Maxon Reissue Series OD808 Overdrive

Product Information

I have an OD9 and a Barber Direct Drive with the mod PCB. With the extra trim pots in the DD you can make that thing as tight, loose, low gain, high gain as you want. For TS pedals the OD9 is my favorite but I prefer the DD as a gain boost for my Marshall (2204). And the Barber is built like a tank. Amazingly, the OD808X does not add much noise at high-gain levels, making it an ideal booster for heavy styles dependent on chunky stop/start power chords. Turns out that the OD808’s mild compression and slight low-end cut are perfect for tightening up high-gain amps; allowing fast note runs to stand out with clarity while making rhythms tight and punchy. Just listen to any recording by Grammy-award winning Producer/Killswitch Engage founder Adam Dutkiewicz to hear how the OD808 has become the voice of a whole new generation of metal guitarists. Please note, Godlyke, Inc. is no longer Maxon's Distributor and will no longer be receiving inventory from Maxon Japan. If you're interested in the OD808, please see Godlyke's new collaboration with Mr. Tamura (original Tube Screamer Engineer), the Tamura-Mod Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer. The first thing to decide on is how close you'd like the clone to be to a Tube Screamer. After all, most originals are buffered, so if you want a true bypass Tube Screamer, then an otherwise faithful clone might be your best bet. There's a broad spectrum of clones, from those that are more 'inspired' by the pedal than direct clones, to ones that are a part-perfect recreation of a particular era of the pedal. You need to decide where on this spectrum your tastes lie, and how flexible you need it to be. If in doubt, as always, let your ears be your guide.

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. The OD808 Reissue offers up all the warm, creamy, organic overdrive as the original and then some. Never one to rest on their laurels, Maxon has tweaked the current version ever so slightly to reduce noise level while retaining the legendary “808” tone (see Tech Talk below). 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.The Extreme shares the same basic circuit architecture as the OD808. However, several key component values have been altered to achieve what may be the ultimate overdrive tone. Why should you buy a clone over the real thing? The Ibanez Tube Screamer is an iconic pedal, and the sound it produces is better than any imitation, right? It's a good question, and one where the answer is different for everyone. The tone is another potential reason as to why a clone would suit you better than the original pedal. If you're all about the mid-bump and Tube Screamer style of overdrive, but want something that has more gain, a slightly different gain voicing or just more tweakable options, then a clone is probably the way to go. Remember though, that all Tube Screamer clones will have a fairly similar tone, layout and gain structure, as they're all variations on the same theme. Which brands make the best Tube Screamer clones?

a “Swiss Knife” angle to the format, with two gains and a three-band EQ and three toggle switch to color the sound in different ways. In real terms the 9 is a touch, and i really mean vaguely, more aggressive, the 808 is more open and smooth. but theese are minute differences. There's no real "mid hump" differences between them.

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.

Maxon play off being the original makers and charge lots of money, and Ibanez are the original brand. and charge lots of money. and a million and one other makers make clones at varying levels of price. The most outrageous of the standard production ones is the TS808HW (handwired). they don't use "premium" or "hand selected" components, they use the same bog standard stuff out of the same parts bins as the other pedals. A nice chunky boost who cuts the bad, bad bass frequencies and turns my Gibson SGs into real metal machines! Of course you can have some nice texas blues sounds with drive turned up in front of a clean amp but I prefer the nice mid-boost and cut through the mix. Also on stage - what a sound! The third thing to choose is the tone and clipping set-up. Of course, the one thing that Tube Screamers almost universally have in common is their 'mid bump' and soft-clipping diodes.

Tube Screamer Shootout Videos

It's a subtle difference but I think the OD9 is slightly smoother and darker than the Pro+. The Pro+ is probably a better pedal and more versatile but I like the OD9 the way it is. It's definitely better than the Ibanez pedals. Don't get it modded because it will screw it up. 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. Housed in a heavy-gauge metal enclosure, the OD808 certainly feels rugged. I also have a preference for the older-style stompbox switches as used in the OD808 as they seem to hold up well to long-term abuse and are easy to replace if they do go down. While I have not experienced problems with the Ibanez 9-series style footswitches personally, I have heard some complaints regarding reliability issues with some of them. Different pedals work well for different amps. i have never understood the use of a tubescreamer to boost a marshall or 5150 etc. Maybe because they're known as a boost pedal, primarily because of SRV. But here's the thing. SRV was Fender user, and LOTS of country players use TS's. and they generally use Fenders. Why does this combo sound so good? because fenders are typically amps with a scooped character. the TS adds in what isn't there. When is a clone not really a clone? Simple: when it's designed and built by the original pedal's creators, making it more of a reissue than a generic clone. Which is exactly what you get with the Maxon OD808! A New Take on the World's Most Popular Overdrive Pedal