The Hype of the TubeScreamer

[Chickenwings]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

tube screamers of any vintage, boss sd-1, maxon od9, fulldrive etc etc
They all sound pretty fantastic if you have a fantastic amp.
All that bass rolloff/midrange push works just so well into an amp on the verge (or beyond) of overdrive.
With some amps, i prefer them to the "improved" pedals out there that offer wider eq flexibility etc.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

I guess the Fulldrive does a good Tube Screamer with the right knob/switch combos, since it was mentioned above I'll say I love it. From what I understand the circuit is pretty diff. though.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

I guess the Fulldrive does a good Tube Screamer with the right knob/switch combos, since it was mentioned above I'll say I love it. From what I understand the circuit is pretty diff. though.

In Vintage, Standard mode a FD2 is quite close to a true bypass slightly modified TS-808. Boost adds more gain, MOSFET swaps the clipping diodes for MOSFETs, CompCut removes the clipping diodes and Flat Mids bypasses some of the tone control portion to remove some of the mid hump.

FD2 is my personal TS of choice, I'm a big fan.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

As long as I'm playing my Strat through my SF Super, they'll be connected via a Green Rhino. If I had the money, I'd have a custom single channel Super Reverb built with the Rhino's guts built in as a preamp.

Having said that, I'd like to add a dozen or so more TS variants to the collection.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

If I had the money, I'd have a custom single channel Super Reverb built with the Rhino's guts built in as a preamp.

The original musicman amps (the ones with 12ax7 PI tube) and the sames in italics like "sixty-five" had a tubescreamer style symmetrical clipping circuit built right into the channel volume.
Great amps...check one out if you ever get the chance.

 

[Blille]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

The original musicman amps (the ones with 12ax7 PI tube) and the sames in italics like "sixty-five" had a tubescreamer style symmetrical clipping circuit built right into the channel volume.
Great amps...check one out if you ever get the chance.

And of course Ibanez's Tube Screamer Amps have one as well

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TSA30H/

5, 15 and 30w versions.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

GJ, have you had much time to compare the Hardwired 808 and your other Tube Screamer flavored drives?

The TS-9 has a bit more of the fake sound of mixing a clean and distorted signal into one signal. The tone is slightly thinner than the 808.

The TS808 has a smoother midhump, and maybe better lows.

The Handwired 808 is the purest form of the exact same circuit. The tone isn't drastically different, but it's got a slightly better feel under the fingers. It's a little more open sounding from low to high. It still has some compression, but it's a little more natural sounding due to the headroom and dynamic range. That translates into more sensitivity to your picking. If you dig in hard, it can handle it rather than splatting out.

Overall, the price is due to the construction methods. I wouldn't have paid $350 for it, but at $200, it's worth having the definitive tone. It's like buying a point to point Marshall or Fender instead of a PCB one from a few years later.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

And of course Ibanez's Tube Screamer Amps have one as well

true, but them old musicmans were made in the USA, designed by Leo Fender, are built like tanks, have real spring reverb and were used by people like Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter and Albert Lee and have stood the test of 40 plus years of working on the road.

 

[Blille]

The Hype of the TubeScreamer

true, but them old musicmans were made in the USA, designed by Leo Fender, are built like tanks, have real spring reverb and were used by people like Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter and Albert Lee and have stood the test of 40 plus years of working on the road.

True.

And the Tube Screamer amps have an actual Tube Screamer which seems relevant in a Tube Screamer thread

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

In Vintage, Standard mode a FD2 is quite close to a true bypass slightly modified TS-808. Boost adds more gain, MOSFET swaps the clipping diodes for MOSFETs, CompCut removes the clipping diodes and Flat Mids bypasses some of the tone control portion to remove some of the mid hump.

FD2 is my personal TS of choice, I'm a big fan.

I'm an FD2 'FET lover, I almost never use 'Standard' though, a bit fuzzy for me. You're right though, that's probably the most TS-ish setting combo.

 

[ErikH]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

Hype is when something is touted as being better than what it really is. The Tubescreamer is anything but that. I have an 808 reissue and really wish I had picked one up sooner. For the longest time I used either a Boss SD-1 (same circuit design with different clipping) or just a clean boost until I picked up a Fulltone OCD (completely different). But I was looking for an OD to keep in my bag for rehearsals and that's when I snagged the 808. I used it at the last gig and really pleased with it though the OCD may remain on the board for gigs. I like what it adds a little better.

 

[Aceman]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

well said Erik.

I think there is way more "hype" associated with the boo-teek clones that are 3-4x the price, but maybe 10% better/different.

 

[Mincer]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

Absolutely. Add artwork that looks like a 4th grader did it, and usually some image of a spaceship. Oh, and stop making pedals after 2 years so the prices go even higher. It isn't a complex formula, yet people fall for it all the time.

 

[Aceman]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

I think thetas part of where the Duncan pedal shines if you don't know the flavor you really want. Active EQ for B, M, and T is some powerful mojo.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: The Hype of the TubeScreamer

Absolutely. Add artwork that looks like a 4th grader did it, and usually some image of a spaceship. Oh, and stop making pedals after 2 years so the prices go even higher. It isn't a complex formula, yet people fall for it all the time.

There are too many 'pedal savants;' people who make random/small changes to a circuit, praise it no matter the results, paste on inept artwork to feign irony with low effort, and use their massive YouTube/Facebook/forum "stardom" to trick people into believing them and distract from the fact that the most skill they possess is knowing how to solder.

*Pushing Devi Ever fuzz collection under the bed. * People who think they can sell amateur-wound pickups is the next step after that...