What's the best boutique Tube Screamer?

[El Kabong]

I am looking for the ultimate TS that does it at bedroom volumes and in a live setting. The front runners are the MJM 'Blues Devil', the Foxrox 'Zim' with B9 modules and the Analog Man SD-1with silver/frog mods. Opinions please...

[El Jimbo]

Hey EK, if you can wait a little bit longer, you should check out the new Blue Boy pedal from MI Audio which should be available from Tone Factor soon (is my mail).

A while back Michael released the Blues prototype pedal and a lot of people have said that one was their favourite TS style pedal. The Blue Boy is an enhanced version of that one (check the MI Audio thread at HC) and I think it will sell for $129.

[fernmeister]

well I have not played every boutique ts pedal out there...


...but I really dig my jacques tubeblower. it is very true to the old ts sound, but goes cleaner and dirtier. also, the dual tone controls make it quite a bit easier to dial in the right sound.

[abergdahl]

Landgraff Dynamic Overdrive :dude

[HHB]

Maxon OD808, a great warm TS style

[fjs1962]

Fulldrive II

[muddy]

i've got a pedalworx texas tour pro coming. it's the ts killer...


ml

[ES330]

Originally posted by muddy
i've got a pedalworx texas tour pro coming.

me too !

[bluesdoc]

Check out the ts mod that our own Vaughn Cost makes. Hopefully he'll chime in and give the link.

jon

[Pointbreakd]

Keeley mod plus on the TS9 is awesome imo


I'm actually selling one...but I believe it is sold.

[tonemandan]

A reissue TS9 with the Keely plus mod is the best I've tried. The Voodoo lab Sparkledrive is very good too-I just never cared for the "blend the clean back in" feature.

Dan

[TTrahan]

Originally posted by muddy
i've got a pedalworx texas tour pro coming. it's the ts killer...


ml

It sounds nothing like an 808 in my opinion, so it can't really classify as an 808 style pedal, ya know? Not trying to start anything here Muddy, shit, if I had my way, I would just say............COT50!!

Back to the problem, I think the MJM Blues Devil is the best 808 clone out there. It has a little more output and a little more drive available, but it is still an 808 style pedal.

The Keeley Modded 808s are awesome, you really can't get much better, except they aren't true bypass.

[hawkeye17]

I just sent my TS808 Re-Issue to Keeley to have it modded. He does mod the pedal for True Bypass also btw. I'll let you all know how it sounds when I get it back.

[pgurlea]

I haven't played all the pedals mentioned but I love my Keeley modded Maxon 808. I would either go that route or get an TS808 reissue and have Keeley mod that for you. I am pretty sure they are about the same circuit anyway.
Paul

[Sofus]

BJF Little Green Wonder

[Pedro58]

To me, it's a confusing question for two reasons...
One: "Best" is always a problematic issue...
Two: Most boutique TS style pedals try to deal with the mid-range hump or compression that the TS, by definition, introduces. So, it seems that you are asking the near-impossible. It's like asking which full-size pickup is best, the Volvo or the Honda?
That said, I would say an original 808!

[bjm007]

Analogman "true vintage" mod on an 808 reissue. To my ears, it sounds the same as an original...

[Deaj]

Originally posted by tonemandan
A reissue TS9 with the Keely plus mod is the best I've tried. The Voodoo lab Sparkledrive is very good too-I just never cared for the "blend the clean back in" feature.

Dan

+1 for the Keeley Plus Mod - mine is a Maxon OD-808 RI (same board as the Ibanez RI according to Keeley) and it is an absolutely indespensible part of my signal chain.

[muddy]

Originally posted by TTrahan
It sounds nothing like an 808 in my opinion, so it can't really classify as an 808 style pedal, ya know?

yeah, i know, but it is meant to kinda serve the same purpose. that was the original intention though, no? it's marketed as such. only it came out sounding a lot better, i think. for a ped that DOES sound like a ts, it's hard to beat the blues devil. but i was totally bowled over by the tour pro. hey, do you have a cot5o? it's pretty awesome isn't it! :dude


ml

[Pointbreakd]

Originally posted by hawkeye17
I just sent my TS808 Re-Issue to Keeley to have it modded. He does mod the pedal for True Bypass also btw. I'll let you all know how it sounds when I get it back.


you are right. TS808 can be true bypass....TS9 cannot.

