Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

bryan the rocker

bryan the rocker

New member
Hi guys,


People describe the Tubescreamer as having a Midrange hump, and little Bass,

But I read somewhere that it actually has even midrange, but the lack of Bass make it sound like it has a Mid hump,


The Tubescreamer clone I am planning to get in the future is a Retro Sonic TS 808 Overdrive


1) So Guys, Do you really need a Tubescreamer ? ...... or Can you get that sorta Tubescreamer Tone with ordinary cheap Overdrives (Boss, Digitech, Cool Cat drive etc.) and just fiddle with your Amp's EQ or an EQ pedal. Increase the Mids, Lessen the Bass ?


2) Any Forum Bros. using a Tubescreamer as there Main Overdrive ?

Opinions on it ?



Thanks
 
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Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

The Greenie Pedal from GFS and Digitech B. Monkey are Inexpensive Tubescreamer Clones,

Are those pedals good representation of the Tubescreamer tone,

Opinions on those pedal :)


Thanks




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K2yt9acQEI

Heres the Difference between a Tubecreamer type pedal and a regular Overdrive, You could clearly hear the Mid Hump on the Route 808 :)
 
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Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

I use a tubescreamer as my main overdrive and I think it's just perfect. It adds just a little bit of bite to my amp and gives me the sound I'm looking for. There's nothing I can do with my amp to make it sound like that. I've never tried the clones.
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Do you need a Tubescreamer? No. However, it's one of the classic overdrive pedals and works pretty well with a variety of guitars and amps. I have a bevy of overdrive pedals, and I'd say of my top three faves, two are booteek and one is the TS. Let your ears be your guide.

- Keith
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

A Boss SD-1 has a very similar circuit and essentially performs the same thing as a TS (added compression, mid hump, bass cut, high end roll off etc).
Change a few components and you have a TS-9 or TS-808.
Don't buy into the whole "BUY THE TS-808 COS IT'S VINTAGE" because it's basically a scam by Ibanez.
Buy a TS-7, change a few components that cost a few dollars and you have a TS-808 and you will hundreds of dollars
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

^ Guitar players jumps at anything that has some sort of voodoo mojo unearthy;)
Even I who has disliked the TS since I do not know when, is back using one...
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Pink Unicorn Horsey said:
Do you need a Tubescreamer? No. However, it's one of the classic overdrive pedals and works pretty well with a variety of guitars and amps. I have a bevy of overdrive pedals, and I'd say of my top three faves, two are booteek and one is the TS. Let your ears be your guide.

- Keith
Click to expand...

Actually to put it another way, with some styles of you music you DO need a Tube Screamer.
Amps like Dual Rectos, 5150s etc don't really cut it for modern extreme metal unless you boost it because they are simply too flabby without the TS
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Yes the cheaper pedalas are fine. IN fact some of them are better becuase unlike the ibanez they are true bypass. Take the gfs one for example - it has tbps and a few other switches to change the bass response.
I really only use one pedal (when i use a pedal at all), although i have seven different overdrives! You know the one that i keep using.....a maxon OD9 - which is just another tube screamer anyway. However, i have modded it over a few years until it does the sound i like.
There is nothing set in stone with these things : the "holy grail" ts 808 is just a circuit, which can be copied and modified. I had one, it wasn't the best sounding pedal ever. It was just another pedal.
The thing that is great about TS pedals is the circuit is so common, simple and easy to work with. All the talk about this opamp and that opamp is not really a big deal. The main difference in sound comes from how you wire the eq circuit, what and how many clipping diodes you use.
The boss sd for example is almost identical to a TS except it has 3 clipping diodes instead of two. Take one out and what do you get?
Yep - digitech, boss, ibanez, maxon etc. etc. etc all share an almost identical circuit. the basic layout is a good design for making a dirty, thick, middy lead boost. It is not the be all and end all for all overdrive applications tho.Just because Stevie Ray vaughan used an 808 does not make it anything special. Any of this type of pedal will work for you -then mod it to taste....there is heaps of great info out there for you.
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Cannot see the good thing about chaning impedance when engaging a pedal, nor the muffled sound when you disengage it, or the tendency to pick statics and other sources of noise....
Nor the mechanical switches they seem to favour.
I can understand relays, but they still have to deal with the load of a cable when bypassed, at least the impedance is of no issue there..
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

