Maxon Reissue Series OD808 Overdrive

Product Information

The EQ section, which allows a wide range of sculpting through Tone knob, Presence and a Mids toggle that delivers classic TS tone (rich in mids) or a mid-cut alternative. Similar in design to the earlier, manufactured overseas TS808, it also retains the legendary JRC 4558 D chip. The Ibanez Tube Screamer is an iconic pedal, and the sound it produces is better than any imitation, right?

Identical to the original circuit and featuring the JRC4558 IC chip, the Maxon OD808 reissue offers the smooth, natural and incredibly dynamic overdrive of a full-up tube amplifier in a compact pedal. As far as Tube Screamer clones go, the Hudson Sidecar takes care of a slightly different end of the market. Victorinox make the "original" swiss army knife and Wenger make the " Genuine" swiss army knife, but they're both swiss army knives. Hudson Electronics, while not the most well-known pedal brand on our list, make some super-cool vintage-sounding pedals – especially the Sidecar.The OD808 produces an exceptionally warm, organic overdrive sound with stunning mid-presence, and this current version has been tweaked further by Maxon to produce even less background noise. A faithful reissue of the most popular version of the Tube Screamer from the '70s, and slightly edgier-sounding than the original TS808, the Ibanez TS9 is the most classic of overdrives.

The sheer versatility of this pedal, along with some of its replications of rare pedals and mods, makes this our top choice. Mixed results are had when using the OD808 for its overdrive with a humbucking guitar like a Les Paul. The BOSS OD-1 might have coined the term "Over Drive", but the Tube Screamer made it a classic effect. With the Soldano’s drive channel and the OD808X set at maximum volume, tone at noon, and the gain at 8 o’clock, I got more sustain, fatter midrange, and tighter lows—transforming the Soldano into a hulking thrash metal machine and making lead licks feel effortless. an overdrive + boost that marries a Tube Screamer-style channel with a silicon treble booster, probably of Dallas Rangemaster origins.The answer we got from the data was unequivocal: the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9 and its mini sibling won first and second place. The lack of a battery compartment means that this pedal needs to be used with an external power supply – which isn’t included with the 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. 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.

Many metal players use the Tube Screamer with the gain down and level up to kick a high-gain amp into further saturation. Here’s an interactive gallery with other boutique Tube Screamer clones that remain pretty faithful to the original. The layout of the Green Mile is impressive when you consider its small footprint, with the large ‘overdrive’ control making tonal adjustments on the fly nice and easy. The OD808 and the TS808 are, for that reason, identical pedals – so if you’d rather avoid having ‘mainstream’ brands on your ‘board, then a Maxon OD808 could be exactly what you need. As a result, a common option added to clones is the option to remove the clipping diodes from the circuit entirely.I have had mine for 3 years but don't use it as much as my OD820, but I still have kept it around so long because it's such a great pedal. Whether it sounds that much better we'll never know – but it's worth getting hold of one if your bank account will allow. Maxon designed the original OD808 overdrive circuit in the late 1970’s – they then rebranded this pedal for Ibanez as the TS808 Tubescreamer, and the rest is history. If you're looking for the closest thing to the original, then – ignoring Ibanez themselves – Maxon is your obvious choice.

The OD808 sounded as it should with its proper JRC4558D chip and I’m happy to report that fans of the 808 sound will be very pleased with the sonic results of the OD808. I'm not saying it's not as good as the Maxon because it probably is but the Maxon gives me everything I want. Other than the reduced background noise however, it’s hard to see where the Maxon OD808 can offer you a different experience to the TS808. Having a treble and bass control alongside the drive and level dials is a lovely touch on the Sidecar, and it’s one of the things which sets this pedal apart from most 808 clones.I would be fine taking this pedal on the road due to its durability and high quality components it comprises of. They would then go on to explain that they scooped all the mids out of their eq for the classic "scooped mids" thing.