Ibanez CD5 Cyberdrive

Verry Simple to use...just plug in then blow it away..

Sound quality is nice not that much bad...ite verry unique...just like tube screamer with sharp distortion...

Although they stop the production of this item..it still stands...I've been using it for 8 years now...i got it second hand before...but still it works

I didnt encounter any problem

Stoner Rock...Heavy Metal...etc.

This is very easy to use, just like any distortion pedal really. Tone, Level, Distortion. 3 knobs. Very easy to get the sound you want.
ALl the fun is in the tone knob on this bad boy.

This is a powerful distortion, it is very unique and if you want a distinct sound this is the pedal. After almost every show i have guitar guys asking me how i get my tone. I play everything from Hard Rock, to blues, to metal. In my 12+ years of playing this is the one pedal I absolutely need. It defines my sound. It can go from warm to harsh with a slight turn of the tone knob.

I do have a backup, but thats mainly because this bad boy is no longer made, actually its pretty rare you hardly ever see them for sale anywhere. If it broke I would be surprised its very sturdy and its a sound-TANK.

never had to deal with them.

Bottom line, this is the tone I had been waiting for for years. It's almost like a sick distortion mixed with an auto wah that doesn;t move. you set the tone and it simulates a wah pedal in a stationary state, as if you set your wah pedal at the perfect angle and just left it there and wailed. Its an insane pedal, I rely on in to make me stand out from all the others. Its awesome for both rhythm and leads. I play a fender tele a gibson LP and an Ibanez RG550, it works well with all of them but i do have to tweak it for each guitar since they are very different... all this talk makes me want to go rock right now.

Very easy to use, just hard to find the sound I liked at first.

I use a RG 170, and a Squier Telecaster through a FM 212 100 watt Fender amp. It sounds really good but the only problem is this thing is noisy as fuck! I can get really good distortion, hollow tunnel and full on. It's basically every distortion pedal that Danelectro makes but sounds ten times better. One tip though, don't put the level up too much. This thing gets super-loud when the level goes past 4, so you might want to keep the level at 3.

This baby is unbelievably reliable, I've had it for like 2 years, maybe 3 and the only problem is the battery life. Best bet is either to get a power supply or get an Everready battery, those things last forever. I would gig with only this pedal and nothing else and be confident.

I've never had to deal with them, I haven't needed to deal with them.

I play punk rock and blues music and this thing is great for both styles and I think that's just great range. I've been playing almost 4 years I think, I can't remember all too well. If I could find another one of these I would buy it even if it weren't lost or stolen. I love this pedal because it's just one kick-ass in your face bad boy with few imperfections. The only thing that bothers me is all the noise it produces when not you're not playing. I compared this to a Danelectro Pastrami and an Arion Tubulator and it think it's deffinantly is tougher soundind than both. Although I wouldn't put down the Pastrami or the Tubulator, both do their job nicely too. I don't use the pedal for making the music but It does sound good when I add it in.

It's super easy like all the pedals from the soundtank series that ibanez did.

So...this is the problem.
I mean, this probabily shouldn't be called Distortion. The name "cyber distorion" tricks you. It's more a filter. That gives you a kind of cybernetic sound, you may use it if you wish to add that cyber sound that bands like fear factory or nine inch nails have. It's done for indusrial stuffs.
It changes your tone to all open wha sound to an all closed wha sound.
Too noisy when it's tourned off.

Made of plastic but well built. I owned in the past 4 of this soundtank pedals, and never had problems with'em.
Now I own a BOSS ME50 made of metal, and I can do whatever I want with it. with this pedal you have to be protective and carefull instead.

Never had to deal with them

I repeat, THIS SHOULDN'T BE CONSIDERED AS A DISTORTION, it's more a FILTER that works perfectly if added after a BLACK NOISE distortion (always from soundtank ibanez) for having a cyber metal/industrial sound.

The damn pedal has 3 knobs level, tone, and distortion. yea it's easy to use. Nothing to it want more crank or less juss turn those knobs.

