Ibanez TS-7

Easy, just 3 knobs and a turbo switch.
I think it's a great idea to have the knobs that can be pushed down to save settings. and you don't have to worry about knocking off the knobs when you carry it around with all your other gear.The knobs are pretty fragile but they're okay since you can push them down.

I use it with a les paul into a marshall amp. It sounds good for what I play- rock and blues.

I've used it a few times in gigs without a back up because I couldn't afford it. It worked fine though.
The problem with this pedal is that the switch is way too sensitive. It's really hard to switch on and off accurately. I've had it for more than a year and I'm still struggling somtimes.

I didn't try other pedals when I bought it. I just liked it as soon as I tried. It was exactly what i was looking for without my budget at the time. i don't know how close it sounds to the original (It is always emphasised that ts7 has the same circuit/wiring as the original.) but it sounds good enough.
But what I'd recommend is that if you can afford just a bit extra, try the ts9. The switch seems to be better and sturdier than this. The ton-lok function on this is good to have but you can live without.

Your pretty dumb if you can't figure how to use this in under 1 minutes the hardest part is finding out how to install battery the

This pedal is not the best in the world but i'll say this it sounds like no other
unlike a lot of distortion pedals it does not sound fuzzy but rather a different distortion(think vines, chevelle, Nirvanna) with sweet sustain not insanely heavy but good for rock, and some light metal grunge. It's great for cutting solos

Its dependable it doesn't cutt off but for home use get an AC adapter because of the tone lock i ofrne for get to turn it off and theb attery dies. I've dropped it on concrete afew times it works fine still not even a scratch on the pedal

I play Punk,Grunge light metal alternative any form of main stream rock published pretty much after 1988

a simple pedal , easy to plug , no need for manuals

fender fat strat floyd rose mexico (great guitar) plugged to
the hughes & kettner attax 80 (it can't get much better than this).
combined with these two monsters it sounds fine , however , plugged to
the leem 20 watt amp it won't knock you down

reliable , can be used on a gig.

the pedal is great for the blues and it looks great

einfach zwischen gitarre und amp schalten und so lange an den 3 knopfen drehen bis der sound gut ist ! die bedienung ist einfach, eine bedienungsanleitung wird nicht benotigt ...

ich wollte wissen wie der ts7 klingt, habe das gerat ausprobiert und festgestellt: es klingt sehr gut ! der hotmode schalter im ts9 mode und es klingt fast wie ein ts808, im direkten vergleich ist kaum ein unterschied feststellbar. nach ein paar aufnahmen habe ich festgestellt, dass der ts808 etwas klarer und dynamischer ist.

mein backup gerat, anstelle des ts808

keine ahnung, das gerat ist bisher nicht kaputt gewesen.

ich spiele seit etwa 20 jahren gitarre, so lange habe ich den ts808 auch schon. das ts7 bzw. der ts808 ist fur blues sehr geeignet, aber auch trashige sounds sind moglich. ich mag das pedal so gern, weil es nicht "sagt". in meiner anfangszeit habe ich mit dem ts808 aus einem kofferradio einen marshall gemacht...

Very easy to use. Just plug in and rock on!

Current setup: Tech 21 Trademark 60 (great amp!), Digitech Time Machine (Chorus and Looping), TS 7, Arion Stage Tuner. That's it, simple as can be. My guitars include 2 Tele's (Nashville Deluxe, Custom), 1 Strat (50's reissue), and 1 62 Gibson SG.

I love the sustain, creamy tones, and the fact that it doesn't suck tone when not engaged. The "Hot" switch allows me to roll off the highs on my SG and get some Fripp type sustain lines happening. This pedal works for classic rock, blues, alt rock, and jazz-fusion. Not really a metal type tone, but I have used it for some of the atmoshperic Tool stuff we play.

When using my Nashville Tele, I can get those creamy "Buzzy Fenton" type leads. I change the bridge on all my tele's to the three saddle compensating system. Improves tone and sustain big time!

I have used this live with no problems. I have a powered pedal board (say that three times fast) and always take batteries, just in case. If it died, I would just turn the amp up, pull that twine and make it whine!

never talked to them. Did check out the Ibanez site. There are some settings on the site for this unit.

I think it's a great pedal and enjoy the tones I can massage out of this. Like everything, this is subjective and may not work for your personal style. But it does work for me and very well at that. Peace!

3 knobs, very easy. hot switch bonus to kick in more gain.

ok, gonna be a little stingy here with my setup info (it's my secret), but i usually use a fender stagemaster w/shadow active pickups set to telecaster mode. and a peavey 2x12 combo amp, plus this pedal, and some others (my secret). usually i set it used as a warm overdrive by taking the drive to 0, and tone to about 3. i have slightly modified it, but only for more bass and gain, which i don't use with this pedal anymore anyway. now for my sound, most people hear will probably tell you that their blues musician's, or the like, and i like to play the blues too, but i like stuff pretty heavy. my sound lies somewhere in between (but not limited to) a creamy 5150 amp, or a mesa boogie. even having a telecaster sound on my guitar does'nt stop me from getting killer metallic lows, but it does'nt limit me to that. i've got an extremeley versatile sound ranging from eric johnson to dream theater, to yngwie, van halen, you name it, i can get it, but i'm working on a signature sound that i like more than any of them. infact, my friend brought a line 6 vetta over to me the other day cause he needed me to make him some presets. i had it for 2 days, and when he took it back, and i went back to my humble setup, i was happy becuase he has a 2000 dollar amp that can't get my distortion. to be completeley honest, i like my little peavey 2x12 setup more than his vetta! yeah, his was more versitile, but i've got better tone by far! it's sad!

