Im using an ibanez tube screamer, a boss blues driver, a fulltone fulldrive, an electro harmonix soul food, a fulltone ocd, and a wampler euphoria drive. The tube screamer ts808 by ibanez is the most famous overdrive guitar pedal. Modified ts9dx tube screamer this ts9dx comes fully modified and ready to go it is in excellent condition. I say, if you want that sound, go with the original. Ive really been trying to get away from pedals for my drive tones. That pedal show tube screamer, blues driver, king of tone. Im trying to decide which pedal to get, i want to get a blues pedal, and im stuck between an ibanez tubescreamer ts9, a boss blues driver bd2, or a.
Ibanez tube screamer ts 9 vs boss blues driver overdrive. Ibanez tube screamer ts 9 vs boss blues driver overdrive pedal. In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver. Boss blues driver or tube screamer guitar masterclass. The ibanez ts808 tube screamer is the most commonly used overdrive pedal by professionals, first released back in the 1970s, but still a worldwide favorite amongst hobby players and touring professionals. The blues driver stays on all the time at a low level with a twin reverb and i use the tube screamer as the boostoverdrive for solos. There are several alternative, non tube pedals that can do very similar overdrive tones as well. Various versions of replicas are bewildering variety of choice for customers in the market now, which timbre is loyal to the tube screamer style. I know theyre both great overdrive pedals but i just want to get a feel of what you. That same month, the boss bd2 blues driver first hit guitar store shelves, targeting a different sort of player. You get more options in dialing your tone and an lphp mode to further your playing style from clean drive and bring it to the metal arena.
Blues driver and tube screamer are two ive been looking at, but not sure which one i like better. We all love that sweet spot on an amp where the circuit and tubes are. It also has a reliable performance similar to the tube screamer ts808. Boss blues driver vs digitech screamin blues pedal youtube. What are the advantages of the boss bd2 blues driver. I also use a butler tube driver and a lovepedal eternity. You can also expect an excellent tone and sound effect in the ts808.
The tube screamer is a nice pedal and i think if it was between a stock bd2 and the tube screamer i would choose the tube screamer. Seems to me that the tube screamer cant do the cleaner settings like the boss does but the the bd2 doesnt have as much overdrive either. The blues driver not only quickly captured its targeted audience, but its versatility and character helped it to transcend genres equally as hastily. If youre a blues and country player looking for a more subtle overdrive, both do very well and are widely used. Ibanez tubescreamer ts9 vs boss blues driver bd2 youtube.
The stock pedal has a fairly good tone it tends to lack gain. Classic blues guitar tones with tube amp simulation. If youre using it for a different od sound, not just as a boost, you may find that you like it before the blues driver. It uses two 1458 chips which are the 1st version of the lowtech dual opamp. So which will win the battle of bd2 vs ts808 pedals. Blues driver discussion in the effect effect started by kevin8122006, mar 11, 2009. I find myself addicted to that sweet sustain that seems to come only from overdriven tubes. It is suitable for blues and all range of rock music, adding a classic standard tone characterized by the tubelike distortion, good sustain, and smooth overdrive. Well give you our verdict, but dont be afraid to try them both for your own best sound. I played the ts9 before to test it out and i liked the clean. The tube screamer has a pronounced mid boost and gets dirty more quickly.
I use the tube screamer with fender guitars to get more dirt and to cut through the mix, and blues driver for a clean boost or a bit of grit on fender and gibson guitars. Monte allums h20 modded blues driver,build your own clone ts808 and general guitar gadgets bb1 all thru 83 american standard strat and fender hot rod deville 212. Vintage ibanez ts9 vs boss blues driver bd2 youtube. The top 10 bluesapproved overdrivedistortion pedals. Ibanez tubescreamer ts9 vs boss blues driver bd2 pedal. The tube screamer excels at od for a strat because is does add that small amount of midrange to single coils that can benefit from more mids.
