• Registered: 2009-12-01
  • Posts: 36

Topic: Gear question

Can someone tell me if there is any difference between the Maxon 808 and the Ibanez 808?  I'm looking for something to push my amp (just scored a DSL100!) NOT for the primary dirt tone.  I know Joe uses an Ibanez, just wondering if there was any difference other than about $19.00. 

Also, is anyone using the Fulltone OCD or Fat Boost?  Opinions with this amp would be appreciated. 

I'm headed to see Joe in Merriville and I'm taking my kids!  This will be their first concert...  Can't wait!  Hopefully I can soak up some of his tone...

Thanks!

Brad

http://www.facebook.com/cornerstonebluesband?ref=ts
  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Gear question

There are tons of tubescreamer variants out there including many of the Maxon stuff.  Maxon, if I'm not mistaken, was actually the original producer of the "808" pedal that we know today.  Either way, they are both killer pedals.  I own the Ibanez 808RI and am perfectly happy with it.  The OCD and Fat Boost are VERY different pedals with a whole lot less of that classic midrange hump.  The dreaded hump that all the modders seem to be trying to eliminate is (to me) what makes it a magical companion to the midrange-lacking amps such as the older Fenders/Marshalls.  Here are some budget suggestions that I'd like to recommend:

BBE Green Screamer: very good tubescreamer clone that can be had on the cheap.  They are well made, low noise, and true bypass (something that even the original didn't have)

Visual Sound Route 66:  Cool OD with bonus compressor if you dig that kind of thing

Fulltone Fulldrive 2:  THIS.  My all time favorite TS derived pedal (besides the real mccoy of course)  You get an extremely tweakable yet accurate version of the 808 with the bonus of a very good sounding gain boost.  It's my desert island OD pedal!


Ibanez TS9- it takes audiophile ears to hear the major differences but I've owned them both...the TS9 is a little brighter and more aggressive? PERFECT for hard rock/metal guys.  It is a great blues pedal too, but the 808 just has a little more of that smokey midrange that makes the amp more "chewy" if that makes sense.  You are really splitting hairs here and you can nearly buy 2 TS9s for 1 808 so it's a really good buy.

Lastly, being a DSL100 devotee I can give you some JB tips for that particular amp.  I like the green channel (clean w/ gain boost engaged), deep switch OFF, Mid shift OFF (meaning the "more mids" setting) treble 4-5, mids 6-7, bass 6-7, presence 2-3, volume 7, gain 6-7, then start with all the tubescreamer knobs at noon.  If you are happy there then have fun but depending on your rig/guitar/strings you may want to tweak.  I like my tone knob on the TS at about 10 oclock, the volume 1 oclock and gain 10-11 oclock.  All knobs at noon is just a great starting point then tweak to taste!

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.
  • From: North Andover, MA
  • Registered: 2010-03-23
  • Posts: 35

Re: Gear question

I use all three...My signal goes through the Fat boost, into an OCD, and through either a Sparkle Drive or a TS808 RI (depending on my mood...).  I use the TS808 for the mid boost with both Les Pauls and Strats.  When I use strats I also use the Fat Boost, because it makes the strats "bigger", but it does not have a mid hump at all.  I only use the OCD when I can't crank my amps or when I want my JTM-45 to have more grit.  Other than that...the 808 or SD is the only thing I use to boost. 

In my house the 808 makes my sound feel too bright.  But with the band, it pushes me through the mix just the right amount.

Comparing the TS808 to the Maxon OD808 (Friend has one) to a Sparkle Drive...to me the all sound pretty much the same.  They have different character to a degree, but in a band...I can't tell them apart in a blind test.  So I stick to the Sparkle Drive and have the TS808 as a backup. 

-Hillcountry

Amps: Hand Made JTM-45, 18 Watt TMB, AB763 Pro, Route 66 Clone.
Guitars: 2007 R8 Les Paul Iced Tea Burst, Refinished 83 Les Paul Studio, , Homemade 50's S style guitar.
Effects: Micro Vibe, CryBaby, Fulldrive II, OCD, Fat Boost V1
  • Registered: 2009-10-10
  • Posts: 438

Re: Gear question

I just got an Ibanez TS808 Reissue.  I really like this pedal with a Les Paul.  I agree with Stratpaulguy.  The mid range hump is what makes this pedal special.  You can cut through a heavy mix without a huge volume jump.  The heavy mids with slight loss of lows and highs gives this pedal a smooth singing quality.  I just took an OCD off of my board.  It gets a great Marshall style crunch through a clean amp, but to me, it is not articulate enough for leads.  It can get a little too thick and congested sounding.  My humble opinion.

