Ibanez Tube Screamer

Ibanez Tube Screamer

The Ibanez Tube Screamer is an overdrive pedal produced by Ibanez. Its name originates from the sound it produces, much like a valve amplifier used at high volume. The sound of this pedal differs from most by compressing the sound wave with very little loss of the original signal (creating a sound generally associated with certain types of blues). This pedal can be used with a transistor amplifier to mimic the sound typical of old valve amplifiers, although many guitarists prefer to use it in a valve amplifier to bring the preamplification valves to a state of saturation. The classic sound of a Tube Screamer accentuates the mid frequencies (between bass and treble) through a circuit. Many guitarists prefer this type of equalization because it helps prevent their sound from being lost in the band mix.

This pedal was produced with many variants. Initial productions of TS-808 and TS-9 are most sought after by collectors, in part due to the fact that Stevie Ray Vaughan used these pedals as part of their original sound as well as Noel Gallagher. Other variants, including the TS-10, TS-7 and TS-5 contain very similar circuitry, although they are less successful among collectors.

The TS-9 and TS-808 have been redistributed several times, but not always with the original parts that shaped the popular Tube Screamer sound. That is why some musicians ask a technician to make modifications on the circuit to improve the sound. Apart from Ibanez other manufacturers make versions of the Tube Screamer circuit. Among them, Maxon produced the original Tube Screamer pedals for Ibanez during the seventies and eighties. Many of the most recognized saturation pedals, both made in series and "handmade", inherit a good part of their Tube Screamer circuitry. It is one of the few pedals that Carlos Santana uses, both in his concerts and on recordings, and is possibly one of the pedals most frequently seen in concerts.

The Tube Screamer has three potentiometers: distortion, pitch (regulates the amount of treble) and level (controls pedal output volume).

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