[TTrahan]

Are you sure the TS9 can't be true bypassed?

I'm almost positive that one of my buds has a Keeley TS9 Baked Mod that was true bypassed, I could be wrong though.

[Ed Reed]

I've got a Analogman TS-9 silver on the way. Also have a FD II a Keeley and a Aman brown and an original TS-808. I'll let you know how it stands up. To me the Analogman brown, so far, sounds the closest to the original. The Keeley is nice but not exactly the same. Not sure but I think any pedal can be true bypassed, correct me if I'm wrong but the Maxon reissue is true bypass and it's very close to a TS-9.

[imissmj]

I'm pretty sure Keeley and Analogman's mods are not true bypass but I could be wrong. I remember reading somewhere that they could make them true bypass but it requires installing a true bypass switch on top of the original switch so you have to drill the case. I've seen pictures of these mods before too.

Chris

[GM1]

Originally posted by bjm007
Analogman "true vintage" mod on an 808 reissue. To my ears, it sounds the same as an original...


I just got one of these and I think if you want true vintage Tube Screamer tone this pedal does it.

[stephenyi]

Just my 2 cents but the MJM Blues Devil does it for me... I sold my Keeley-modded TS9 after I got it.

[TTrahan]

Originally posted by stephenyi
Just my 2 cents but the MJM Blues Devil does it for me... I sold my Keeley-modded TS9 after I got it.

I sold my Keeley TS9 too, but kept my Keeley Baked TS9. I think the baked mod is a cool "take" on a TS9 circuit.

But for now, I'm with you on the MJM BD. I'm using the custom 2 channel MJM BD right now.

[captben41]

I have a TS-9 with the Analog Man Silver mod. Sounds awesome with a lot of clarity. I have played the Keeley mod to and liked it as well. I feel that the Analog Man Silver mod allows for a lil more play in the tone control where you can really shape your sound a lil better. But, just like everything, what I may think sounds good does not sounds as good to others.

[TTrahan]

http://www.geocities.com/ttrahan20/Pedalboard.JPG

[burningyen]

IMHO the answer totally depends on your amp. You just have to try a bunch and pick what works best for your setup.

[El Kabong]

Thank you for all of the responses. It's nice to see people from the HFC board over here.

I had been using way to many pedals. None seemed right for my practical use. I was pedal dancing at home and getting nothing done. They all sounded great, but not one spoke to me as the *correct* pedal for me.

I had an AC Booster, an original Hot Cake, an MMFX Tube Killer, a Toadworks Mr. Ed, a Sobbat Octave Fuzz, a Metal Zone and a Tech 21 GT-2.

I also had an analog Boss delay, a Visual Sound H2O, a Boss parametric eq and a Holy Grail.

I took all of the toys to my local shop on consignment, which also happens to be Japan's premier tone snob shop.

There, I tried the *first* prototype of an 808 housed in in a Maxon Compressor box. It was *the* best version of the tube screamer, that I ever heard. The prototype was from '79 and a gift from the company to Ishi San. It is clean, articulate, buttery and transparent. It utilises a JI chip that was not used in the production model. ( I have no idea why, it sounded great!)

The shop owner, Ishi San, loved my MMFX tube Killer. It is billed as a Tube Screamer on steroids, but in reality, is the best clean boost I have ever heard. He offered me in trade, an original issue Fulltone Flull Drive 2. It does the TS thing extremely well at low volumes and I am told sounds phenomenal at full volume. So far, I have had it up to 1/2 volume in the store. The tone, comp. cut and two foot switches sold me. It does a lot of things very, very well. I never thought of it before.

The double MJM Blues Devil gave me extreme PAS,( thanks TTrahan), but as I am relegating myself to only one pedal for now, I will play with the Fulltone.

Michael at MJM was prompt and informative via e-mail. Many of the responses to date on this thread recommend his product. I thought all along that his may be the way to go...

( How long is this self-restraint thing supposed to last?)

