TONE TALK 1 - Maxon OD808 vs. Ibanez TS808
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- www.MaxonFX.com
Welcome to the first episode of "Tone Talk"
An extremely RAW view into our products and tone in general.
Here at Godlyke HQ we get so many questions about the different pedals we sell that we decided it would be a good idea to start shooting what we call "Tone Talk".
In tone talk we will address the many questions we get or have gotten.
If you have any questions you'd like answered or would like to know anything about products we sell...
please address all questions to info@godlyke.com and we will try to do an episode of "Tone Talk" to address your question.
I love it. I was using a SD-1 for the longest time and the 808 just kills it. It just sounds more natural and has a nice squishy feel.
I have both on my board
Just got the Maxon OD808 & I could not be more happier. Sounds amazing!!!
Very interesting. The difference is noticeable. The OD-808 is more transparent and the TS-808 darker, as you said. It's audible in the video. Thanks! I'm definitely getting a Maxon!
I got my OD808 and am very happy with the tone! It does a tremendous job in tightening the low end but yet still sounds transparent! It's a matter of hearing to believe it!
I personally went with the original. I may try the OD9 in the future but I'm happy with the OD808 for now.
You can find lots of reviews of the two pedals here on TH-cam. Whichever one you choose, it'll do its' job for sure! You won't regret anything.
Thank you.. We are the Maxon North American distributor. However, we like to lay the facts out and let people make their own choices..
The original Maxon reminds me a lot of the Bad Monkey. Not saying that because of the recent hype following the infamous Josh video. It has a similar bite/high end.
It's not identical! There's a world of difference to my ears...assuming the dials were at the same positions, you can hear the brighter more open top end on the original. The new version has some high shelf frequency cut thing going on.
Totally with you. The old original one sounded much brighter and tighter. The newer sounded like the tone knob on the guitar was suddenly rolled off
Yep, new one sounds darker !! You can see in the eyes of this guy that he's clearly hearing a difference between these two pedals :D
if i recall correctly,the Maxon uses opamps for buffering input and output,Ibanez uses bjt transistors
That's the main reason for tonal difference and added clarity of Maxon.
I bought an od808 for the "boosting a metal amp" thing but you can get some AWESOME old school sounds out of the pedal itself with a clean channel. Worth the money. Feels sexy buttery smooth.
I have an Ibanez TS modded 808 which to my surprise was the same sound as the Ibanez mini TS 808. I recently got into Maxon 808. I have the 40th reissue. It sounds superb. Its like these guys say, same amp and guitar sound with more gain. It keeps the low end while still putting that mid bump and the sound is amazing. I was so amazed I ordered the red Maxon 808x to see how that sounds. Of course I use a JCM 800 2203, with EMG pick ups. I've used several Boss overdrives that have been modded and they sound good but there is just something about the Maxon 808 that makes it sound better than all of em. And I play metal.
I freakin' love that Buckethead shirt, I want one so bad
Thanks man - me too! I don't even remember where I got it, but I LOVE Monsters & Robots - what a great CD!!!
Love to hear that... Rock On!!
My 2 cents, from where i am listening, i feel that the old 808 has lil more sparkle compared to the new one. Haha i don't know :)=™ Just got the new one! Miss the old one for the cosmetic (nostalgic reasons) but happy with the new one too! This is a must have! Thanks for making awesome products! Peace!
Thanks for this really informative video and the background on the OD808, guys. I've had an OD808 in my board for a long time now and although I've been shooting it out with an SD-1 and an OD820 and Tubescreamer Mini many times, nothing ever seems to beat the OD808. I guess it just sounds god-lyke ;-)
Awesome. So glad you enjoyed it!