In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver reverb news. Then boss introduced the blues driver, and created a brilliant allround guitar pedal that is also budget friendly. Ibanez ts9 tube screamer vs boss sd1 super overdrive battle of the screamers duration. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30yearold tube amps. For all over drive pedals, tube screamer is always the over load and the incentive effect of standard. Dec 06, 2009 looking for the best pedal for a good hendrix blues tone. Tube screamer as it is more natural sounding to me. They stack great together, so why not get a cheap used blues driver and try it out stacked or alongside each other. This is a little known trick used by many tube screamer vs blues in the studio, and you can compensate for the eq of the distortion pedal itself, which many find lacking. Been through tube screamer, fulltone soul bender miss that one, and blues driver without satisfaction. The pedal has a characteristic midboosted tone popular with blues and rock players. I wanted to test out a bunch of overdrive pedals to see which ones stacked with each other the best, and gave the best overall tone. Count the boss bd2 blues driver among the numerous pieces of gear that has been given the king john mayer midas touch with its appearance in his rig.
The boss blues driver does not have the pronounced midhump boost in midrange that a tube screamer and all its variations will have. This is one of the first donner guitar pedals i got and have been buying from the donner brand ever since the blues drive is a cool overdrive pedal and is allegedly donners take on a boss bd2 blues driver. The ibanez tube screamer ts9ts808 is a guitar overdrive pedal, made by ibanez. For one thing, whether you go for the higherend waza version or the, the blues driver is a pedalboard staple. Boss describe the bd2 driver as a pedal which is meant to give the type of warm emotive and overdrive distortion basically reserved for a 30 year old tube, a crunchy yet creamy tone combined with blues guitar. Unlike the tube screamer, the blues driver pushes your guitar into overdrive, but it does so without dramatically altering the frequencies of the signal. When the humble boss overdrive isnt occupied with wailing blues licks.
The ibanez tube screamer, in its many versions and forms, can be found on pedal boards in every corner of the globe, on arena stages, in small studios, and bedrooms. By march of 1995, pearl jams better man off vitology had been sitting comfortably at no. Its kind of like a more transparent tube screamer with a flatter eq response. Most often these days i simply push my c30 and pro jr. The bd2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar.
The acclaimed boss bd2 blues driver works for so much more than just blues. Heres an overdrive pedal shootout between a boss blues driver and an ibanez tube screamer. Hey yall i would like to know from someone with experience what the subtle differences are between say a tube screamer 808,ts9 etc and a blues driver like the bosswazacraft etc. If you got another pedal you would suggest let me know both of these pedals are not similar to what we percieve as hendrix tone.
I am considering tube screamer vs blues one of these two pedals. I use a blues driver and ts808 bothmodded by keeley and they work well. The best overdrive pedals for the blues happy bluesman. Long before he gave it mayercred, many other studio and touring guitarists were using this pedal as insurance in case a vintage tube amp wasnt on hand for a. Tube screamer vs blues drivers drivers from core zeam. The boss bd2 blues driver guitar pedal delivers the creamy yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. The bd2 delivers a surprisingly huge variety of subtle to moderate distortion. The bd2super can get a very pure clean boost sound after our mod, more transparent than a tube screamer due to less midrange boost, compression, and. Ibanez tube screamer and boss bd2 blues driver are two pedals with sterling reputations. In our recently profile of mike mccready of pearl jam, we mentionned he used the ibanez tube screamer. Theyre both established brands with sterling reputations, so were going to get into the details of how each pedal handles, sounds, and costs.
In this way, your guitar and amp retain more of their natural sound. If you got another pedal you would suggest let me know. Ok so i have a boss blues driver but ive been thinking about switching it out for a ts9. The ibanez tube screamer and the boss bd2 blues driver are two pedals that were looking at today. Boss bd2w waza craft blues driver pedal sweetwater. However, this pedal definitely excels in blues similar styles as the sound is warm, emotive, and responds to your playing dynamics just like a vacuum tube amplifier does. Im using an ibanez tube screamer, a boss blues driver. Im playing a prs custom 24 and a fender blues deluxe. The classic ibanez tube screamer ts808 is a good as it gets, used by famous acts from shredding sensations steve vai and joe satriani, to blues players the world over looking for a controlled signal boost with proven tone and sustain. The legendary tube screamer has been used by countless guitarists to create their signature sound, and is one of the most successful, widely copied, and modded overdrive pedals in the history of the electric guitar.