[VaughnC]

"Best" is very subjective....however, based on my personal needs, here's a couple of my TS9 mod creations:
http://www.wpa.net/~vaughn/ts9/ts9mod.jpg
The TS9 on the left has a 3 position toggle switch for bass EQ, a 3 position compression level switch, and footswitchable dual channels with independent drive & level controls. The TS9 on the right has footswitchable dual channels but with dual concentric drive & level controls. On both pedals, the LED lights green for channel #1, red for channel #2, and is off when bypassed. For more info, the link to my website is at the bottom of all my posts.

There are also some reviews of my stuff on the Harmony Central data base at: http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Data/Vaughn_Mods/

[ROKY]

Menatone Red Snapper .

[jokerjkny]

FYI,

rob keeley now offers the new TS-808 reissue with his own sooper cool mods, including a true bypass button, ability to swap out the original shipping chip with a vintage NOS JRC, etc.

http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/e7/be/17_1.JPG

just ordered mine. should be cool.

:cool:

and awesome mods, Vaughn! got any clips?

[muddy]

major discovery here. the v-stack bhm, at least into my el84 amp, does a phenomenal srv/ts!! that really gutsy, barrelling mids thang, man, it's too bloody good!


ml

[presence]

Menatone Red Snapper.

[roknfnrol]

Burriss Boostiest;)

Way Huge Red Llama

[stark]

Maxon OD-9 by far.

Adam Stark

[gjf]

+1 for the Analogman Silver Mod -- it does kind of spread out the mid hump a bit, but is sweet as can be. I immediately sold my FD II after I played the Silver mod.

[ES330]

Tour Pro

[Glowing Tubes]

Chiming in late here,
I have had several of the pedals mentioned here, what has found a permanent spot on my board is the Analogman Silver Mod TS9. I have had it side by side with others and it sounded far and away the best to my ears. Very subjective subject.:YinYang
Not to mention Analog Mike is as cool as anybody to deal with and his pedals are great.

My setup:

Tom Anderson Drop Top>Budda Wah>Analogman BD-2>Analogman Bi-Comp>Keeley DS1 super>Analogman Silver TS9>Xotic RC boost>Bogner Shiva

Through my effects loop:
EBS Red Twister Chorus>Voodoo Labs Tremolo>Analogman clone chorus> T-Rex Replica Delay

I use a pedal snake for ease of operation.
The only change I want to make is to get a Red Witch Moon in place of my Voodoo Trem.

Its a sickness really
:NUTS LOL
AG

[roknfnrol]

I had an Analogman silver ts9 but I sold it... That was a while back. A friend of mine also has a silver ts9, we A/B'd an ac booster with the silver ts9 and he sold his ts9 the next day. I had an ac booster also but I sold it because it was a bit too woofy to my ears. Now I have a Menatone Red Snapper but I don't like it, too raspy and asymmetrical, my local tech said it wasn't very tube screamer-ish but built more like a MXR Distortion + !? Anyway, I'm back to my Way Huge Red Llama and Boostier, I love it!

It's rought trying out all of these pedals but someone has to do it! Anyone play any Pharoh pedals?

[Scott Cioe]

Originally posted by burningyen
IMHO the answer totally depends on your amp. You just have to try a bunch and pick what works best for your setup.

I agree 100%.

That said, I settled on a reissue Ibanez TS-808 for a Les Paul into a VHT Super 30 Combo.

[Glowing Tubes]

Originally posted by ringmod
I had an Analogman silver ts9 but I sold it... That was a while back. A friend of mine also has a silver ts9, we A/B'd an ac booster with the silver ts9 and he sold his ts9 the next day. I had an ac booster also but I sold it because it was a bit too woofy to my ears. Now I have a Menatone Red Snapper but I don't like it, too raspy and asymmetrical, my local tech said it wasn't very tube screamer-ish but built more like a MXR Distortion + !? Anyway, I'm back to my Way Huge Red Llama and Boostier, I love it!

