Ibanez TS808 Overdrive Pedal
 |
 |
 |
 |
Learn About The Ibanez TS808 Overdrive Pedal In This Gear Review!
| Overview |
The Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer is kind of the “Holy Grail” of overdrive pedals. There are a lot of people out there that are pretty fanatical about this pedal. Well, when I plugged this pedal in to my tube amp and cranked it up I was an instant fanatic too.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of the first people to make the TS808 famous and countless others since him have used it to make a lot of the famous recordings that we all love.
The TS808 is a really smoooooth overdrive so if you are in to metal this pedal might not be for you. If you are in to lush full sounding chords and soaring smooth leads you will love this pedal. Don’t get me wrong, this pedal can get aggressive if you want it to but you probably won’t be playing any Pantera with it.
There is a good reason why most of the modeling technology out today has some version of this pedal that they are trying to recreate.
| Price - 7/10 |
$179.99
A bit expensive but it is a pedal that you will probably have for the rest of your life if you end up buying it.
| Sound Quality - 9.5/10 |
What can I say . . . I love the sound of this pedal! It is smooth and versatile.
Backing off of the gain gives your clean tone the dynamics and fatness that we are all looking for. Cranking the gain up gives you some nice chunky rhythm sounds to work with and ridiculously smooth lead tones.
When I was first checking this pedal out I compared it to the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer. I found that the mids on the TS808 a little smoother than the TS9. Not better or worse, just different.
| Build Quality - 8/10 |
The over all build quality of the TS808 is pretty good. I did have an issue with the way the On/Off switch felt when you stepped on it but that is more of a personal preference thing. The pots for the knobs need an occasional tightening but that’s pretty normal for a pedal like this that gets used A LOT.
| Features - 7/10 |
• Drive, level and tone controls
• On/Off Switch
• Comes with the JRC4558 chip used in original TS808
• Comes with the little adapter for the power supply
• Runs on 9V battery or a power supply which is not included
| Ease of Use - 9/10 |
Super easy to use. Plug in and tweak volume, tone and drive knobs to taste.
Order The Ibanez TS808 Overdrive Pedal On MusiciansFriend.com »
| Pros |
• Incredible overdrive sound
• It will probably last forever
• Versatile
| Cons |
• LED Light is not bright enough
• On/Off switch is a bit spongy feeling
• It is a bit expensive
• I’m always loosing the little converter for the power adapter
| Overall Rating - 8.1/10 |
I really recommend this the TS808 if you are looking for an overdrive pedal. It is kind of pricy but you really get your moneys worth. This is a classic pedal that every guitar player should play at least once if not own. Whether you are looking to fatten up your clean tone or add some killer lead sounds to you arsenal, this pedal delivers. It can be used for just about any style music except for maybe extreme metal or jazz. Guys, the TS808 has a permanent address on my pedal board!
Order The Ibanez TS808 Overdrive Pedal On MusiciansFriend.com »