You can stack them, too that is, turn on both for more volume and dirt. This mod addresses these issues to achieve tone usually reserved for boutique pedals costing far more. Blues driver bd2 vs tube screamer ts 808 and the winner is. As far as specifics, the tube screamer does midheavy smooth break up extremely well. Best distortionoverdrive pedal for tube amp 2020 update. Maybe im just a little too picky but the screamer is what i bought after hearing the blues driver at that show. The blues driver bd2 is a powerful pedal that provides excellent sound, tone and overdrive. Its warm overdrive is a sound many players, from advanced to beginner, could never do without. Here we have the boss blues driver pedal facing off against the digitech screamin blues pedal which is no doubt a clear rip off of the idea of the boss blues driver. Both are similar in what they do they mimic the sound of a tube amp distorting, giving you more sustain and a more aggressive sound that is still responsive to your playing and clear. Have since bought an tube screamer which works brilliantly.
Very happy with the pedal and i have a tough decision to make on whether i use my tube screamer or blues driver for gigs. Do i need one, would i use it to layer my colored boost pedals like klon centaurehx soulfood. I use more than one because i keep them at low gain except for the ts808. The outstanding medium frequency makes it suitable to play the traditional blues. Bluesy vintage amp tones are the bread and butter of the bd2 blues driver, but it can also work as a smooth frontend boost for your tube amp, or as. Ive got a stock bd2 and i really like it but it can sound a little shrill and fizzy from time to time. Bluesbreaker vs blues driver i have a keeley modded blues driver and its my favorite pedal for soloing, i love the tone alone with humbuckers and run simotaniously with my tube screamer for singles.
Gpx blog 12 of the best blues driver style pedals guitar pedal x. Also, i have used the tube screamer as an overdrive pedal and a clean boost. The bd2 blues driver delivers the creamy yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. The ibanez tube screamer and boss blues driver are two of the most popular and acclaimed overdrive pedals of all time. This way i can combine them and really get over the top if thats what i want to do. The fulltone full drive 2 is also a nice pedal as well as the reverend train. Nothing out there that i have tried exactly matches the sound characteristics of tube driver circuit with a real tube, but the stock boss blues driver is one of the closest. But for the best distortion pedal for tube amp, f ul ltones ocd has the best edge among the five. If youre after a smoother, balanced lead tone, the. The blues driver is a bit more dynamic and versatile. However, in a discussion on the ten club community forums, it is mentioned that he uses both the ibanez tube screamer ts9 and the boss blues driver bd2. Ive been looking at both the boss blues driver and the ibanez ts9 tube screamer.
Tube screamer for lead boosts mids through punchy amps. Tube screamer ts9 serial numbers ariftanriariftanri. Oct, 2008 tube screamer as it is more natural sounding to me. That wider use also colluded with a growing pedal mod movement, as the bd2 was a prime candidate for tweaking due to its affordable price and solid tone. I mean, thats where its reputation stems from and what spawned a thousand imitators and clones. So within my pedal chain i have 4 key lowtomidgain overdrives ranging from klon style, to tube screamer style, to dumble style and onto blues driver type the way i have it each gets progressively gainier, in fact i have a 5th medium gain overdrive which used to be an ocd, but has now been displaced by the hamstead intergalactic driver. The ibanez tube screamer and boss blues driver are two of the most popular and acclaimed overdrive pedals of all time both are similar in what they do they mimic the sound of a tube amp distorting, giving you more sustain and a more aggressive sound that is still responsive to your playing and clear. That pedal show tube screamer, blues driver, king of tone duration. The blues driver is very much not a tube screamer, so they fill very different needs. Boss blues driver vs ts9 tube screamer ultimate guitar. Boss blues driver vs ibanez tube screamer leave a reply with some many different manufacturers trying get exclusive placement on your pedal board, often times some models can be almost interchangeable between brands. Vintage ibanez ts9 vs boss blues driver bd2 fender stratocaster vox ac30. Tonemonkeyapr, welcome to the gearslutz pro audio community.