It's rought trying out all of these pedals but someone has to do it! Anyone play any Pharoh pedals?
That is funny, I did exactly the same a/b and came to the opposite conclusion. The AM TS silver sounded crisp, clear, brought all the right things in my single coil pickups, The AC sounded a little pharty, loose. Sold the AC. Kept the TS.
Different strokes.... Just goes to show that there is no substitute for trying the pedals yourself and find what works for you.;)
AG

[Ed Reed]

I just got a AM TS-9 silver and I like it better than a Fulldrive II. I run the tone down around 8:00 though (single coils). The FD II is more compressed sounding to me anyway.

[roknfnrol]

Andersonguy:

I forgot to mention that I went back to tube screamers, I've sold the Red Llama! It's great for a clean boost but I like the overdriven characteristic of a TS9/808 (specifically a Burriss Boostiest pedal is what I'm using). I think Tom Petty must have the right idea- a Red Llama and a Tube Screamer in the rig...

But I also agree that you have to go with what sounds good with your amp.

[Blues Wail]

lovepedal eternity!

[John Hurtt]

Fulldrive II TR-100

[Idlewilde]

Tour Pro

[gjf]

+1 Sold the AC Booster and kept the Analogman TS-9 Silver Mod

[roknfnrol]

Burriss Boostiest !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boostier on one side
Killer TS clone on the other

[TheGrooveking]

I received both my TS-9 with the TS808 Silver mod and a BOSS DS-1 with the DS-1/Pro mod this past Monday. I will tell you that my Fulltone Fulldrive 2 and the Bixonic Expandora have better somehow improve or they are going to be replaced by these two new AnalogMan modded pedals. The difference is amazing!

TheGroovekinghttp://community.webshots.com/photo/174718661/174720515IAdbqw :RoCkIn

[roushc]

Judging by the Burriss site, it seems that they feel confident in their abilities to turn the Centaur into a "$300 gold paperweight." So, does the Boostiest live up to this?

[ES330]

Originally posted by roushc
Judging by the Burriss site, it seems that they feel confident in their abilities to turn the Centaur into a "$300 gold paperweight." So, does the Boostiest live up to this?

It had alot of sparkle to it. A tad thinner than bypass.
By itself, preferred other boosts. But, this was a contender for one of the best boosts I've tried.

It's great strength in my setup is how it worked with other pedals. If you are using other pedals for distortion or OD sounds this pedal will be a GREAT boost. It was my favorite boost for using with other pedals.

Not sure at all how this is being compared to a tubescreamer.

[dankayaker]

PedalMan 818 Pro. Extremely thick !

[Jcap]

Landgraff Dynamic Overdrive.

JCap

[Colt]

Analogman modded TS-9

[jonleecourage]

Closest tonally I've tried is the TS808 RI. A/B I can't tell the difference most of the time, and this is compared to the best original 808 I've had (have bought over 10 and released em all but this one, the Holy Grail 808 tone).

Landgraff DO is an awesome pedal and includes a great 808-type tone, but slightly different while very rich, full, smooth, a bit higher gain. Nice thing about the DO is that it covers way more tonal ground and isn't a one-trick pony like the 808 tends to be.

I keep both on my board. The original 808 stays home.

Have tried the MJM Blues Devil, Keeley mod TS9, Analogman mod TS9, Maxon OD808, probably some others I can't remember anymore.

[gearitis]

Originally posted by abergdahl
Landgraff Dynamic Overdrive :dude
A BIG +1

To me the Landgraff sounds amazing, and is very versatile. But the clincher that keeps a $300+ distortion pedal on my pedal board is "feel." The DO responds and feels the most like an overdriven amp to me.

[Deaj]

Originally posted by gearitis
"Yes honey, I definitely think the amp(s) in the living room match the rest of the furniture."

:D

[DahneR]

Some Ive enjoyed for extended periods of time....

Texas Two Step/Tour Pro
Landgraff Do
Cusack Screamer
BJFE Little Green Wonder
MMFX Tube Dancer/Killer
MJM Blues Devil
Ibanez Distortion Charger (Really!)

