Modded Tube Screamers : Do they deserve the hype?

[MaxStatic]

They're pussies

Or they play with too light of strings that go out of tune when struck too hard.....no....you were right, it all stems from the fact that they are pussies.

 

[*KeepControl*]

havent read thread but short answer yes,
I bought a robert keely modded ts9 and never looked back. they sell them in Sydney in a guitar shop near the qvb

 

[TheWinterSnow]

I think tube screamers are overhyped period. Considering that Boss has the SD-1 which is IDENTICAL in design. Their only differences are a handful of competent values. The SRV hype of the tube screamers has for their design made them so overpriced its not even remotely funny. I definitely do not think that it is worth it to fork out $100+ (up to $180 on a modified) on a single stage op amp with input and output buffering that only costs $20 to make.

 

[MaxStatic]

Yea I agree with you TWS, I had an SD-1 for a while but it was a little noisy. The pedal was thrashed though so that's what made it hiss me thinks and not the design.

 

[Notuern]

Personally, i prefer a good sounding amp and an EQ-pedal to control the distortion of the amp.
And if i use any type of overdrive, i make sure its not symmetrical clipping.. because to me they dont FEEL responsive enough when im playing.

 

[JBroll]

Max, handwired stuff is nice, but as someone who has built and packaged them I still think that they should be going for a bit less than Ibanez charges for their TS9s. I've built them into boxes and directly into guitars, using all sorts of bizarre parts, and... for that circuit, I'd still say that you spent too much.

The problem with stories like yours, as I've explained a few times in the TS thread, is that individual component variances can be large and *that* will have more to do with a pedal's sound than being handmade, machinemade, alienmade, or otherwise-made given the same circuit. If you buy a thousand of this guy's pedals and they have a statistically significant increase in 'smoothness' (as soon as that's quantified) compared to mass-produced pedals, your testimony might be significant - but considering that the pedals we're looking at will have 10% tolerances in component specs (on a *good* day!) there is nothing to be gained from one story about one pedal.

Jeff

 

[John_C]

The tolerances on electronics components are insane. It's a wonder half of the stuff we use works at all

 

[MaxStatic]

Yea, I screwed pooch, my response wasn't based on just one pedal. I should have added that I ordered two, one for me, one for my Dad. Tested both and they sounded the same. I didn't A/B them mind you, it was more of a function test before I sent it out to the Paps. I did notice that they were both a hair more clear than the Maxons and deff more clear than the TS9DX.

My TS9DX is a piece of shit though so.....uke:

The Maxons also have a hair of difference between them, but one is from early 2000's and the other is only a year or so old. Who knows, the difference is REAL subtle though and I have A/B'ed those ones. As a boost, no difference, as an OD it's a C hair.

Have another two on the way so I can have setups in different spots(Maxons may be sold off later as a result) so once those come in, I'll compare the three. I'm sure there might be a real slight variance in them when A/B/C'ed. We'll see.

I built a real shitty version of a TS back in the day too but F me was it noisy, I think I messed some part of the circuit up. I'm no engineer so I basically was following a DIY sheet. The board wasn't premade though so I think that's where I screwed something up.

Also, I'm not trying to say that this dudes stuff is the holy grail or anything, just an alternative to a commercial TS9 and cheaper than the Maxon stuff. I tend not to like the TS7 just because the switch isn't as robust. Additionally I'm a new turd on the bench so feel free to tell me to shut up and color.

I think bottom line, 808/TS give dudes with great chops an added edge and chug that makes great playing F'ing incredible. For dudes like me, they help me cheat a little and sound a hair better than I really am.

 

[Harry Hughes]

Personally, i prefer a good sounding amp and an EQ-pedal to control the distortion of the amp.
And if i use any type of overdrive, i make sure its not symmetrical clipping.. because to me they dont FEEL responsive enough when im playing.

