All user reviews for the Ibanez OD-850 Overdrive (3rd issue)

Analog effect essentially approaching the big distortion or fuzz ...
The name Overdrive is completely wrong since it is not at all a typical saturation pedal imitating lamps ...

UTILIZATION

The setup is extremely simple: three independent settings.
A volume control, tone and distortion as always ...

SOUND QUALITY

At first glance, the effect is quite surprising because unlike the usual distos settings are not at all linear ...
The tone is very sensitive especially in the vicinity of 12, we pass a very dug in the low mids below 12 towards its quite difficult to use sound, typed essain bee ... According to me, the effect is inaudible 1 or 2 hours spent at the tone! As against the other side, the grain becomes very medium with a rather fat sound that is not unpleasant! However it is good to provide an equalizer effect output to illuminate a little sound as mediums tend to blur the sound (difficult to be heard in several ...).
In terms of volume, be careful not to exceed 3h risk slamming the preamp tube amps because the output level is high frankly at this stage compared to a TS-808 for example. Finally, the distortion to a minimum, you will already have a lot of gain so forget the clean boost ...
After 9am on the knob is already at bottom, which is unfortunate because it is difficult to assay the effect. After about 12, I do not call it the distortion but the compression gain is almost the same but the sound crashes increasingly swallowing the whole dynamic of the signal ... For styles like punk or some hard rock, this is fine but for rock or blues in a broad sense, it is unthinkable ... After I play strat so all that is discussed. Gibson on the pedal probably would sound more at ease.
Last thing, if you have single coils like me, you have a lot of noise due to compression and distortion but it's part of the audacity of the effect ... The effect is "nag" in all its features!

OVERALL OPINION

After two years of ulilisation I would say it is a very distinctive effect that should frankly styles rather limited. What turns me off the most is the effect "wasp" which breaks a little myth. With a neat at the tone and external EQ setting, you can still get a good grain style ZZ Top, Motorhead and The Sex Pistols, but it stops there ...
Price level, because of the rarity, it climbs quickly ... We reach prices around madness style $ 700 $ -900. After that, we must be clear, these are just as resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors 30 cents each ... € 240 is still expensive but hey, I have not seen better!
Finally, some say that the 850 is very close to the home of EH Big Muff, which is true ...
If you like this type of sound, I think it is better to opt for the Big Muff (more affordable) leaves to change some component values ​​by more ...

I put 5/10 because it is difficult to listen to at times but still offers a grain that can please ...

- "Overdrive"???: Misnomer> this is a "big" disto
-100% Analog

UTILIZATION

- (As often) you turn and you find your own sound

SOUND QUALITY

-It "mind-blowing" and it is the intention, therefore 10/10
My photo-matching

OVERALL OPINION

-Nearly 40 years of good and loyal service
-A small latency using the switch on> off
-Only mod done xx years ago: the change of the jack 3.5 of the diet by taking "the boss"

(It took 23 hours of hourly minimum wage to buy this pedal in 1981)