Of all the pedals ever made the Ibanez Tubescreamer has probably found it’s way onto more pedal boards than any other stompbox, particulaly in the ubiquitous TS9 version. That it maintains a quiet signal whilst boosting the level, has super natural sounding distortion and the fact that many notable guitarists have been fans, most famously Stevie Ray Vaughn, have all added to the legend of the unit. When I personally have been on low budget tours where backline is provided by the venue or support band I always carry a TS9 and can vouch for it making even the most mediocre solid state amp sound acceptable. But there are many who feel originals are now ridiculously overvalued, particularly in TS808 guise (the SRV favourite), and cite the original Boss OD1 or Pearl OD 05 as much better value.

The Tubescreamer has its beginnings in the mid 70s. Ibanez were not a manufacturer and commissioned other makers to construct their pedals for them, or simply badge up their own pedals in Ibanez livery. These third parties included the US makers Foxx and the Japanese Mica company but most commonly Ibanez has utilised the services of the Maxon company, also of Japan.

Back in 74/75 Maxon were commissioned to build a range of pedals for Ibanez which included an Overdrive pedal, the first to bear the Ibanez name. This first Ibanez Overdrive model OD850, was made in the same new wedge shaped box as the other pedals in the line. A variation on this case later housed the famous TS808 Tubescreamer when it arrived some four years later. This first overdrive pedal utilised silicon transistors rather than the op-amp chip that was the heart of the 808. The orange Overdrive is a great little pedal but it produces “distortion” rather than “overdrive” and sounds harsher than an 808, less warm, perhaps a little raspy. I have to say I love the sound of it.

Shortly after the introduction of the orange Overdrive came another, alternative sounding, Ibanez distortion unit, the green Overdrive II. Both pedals were then made simultaneously. Then the graphics were changed and an LED added on both units. These early pedals all came in the wedge shaped box but had a round switch. They were the mainstay of the Ibanez distortion range until the legendary TS-808 Overdrive Pro was born.

The first TS-808 Overdrive Pro was produced in 1979, in the same narrow wedge shaped box as the earlier distortion pedals, when Ibanez launched the first “0” series pedals that year, but now a square switch was added for the first time along with an AC input. This was the first pedal to bear the “Tubescreamer” legend. Maxon had started manufacturing a range of pedals themselves in a square box, purely for the Japanese market, and the distortion pedal in their range was called the OD808. Rather than silicon transistors it utilised a duet of op-amp chips and an identical circuit was used in these first “narrow box” Ibanez TS808s. Access to the battery was by removing the four screws on the bottom plate, just like on the earlier Ibanez distortion units. Some say the early dual chip 808 is the best sounding Tubescreamer ever made, others dislike it. To my ears it sounds “darker” and lacks the smooth, creamy quality of the later pedals. The chips used in this version of the TS808 and the flat box Maxon OD808 Overdrive were MCI458Ps. Later TS808s (and many subsequent Tubescreamers) used a single JRC4558 chip, which has established a remarkable reputation for a tiny component. Whether this is deserved or not is a matter for debate.

The new narrow case Ibanez line was probably only released in Europe, they certainly rarely turn up elsewhere. Maxon continued to produce their square box versions of the line for the Japanese domestic market only, whereas it was agreed Ibanez could exploit the rest of the world with theirs. This arrangement continued for some five years with Maxon badged versions of the Ibanez “0″ and the later “9” series available in Japan only.

The legendary TS-808 overdrive in the wider box was introduced a few months after the narrow pedals when Ibanez launched their new look “0” series of pedals in 1980. Some of these had been available previously in the narrow box range too. They included the PT 909 phaser, CS 505 chorus, AD 80 delay and FL 301 flanger. All the pedals in the line now featured a wider box as well as a new design, easily removable, battery cover for quick and handy “no tools required” battery changing. The drawback of the design was that the battery cover inevitably got lost!

There are three commonly seen Tubescreamers from the “0” series: The early narrow case version, though this is still rare, the first wide case version which has a trademark “R” above the Ibanez logo and a hyphen in between the TS and the 808 and the final version with no “R“, no hyphen and dots around the knobs. For all you trainspotters out there transition versions also exist: The narrow box version with the Ibanez “flying fingers” logo on the side (this is the earliest and rarest one of all!) and a version with no “R”, no hyphen and no dots. The early wide-box 808s tend to have the Malaysian RC4558P chip whereas later units contained the Japanese JRC4558D chip. Op-amp technology is meant to be consistent and means that similar numbered chips, wherever they’re made, should do exactly the same job, but there do seem to be subtle differences in the way some of these 808s sound although others sound identical.

As mentioned before, the JRC chip has become the most sought after, although the jury seems to be out among experts on whether these are the best sounding. So do not assume that all TS808s sound exactly the same - they don’t. It has to be said that in many cases these differences can only be determined by self-confessed tone freaks! This is true across all Tubescreamer ranges and I reckon snob and rarity appeal has become a crucial element, along with the aesthetics of the TS808s (and original TS9s) themselves - they are certainly prettier than all of the later Tubescreamer incarnations. All TS808s produce a silky, creamy distortion, especially when used with a valve amp that’s already overdriven. The 808 is not a high gain heavy metal pedal, nor does it produce a wall of distortion or fuzz - it overdrives in the truest sense of the word.