I guess it IS Godlyke! LOL
Iv got 2 Maxon od 808 , both have the 4 screw all green back . One which has the original tone knob with the dot marker and a newer one with a line marker on the tone knob . They are different for sure the older one (dot mark) does not suck the tone of my amp as much when off but is harsher sounding and more organic . The other newer one with the (line marker tone knob) sounds like it more buffered and take some bottom end off my amp and is smoother to play as a metal boost bit not as punchy as the older one. Try plug them is separate and not engaged and your going to hear a difference to your amp tone in a big way . When they are on you can feel its way different as well . I couldn't decide which i liked better so i kept em both. One for smoother faster riffage and one cleaner amps. Same circuit maybe but they did change something small for sure
Any chance you guys would consider making a mini OD808?
Fantastic review guys! You pretty much cover everything you could need to choose between the three :) Here's my breakdown (to my ears): The two Maxon pedals sound identical. The Tube screamer is slightly warmer - ie the Maxon sounds a tiny bit brighter/clearer. You should mention the prices though! Then people can decide whether the very slight tonality difference is worth the extra money! :)
I have the Maxon 808.. Love it.... It's the best TS out there by a wide margin in my book....
Wait until you hear the TWA Chemical Z... ;-)
Thanks guys. Nice demo. I hate the TS808 switch so you really helped me make a decision on whether or not to buy the Maxon. Appreciate the vid.
Radio Free - thanks for watching!!!
Great video guys, i hope more of this, it's very helpful for a buyer's decision
Great video you did both!
Thank you and thank you for watching.. if there's anything you'd like to see us review please let us know and subscribe to our page for updates..
Thanks for the info. Now I need one.
Yea i couldn't agree more.. Nothing against the SD-1 i own one myself. just does not have the same quality as the Maxon..
yes of course.. the "Boosting a metal amp thing" is relatively new.
Stevie Ray Vaughan made the 808 famous.. it was the pedal that shaped his tone from the beginning.
Good stuff guys
Maxon Baby, every time, that's why I bought one. Love it.
there is definitely a difference but its a good one none the less. the newer one has more clarity and bite and its a little more gainy. over all both sound great are the best in my opinion on the market.
I have the Maxon od808, my brother has the ibanez ts9, we tested the two pedals, side by side with a fender '76 stratocaster all original and a '78 all original Fender Princeton with absolutely no other effects in between. For our ears ( i'm pro player in Italy, my brother is a chef but he plays unbelivebly good ) there are no difference at all. They're both good pedals, i prefer the Maxon because it's smaller and the LED in the Ts9 is bad and you can't see if the pedal is on or off. For the sound they're absolutely interchangebles.
Dear Sneaker III, first thing i made the comparison with a ts9 not an 808. Second thing i simply said what i discovered and experienced with my brother when he buyed the ibanez ts9. Third thing i've not made sarcastics comments about the pedals as you made with me. We tested togheter the two pedals side by side. Do you have already done the test? Only the guitar, two pedals and one of the simpliest amp on the market ( no frills and no jokes). If there was some difference in sound it was unremarkable. I apologize if i live with music everyday; next time i'll say that my brother is a pizza guy and i'm a gravedigger so you don't get angry :-P Made the test yourself, close your eyes and ear where all these differences are... Don't trust to a yt video. I'll sleep well too!
Ps i have the maxon in my pedalboard and i still think that it's great pedal!!! Ciaoooo
:-)
Purple Haze i think what happens is people are close to the speaker and its hard to hear the differences because they are getting bombarded by so many sounds at once, a camera mic or a recording will focus on certain frequencies in the spectrum and some will hit the mark and others not. There not deaf they're just under different test conditions.
Purple Haze Whats wrong with what he said? If the guy is a pro player why does that bother you? Why does someone saying they are a pro player come off weird to you? maybe you dont know what that means? A pro player means a guy who does not need an alternative day job, he is someone who makes a living and feeds his family and other peoples families by playing guitar. Do you have a day job or do you make a living "and feed others" by just playing guitar? If you find that irritating then you are obviously a amateur player ... because amateurs have mental inferior complex issues with other people who say they are pros. Okay lets look at the "Chef" title that you also found "irritating".. do you know the education and experience someone must go through to be a chef? Obviously not.... My father was a chef and I am a proplayer too so I guess that makes me an irritating smuck too in your minds world too? The only thing smucky and irritating I have read on this entire thread was your scumbag remarks that said "What's up with that man, hey I'm really happy you're a pro, I think I'll sleep better tonite. Cheers." (you spelled tonight wrong by the way)
The problem with you is that you have an inferiority complex and thats why it bugs you to hear about pro players and chefs who are masters of their trade.. because I'm guessing that you a guy still living at home with his parents using youtube to act like a snobby pissed off dick and get some form of relief from his own mediocrity.. . Have a nice day
federico memme GodlykeInc
I'm no guitarist, just someone who knows a little about the
electronics in guitar effects.