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Gear question

I had a TS-9 and I never really used it... when guitar -> amp for a WHILE... became a minimalist. Now I sort of want to get a Fulltone Fulldrive II MOSFET. That or I want to go to general guitar gadgets and wire up my own clone kit.
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/com … /Itemid,1/

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • Registered: 2009-12-01
  • Posts: 36

Re: Gear question

Thanks everyone for the input.  I'm probably going to start with the Full-Drive as that is the pedal I have axcess to try before I buy.  If the TS-9 is agressive, that is deffinitely NOT what I'm looking for.  I'm using a Fender Deluxe combo at the moment with a Tonebone Plexitube and I have been pretty happy but nothing compares to the real deal, so I'm happy to have the Marshall in the arsenal.  I use a 1995 Fender Am. (used to be Roadhouse) with vint. Hot Noiseless pu's and a Gibson Studio with BB3's.  My pedals are Boss - DS1 into the Plexitube with a DD3 in the Plexitube loop and an NS-2.  I'll drop the DS1 & Plexitube in lieu of the Marshall and add the Full-drive and some sort of trem pedal.  Thanks again for all the input.  I'll keep you posted on how it all comes out!

http://www.facebook.com/cornerstonebluesband?ref=ts
  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Gear question

Again the TS-9 isn't really "aggressive" per say just AB'd against an 808 it had a little more edge to my ears.  REALLY splitting hairs so for a hundred bucks it's a very good deal.  Though I love my 808 I think that they are generally overpriced.  What you are paying for is the cosmetics:  that puke green color, square footswitch, and funky adapter.  The Fulldrive 2 is cheaper yet does so much more for me.  It does take up more pedal board real estate however.

As far as trem pedals go, I would certainly try before you buy.  There are some really good ones out there, but keep in mind you are just buying an effect that kills the signal periodically.  $200 for a Fulltone Supratrem seems a little crazy to me but then again they do sound great.  My Boss TR-2 is a VERY warm analog tremolo unit.  I AB'd it against the tremolo on my previously owned Fender Twin and the results were very favorable for the pedal.  People claim that the Keeley modded TR2s are really fantastic so I may have to send mine in for the mods.  I found my Boss used for about $50 and it works great!

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.
  • From: Belfast
  • Registered: 2010-02-01
  • Posts: 110

Re: Gear question

stratpaulguy86 wrote:

Again the TS-9 isn't really "aggressive" per say just AB'd against an 808 it had a little more edge to my ears.  REALLY splitting hairs so for a hundred bucks it's a very good deal.  Though I love my 808 I think that they are generally overpriced.  What you are paying for is the cosmetics:  that puke green color, square footswitch, and funky adapter.  The Fulldrive 2 is cheaper yet does so much more for me.  It does take up more pedal board real estate however.

As far as trem pedals go, I would certainly try before you buy.  There are some really good ones out there, but keep in mind you are just buying an effect that kills the signal periodically.  $200 for a Fulltone Supratrem seems a little crazy to me but then again they do sound great.  My Boss TR-2 is a VERY warm analog tremolo unit.  I AB'd it against the tremolo on my previously owned Fender Twin and the results were very favorable for the pedal.  People claim that the Keeley modded TR2s are really fantastic so I may have to send mine in for the mods.  I found my Boss used for about $50 and it works great!


I am about to look for a Trem pedal myself. Do you put it in the loop? If so where whould you put it between a reverb pedal and a delay in the loop of my Ceriatone HRM (with the K-lator). I don't really want to put it out front.

Guitars: 95 Les Paul Standard, Relic Strat,
Amps: 1973 Marshall JMP 50 head and Vintage Modern Cab. I use no effects other than a Cry Baby on occasions.
  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Gear question

I put mine in front...actually before any distortion pedals  hmm  You can hear the effect a little better than after distortion IMO.  Joe also runs his Supratrem right up front after his wah if I'm not mistaken.  Running it up front also guarantees that all of your amps see the "tremolo'd" signal, that is if you are using a multi amp rig.  Don't take my word for it, experiment to see what works best for you.

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.
  • From: Belfast
  • Registered: 2010-02-01
  • Posts: 110

Re: Gear question

stratpaulguy86 wrote:

I put mine in front...actually before any distortion pedals  hmm  You can hear the effect a little better than after distortion IMO.  Joe also runs his Supratrem right up front after his wah if I'm not mistaken.  Running it up front also guarantees that all of your amps see the "tremolo'd" signal, that is if you are using a multi amp rig.  Don't take my word for it, experiment to see what works best for you.