it's my most vital pedal. honestly! it's the source of my tone(and lots of eq). so i wan't another one, especially when people reviewing it say that the more expensive ones are'nt much better, if any. i would definateley get another, but i have replaced the switch on it so that it's more reliable. it's a frankenstien.

i don't know. i don't care too much, i'd fix it myself, or get a new one, no opinion here.

well now let's take away some credibility here. i'm 20, i've been playing guitar for 3 years, and i play drums in a slipknot type band for some people that just have no clue. let's gain some credibility. ok, i have a side project (guitar) that covers every music style. jazz, fusion, hip hop, metal, funk, reggae, untraditional classical guitar playing, etc. the point is, this pedalis an intricate part in the "warm sound" that i get. without it, i might sound brash, and harsh like dimebag of pantera which is a sound that i could also get.
so i won't say buy this pedal cause it's perfect, or don't buy it cause it needs something else, but i will say that it makes a fine addition to a setup. if you play metal like pantera and stuff, or you only like high gain, don't use this as your main distortion. it just won't please you. but look into it anyway cause you might find that there are very good uses for it that you can utilize, regardless of music style.

by the way, www.hatefactor.com/ check me out on drums, if you like it (or you don't) then just know that i'm a much better guitar player than drummer. (i enjoy it more too.)

When I first pulled it out of the box, I noticed the HOT switch, which is what I bought it for. I was in for a surprise. The classic TS9 mode sounds smooth and responsive, even with a high output guitar like my Ibanez RG560. As for the hot mode, it sounds excellent, and retains your guitar's natural tone. Even then it barely sounds compressed. Impressive for a $40 pedal. Needless to say, very easy to get a good sound out of this pedal. It also interacts very well with a guitar amp's tone controls, especially when the amp is played clean or slightly overdriven. Because of the smoothness, I like using it with my metal pedals for a solo gain boost in TS9 mode. The TS7's tone control works well for most of its range, as does the drive and level controls. More output than my old TS-5 SoundTank (also a Tubescreamer).
The manual that came with it was barely necessary, but should always be there for folks that need it anyhow.

I use this with a DOD GS30 for effects, the TS-5, a Dunlop GCB95 wah, and a Peavey MicroBass amp. It is noisy, particularly when using the hot mode with a wah, and the TS-5, but that's to be expected. There's also some sweet feedback effects when turned up high. Nothing uncontrollable though. I didn't buy this to emulate other artists, mainly so I could have a hot overdrive sound that's more appopriate for stuff that sounds better with overdrive, instead of distortion. Can turn your anemic amp into a nice blues/rock box. Very sweet sounding, like getting a Fender Junior, but without the tubes. I use the TS7 with the gain at 7 in HOT mode, and use my TS5 as a solo boost. Great blues/rock overdrive...what can I say?

Also a great bass overdrive pedal.

I give it a 7, because the switch is not perfect, but works much better than the TS5 I still use. Like my DS7 Distortion, which has seen plenty of live duty, I could use this without a backup, just spare batteries.

I'd talk to my local shop first.

I play mostly rock these days, though I still do some metal. If it were stolen/lost, yeah, I'd buy another one. The somewhat funky switch is the only thing that needs improvement, but the casing is fine, if somewhat homely. I did compare this to a BOSS Super Overdrive, but this one appeals to me more. A great combination of features and value for the money.

No question, I can make music with this anytime.

its easy to use its a tubes screamer .

sounds good Ilike the hot option.It doesn't sound as good as my old 808 but then I only paid $50.00 cnd(almost nothing)

the switch seems kind of dodgy but I'll just use some contact cleaner it worked on my ts5

didnt bother

its a tubescreamer whats there to say really it seems solid Ilike the hot mode option .Iread a review in the tonequest report that said it nailed the 808 sound,it doesnt but it doesnt suck.Italso doesnt sound better than my ts5.having a-b'd an808 ts9 and a ts5.In my opinion Istill havent heard anything better than the 808 but the ts5 beat the original ts9 and the ts5 I have beats this ts7 .The ts7 is not bad and Ilike its flexability.Idon't like the cheap switch but what do you want for 50 bucks canadian

It's a freakin' tube screamer. Whats easier than that?!

First off, when you read these reviews you have to read between the lines. For example, there are guys saying this unit is horrid and giving it a 2. But as tube screamers go, theres not a world of difference, but subtle differences. So the reason for the horrible reviews is that some people arent judging it for what it's meant for, and not judging it AS TUBE SCREAMERS GO ! Not to mention the 16 year olds who have little idea of what tone is and thing a metal zone is good tone.