The Ibanez TS9 and TS808 are identical in circuit apart from two output resistors, which you can buy over here in Malaysia for maybe 20 cents. The Maxon OD808 has presumably the same circuit as the TS808.
Most of what these people feel they hear differently is quite subjectively, really, or possibly one model uses lowpass and highpass mica capacitors filters of other values, resulting in
a bassier or treblier sound.
There was a video here in which they demonstrated many
models of such effects with different ICs. One of them actually
used an IC from a TV, so it was not even an audio chip, and the
audience ..... could not tell the difference.
But frankly, I wonder why all the ''craze'' about this tube
screamers, really. The Ibanez TS9 and 808 sound half-dead,
lightweight, mundane and lifeless to me. I far prefer the much
harder, heavier punchier and ''alive'' sounds of the Boss overdrives.
There was this neighbourhood band made up of old timers in
one of the rural areas here in the 80s. They had a Maxon OD9
with them that was not even used, chucked aside amongst all
their gear on the floor, saying it was ''useless''. Both their
guitarists preferred to use a distortion which they had made
from a circuit I had taken out from an electronics magazine.
Is there a Xotic EP vs BB preamp?
right now we've only been reviewing our products. however, we are working on doing completely unbiased outside overviews also..
I would say that the Maxon OD808 have a brighter sound the then Ibanez TS808. The Ibanez seems to have more bass?
Speaking of transparent, does it have a true bypass, and if not, is that a difficult/expensive mod?
***** - the stock OD808 & OD808X have mechanical buffered bypass - mechanical switch w/powered buffers. They can be modded to TBS using a 3PDT, but in my experience it changes the sound of the pedal somewhat - makes them noticeably brighter sounding, which is not necessarily bad, just different...
sweet buckethead shirt!!
No reason to.. Bashing anyone else doesn't make our products better. Everything has it's place.
we don't know which one is lit!
Can you demo some Mesa Boogie amps as I'm looking at possibly buying the Mesa Boogie Express 5:25, but it seems no one really carries their amps. Here's the link to the amp: www.mesaboogie.com/amplifiers/electric/express-plus-series/express-5-25-plus/index.html
Thanks!
That thing looks dope. We currently don't have any Mesa Boogie guitar amps here, but our friend Fluff did a demo for us with a Dual Rec and the 808: th-cam.com/video/20saykXLcs4/w-d-xo.html
I hope that helps. :-)
True, the Ibanez isn't so transparent :))
From the Maxon website "Can a pedal be considered a clone if it’s made by the company that made
the original?!? Maxon designed the original OD808 overdrive circuit in
the late 1970’s - they then rebranded this pedal for Ibanez as the TS808
Tubescreamer, and the rest is history..."
Now the Maxon and Ibanez sound much more similar on top of an amps overdrive channel in this demo, but I A/B's a Maxon OD808 with a Ibanez TS808 with the exact same battery in a guitar shop and the Ibanez made the Maxon sound weak and muddy compared. The Ibanez was clearly a much higher definition pedal. Now if Maxon is simply manufacturing and rebranding them why is this the case? Though it doesn't seem to be in this video where they sound almost exactly similar compared to the difference in my experience.
To clarify, Maxon ceased production for Ibanez in the early 2000s and since then has been distributed in North and South America by us (Godlyke, Inc).