[dontflameme]

hey wait i didnt make this topic? Im EL KABONG at HCFx thru me a bit,

[El Kabong]

Huh? Smoke another one. I am El Kabong at the Hamer Fan Club site as well. After school, by the swings- don't chicken out! LOL

[D/FW XJ'er]

I have an original '82 TS-9 that was modded by Analog Mike to 808 specs, that I recently broke. (Went to replace the stripped out volume pot and cracked the circuit board)

I bought a TS-9 RI to have something cheap while the original was being fixed. Plus I could use it as a backup for gigs. I took it back because it just didn't cut it, and picked up the TS808 re-issue. With no mods, it sounds identical to my original TS-9 which to me is the best overdrive I've ever heard.

I compared it to the Fulldrive 2, the Klon Centaur (sp?), and the Voodoo Labs Sparkle drive. While they all sounded great, the TS808 got me the original TS sound and feel. :dude

[ford]

A reissue TS9 with the Keely plus mod is the best I've tried. The Voodoo lab Sparkledrive is very good too-I just never cared for the "blend the clean back in" feature.

Dan

You can also get the Sparkledrive modded by Keeley..makes it extra sweet.. and I like blending in the clean some...

rock

bford

Now I notice the date from that last post...ok.. I found the post during a search...and now it lives again!

[oxtone]

FYI,

rob keeley now offers the new TS-808 reissue with his own sooper cool mods, including a true bypass button, ability to swap out the original shipping chip with a vintage NOS JRC, etc.

http://i23.ebayimg.com/02/i/01/e7/be/17_1.JPG

just ordered mine. should be cool.

:cool:

and awesome mods, Vaughn! got any clips?

I have the Keeley moded 808 reissue, and it rocks! Mine has the True Bypass switch, as pictured above. It sounds great with all my amps. Keeley took out the big mid hump, and sweetend the highs and boosted the lows. And the blue LED looks great! :)

[tacoma5050]

i've got a pedalworx texas tour pro coming. it's the ts killer...


ml

I do not see the "texas tour pro" at pedalworx's website. Is it currently offered by them? Do you have a link to it there?

[johnnySRZ]

My old 4 knob Menatone Blue Collar is my favorite TS pedal I've tried out of all these:
- It's just got a certain mojo that it oozes...

Menatone Red Snapper
Keeley TS9 Plus
Anologman TS9 Silver
Barber DD
Maxon OD-9
BYOC Screamer
Full Drive II

[astainback]

Hopefully.. my custom build will be my favorite. BYOC kit in custom enclosure to house the double level and gain knobs (footswitchable), ts808/9 switch, Landgraff clipping mod. Sweeeeeeet.

[Highway Jones]

I like the MI Audio BBD because of the tweakability (mids, bright and tone knobs) and the character control. The character control is kind of nice because at bedroom volumes you can adjust the knob to put more bass prior to clipping so that it sounds like you are digging into the strings a little harder than you actually are (think SRV "Pride and Joy" intro) I probably play with that setting more than any other. It's almost like a separate distortion knob.

At bedroom volumes, bass and treble on my amp are harder to come by so the extra tone knobs are nice to enhance the missing frequencies.

[Ed Reed]

These are cool too http://www.ts9deluxe.com/

[mj07]

Bartolini Tube-it. Period best ts "copy" ever w/ bass treb boosts {2} gain and level. The bomb with any tube amp 30 watts and up.

[The Everlove]

late to the party, this guy :)

that being said, MJM

[stvnscott]

I have some shootout clips I'm about to post. Contenders are all the TS type pedals I own (which is way stupid too many). I just need to mix them down and I will have them available to start a new thread. For a teaser...

1. MI Audio Blue Boy
2. Lovepedal Eternity Roadhouse
3. Fulltone FD2 (2005)
4. Voodoo Sparkle Drive
5. Keeley TS9

I think you guys will be pretty surprised at the results. They all sound VERY similar on tape. A little different in the room, but not so much on tape.

Amp is a tweed Deluxe set cleanish. Guitar is a homebrew Parts-O-Caster with Lace Sensors. Recording is with a Palmer speaker sim.

I'm about to have some pedals for sale...

[derek_32999]

I have some shootout clips I'm about to post. Contenders are all the TS type pedals I own (which is way stupid too many). I just need to mix them down and I will have them available to start a new thread. For a teaser...

