Tube Screamers

gball

gball

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So, somewhere along the line during this lockdown, since I have been playing 4 hours a day or so, I have become re-obsessed with TS-style overdrives. I dug my TS-9 out and now I've been going crazy with all my mid-humpy OD's looking for the perfect tone and I want to buy more of them (nonsensical I know, but a lot of what we do around here makes no sense).

What's your favorite TS-Style OD? Help me spend some money. Right now I think I am going to pull the trigger on a JHS Banzai and maybe try a Maxon 808 reissue.
 
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JohnnyGoo said:
Its not a overdrive per say but ive only been using 2 different drive pedals. MXR Classic Distortion and a MXR Prime Distortion. The Prime takes off from where the Classic leaves off. I would like to try the Tube Screamer though.
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Those are great choices but I think I have the hard-clipping, flat-EQ distortion covered pretty well, and usually when I need a bunch of gain I am plugged into my Mk 5 anyway. I've been messing around with the "Tube Screamer Style" OD's that I have (TS-9, SD-1, Angry Driver) in front of a clean amp (Princeton Reverb) and really digging the soft-clipped-with-a-giant-mid-hump overdrive sound.

I got my first TS-9 in 1982, literally within weeks of them first hitting the market, and I lived by it when I was younger, always using one to goose the front end of an already overdriven amp. But I never really experimented with it as a standalone dirt box in front of a clean amp and as time went by I used it less and less until it ended up in a box of cables and other junk. I don't think I've even seen it in about 10 years. But I started messing around and it's kind of a revelation, so I am now obsessed with that style of sound and want to explore some other ones that are out there.
 
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I use the TS, (a modded cheapy TS-5 Soundtank -looks like a turtle) Turtle Screamer!!
I use it a lot; the mid hump is partly accomplished by cutting the base; the RAT is similar in that respect.
Mostly I use it with the level up and the gain way down or low on the dial into my low gain tube circuits somewhere into break up.
 
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jtcnj said:
I use the TS, (a modded cheapy TS-5 Soundtank -looks like a turtle) Turtle Screamer!!
I use it a lot; the mid hump is partly accomplished by cutting the base; the RAT is similar in that respect.
Mostly I use it with the drive up and the gain way down or low on the dial into my low gain tube circuits somewhere into break up.
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That's what I did with my TS-9 for many years. Only now am I experimenting with it being the sole source of distortion and I am liking it a lot.
 
Love Pedal Valve Reamer & Visual Sound Jeckyll & Hyde.

The J&H really could be the only OD i would need..its very versatile with ability to shift the mid emphasis.. works ad dig character & also as clean boost. can turn your amp into 3 channels at the tap of a foot

Betray J&H.jpg
 
+1 on the Valve Reamer from Lovepedal. It's a hybrid of the TS and an SD9 - sort of has the best of both. Liquid sustain with extra beef and attitude.
My current favorite.

Another favorite TS variant is the extra-tweakable VFE Pale Horse. These are no longer made but can be found used. Has significant circuit improvements, including a control to vary the texture of the drive. It also offers control of several parameters that typically are hardwired to a set value. Six knobs.

From the VFE website: "Most overdrive circuits have fixed bass cut and treble cut filters surrounding the gain stage to keep the bottom end tight and the top end smooth. Rather than preset these filters, we gave them to you in the LOW (sets pre-gain bass response) and HIGH (sets post-gain treble response) knobs.The gain stage is powered by an OPA2134 op amp which has two helper circuits - a charge pump to increase clean headroom and maximum gain, and constant current source FET on the output that's biasing much of its internal circuitry into class A operation. The type and amount of compression is set by the COMP knob. Turn clockwise for dynamic, full mosfet saturation, or counterclockwise for singing, sweet asymmetrical drive. At 12:00, all that remains is the pure op amp gain."

The Way Huge Overrated Special is worth checking out too; it's very TS-like but has a midrange knob. Sells used for $100 or a bit over.
 
Robert Herndon said:
I got this Ibanez Tube Screamer from @ChasFred. It has a Maxon circuit board, but I'm unsure of any other particulars.

