Analog Man SD-9/808 Mod

Simple to use, 3 knobs. Come on.

I use a US strat with a p-90 and a modded hot rod deluxe(celestion G12T-75 and eurotubes). This is my idea of a basic distortion.

Does not...
Color your tone
Flub out on the low end
Limit you on EQ

Does...
Provide lots of gain/distortion
Have true bypass
Have an EQ
Have it's own volume control


This pedal is it. If I was still into distortion, This would be the be all-end all until you hit real nice amp distortion.

It's truly the only distortion I've ever used that depends so much on your original tone being something workable.

The only thing to think about on these ibanez style pedals is the switch.. Although I've never had a problem with all the ones I've owned.

Analog Mike tossed me e-mail after e-mail before I bought this. He actually suggested it to me, and it was exactly what I was looking for. Mike always gets a 10.

This pedal is not what I want anymore.. But now it's what all my friends want. They love the way your own tone comes through. This is what a pedal distortion should be.

It has 3 knobs: Gain, Tone, Level. So it's easy to get a good sound out of this pedal. When you mess around with the settings, you'll realize something truly amazing: you've got two pedals in one, really. You can EITHER back off the gain (i.e. set it to around 1 or 2 o'clock), set the tone to 12 o'clock, and adjust the level to whichever setting and get the TS9 sounds of KWS, Carlos Santana, and SRV. OR you can set the gain to 3 or 4 o'clock (which is, trust me, more than enough gain), set the tone to 12 o'clock, and adjust the level to whichever setting and get some hardcore distortion sounds --think of the word "raunchy."

This is the first -9 series pedal I've owned, and I bought it off eBay. It's not in bad condition; however, it's missing the sticker on the back, which is supposed to contain the serial number. But it's the sound that matters! In terms of noise, the SD9 has the typical hiss that all distortion/OD pedals will give you when switched on. The SD9 is definitely good to use w/ a clean amp.

If you decide to buy an SD9 and get it Analogman-o-fied, buy one that has 2 boards (circuit boards, I guess). Mike couldn't get rid of the squealing my modded SD9 would make when all 3 knobs were turned up all the way, because it's a single-board version. But since I never crank my knobs alllll the way up, the single-board is suits me well.

Yeah, I sure as hell can depend on this. Mike did a kickass job at tightening all the loose ends. When I sent in the pedal, the knobs were kind of loose, but Mike tightened 'em up. And the footswitch is pretty sweet, too; I stomped on it in an 8th-note rhythm once for a good long while, and the footswitch is still goin'.

Mike is kickass, period. Before I SENT him the pedal, I must've sent him 4 or 5 emails asking him specifically about the SD9 mod, how the sound will be affected, etc., and he answered them even though the damn answers were already somewhere in his website! (I think in the TS9 section).

Simply put, Mike's a nice guy, no doubt. If you want to ask him a question about one of his products, DO look on his website to see if he's already answered your question. If not, go ahead and email him!

For fun I play a lot of rock and some blues, which are two genres in which this pedal belongs. For "serious stuff" I try and play jazz, which you wouldn't want to put this pedal in; all I need is my Guild Starfire IV and my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for that Jazz.

I picked up electric guitar again in August of 2002 after mainly playing acoustic guitar. If you only buy 3 pedals in your lifetime, which I recommend, make it a delay (either a Boss DD5 or a Line 6 DL4), this Analogman SD9 mod, and a phaser for the hell of it. Since August of last year I've become a pedal freak, and my playing has been hiding behind my pedals, kind of. But do make this SD9 mod your distortion pedal.

Before I got my SD9 modified, I was thinking about buying a TS9 from either Analog Mike or Robert Keeley (www.robertkeeley.com). I was looking for a distortion/overdrive pedal that would give me both TS9 sounds and hardcore distortion sounds (think Incubus' "Nice to know You"). This modded pedal definitely delievers all that good stuff. If it were lost or stolen, I'd buy another SD9 and get Mike to modify it.

In summary, although I have never played a TS9, get an SD9 if you want both a KWS/SRV/Santana tone and punk/rock distortion.

Three knobs, same format as most OD/Dist. type pedals, with Gain/Tone/Level from left to right.

