Maxon Reissue Series OD808 Overdrive

Product Information

Long story short ... this unassuming OD808 was the winner. The Ibanez TS Mini was last place and the fancy, ridiculous expensive TS808HW was somewhere in the unremarkable middle. Basically Maxon are the people who designed and built the TS's for ibanez up until about the mid to late 90's. Even early maxon made TS9 Ri's are going for silly money.. It's kind of like Swiss army knives. Victorinox make the "original" swiss army knife and Wenger make the " Genuine" swiss army knife, but they're both swiss army knives. The lists in this article were last updated on June 5th, 2023 The Best Selling Overdrive of All Time When even legendary overdrives just aren’t enough, it’s time to go to the extreme – the OD808X Overdrive Extreme.

Like most Tube Screamer clones, the East River Drive is a simple but tonally impressive affair. With volume, tone and drive knobs laid out in a fairly standard fashion aboard the heavy duty metal enclosure, this pedal feels like something which should cost a whole lot more. The possible variation in tone is huge when you take into consideration the fact that you’ve only got three tweakable parameters, and it’s one of the many reasons why we speak of the East River Drive so highly. When Ibanez reissued its TS-9 Tube Screamer in 1996 (circuit still manufactured by Maxon), some wondered why they didn’t choose to reissue its TS-808 model instead. Thankfully though, modifications were easy enough to perform to turn the TS-9 reissue into a genuine TS-808 and many offer that service today. The brand might also play a part in your decision to buy a clone over an original. Us guitarists can be an odd bunch, and one of our many quirks is that we form strong and strict loyalties to certain brands that we like. If you want to spend a load of your hard-earned cash on an TS-style overdrive pedal, but don't really like the Ibanez brand, then a clone is the perfect option.

The Best Selling Overdrive of All Time

At Guitar World, our team of seasoned musicians has extensive experience playing and testing various guitar products, including boatloads of Tube Screamer clones. As passionate guitar enthusiasts, we understand the importance of achieving the right sound and tone, so we draw on our knowledge gained from using these products in live performances, studio recordings, and rehearsals to identify the best products for our guides.

The Maxon 0D808 is often compared to the slightly higher priced Ibanez TS808, as they are quite similar to each other in many aspects. I found the Maxon was less harsh on the mid-range and featured more tonal control. Furthermore, thereis a general consensus online that the Maxon is the superior overdrive pedal overall, which I am inclined to agree with. JHS creates a vast range of single-mode overdrive and distortion pedals which have nearly all become fan favorites. For this reason we’d have expected the Bonsai to take the form of nine separate TS-inspired stompboxes – but this love letter to the Tube Screamer, in its 9-in-1 format, is guaranteed to go down as one of the best JHS pedals – and one of the best TS clones – of all time. For those who want only the very best overdrive tones emanating from their 'board, Ibanez has produced (and continues to produce) hand-wired versions of the TS808. The limited edition Ibanez TS808HW – whilst also acting as an investment for players who want to see their money put to good use – provides an impressive tone which delivers on all of the TS808-sounding promises. Whether it sounds that much better we'll never know – but it's worth getting hold of one if your bank account will allow.Use the OD808 as a standalone effect going through a clean channel, use it to boost your overdrive channel even further into filthy saturation territory, or even go the way of using two of the pedals together to help you blast out those dynamic riffs with conviction. For the money, we’re thoroughly impressed with the Plumes. Through a mid-scooped amp it really comes into its own, and if you’re in the market for a TS clone that can do a little more then this should be on your shortlist. The OD808 is a simple looking pedal that features a foot switch and three knobs corresponding to overdrive, balance, and tone. The manual includedwith the pedal is neat, and includes standard presets to get you started with the tone you are looking for. If you're searching for a modern take on the Tube Screamer, then there are literally thousands of brands all making cool modern-voiced pedals. JHS and EarthQuaker Devices are two of the most popular, and their TS-inspired pedals don't leave much to be desired. They can cover virtually all bases, especially when it comes to modernizing that Tube Screamer tone we love. Like any green overdrive pedal you can get your hands on nowadays, its inspiration is fairly obvious – but as a result, the tones you can achieve from this unit are seriously impressive. The Green Mile has two working modes –‘warm’ and ‘hot’– both providing smooth, tube-esque levels of dirt. As you’d expect, ‘warm’ mode imparts a natural-sounding drive which is fairly touch-sensitive, and ‘hot’ mode takes the gain levels up a notch for more crunch.

Way Huge pedals – especially their range of killer overdrives – have been seen on pedalboards what seems like the world over. The Green Rhino has been one of their best-selling drive pedals, with its green enclosure giving us a good idea of where it draws its tonal inspiration from – and this MKV ‘Smalls’ version channels all of that ‘screamer goodness into one small, compact and convenient box. also, if you get an 808 or TS9 etc etc from whoever some are relay switched, some are TB, whole myriad. for the relay switched ones, this little item to convert them to TB without drilling holes is supposed to be good. If you’re after that iconic Tube Screamer sound but struggling to justify the price tag that can come with some TS-style pedals, then the East River Drive by Electro Harmonix could be your new favorite drive pedal. It turned out that the reason for the super-bright brittleness was the worn out ten year old valves in my Bad Cat Cub! It all disappeared with new valves.

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The Tube Screamer clone market is, to put it modestly, going nuts right now. There are brands from all corners of the earth throwing their hats in the TS-inspired pedal ring – but some of these brands are more successful than others. It also features a harder clipping pattern than the standard model, creating a searing, full-bodied drive tone that helps chords ring and notes sing. The OD808X takes Maxon’s classic 808 circuit to the extreme; adding extra Drive, Level and High frequencies to create a versatile, amp-like overdrive with excellent note clarity that won’t get lost in a mix. TECH TALK: My vote is get a Visual Sound Route 808. much less money than either of the Ibanez or Maxon pedals, all the common mods built in and a GREAT buffer (VS really do have an awesome buffer in their pedals). It's what i would spend my money on if i knew then what i know now.