1. MI Audio Blue Boy
2. Lovepedal Eternity Roadhouse
3. Fulltone FD2 (2005)
4. Voodoo Sparkle Drive
5. Keeley TS9

I think you guys will be pretty surprised at the results. They all sound VERY similar on tape. A little different in the room, but not so much on tape.

Amp is a tweed Deluxe set cleanish. Guitar is a homebrew Parts-O-Caster with Lace Sensors. Recording is with a Palmer speaker sim.

I'm about to have some pedals for sale...


How do you use your TS? Vol up and gain down? Usually to see the difference in TS types you have to run the gain up higher and the volume lower. Other wise you are basically just using the TS as a boost which would have much less effect on tone.

[stvnscott]

The recordings were done with the gain at about 2:00, so it is high enough to really hear the clipping.

[Uma Floresta]

I really like my Monte Allums SD-1. The stock SD-1 is based off of a Tubescreamer, of course, but it has more highs and sounds more open, even without the mods. Add the mods and it sounds a great deal better. I've considered building a TS kit like OLC or BYOC and converting it to to the Monte SD-1 specs. But, probably not worth the effort. I don't mind the Boss buffer.

I hate the closed nasal sound of tube screamers. Some midrange is good, but the TS' specific midrange is just ugly, IMO. Boss was on to something good with the SD-1, though they should have gone farther. We need more clones based on that, instead of the TS9/808.

[jgyn]

I really like my Monte Allums SD-1. The stock SD-1 is based off of a Tubescreamer, of course, but it has more highs and sounds more open, even without the mods. Add the mods and it sounds a great deal better. I've considered building a TS kit like OLC or BYOC and converting it to to the Monte SD-1 specs. But, probably not worth the effort. I don't mind the Boss buffer.

I hate the closed nasal sound of tube screamers. Some midrange is good, but the TS' specific midrange is just ugly, IMO. Boss was on to something good with the SD-1, though they should have gone farther. We need more clones based on that, instead of the TS9/808.

I just got one of those Monte Allums SD-1s. It's nice! More open and upfront. What the original SD-1 is to the Tubescreamer, the Monte Allums mod is to the original SD-1.
I like SD-1s in general- they work better with my Marshalls and Hiwatt than Tubescreamer types.

[Uma Floresta]

I just got one of those Monte Allums SD-1s. It's nice! More open and upfront. What the original SD-1 is to the Tubescreamer, the Monte Allums mod is to the original SD-1.
I like SD-1s in general- they work better with my Marshalls and Hiwatt than Tubescreamer types.

I agree 100% :RoCkIn

[MightyGuru]

I just got an Addrock Not So Ol' Yeller. It's a 2 channel TS type device. There is a beautiful, nearly perfect amount of low-mid push with the NSOY but not that nasally mid associated with the old ts boxes. The top end is smooooth but has clarity and great attack...again, nearly perfect as I wouldn't change a thing. It totally screams in the clean channel of my Aiken Sabre (very blackface Fender). The sustain and clean up are exemplary and the compression seems just enough and doesn't squeeze the tone like some boxes I've tried.

It smokes the MOSFET Fulldrive I tried out and I prefer it over the Tim I own too.

The bottom is tighter than my Tim but never gets boomy, somehow.

Damn, I love this box and I haven't even tried it with 18 volts yet!

FWIW, I have never liked TS types but this one is so refined and useable I am smitten bigtime.

[Structo]

BYOC screamer kit, true bypass. Comes with several available mods.
While not a booteek, it certainly can compare to most unless you have to have the booteek name on it and spend $$$.

[williamh]

cusack screamer hands down has won it out for me...it's beaten out a maxon od808 a keeley modded ts9, and a fulldrive 2.

[dingdongbell070]

cusack screamer hands down has won it out for me...it's beaten out a maxon od808 a keeley modded ts9, and a fulldrive 2.

+1

Man, I really don't understand why the cusack isn't more popular on this forum. Nothing I try can knock it off my pedalboard

[rummy]

My favorite are Analogman Silver modded Maxon OD-9, and MJM Phantom.