I use this pedal with many different amp. I use it on a shitty ass 100 dollar fender reverb frontman and it sounds terrible!!! I can't get a decent lead sound without the sound breaking up or being to damn pussy weak!! I used it through a Holy Grail Reverb and Fender Twin Tweed amp and it sounds decent enough since all the other equipment is top of the line shiz.... the pedal can't sustain a real hard smooth overdrive sound without making you cry because of how terrible you sound.

Yea i can depend on it, it's plastic sure but I don't like stomp that thing to pieces juss a touch will turn the damn thing on~! Oh yea one thing u can't rely on is when ur bending a not or playing somethin and you turn on the pedal it won't turn on sometimes, so you need to stop "busying" your fingers and press it to have it on.

I got it from a friend for 30 dollars so I wouldn't know

I play the blues and I usually juss use the overdrive from my guitar since i have a "Fender Eric Clapton signature" but I wanted to have something stronger and I've disgraced my playing with a piece of shit of a stomp box. I use it through a shitty ass Gibson Les Paul and it sounds awesome cause the gibson has a problem holding note and the damn wah like inconsistency from the pedal helps it hold in key yea and thats about it!!! don't buy it!!!

Nothing easier to user than a three knob stomp-box.
If you like the sound depends very much on what sound you like in general - and what sound YOU NEED ! (pretty philosophical, ey?)
The tone control is pretty radical on frequencies, but getting a grip on things like that is the very essence of practice, after all. Some other famed Ibanez boxes had 3 knobs, so who would blame that on the little CD5?
Nothing to say on the manual, I bought my cd5 used.

I`m regularly using Ibanez humbucker guitars (X-series Destroyer and Iceman replica), a Big-Muff-Fuzzbox for most of rhythm work and a Craaft amp (just tubes).
Noise:
I don't think the cd5 is too noisy, if it comes to that, it's just like my eighties tube-screamer. Noise increases, of course, at higher gain settings with lots of treble - but even a good guitar with a good amp with be prone to white noising and feedback then, don't you think ?
Damn, it's a relatively low-budget stomp-box. What you expect, having it sound like big-buck-19'' gear ?
Sound:
No, it definitely doesnt't sound good on all settings. Since the tone control behaves like a wah, sounds soemthing like a bandpass, you'll have to experiment a little, before you find the sound you like. I use it it for soloing to cut through the Marshall users' wall of bass in my band. But it's also ok for edgy trebles on your distortion. - at least if you like that Gang of Four-like licks that really cut trough. But, it all depends on what you really need ! More on that later in the overall rating.
To me it's a "7" on the average here. For it's special characteristics an "8", just a "6" for its general abilities.

Reliabilty is like on any Ibanez soundtanks - dont crush-kick it, don't flood it, don't step on the cableS' plugs, you might break them off the board. I used quite some Ibanez stompers for 15 years and they never let me down, not even the plastic ones, if you keep in mind that they are mostly plastic these days. My standard distortion is the Big Muff Fuzzbox, and of course that tin box is harder to crush. But again - what do you expect from a li'l box you set your boot on amidst the frenzy of of a punkrock stagehow ?
So, reliability is ok, stability probably average if you're the mad axeman type.
Yes, I would use it without backup if I had to. But, from my experience, noone playing in an at least 2 guitars band is really forced to used anything without any backup at all.

I bought all my stomp boxes used, never needed any support or had any of those modded, so no comment on that. I only needed some soldering on my Ibanez 60's fuzz some years ago 'cause I had the plug broken off the platine. I had stepped on the cable-plugs. But to be sure it's a good idea to avoid that on any stomp-box you use. I did the soldering myself, with just a minimum of practice that's easy to do on that lo-tek things. So, no opinion on that.

