Hatsubai « Revised TS808 by Maxon »
Published on 03/22/11 at 08:54Maxon has always been working on conjunction with Ibanez when it came to producing overdrives. Whether it's a partnership or rivalry, I'm not exactly sure; I'm not quite up to par on the history between the two companies. However, they both build very similar overdrive pedals, even down to using the same components. The OD808 is a TS808 variant, but it's not exactly the same as the OD808. For one, it's actually a TS10 clone, but I'll get to that a bit later in the review.
UTILIZATION
Maxon housing are pretty much bullet proof. In fact, I like these housings more than the Boss housings. One thing worth noting is that, despite the mechanical switch, this is not true bypass. This pedal does suck a little bit of tone when bypassed. Unfortunately, due to the way everything is wired, making this true bypass isn't a task for the novice. If you're not completely comfortable with a soldering iron, I recommend leaving that to a professional. Another thing I'm not a huge fan of is that there is no LED indicator. Aside from that, it's pretty much the same as any other pedal.
SOUND QUALITY
Like I said above, this is actually a TS10 circuit. That doesn't mean it sounds bad; it just sounds a touch different. I find them to be a little more compressed than the TS808. That actually leads to a better metal sound, IMO, As a result, this pedal is used quite a bit by heavy metal bands such as The Absence, Killswitch Engage, Unearth and so on. Aside from it sucking a little tone when bypassed, the pedal is nearly perfect. A few people offer mods for this pedal, but I'm sure you'll be happy with it in stock form.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a good overdrive pedal, I recommend checking this out. These things are very reliable, sound great and are fairly easy to come by. About the only downside is the price. They're a little more expensive than something like a Boss SD-1 or an Ibanez TS-7, but if you're not looking to modify a pedal, I recommend buying this. This was my main overdrive before I started getting into pedal modding.
UTILIZATION
Maxon housing are pretty much bullet proof. In fact, I like these housings more than the Boss housings. One thing worth noting is that, despite the mechanical switch, this is not true bypass. This pedal does suck a little bit of tone when bypassed. Unfortunately, due to the way everything is wired, making this true bypass isn't a task for the novice. If you're not completely comfortable with a soldering iron, I recommend leaving that to a professional. Another thing I'm not a huge fan of is that there is no LED indicator. Aside from that, it's pretty much the same as any other pedal.
SOUND QUALITY
Like I said above, this is actually a TS10 circuit. That doesn't mean it sounds bad; it just sounds a touch different. I find them to be a little more compressed than the TS808. That actually leads to a better metal sound, IMO, As a result, this pedal is used quite a bit by heavy metal bands such as The Absence, Killswitch Engage, Unearth and so on. Aside from it sucking a little tone when bypassed, the pedal is nearly perfect. A few people offer mods for this pedal, but I'm sure you'll be happy with it in stock form.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a good overdrive pedal, I recommend checking this out. These things are very reliable, sound great and are fairly easy to come by. About the only downside is the price. They're a little more expensive than something like a Boss SD-1 or an Ibanez TS-7, but if you're not looking to modify a pedal, I recommend buying this. This was my main overdrive before I started getting into pedal modding.