Ibanez didn’t discontinue the other distortion units in their range when the redesigned “0” range was launched and these were revamped for the new line too. The green Overdrive II became the OD 855 Overdrive II and the orange Overdrive became the OD 850 Overdrive. Both these stompboxes are rare, particularly the OD850. Some connoisseurs argue that the OD 850 from the “0” series is the best sounding distortion unit ever made, and it is transistor rather than op-amp based, so it can all become very bewildering. It certainly sounds very different to a TS 808, it creates a harsher distortion and gain albeit still smooth and warm.

Around 81/82 Ibanez redesigned their pedal range once again and launched the widely recognised “9” series. The Tubescreamer moniker was retained for the TS9 as the TS808 was discontinued. Ibanez have stated they will never reissue the TS808 which is perhaps another reason it is now so sought after. The TS9 was still powered by the JRC4558D, although many early versions feature the JRC2043. It seems Maxon used whatever chips were available at the time. But word started to circulate that many guitarists felt the JRC4558 was the best sounding and maybe Maxon got word of this and started to utilise it more frequently. It has subsequently been used in many examples of later versions of the Tubescreamer including the TS7 (which boasts a multitude of previously unseen features including locking controls and a “hot” switch), some TS10s, the STL Supertube (which has two!) and even some of the plastic TS5 soundtanks. Many people I talked to felt the JRC4558 powered TS9 is the best sonically while others strongly disagree, it’s all very subjective. The great sounding TS9 does differ sonically to its predessessors in the “0” series. It’s certainly a bit brighter and harsher, particularly in the 2043 version, with less bottom end and low-mids.

At this stage I personally would advise against the current trend of “upgrading” to the JRC with one of the multitude of kits available, especially if you’re converting an original 2043 version. This commonly involves replacing the op-amp with a modern JRC4558D chip and, maybe, changing a couple of other components as well. Sometimes these modifications are offered by pedal customisers but usually they’re DIY kits available on the Internet. The results can be horrifying. Not all the kits contain parts suitable for the job and the modifications are too delicate for most amateurs to perform. I don’t believe you can make the 9 sound exactly like an 808 by changing a couple of components. If you have to have the JRC chip find a Tubescreamer with one in it! Although the circuits in the TS808 and TS9 look almost identical, these sonic differences may be due to differing tolerences in other components. The last TS9 units produced, in 1985, contained the TA75558 op-amp chip and by general consensus these pedals are regarded as inferior sounding to the earlier ones, they’re buzzier and less natural sounding, often described as “thin” or “tinny”.

A new tubescreamer the uncommon “Super Tubescreamer” or ST9 was introduced around 1984 and featured four knobs whereas all its predessessors had three. The extra control was for “mid boost” and a very fine pedal it is too. It does features dual chips, sometimes JRC4558s, which may be the reason why. For some reason Ibanez replaced the “9” series with the L or Master range in the mid 80s. For the first time since the late 70s no “Tubescreamer” was offered in the line. The closest was the STL Supertube which evolved from the ST9.

Less than a year later the “10” series was introduced and once again a Tubescreamer was offered by the company, this time in the TS10 guise. But again there is confusion. I have seen Japanese made versions of the pedal with the TA75558 but also Taiwanese made units with the Japanese made JRC4558, so there really seems to be no science to it at all. The 10 series was the first to be manufactured by Ibanez themselves, which is why there is no Maxon equivalent. As with the TS9 before, other changes resulted in the pedal sounding very different to its two predessessors and personally it’s my least favourite sounding Tubescreamer, but it has to be remembered that the choice of guitar and amp used with any pedal will vary the sonics too - often profoundly.

The TS9 was relaunched in the mid-90s. Incomprehensibly it contains the less popular TA75558. Distinguishing a reissue from a TA75558 equipped 80s original is a minefield prior to the CE designation being included on the bottom sticker. Even the cardboard box it comes in is an exact copy. Many early reissues have been passed off as originals. The early pedals from the original 80’s line had a black bottom sticker and later ones a silver one. All the re-issues have a silver label so if you have a TS9 with a black bottom sticker that’s one surefire way of differentiating them. A trickier way of telling them apart is with by the metal edge on the bottom of the case. On originals it is totally smooth - whereas on the reissue it is milled and rough to the touch. Also the battery clip is grey whereas it’s black on the reissues - but battery clips are often changed. It may be worthwhile upgrading a TA75558 reissue to a JRC - but this is the only circumstance where I can see it makes any sense.

The “ugly bug” plastic housed TS5 is great value for money, and in the JRC4558 version sounds not dissimilar to an original TS9. I reckon that whatever your budget a Tubescreamer is an essential piece of kit. Guitarists worldwide seem to agree.

James Stevenson (The Alarm, Gene Love Jezebel)

Special thanks:

Spike Fahey

Kate Ebneter

Scotty Smith@www.proanalog.com

Dennis Johansson

Ty Hayward@www.pedalfx.com