I use it to hammer my 'Lead 2' channel. The channel gain is set to 12 Noon and the TS9 is set with 'Level' full up, 'Drive' at 9am and 'Tone' also at 12 Noon.

It really tightens up my tone...

View attachment 47168
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They are relabeled Maxon's, always have been. For some reason Maxon charges more for the same thing though.

But yeah, that's exactly how I used mine for about 20 years, with various amps. Mid boost while tightening the low end is voodoo in front of an already distorted amp. This is literally the fist time I have ever just tried using it as the sole source of distortion or stacking it, and I am really loving how versatile they are.
 
gball said:
No. My understanding is that is the preamp circuit from the wireless or something like that. Not sure that would have the same mid-boost/hi-low cut that the TS style drives do, do you know?
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Fil Oliveri is a personal friend and he has really done a nice job of recreating that Schaffer wireless unit.

It has three main features:
  • GAIN knob controls our signature gain circuit that bumps the crucial low-mid frequencies responsible for giving live instruments punch and making them stand out in the mix (think Angus Young guitar tone).
  • BOOST knob controls a powerful pre-amp capable of delivering a whopping 31db of clean boost. This analog boost is perfect for making lead parts stand out, adding fullness to the signal going into the front end of your amplifier or pushing it into oblivion!
  • LIMITER knob controls Ken Schaffer’s signature Opto-Isolator limiter. This optical analog circuit naturally limits the audio signal going into the pedal's circuitry (unlike the complimentary compander circuit which smooths out amplitude after the signal reaches its peak). Limiting is commonly used by mastering engineers to transparently raise overall level, without the risk of clipping and distortion generally associated with gain increases. Sensitivity of this effect may be fine tuned for different output pickups or to give your instrument an open or compressed attack.
And its USA made too.
 
I run a boss 7 band run in the loop of my jcm900 acts as an OD so to say. But also in front the only pedal I use is a reisue 808. At some point I should give the SD1 another run but I feel it takes away from the low end but I haven't given it enough of a chance. Another that has impressed me is the BEOD that blink runs to his clean channel of the DSL
 
gball said:
They are relabeled Maxon's, always have been. For some reason Maxon charges more for the same thing though.

But yeah, that's exactly how I used mine for about 20 years, with various amps. Mid boost while tightening the low end is voodoo in front of an already distorted amp. This is literally the fist time I have ever just tried using it as the sole source of distortion or stacking it, and I am really loving how versatile they are.
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Ive never used a dirt pedal on a clean amp. Well, i have, but didn't like it. That "kow end voodoo" of which you speak is my magic dust...
 
I ain't got no tube screamer; I'll tell you what I do got though: an MXR M77 Custom Badass Modified O.D., which is a modified Boss SD-1 circuit with a 100HZ control and a bump switch. I bought this one last week, after trading away my original one a couple of years ago for a DM-2W (which I subsequently sold to our lead guitarist Josh). The only pedal I've really regretted selling, so I picked one up last week when I saw one for a good price second-hand. Using it to boost the Ultra channel on my JSX (bump switch off), and keeping the MC401 as a boost on the Crunch channel, with no boost on the Clean channel.

Vj4dFSq.jpg


Now I have two badasses on my board!

kklp3Ou.jpg
 
Dave Sloven said:
I ain't got no tube screamer; I'll tell you what I do got though: an MXR M77 Custom Badass Modified O.D., which is a modified Boss SD-1 circuit with a 100HZ control and a bump switch. I bought this one last week, after trading away my original one a couple of years ago for a DM-2W (which I subsequently sold to our lead guitarist Josh). The only pedal I've really regretted selling, so I picked one up last week when I saw one for a good price second-hand. Using it to boost the Ultra channel on my JSX (bump switch off), and keeping the MC401 as a boost on the Crunch channel, with no boost on the Clean channel.

Vj4dFSq.jpg


Now I have two badasses on my board!

kklp3Ou.jpg
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Interesting. Did not know this is based on the SD-1, which I find to be a very good sounding OD. May have to check it out.

EDIT: OK, just checked out some videos of this thing. Ordering it.
 
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