I do know Ibanez has done several minutely different versions of the TS808 (TS808HW, 35th Anniversary, 30th Anniversery, etc.) I'm not sure what changes they may or may not have made for these models.
The Maxon 808 is a faithful reproduction of what Maxon was making for Ibanez.
At the end of the day. Play what you think sounds the best and makes you inspired. :-)
the ichiban sounds more clear and alive sounding vs the current od808. they don't sound identical to me. all of them sound good though
props for not just bashing the shit out of ibanez.
very helpful, i know you are biased to maxon but it was presented in a very un-biased way. way to go demo integrity!. And sound too, great job!
Great video. Rich looks like Lee Ranaldo
The ts808 has a bassier sound, the od808 is clearer
Well, I have the Maxon and will get the Ibanez anyway, just for the difference in the tone.
Have you checked out the Maxon Apex808 yet?
Nice
like it
very good guys :)
I've used the Maxon OD808 for some time now - have had two in my pedal board - and got sick and tired of the way it would boost the upper mids too much. It just never sounded natural, so I switched to a fulltone OCD. I would like to return to my OD808, but everytime I plug it in, that same old harsh midrange just jumps right out. solutions, anybody? I play a custom relic 1960 strat.
Dennis Malenfant - Dennis, Maxon makes almost a dozen different OD's that are variants of the OD808 circuit. Some of the ones that have less of a mid-hump are the VOP-9, OD820, ST-9 Pro+ and the TOD-9. Check those models out if you like the basic tonality of the OD808 but want a fuller low-end and less mid-bump
goooooooooooooooooooood very gooooooooooood
LOL.. just learning.. lol.. i'll get it...
nice
Tubby. You mean they have a tendency to get flubby in the low end
ah! here is the high def sample. MUCH better! Kudos.
niceeeeeeee
Yea lot's of kinks to work out. First attempt at this
For audio guys they don't know how to mic a voice
goooooooooooooooood
Incredibly biased review... And I agree with their viewpoints wholeheartedly
***** - Ha! Thanks - I think....
GodlykeInc
Well, it's a great comparison but the Maxon is the obvious choice and you guys know it. You still presented the Ibie in the best possible light, though. Kind of like if your son and his friend joined a talent show and your son's act was clearly better but to congratulated them both on their performances. "And his little friend here was different but we really thought it was swell, too, didn't we?!"
Lol. That's how it felt to watch this... But maybe because I already had my mind set on the OD808 before I even saw this.
***** - Ha - That's a great analogy! I actually dig the TS808 as well, I just personally feel that an OD pedal should be transparent, and the Maxon is more so than the Ibanez. It just really depends on what you're going for with your sound...
These guys are clearly deaf. There is a difference. Not a massive one, but none the less there is one. WTF guys?
Waaaaaay too noticeable, I NEED THE ORIGINAL ONE!!!!!!!!!
PLUS!!!!!
Way too noisy!!!!
J Drunktank - I'm not sure which comparison you are referring to, so please clarify....
Current production sounds terrible. Sorry. Very muddy, no articulation.
The guitar is louder than the voice. The tone is great.
Not identical at all.
Why does every single video about guitar stuff have some dude that only knows those stupid kindergarten level blues pentatonics!? Od808's are used by metal dudes... a lot of them... why demo it with creepy uncle at guitar center riffs!?
Ugh fml.
Thanks for your comments - I agree! We are currently working on more metal-oriented demo vids for the OD808 and the other Maxon OD's, including a tutorial on how to get killer high-gain guitar tones in the studio using the Maxon overdrives hosted by Erik Rutan at Mana Studios. Stay tuned...
Agreed.
Oh ma Shreddy... :-) What a daring idea to compare those brave heavy mental grinders to such a "creepy uncle", isn ´t it?... :-))) Godlykes are doing their job right, Synister. A sound test has to be of hearable tones not a masher like hurly-burly. Be good.
A lot easier to hear the full tonality of a pedal/guitar/amp, when the notes are allowed to last more than a millisecond. Surely that's more important than wanking away at a hundred notes per second?..
nice