Well part of the point of the TS stuff is that it makes it more compressed (and hence less dynamic) anyway...which to me is not a bad thing anyway, I like some compression to make leads a bit more liquid feeling when you play

 

[Melb_shredder]

Just to chip in... Just had an sd1 compared to a ts7 for a mates recto who's recording his album, the difference was marginal to say the least... Maybe built for the same purpose, but they sound worlds apart

 

[greyskull]

often use a maxon 808 for more djent, have tested against an ibanez vintage reissue, the ibanez lets a bit more bottom end through; again its pretty damn miniscule.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I modded a DS-1 and a MT-2. They are both noticeably better/different and the whole idea of putting in LED and Diode clipping was cool. I didn't spend more than $25 for each mod.

 

[Harry Hughes]

often use a maxon 808 for more djent, have tested against an ibanez vintage reissue, the ibanez lets a bit more bottom end through; again its pretty damn miniscule.

And me thinks one can probably just buy a TS-7 and mod it to Maxon 808 specs anyway rather than go all out and spend way too much on the Maxon

 

[Ermz]

Max, handwired stuff is nice, but as someone who has built and packaged them I still think that they should be going for a bit less than Ibanez charges for their TS9s. I've built them into boxes and directly into guitars, using all sorts of bizarre parts, and... for that circuit, I'd still say that you spent too much.

The problem with stories like yours, as I've explained a few times in the TS thread, is that individual component variances can be large and *that* will have more to do with a pedal's sound than being handmade, machinemade, alienmade, or otherwise-made given the same circuit. If you buy a thousand of this guy's pedals and they have a statistically significant increase in 'smoothness' (as soon as that's quantified) compared to mass-produced pedals, your testimony might be significant - but considering that the pedals we're looking at will have 10% tolerances in component specs (on a *good* day!) there is nothing to be gained from one story about one pedal.

Jeff

Right on. It's always good when someone with actual relevant and objective insight posts on these topics. They are too easily misled with bias.

I have a 'modded', self-made TS. Due to the mods it sounds comparatively cleaner to other TS pedals I've used in the past, but honestly I would use anything that's lying around. A pedal isn't going to make or break my session... I would have some serious questions about my engineering ability if it did.

If I had to grab another TS it would be a TS7 modded up to 808 spec. The price difference is insane, and indicative of how easy it is to ramp up prices of simple circuitry based on hype and misinformation.

 

[JBroll]

And me thinks one can probably just buy a TS-7 and mod it to Maxon 808 specs anyway rather than go all out and spend way too much on the Maxon

That was another thing covered in the TS FAQ.

Why is this thread still going?

Jeff

 

[DasReich]

Boss overdrive asymetric, tubescreamer symetrical clipping?

would there be an advantage in double tracking with both types?

http://www.theguitarfiles.com/guitarfile636.html

 

[Notuern]

Well part of the point of the TS stuff is that it makes it more compressed (and hence less dynamic) anyway...which to me is not a bad thing anyway, I like some compression to make leads a bit more liquid feeling when you play

Yeah, but for me that compression is distracting, as im a really dynamic player.

 

[JBroll]

... and how much distortion do you use? Both symmetric and asymmetric pedals like the ones that we're discussing will compress quite a bit, and the only difference here is that the asymmetric ones *might* appear to give less compression if you aren't paying much attention and aren't too comfortable with what asymmetric clipping actually means.

Jeff

 

[chrisjmp]

Has anybody tried a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive? It's supposedly a vintage 808 circuit and you can blend back in some of the clean signal. It seems like if the overdrive is cutting out too much of the bottom or compressing too much you could blend in a bit of the unprocessed signal to compensate

 

[JBroll]

If you want to try it, just put a blend knob in a TS7 yourself - that'll be the TS9 circuit, so if you're really not going to be happy without a TS808 you can make those changes (*two resistors*!) and save about 2/3 of what you'd be paying.

Once more, why is this thread still going?

Jeff