Just using the one amp now. A ceriatone HRM 50.  I gigged a Sovtek and a Fender together for a few weeks but it was overload. For me anyway. I am finding I also use the Ceriatone with less gain now that I thought. Somewhere between Larry Carlton's clean with a slight breakup to Robben Ford/Joe Setting (the V shape).
I am using a Yamaha SA220 with a Keeley Katana and a T Rex Tone bug, also a Line 6 Delay. I am over the moon with the tone, though I am told I have to break my Ceriatone in for like 30 hours and then it sounds better. I have ordered a custom cab with a Vintage 30 and a G12H speaker in the Two Rock style (vertical) though it hasn't arrived yet.

Do you still have your Ceriatone OTS? I liked your videos on Youtube!

PS How much do you haet the new YouTube layout????

Guitars: 95 Les Paul Standard, Relic Strat,
Amps: 1973 Marshall JMP 50 head and Vintage Modern Cab. I use no effects other than a Cry Baby on occasions.
  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Gear question

Yep, still have the HRM!  Glad to hear that you are enjoying yours so well.  It's a great amp for sure and it definately grabs people's attention.  Right now my main amps are my Super Reverb and Superlead (guess lately my amps have to be "super" something lol) but the HRM gets some play time here and there.  It is the perfect blending amp for the JB thing, which is why I ultimately bought it.  I just wish a SSS style amp was available for a decent price  sad  .  Thanks for the compliments on my Youtube stuff.  It's raw and full of clams, but people compliment them for how "real" they sound.  No fancy mics or overly crappy compression/distortion.  Besides, I enjoy doing them!  I have some Les Paul and/or SG clips with the new Superlead forthcoming so keep your eyes peeled.  The new layout hasn't shaken my world or anything, but it's a bit of a hassle relearning how to navigate on that site.

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.
  • From: Belfast
  • Registered: 2010-02-01
  • Posts: 110

Re: Gear question

stratpaulguy86 wrote:

Yep, still have the HRM!  Glad to hear that you are enjoying yours so well.  It's a great amp for sure and it definately grabs people's attention.  Right now my main amps are my Super Reverb and Superlead (guess lately my amps have to be "super" something lol) but the HRM gets some play time here and there.  It is the perfect blending amp for the JB thing, which is why I ultimately bought it.  I just wish a SSS style amp was available for a decent price  sad  .  Thanks for the compliments on my Youtube stuff.  It's raw and full of clams, but people compliment them for how "real" they sound.  No fancy mics or overly crappy compression/distortion.  Besides, I enjoy doing them!  I have some Les Paul and/or SG clips with the new Superlead forthcoming so keep your eyes peeled.  The new layout hasn't shaken my world or anything, but it's a bit of a hassle relearning how to navigate on that site.


Looking forward to hearring the superlead. Do you have to crank it to ear spliting volume to get the tone?

How much is one of those Catagory 5 clone Joe has? Or can you not buy them?

Guitars: 95 Les Paul Standard, Relic Strat,
Amps: 1973 Marshall JMP 50 head and Vintage Modern Cab. I use no effects other than a Cry Baby on occasions.
  • From: Florida, USA
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,420

Re: Gear question

The Cat 5 amps are way more than I'm willing to pay.  I could save my pennies to get one but I'd feel super worried that I'd hurt it.  Do I crank the hell out of my Superlead?  In a word...YES!  I run it in the vein of Eric Johnson with almost no presense or treble, moderate mids, and low bass.  The flatter EQ settings actually keep the amp reasonably tolerable volume wise.  The treble volume is 8.5/9 with the bass volume 6-7.  I just run a little reverb, echo, and a Tube Driver up front.  With a Les Paul I'm in Cream era Clapton easily, with a Strat it's perfect for the EJ thing.  I can actually get a very passable Joe tone with the Tube Driver + Les Paul + Superlead combination.  Me and my old man built it so it also has some sentimental value,

'67 and '74 Fender Twin Reverbs, '74 Marshall 1987 lead mkII, Metro Superlead 100. Pedals from TC Electronic, Ibanez, Dunlop, BK Butler, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone, Maestro/Gibson, Loopmaster switching, VoodooLab, Boss. Gibson and Fender guitars, Dimarzio pickups.
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Gear question

Here is a good cheap pedal to take a chance on.  GFS Greenie pedal.  My friend got one the other day for about $60 after shipping and everything.  Its a TS808 copy but has a toggle switch that changes the voicings.  I'm not saying its a Tubescreamer but I am saying it does what a tubescreamer would with some really great features for a cheaper pedal.  It wasn't cheap sounding is all I'll say.  Very much worth every penny they charge.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-02-11
  • Posts: 453

Re: Gear question

Stratpaulguy mentioned that the fulltone fulldrive 2 was his desert island pedal. I just got a pre mosfet one and I love it. I need to play around a little to get some bonamassa type tones but have found it perfect for texas blues ala Kenny wayne shepherd with my super champ xd on the cranked blackface setting.