That said, i've gigged regularly for 22 years, played for 30, generally play reissue strats thru marshalls in a classic rock and blues cover band. (tho lately using a modded Classic 30)I use a tube screamer to boost an already distorted amp.I think that needs to be said because without knowing the background of who's reviewing something, the review is useless.

On to the TS-7. I've owned various tube screamers, the most recent being a TS-5 which i modded for more output(not drive) and more low end. I think the TS-7 is better than the 5 and other screamers i've owned for a number of reasons. For one thing, if you want to use it as a clean boost it'll give you more output than others i've had. You can use the boost function with the drive all the way down and level all the way up to get a giant boost. It's got a bit of grit in it with the boost engaged, but it sounds great. Not that you'd necassarily need that much clean output, but it's there if you want it.

Secondly, while i've most always used screamers as a clean boost with the drive all the way down, this is the only one that i like using with equal amounts of drive and level to hit an alrady distorted input. It actually works better than sending a hot clean output as i've always done before. It adds a lot of harmonic richness without getting sloppy and losing it's tight punch as other screamers i've had always did when turning up the drive a bit.

As for the way it sounds on it's own......that is, into a clean amp and getting all your distortion from the pedal alone, it's no better than most other screamers. Maybe not as good as some, but it's close.

The overall impression i get is that as a boost into an already distorted amp it's the best i've had. It's much more versitile IMO because of the aforementioned *fact* that you can add some drive to make it very rich and still retain the tightness and articulation unlike my experience with others.

Physically, i really like the case. A nice textured finish, very solid metal case, and knobs that push in which i think is a nice feature for a few reasons. The only thing i don't like as other have said is the switch. Open the battery compartment and you can see it. Very very cheesy. For me this doesn't mattter because being a tech i can substitute another better switch if and when the time comes. But for those who can't it's a shame because this pedal that is otherwise a sturdy, versitile and good sounding box will not be worth the box it came in if the switch goes south. Ibanez, what are you doing !! Is this another case of "planned obsolesence"? Probably.

So switch aside, my experience with various tube screamers over many years tells me that this box is a great deal. It's one of those rare purchases that leave you thinking you got much more than your money's worth, and very happy you bought it. I payed 40 bucks, which is about what i spend for lunch over the course of the work week. But i'll likely have this for many years.

Oh,a dn if you DO use tube screamers into a clean amp as your source of distortion, the boost switch doubles it's usefullness. Unlike some others here i don't feel it sounds any different than without it. Just more distortion. Another benefit.

I'll give it a 7 because of the switch, which as i said is a major flaw for those who can't fix it if needed. Otherwise a 10, because it does just what other screamers did for me, but with more versatility and better tone when boosting with a little drive added in. It fulfills al

The switch ! Need i go over it again? Otherwise it's likely bulletproof.

Don't know, but who's gonna bother at $40?

Since i always use a TS, and this is my favorite so far, i'd of course buy it again without a second thought.

3 knobs, level gain and tone. the only complaint i have is the tone knob seems like it could have more of a sweep to it. doesnt really do much til you get up to about 8. also you can switch from ts9 to hot mode.

I play in a pop/rock/latinish/bluesish band, and use an ernie ball axis guitar with a peavey ranger tube amp. i have 2 ts7's on my board. I have owned a TS9 reissue, and a TS9DX, and the ts7 sounds a lot better. The TS9 seemed to suck a lot of tone when in bypass, and the ts7's bypass is really unnoticeable compared to many other buffered pedals. very clean. The effect sounds more like an original ts9 than the reissues, but the tone control reacts differently.

I use one of my ts7 as a mild overdrive with the gain at 3 tone at 9 and level at 6. great for a dynamic boost, lead boost, and getting bluesey. chords come out pretty well even if you are playing 7 chords or minor chords.

I use my other ts7 in hot mode. usually only for leads, and power chords. my settings are gain 5 tone 6 level 6. I use this one more as a distortion than an overdrive. since it essentially is the same overdrive with more gain the bottom end sounds sort of cleaner than the the highs. in a really good way for leads. at low volumes it doesnt seem to palm mute very well, but when im at rehearsal and gig levels my amp seems to make up for it. I think a lot of the negative reviews on her are from people using solid state amps a bedroom levels.

This is acually my favorite pedal i own, and also the cheapest. Other reviewers have mentioned boss pedals sounding better. I would disagree. all the newer boss overdrives are way way harsh, and require modification to really be usable imho. great overdrive, but dont expect it to be a distortion pedal.

Maybe 20 years from now these will be as sought after as the ts9's.

construction is a great improvement over prvious ibanez pedals. made out of metal. only problems is the switch sucks. have to use contact cleaner on it about every 6 months, and plow it out with an air compressor. I'll give it a 7 cuz it does require mainenence, but seems like the pedal itself will last forever.

couldnt tell ya, no email at website last time i checked

As far as overdrives go it has great tone even at a ts9 price. I've tried almost every ovedrive currently available at your local guitar center. never tried any of the boutiqe stuff, but definitely beats out anything from the boss line, or digitech. This pedal is certainly the gem of the tone lok pedals. So if you are on a budget, or just want a really good overdrive.