Ibanez CustomTone 808 (TS9 Mod) Ultimate

I have the top-of-the line "Ultimate" modification by CustomTone. This modification comes with an extra small toggle switch that switches between the PLUS and ULTIMATE, mods. My pedal was brand new, so it came with the Ibanez Owner's Manual. There is the no extra Operating Instructions or information supplied by CustomTone. While it is straightforward to use, I think it would be a good idea to include a simple explanation page of the modifications and how how they affect the sound.

My guitars includes: 1995 Gibson Les Paul STD Plus, 1997 Fender Strat Ultra, 2006 Fender Telecaster Custom, Ibanez AF105 Jazz guitar and others. My amps are two mid 70's Musicman combos and a Mashall DSL401 combo. I now use no other pedal - just vthe CustoTone 808 Ultimate plugged in inline for both my clean and overdriven guitar sounds.
According to Moses from CustomTone, "the PLUS mod has much more headroom and gain than normal, with more warmth and pick sensitivity, its a little bit more aggressive than a standard 808 mod. Switching the toggle to the BROWN mod is great because its just loaded with that brown sound, its so warm and has all the features of the 808PLUS mods."

After using and comparing the pedal to my vintage Boss SD-1 that I used extensively through the seventies and eighties, I found it sounds fuller and warmer and is far more versatile. It allows all my guitars' natural timbres and individual characteristics to now shine through. I found this pedal to have a wider range of tones (better than any other overdrive pedal I have tried) with excellent pick sensitivity. I also found the unit to have less noise and more sustain than my SD-1. For now, this will now be my main pedal when recording both rhythm and solo guitar parts using my Marshall and Musicman combos.

The TS9 is virtually 'bulletproof' and I found the soldering, components used, and modification work to the PCB by CustomTone to be of high quality, so I would feel confident to take it out on the road.

Communication with Moses has always been good. He seems friendly and genuinely helpful. Beyong this, I cannot say. You are buying from an internet site where the seller has no 'shopfront' so hopefully he will be around in the future just in-case you do need him for a warranty claim.

I was a professional musician during the eighties but then purchased a family business and gave music away completely until we sold the business recently. I have been getting back into music recently. Getting my guitar tone 'right' so I can record a set of original songs has been an ordeal! I play blues rock these days and when I eventually plugged in this CustomTone pedal it finally put a smile back on my face. A good tone inspires me to play better, so if it were stolen, I would immediately replace it with exactly the same pedal.