Whats your favourite Tube-Screamer-Type-Overdrive?

mtmattan · 2012-12-09T23:27:13+00:00

Hey guys, Always baffles me how there are so many overdrive pedals around with basically the same sound. I'm curious, what made you choose your current favo...

Whats your favourite Tube-Screamer-Type-Overdrive?

AlanRatcliffe

Sparkle Drive, for the same reasons.

Wizard

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Sparkle Drive, for the same reasons.

Ties in nicely with your signature Alan:
"Progress is not possible without deviation from the norm - Frank Zappa"

Cleric

I bought my 808 based on 3 things:
- the way it sounds in front of my distortion pedal, gives it a bit of extra bite when I need to cut through the mix
- The way it adds a touch of colour to my cleans
- And last but not least, the thing has a history and pedigree of being a great tubescreamer. I tried it next to the TS9 and a similar Boss, and something about the 808 just spoke more to me.

AlanRatcliffe

I should also mention that the TS808 is the favourite for traditional TS pedals - add a clean blend to that and that would probably be my favourite TS.

Also, I generally prefer a transparent overdrive to a TS. I prefer my tone to stay exactly the same, just with a little amplike hair added, as if I've just cranked the amp a bit. The Lovepedal OD11 is my drive of choice.

mtmattan

The idea of "mojo" has always fascinated me.
That special feeling you get regardless of the sound.
ie Rather a nice ol' TS808 rather than a multi effect emulation - even if your ears can't tell them apart. (well mine can't at least!)

I bought a TS808 a while ago and was a bit frustrated because I could not tell the difference between my TS9 in terms of sound.
Later I learned the only difference in circuit between the two is 1 resistor.
Yep the value of 1 tiny little resistor. All the rest is mojo. ?

2 years ago some smart people analyzed the Lovepedal Amp11 and found it is actually a direct copy of the Paul Cochrane Timmy. Not "modified", but a direct copy.
Thats the reason I'd never buy a Lovepedal product in my life.

Fine, do a Tube Screamer iteration, it's been mass produced by Ibanez for 40 years and earned endless profit.
Don't ripoff an individual builder who sells a great pedal for a great price for his livelihood. It's just shameful.
(Thats my little rant done!)

Chocklit_Thunda

Don't want to hijack this thread or anything but I was looking at getting a tube screamer and a small tube amp seeing as i already have a large solid state but I want to know, how will a TS sound through a solid state? Seeing as there aren't any tubes to drive harder... Will it damage the SS amp?

Warren

Chocklit_Thunda wrote: Don't want to hijack this thread or anything but I was looking at getting a tube screamer and a small tube amp seeing as i already have a large solid state but I want to know, how will a TS sound through a solid state? Seeing as there aren't any tubes to drive harder... Will it damage the SS amp?

The name "Tube Screamer" is just that: a name; a marketing tool. You can use it in front of any amp, tube or not. No danger to solid state amps, although it's hard to tell how it will change the sound of your particular amp.

I always found my TS808 (sold now) to sound great in front of the solid state amps I owned. Typically those amps had very lackluster built-in overdrive tones, and the Tube Screamer sounded vastly better.

mtmattan

It's called a Tube Screamer because overdrive/distortion pedals are designed to emulate the sound of Tube Amps.
ie to reproduce the sound of tubes distorting with solid state circuitry such as transistors, diodes etc.

The Ibanez TS808 was the "first" to properly get that tube type sound in a pedal.
A tube screamer would be a great addition to a solid state amp.
ie you can either create overdrive with the pedal or with the onboard amp's circuitry - so gives you a choice.

When they say a pedal "pushes/drives a tube amp", it means that it has a lot of boost/level on tap so that it can overdrive the preamp tubes "front end" of the amp.
ie provide a lot of volume/gain

It can't damage a solid state amp as long as you don't go crazy with the pedal volume.
In fact, although SS isn't designed for big volume on the front end, I doubt you could actually damage anything.
I'd recommend a TS 9 as I personally can't tell the difference between a TS808 - I don't have the ears of a trained musician though. ?

mtmattan

This would be my ideal Tube Screamer.
Base would be a TS808 but with a couple of improvements ?

psyx

Sophie screamer..?

mtmattan

lol all those knobs and you question the name? ?

charleshaupt

Got an old ,85 whiteface Pro co rat for a steal,a versatile pedal in it,s own right.

Psean

Mattocaster wrote: lol all those knobs and you question the name? ?

So... tell us about Sophie's knobs then?

mtmattan

If I were to build a Tube Screamer this is what I would add:

Clean blend
Difference tone control - treble and bass
Couple of clipping options - stock, germ, mosfet (like the OCD), and LED (like the RAT)
Focus - input capacitor blend

Additional boost circuit - I like the SHO with Gain and Vol.
That way can add sparkle as well as get a little bit dirty.

Switchable buffer - true bypass or buffer
Order switch - so either boost -> scream or scream -> boost.

Would call it Sophie Screamer because I know a chick named Sophie and she likes green. ?

Norman86

likes grean or likes to scream?! ?

mtmattan

Well.. We were flatmates and the walls were pretty thin ?

Lol now I need to change the name..

Cleric

Mattocaster wrote: When they say a pedal "pushes/drives a tube amp", it means that it has a lot of boost/level on tap so that it can overdrive the preamp tubes "front end" of the amp.
ie provide a lot of volume/gain

This is where I'm concerned with my 808. Unless the volume is at full, activating it creates a slight decrease in volume. Any idea why that might be?

mtmattan

There's something wrong with your pedal.
With Gain and Vol around mid way you should have unity gain - not a decrease.

If there's no problem with the sound just the volume, it's most likely the Volume pot.
Either it's expired or a wire is loose.

Hope that helps!

shaunf

Matt, I NEED a Sophie Screamer. Is this pedal going to be a reality? Please PM.

Cleric

Mattocaster wrote: There's something wrong with your pedal.
With Gain and Vol around mid way you should have unity gain - not a decrease.

If there's no problem with the sound just the volume, it's most likely the Volume pot.
Either it's expired or a wire is loose.

Hope that helps!

Thanks. I bought it at the last Toms sale this year, so I imagine it's still under warranty... if I can find the damn slip.