Tube Screamer

Tube Screamer

  • Yes

    Votes: 43 84.3%

  • No

    Votes: 8 15.7%
  • Total voters
    51
OD808, SD-1, Plumes, very different filtering and tone control behavior.

These tests are with Gain/Drive on 0.

Three pedals Tone on 12:00:
3.png



To get the OD808 sound like the diode-less SD-1 with Tone on 12:00, I had to set the OD808 Tone to 03:30.
OD808 vs SD1.png



All three pedals Tone on 12:00, 03:00, Full.

OD808.png

SD-1.png

Plumes.png
 
IIRC, the Plumes has a tone control similar to a Big Muff, where it blends between an LPF and an HPF. Clever design, but I always find it too limiting for my taste.
 
James Freeman said:
Still experimenting with the Maxon and now the Plumes.
So far the Plumes and SD-1 eat Maxon's lunch, the OD808 is weak in comparison to the massive volume boost the diode-less SD-1 and Plumes on Mode 2 have.
Click to expand...
the tones beyond what the maxon can offer aren’t really of much benefit (although they do make some variations of the circuit with more output).

I can think of a handful of (decent) famous tones that use an SD-1, with the tubescreamers it’s essentially a forgone conclusion that one was used.

PROVE ME WRONG
 
Removed the diodes from the OD808, now it's very similar to my diode-less SD-1, both with Tone on 12:00.
SD-1 has a few dB less below 80Hz, schematic confirms.
This is the best type of boost for both my JCM800 and 6505 in my personal experience, a diode-less TS.
Plumes on Mode 2 (diode-less) is brighter yet, and MUCH louder.

Gain at 0.
diodless vs.png


More Gain.
SD-1 gain on 9:00 (1Meg Linear pot).
OD808 gain on 01:00 (500k Log pot).
more gain.png



OD808 (diode-less) Volume 10 max.
Plumes (Mode 2) Volume 12:30.
Gain 0, Tone 12:00.
plumes od808 diodeless.png
 
Orvillain said:
I'm curious about bypassing diodes though.
Click to expand...
Buy JOYO JF-01 Vintage Overdrive and remove (clip) the diodes.

I really hate the sound of diodes in the op-amp feedback loop, sounds like a blend of overdrive underneath the clean sound, poop in my ears.
Without the diodes it becomes the perfect mid-boost to tighten and/or drive amps into high gain.
 
I love my keeley ts9dx. It was the first one I ever got in a trade and never tried others lol. It's cool that it has a few different models in it.

On the helix I go back and forth between the TS and horizon drive. Currently on the TS after a long time with the horizon.
 
James Freeman said:
Removed the diodes from the OD808, now it's very similar to my diode-less SD-1, both with Tone on 12:00.
SD-1 has a few dB less below 80Hz, schematic confirms.
This is the best type of boost for both my JCM800 and 6505 in my personal experience, a diode-less TS.
Plumes on Mode 2 (diode-less) is brighter yet, and MUCH louder.

Gain at 0.
View attachment 23753

More Gain.
SD-1 gain on 9:00 (1Meg Linear pot).
OD808 gain on 01:00 (500k Log pot).
View attachment 23754


OD808 (diode-less) Volume 10 max.
Plumes (Mode 2) Volume 12:30.
Gain 0, Tone 12:00.
View attachment 23755
Click to expand...
Hmm wouldn't have thought clipping the diodes affected the high end that much even with drive 0. Interesting.
 
I own an original (possibly first series) TS-808 (malaysian chip and all that blurb...). And I keep forgetting where it is all the time. Which should sufficiently describe how much I love it.
For boosting duties, I way prefer an RC boost (or rather some clones, simply because they're smaller). Can be almost a clean boost, can add some dirty bits, can just tighten up the bass or work as a treble or mid boost (obviously by dialing back both B and T), too. I own the original and 3 clones for a reason. Given boost functionalities, they are what the TS always dreamt to be like.
 
James Freeman said:
Buy JOYO JF-01 Vintage Overdrive and remove (clip) the diodes.

I really hate the sound of diodes in the op-amp feedback loop, sounds like a blend of overdrive underneath the clean sound, poop in my ears.
Without the diodes it becomes the perfect mid-boost to tighten and/or drive amps into high gain.
Click to expand...
Have you tried Joyo's Taichi pedal: different tech but similar? I already had one in the chain from Strat to Marshall and I like its mild Dumblish boost, but I just found a surprising extra use. I love playing my Recording King Dirty 30s parlor-size acoustic so much that I electrified it with an internal Schaller Oyster piezo which has no on-board volume or tone controls. Yesterday I discovered that setting the Taichi's Tone and Voice to zero and juggling just its Volume and Gain it becomes a perfect mid-boost and/or slight overdrive for the acoustic (small enough to pop in a case to take to gigs).
 
I remember another popular mod was to add a second diode to one side of the TS to make it asymmetrical like the SD-1
 
A few years ago, when I was thinking of building a Tubescreamer, I came across W-taper 20kpots being sold on Smallbear’s website. They claimed that this type of pot was being used in the Ibanez TS pedals.

In the back of my mind, I wondered how much audible difference the W-taper or regular audio taper when the tone control is at noon.Probably not much, but it could play a role in matching the frequency response of tone controls.
 
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