I have known about the TS9 mod for some time and have owned a few but I like to have a little more sometimes, The SD9 can do most tube screamer stuff and more. I generaly use a Gibson going into a tube amp either a Twin Reverb or AC30, but I sometimes use a Tele, It is fun to dial in the pedal it is barely distorting for a TS sound, but then you can add more if you please. Some SD9s that I have had whistled at high gain settings, but mike can shorten some leads to eliminate or lessen the severity. It is best though to get the inproved version with twin boards that stop the oscillation. My model I have is a real standout from my others and I was worried about the mod changing the tone to something I didn't like, but when I tried it out afterwards I was very pleased with the results, I plan on getting another SD9 modded as well as a boss SD-1 to see how they stack up.

I own many Ibanez pedals and the 9 series suffer from poor switch quality and if you use the pedal alot you are lucky if you already haven't had switch problems. This is a good sounding pedal so most don't stay in the closet and you can't get them new. Mine had a iffy switch when I got it, maybe switching 5 out of 10 stomps, but I had it replaced when I did the mod and it wasn't much extra, and I can always send it back if it has trouble again, although that would be bad for someone who doesn't have a spare. It is too bad they don't make them anymore.

Mike will go out of his way to be helpfull and I have never heard any complaints, sometimes it is hard to reach him on the telephone though but I guess he has to have time to make pedals too. I even bought a TS9 that was modified by someone else and when it started giving me trouble he helped find the problem.

I have been playing for a while and used to work at a guitar store, so I can realy appreciate the solder work. I mostly like old Floyd and King Crimson as well as Van Der Graff Generator. I use alot of effects most of the time so it is hard to get a good sound, I A/B similar and identical effects to see which are the best and the SD9 definitely wollops most other dist. pedals I own, if there were mods available for some of the others I would try them too, but the SD9 will do, it is also too bad that there is no 10 series alternative to the SD9 like the ts10 is to the ts9 or the sm10/sm9, since the ten series switches seem to be better. I would suggest this pedal to the tube screamer owner who wants a bit more.

It's very easy to get a great sound. 3 easy knobs. Level, drive and tone..

I use it to overdrive my Marshall 25/50 half stack and use a custom strat style guitar with EMG pickups. Used in conjunction with the rhythm channel, the TS-9 provides a smooth lead tone without coloring the sound too much (although it does attenuate some bottom end and adds a noticable midrange boost which I like). Used with the lead mode..it sends the amp over the top! The attack of the notes sounds great..I love it.

Very solid pedal....soldering joints are definitely sturdy (as beefed up by Analog Man)

Prompt response to all my emails...friendly, helpful...good guy.

I have played professionally for over 15 years and have done numerous concert tours and tv/radio sessions in a variety of styles. My history of equipment usage is too extensive to mention here...but I would like to point out that the TS-9/808 Mod pedal is a keeper. It sounds great with a fresh battery and sounds equally as cool with a sagging one. Just a good, smooth pedal that is well made and well beefed up by AM himself. A good deal and a great tone investment!

Easy to operate, just like a Tube Screamer, same knob configuration.

I've been a fan of the SD-9 Sonic Distortion pedal for almost 10 years. Sometimes I wished they had a bit more sweetness. This is what Analog Man has addressed with his mod. Now, the SD-9 with the 808 mod has a sweeter, richer tone than before. I have A/Bed the modded one with a non-modded SD-9 and the difference was quite noticable. If you like the agressive tone of the stock SD-9, then I wouldn't mod one, but if you wished you could add a stick of butter to the tone a SD-9, then this is well worth it. You can cross over into Tube Screamer-like territory at low gain settings.

Seems sturdy, only problems on the 9-series were the switches, and Analog Man can fix 'em up.

Anolog Man (Mike) always seems nice and has a very quick turn around time, which is rare nowdays.

If you like a bit more richness from your SD-9 than what it delivers, then this mod would be worth it. If you like aggressive tones, then save your dough, this would not be what you are looking for. Now, my old SD-9 sounds like a Tube Screamer on steriods! It souds as good as many expensive 'designer' pedals.