most popular and most copied overdrive pedal".
Professional modders like Analog Man and Robert Keeley are known for their modifications of Tube Screamers. These mods provide more gain, true bypass and more bass.
More information from Analog Man
Also, many manufacturers have designed overdrive pedals based (improving) on the Tube Screamer.
If you want to read more about vintage guitar effects in general, I recommend Analog Man’s Guide to Vintage Effects, written by Tom Hughes (For Musicians Only), a joy to read.
Technical information on Geofex
Tube Screamer’s Secret
The pedal has three controls:
- Drive: controls the amount of overdrive (model: Drive). The entire range, from a little to maximum, is useable.
- Tone: controls the tone (model: Tone). Adjusting Tone doesn’t affect the mid-hump
- Level: controls the output level (model: Level)
Cliff:
"The T808 drive is NOT based on the Ibanez TS-808 but rather the TS9 model."The T808 represents the real deal. The T808 MOD captures some of the popular mods, resulting in a broader frequency range and more gain.
Personal note:
I like the low drive / high level approach. Keep the Drive around 9 o’clock, Level around 7 and Tone at 3 o'clock.
I like the low drive / high level approach. Keep the Drive around 9 o’clock, Level around 7 and Tone at 3 o'clock.
About CPU:
- Fractal Audio's Drive models take up varying amounts of CPU. The T808 models require a medium amount.
- When a Drive block is engaged, CPU percentage will rise during playing, because CPU usage is "amplitude dependent".
Link to the list of published threads
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