I play punkrock and that new wave-retro stuff these days. I use the CD5 basically when soloing as kind of a very effective treble and distortion booster to cut through those Marshall-bass-all humbuckers and hi gain-powerchord wall of sound that is so common in those genres. I'm the singer in that band, so I have an oldschool fuzzbox that sits well with that type of sound for rhythm play. The Big Muff is very muddy of course, but quite raw, so you needn't be too precise on the rhythm work while having the shouting on thr go. The CD5 is used for boosting in solos with a setting of tone slightly above average, 'bout 25% gain/distrtion and volume at about 50%. I use it in addition to the fuzz and get an all out attack treblesome (:-)) sound that really cuts through, though is prone to feedback. That's where a little carefulness with the controls is needed.
I use as a stand-alone distortion with more volume and "gain" (at least that's how Ibanez chose to call it) if an edgy glass-hard sound is needed, some sound that easily slips into controlled feedback.
As mentioned by others here, the CD5 swallows a lot of dynamics. That's true, but not necessarily a disadvantage. Just imagine you want flageolets turning into feedbacks or want an left hand muted percussion-like sound.
As also mentioned by others the cd5 swallows the low end of your sound.
That is right too, at least if you don't go for the all-bass setting on the tone control. But see, the problem is this: If move up to the shop and look for some gear that does the show you will probably, at least in punkrock, metal or wherever heavier distortion is the thing, come out with some kinda Marshal-type-thing. That is lot's o low end and a promises of lots of punch in your sound. That's ok, even necessary, if you're the only guitar in your lineup. If you're not, two guitars sounding like that is hell in most cases. It will come out muddy to say the least.
Furthermore: if you're doing the low end thing on your guitar, now where's room for the bass? You really like the twangy bass-sound?
Well, then you better do.
By the way: Adding the punch is the mixers job, overdoing it on stage isn't always that much of a good idea.
So a two guitar plus bass, probably plus organ, setup needs its frequencies stacked up a little. And that where the treble boosting comes into the game.
For those special jobs the cd5 is a very nice tool.
I would not use it as the only distortion, as with any not programmable stomp box with very few controls you would have to kneel around on your gigs to change sounds. And since the CD5 has, in comparision to the tube screaner, a very broad range of frequencies I'd be careful on that on stage anyway. Your mixer might just get on you for not having come up with just THAT sound during soundcheck. And he'd be right then.
So what's the CD5 good for?
I looked for a good booster and the cd5 does it.
I see the CD5 as a specialist, not the one and only thing you need. But that's just the way I see stomp-boxes in general, I'm a little sceptic on "allrounders" anyway. A stomper is a specialist by definition. Multieffects, even those limited to an multitude of just distortion sounds, go for other prices. And if you try to shape your sound in a certain direction don't go for the (not even the digital ones) signal-benders exclusively, check the basic sound of your guitar and your amp and get a distortion unit that goes ok with it and with your bands' overall sound.
If that CyberDrive of mine gets fucked up, I would look for one again, but not at any price. The prices that Ibanez stompers go for are crazy anyway, especially for anything that names like "tube" and "screaming".
So, in my eyes, it's an overall "8", taking sound more serious than stability, since it does a good job in what I want it for.

I didn't have the manual, but it was easy to figure out. It's pretty much an overdrive unit with a wah in the tone knob. It's hard to figure that out, but after that, it's easy as pie.

The sound of the distortion is a little grainier than I like, but that can be tweaked into a kind of submission with some fine control of the tone knob or through some other effects pedals. I use a little crate practice amp with it most of the time, but I've tried it on some other amps (cheap bass amps, a huge dean, an old fender twin), and it keeps that fuzzy, nasal quality that wasn't what I'd expected, but can still use. It is a little noisy both on and bypassed, though. I'd say the quality of the wah in the tone knob is better than that of the distortion, but much harder to use.

It's plastic, and not one of the better pedals I have. If anything, it would be my backup, but if I just had it and no other pedals, aside from not getting the sounds I want, I'd feel okay using it without a backup for a gig or two. It might fall apart, but all things do. It seems fairly solid, all things considering.

Haven't tried it.