I've never used a proper tubescreamer so I can't comment on apart from the fact that it seems just a tad pricy for stock overdrive pedal.
I have a danelectro FAB overdrive which is one of the cheaper clones (I don't know how close the circuit actually is) which is Ok but you tend to lose a lot of bass.
For my birthday a Bad Monkey appeared and that sounds much better and has much more adjustment in the controls. Soon I should also be recieving a Valve Sporker from MonkeyFX and when I do I'll do a little review/comparison between that, the Bad Monkey and the danelectro.
These sort of pedals do add a bit more mid range bite to the sound and coupled with a valve amp they're pretty versatile
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Uk Ant said:
I've never used a proper tubescreamer so I can't comment on apart from the fact that it seems just a tad pricy for stock overdrive pedal.
I have a danelectro FAB overdrive which is one of the cheaper clones (I don't know how close the circuit actually is) which is Ok but you tend to lose a lot of bass.
Click to expand...

Yeah, uhh, the whole point of using a TS style pedal is to tighten the low end bro :laugh2:
You're not "losing" bass, you're tightening the low end to make the tone clearer under higher gain levels.
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Petrovsk Mizinski said:
Yeah, uhh, the whole point of using a TS style pedal is to tighten the low end bro :laugh2:
You're not "losing" bass, you're tightening the low end to make the tone clearer under higher gain levels.
Click to expand...

yeah uhh it's not the WHOLE point

i use mine to bring out the mids and add a little gain. Mine is a Visual Sound Route 808 which has a lowend boost switch...eliminating the bass drop normal 808's get. I only use the bass boost when i want everything louder than everything else...for normal rock guitar tones and settings, where the 808 is being used primarily to add a dash of crunch or to boost you through the mix for a solo, that perceived lack of lowend is just the added mids cutting through.

I do love the way my 808 in front of my Big Muff Pi sounds tho. Similar to that "tightened lowend high gain amp" sound but y'know, Muffy.

Does everybody need one? No. I'd only get one if your amp has a really good cranked / overdriven tone and you want a way to get more of that saturation...and even then, i would only try the tubescreamer overdrives after a few clean boosts...
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Petrovsk Mizinski said:
Yeah, uhh, the whole point of using a TS style pedal is to tighten the low end bro :laugh2:
You're not "losing" bass, you're tightening the low end to make the tone clearer under higher gain levels.
Click to expand...

Me thinks there's a big difference between tightening and completly removing :)
 
Re: Do you really need a Tubescreamer pedal.

Empty Pockets said:
yeah uhh it's not the WHOLE point

i use mine to bring out the mids and add a little gain. Mine is a Visual Sound Route 808 which has a lowend boost switch...eliminating the bass drop normal 808's get. I only use the bass boost when i want everything louder than everything else...for normal rock guitar tones and settings, where the 808 is being used primarily to add a dash of crunch or to boost you through the mix for a solo, that perceived lack of lowend is just the added mids cutting through.

I do love the way my 808 in front of my Big Muff Pi sounds tho. Similar to that "tightened lowend high gain amp" sound but y'know, Muffy.

Does everybody need one? No. I'd only get one if your amp has a really good cranked / overdriven tone and you want a way to get more of that saturation...and even then, i would only try the tubescreamer overdrives after a few clean boosts...
Click to expand...

Wouchh, I didn't mean it as "LITERALLY THE WHOLE POINT" dude :laugh2:
I'm pretty sure it was implied in my post that a good chunk of what a TS does is the low end tightening, but I guess I'm wrong and next time I'll make sure to post EXACTLY what I mean every time so there is no confusion ;)
 
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