All user reviews for the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

This is the famous (or infamous) Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer analog pedal. Of course renowned for their beautiful guitar line, this pedal may be a second close to their claim to fame. It features the simple in/out 1/4'' standard on most pedals, runs easily from an adaptor or 9v battery and features three distinct knobs, from left to right, 'drive' 'level' 'tone'. Its familiar green housing and sturdy construction make this a classic pedal. Very few rock and even less blues-rock players will not know about and use this pedal.

UTILIZATION

This pedal is used primarily to make low-end amplifiers, or solid-state amplifiers, sound like they are tube driven, or capable of creating distortion/sustain or a combination of that. Tube 'tone' is much preferred to electric guitarists who use varying tones and styles, as opposed to solid-state, which can make many 'fake' tones, like crunch et al., but try using a tube pedal on a tube amp and you'll suddenly hear a much 'fatter' or deep guitar tone. Some players even leave this pedal on all the time, but I use it primarily for soloing and also with wah or delay. You can drive up the 'drive' knob and keep the tone low for a 'distorted' tone, but much richer than you may imagine. Or crank the level and keep the drive down for a cleaner, 'Clapton' type sound.

It's also important to briefly note that many of these pedals sound different. A lot of the original ones are either gone, in collections / use, or have been tricked out by upgrading and new 'boards,;' all of this is fine, because most people should want to use this pedal, not collect it. As long as it sounds good to you, the pedal is what works.

These pedals are renowned as a staple in the rock guitarist analog board and you should consider yourself behind the game if you're fooling around with solos and haven't tried this pedal.

Not exactly for the heavy metal player (they may find the crunch not crispy enough and prefer to some proper distortion pedals, or dial it in on their amps more likely), but perfect for anything and anyone thinking 'rock and roll'.

SOUND QUALITY

The right one can be a revelation, the wrong one can sound like mud. But consider something like this a must if you play quietly from time to time but also need to 'rock out' on solos and stuff. It creates a pretty rich sustain, very similar to all the blues greats. Nothing is ever a substitute for a good amp and pickup, though. The true reward of this pedal is when you use it with good gear; it performs yet again.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall for the price of admission I'd choose it over things like Boss' Distortion or Blues Driver pedals, but this one will cost a bit more than those. It's a piece of rock gear that spans back to the early 80s and then before that the TS-8 (real gems to find).

The TS9 Tube Screamer is an analog distortion/overdrive unit. Mine was made in Japan, and it has the characteristic green paint, 1/4" input and output jacks, red led light, and ac adaptor input, all in a rugged metal case good for stompin' on.

UTILIZATION

Its a super simple pedal to operate, just 3 knobs; "drive", "tone", and "level" so its pretty self explanatory. Having a single tone knob rather than seperate "high" and "low" makes it easier to achieve a more "transparent" sound from the TS9 since you can just park it right at 12 o'clock.

SOUND QUALITY

In itself, the TS9 only makes one sound, but is good at it. Its not a super hi gain distortion, but will give you a stinging lead tone for soloing and plenty of balanced, sweet sustain depending on what guitar you are using. I play most an Ibanez Ghostrider which is built like a Les Paul with mahogany body / maple top and set neck.
Its not a thick, beefy overdrive, but its not thin or buzzy. Its sort of a sweet, middle of the road, mild distorion, or even just a gentle overdrive if you dial it in low. Its fairly versatile in its range, but its character remains the same through its spectrum from mild overdrive from medium to hi gain distortion.
One thing I like to do with my TS9 is use it as a boost to push a tube amp like my small Epiphone Valve Special into greater breakup.
I also get really cool results by purposely dialing in distorted sounds from the TS9 and then backing off the volume on my guitar to clean it up, like going from the solos in "Black Magic Woman" to the verses which are obviously cleaner, or just to get a clean sound with more sustain than usual.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using mine off and on for a few years now. The thing I like the least is having to always unplug it so it doesn't kill the battery or keep sucking power through the AC adaptor. I do dig how it has true bypass, so it doesn't color my tone when turned of like other pedals do, sort of like rolling the tone knob back a notch or two.
I've never tried any of the other models of TS9's, but I know that I like it better than the TS 808 because it will take you into high gain, and is a bit more modern sounding.

For the money, I would still get this. I wouldn't be satisfied with the cheaper soundtank models, and couldnt get the same vibe from anything by Boss or DOD. And I've never had any issues with it, so if I lost mine, I would definitely buy another one.