I play music all over the place, from blues to metal, folk to industrial, and lots of ground in between. This doesn't work for all of them, but nothing would. It does have a sound that I can use in a good portion of those areas, though. I've been playing for 4 years, and own probably 20 pedals. If this were lost, I might go about replacing it eventually, it is an interesting sound I'm not going to find many other places, but it wouldn't be that high on my priority list. I don't use it that much anymore. I find the tone knob concept interesting, and useful to make weird sounds by manipulating it, usually combination with adjusting a delay pedal. That's some crazy stuff. This was the first pedal I bought, because I got it cheap on Ebay. I think it would help me make some music, but for other kinds, it would make things difficult. I'll keep it, I'll use it from time to time, but it's not going to be my main distortion.

3 knobs. Oh the difficulty. A retarded monkey on prozac could figure it out.

This pedal is NOT for everyone. The sound reminds me of the ONLY usable tone I ever got from a BOSS distortion, and that is putting it BEFORE the wah. The tone is really a resonance filter. Can give you a super-muddy all bass sound to an all-high sound.
No complaints about noise on my end. I'm a big Ibanez fan, so my gear isn't too diverse. Ibanez RG7-420/BC Rich Warlok w/Seymore Duncan Invaders -> Ibanez Tonelok Delay (I use it as a signal spliter) Out 1 -> Digitech RP-2000 -> Amp, Out 2 -> Morley Pro Wah 2 -> Ibanez Cyberdrive -> Ibanez Sessionman 2 -> DOD 747B Flanger -> Amp, the amp being a 1967 JMP Tremolo 20 with the original cab.

I play pretty much everything that comes to mind. This pedal is best for experimenting or nailing that Fear Factory "cyber" sound. Also does a great job on bass and vocals. Very industrial-metal sounding.

It's made out of plastic, but so far I've had no problems. I once had a BOSS OD-2 that broke on me faster than this thing will. BOSS is too over-rated. You people need to try the Tonelok pedals.

Never dealt with, so no comment.

Suits my style to a T; Eratic. I play everything and anything. My style is sortof a cross between Nash the Slash, Slipknot, Coal Chamber, Marilyn Manson, Fear Factory, KoRn and Type O Negative. Great pedal for anyone who want's to go out on a limb and be original instead of coping someone else's sound.

Very simple, three knobs. Took me a minute to figure out where the battery went though... ;)

Oooh... well, I can't say I really like it. First off, no low end. I mean, come on... you can't do without ANY. Quite fuzzy... so if you like that effect, you may like this pedal. Quiet. I can't seem to get a lot of volume out of it, so it sounds weird. Sounds best running through something else. I have mine through a Zoom 505, and on some settings, it sounds halfway decent.

Plastic, so it can't be too good. However, it does seem to be fairly well constructed.

Bought it used... have no idea.

Wouldn't buy it again. It really reminds me of a toy for a little kid with a mini-guitar. Not like many other pedals I've heard, but that's probably because other manufacturers have learned from Ibanez's mistakes on this one...

On/off switch, and three knobs. If you can't figure it out, give up on life and become a drummer.

Ok, here's where the debate will rage. The sound this pedal gives is a filtered distortion along the lines of a midrangey distortion following a wah set to a stationary point in its sweep.

The tone control is the key to the sound this pedal gives. To the left, the tone acts like the heel down position of a wah. To the right, the tone acts like a wah in the toe down position. The center most position is fairly neutral with no real bandpass filtering effect noticeable.

Does it sound good? Well, it would depend greatly on your definition of good. It's an interesting sound that sounds best on double stops and power chords. It also sounds quite good on low single note runs, adding a really masty snarl to the low E and B strings of my Schecter 7 string.

However, as this sound isn't for everyone, I'll leave the category rating blank and let the user decide for him/herself if the sound is worth the money.

The unit looks fairly solid considering it's made out of plastic. I tend not to abuse my pedals too much, so it should last under normal wear and tear.

I bought this on sale with a 30 day money back guarantee. I think the model is discontinued, so there isn't much I can do about things should they go wrong.

I do a lot of experimental and free form music on my 7 string guitar, so I need interesting sounds. This makes interesting sounds.