Ibanez ts 808 and the maxon 808

Well I just bought the Maxon OD808 and played my first gig with it last Friday. Playing a LP through it you get a very transparent overdrive. I couldn't tell its sound from the Ibanez TS808, so safe your money. The Maxon does a great job! BUT, be aware that this pedal has not a high gain/overdrive output. It put your initial amp sound under the "magnifying glass", adds a little "cream" but that's about it. You can not compare the drive range with your OCD. If you want your lines to sound defined, if you are looking for an overdrive sound that reacts to your playing dynamics and a pedal that can be easily controlled with your guitar's volume knob, then the MAXON OD808 is the way to go. This pedal sounds also excellent when you push an already overdriven amp with it.

That is definitely worth a try. I tried it, too but the OCD sound too sterile with the LP. For my Strat I love the sound of the OCD, for my LP there's nothing better than a Tubescreamer kinda pedal.

The overcrowded world of tubescreamers/copies! Man, what a mess. FOR SURE stay away from the Maxon OD808! Almost all Maxon stuff is awesome, especially considering they were the original builders of the Ibanez TS in the eighties. However, that particular pedal is built with EXTREMELY cheap parts and many have had a problem with it's reliability. Even Analogman makes reference to this pedal being of shoddy quality. If you want the added transparency and tamed mids of the 808 circuit, look at Keeley or Analogman for modified versions. They'll make normal tubescreamers sound like kids toys

I've known two players who owned the Maxon OD-808 pedal and sent them back almost immediately for problems with the switch. Analogman(someone who modifies these pedals for living) states,
   "We have worked on the Maxon OD-808 and now offer our 808/SILVER mod for it. The Maxon OD-808 is actually a TS-10 circuit (uses TS9/TS10 output section) so it takes some serious work. The circuit boards are a little fragile, like the 2003+ TS9s, so we have to be very careful so as not to damage them."

It basically uses cheap componenets and a substandard circuit, which obviously will not give this pedal the longevity of other tubescreamers. Don't get me wrong though! I LOVE most Maxon pedals, I currently own an OD-9 and absolutely love it! Basically an improvement on the Ibanez pedal, more transparent and with true bypass. The problem is NOT with the housing, but with the internal components. My advice to "Rafke182" is to spend a few extra bucks, and get a pedal that will last a lifetime and not require any mods.

Joe uses an Ibanez TS808 RI doesn't he?

End of discussion.