SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

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bloughlin16

New member
I was curious to see if anyone has tried both, as I'm currently debating between the two, but haven't found a shop that has both so I can A/B them through the same rig. I'm leaning toward the 808X, but I still would love some input.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

You can get something of a comparison here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmV8ksIAtwk

The 805 builds on the legendary tones of the 808 but we made some improvements, providing more gain range, using a chip we felt sounded better and provided more battery life and the active EQ controls. I don't think there is a guitarist at the factory who isn't in love with it. It's killer with the Pickup Booster too.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

Also consider the Wampler Clarksdale. Active tone controls, the treble functions in a similar way as the 808 tone control, however it'll boost and cut. Active mids and bass are straightforward. Two switchable clipping/voicing options. Very usable from low gain boost up through mid gain.

I haven't compared to an 805, but I'm sure they are both outstanding versions of the traditional Tube Screamer tone.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

Scott Olson said:
You can get something of a comparison here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmV8ksIAtwk

The 805 builds on the legendary tones of the 808 but we made some improvements, providing more gain range, using a chip we felt sounded better and provided more battery life and the active EQ controls. I don't think there is a guitarist at the factory who isn't in love with it. It's killer with the Pickup Booster too.
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Thanks, Scott. I've actually seen that before, but there's enough of a delay between when I try to flip between the two that I can't quite get the A/B feel that I would like. Would love to try them both (and potentially even do a shootout video on them for YouTube), but I can't seem to find any shop that has both.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

at this point I dont own a 808x ive only demod it. My impression is this, if you are boosting a high gain amp to tighten it up and give it a bit more crunch the maxon is the way to go.

If you are after a more traditional use of an over drive the 805 does this better and has a few more options available with the eq.

But thats just my opinion so give it the appropriate weight.

There is definitely a percussive quality to the 808x that i like for metal and it doesnt clip the lows off as much as other tube screamers do while leaving the mid hump intact. For blues or just general boosting i think the 805 is a better unit
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

Edgecrusher said:
at this point I dont own a 808x ive only demod it. My impression is this, if you are boosting a high gain amp to tighten it up and give it a bit more crunch the maxon is the way to go.

If you are after a more traditional use of an over drive the 805 does this better and has a few more options available with the eq.

But thats just my opinion so give it the appropriate weight.

There is definitely a percussive quality to the 808x that i like for metal and it doesnt clip the lows off as much as other tube screamers do while leaving the mid hump intact. For blues or just general boosting i think the 805 is a better unit
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That is very helpful, thank you! I'm definitely more concerned about it being a good metal booster, but would you say it can still do bluesy material? I know it's not as good for it as the original 808, though I have seen some reviews where I think it did a decent job. I just don't want to pay $160 for it if it's only a one-trick pony.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

The 808x can do the bluesy stuff sure. Just the 805 has an edge over it when doing bluesy stuff. Think of the 808x as a TS with a touch more attitude in the grind. If you dont mind a bit more chunk in your blues leads then its perfect.

The 805 shines at being a good tube screamer that is super versatile. If someone told me hey you can only have 1 pedal i would take the 805. The eq is super adjustable and it has great gain sweep. Even to the point that it could feasibly double as a distortion pedal. But i know at the end of the day for me (and it probably comes from years of playing with single tone knob TS's) the 3 band eq on the 805 is cool but not used a ton.

For me a big issue with TS is the drop in the lows. On 6 string stuff its ok but for 7 string stuff its too much of a cut. Mods like the analogman silver bring it back but also smooth out the mid some, that mid hump really helps you get grindy metal tones so its less than idea.

the 808x is a nice medium between those. More lows... still has the hump.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

Edgecrusher said:
The 808x can do the bluesy stuff sure. Just the 805 has an edge over it when doing bluesy stuff. Think of the 808x as a TS with a touch more attitude in the grind. If you dont mind a bit more chunk in your blues leads then its perfect.

The 805 shines at being a good tube screamer that is super versatile. If someone told me hey you can only have 1 pedal i would take the 805. The eq is super adjustable and it has great gain sweep. Even to the point that it could feasibly double as a distortion pedal. But i know at the end of the day for me (and it probably comes from years of playing with single tone knob TS's) the 3 band eq on the 805 is cool but not used a ton.

For me a big issue with TS is the drop in the lows. On 6 string stuff its ok but for 7 string stuff its too much of a cut. Mods like the analogman silver bring it back but also smooth out the mid some, that mid hump really helps you get grindy metal tones so its less than idea.

the 808x is a nice medium between those. More lows... still has the hump.
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Thank you for all of your help! I'm probably going to go with the Maxon, but I might have to give the 805 a try myself before buying the 808X. One last question: I've heard that the treble eq knob on the 805 can actually be a bit harsh if you turn it up more than part way (I usually find that I like to set the tone knob on most OD's that I use between noon and 1, though sometimes more so between 1 and 2, to boost the highs and mids and cut the lows just a tad). Is there any truth to that?
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

Any effect or amp that has active tone controls can get harsh at the top end, or conversely, boomy at the bottom, if you turn the knobs up too much. It all depends upon how the tone stack and power section, combined with the speaker, perform at the extreme ends of the bell curve.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

I use 2 805's on my board. One is set as a nice mid drive sound and the other is used as a cleaner boost. Both of those also go into a Plexitone prototype pedal, then into a Marshall JTM45. I actually set the Plexitone for quite a low gain setting, but the first 805 tightens up both the second 805 and the PT nicely. It also sounds great for just pushing the JTM45 a little for a sizzle-y clean tone. If I was to wind the wick up on the PT then I could get some great hard rock/metal tones out of my rig. I like the 805 as there is more flexibility than with a normal TS.
 
Re: SD 805 vs. Maxon OD808X

bloughlin16 said:
Thank you for all of your help! I'm probably going to go with the Maxon, but I might have to give the 805 a try myself before buying the 808X. One last question: I've heard that the treble eq knob on the 805 can actually be a bit harsh if you turn it up more than part way (I usually find that I like to set the tone knob on most OD's that I use between noon and 1, though sometimes more so between 1 and 2, to boost the highs and mids and cut the lows just a tad). Is there any truth to that?
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There is some truth to it. The 805's treble control is actually at weird frequency for a TS. I figured it out after i spent hours trying to get it to exactly duplicate my favorite TS's sound. It works ok but was an odd choice. But Demanic is right that any time you have an active tone control its going to be capable of boosting and adding harshness that you dont want. Its easy enough to avoid you just have to learn where you like it set.
 
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