Ibanez TS-808 Reissue

Cannot possibly be any easier to use, overdrive - tone - level

Nothing is really a 10, but for my purposes its basically perfect. I have a high quality hand wired tube amp - but just didn't get enough sustain and creaminess for solos - this pedal is exactly what I needed. It made my amp scream with sustain. Basically perfect (for me). I play rock only.

so far no problems

Haven't needed it

Bought it at the same time as the Maxon OD820. The Maxon is actually a "cleaner" pedal that lets more of your original amp tone shine through (VERY, VERY nice pedal!!) - BUT, I clearly preferred the tones I was getting out of the 808 reissue. It seemed to have more "majic" to it when I kicked it in during rock solos. It did add more color. It also made my tube amp scream!!!! during solos (thats the only reason I needed an overdrive pedal). Bottom line, after much debate - I returned the Maxon OD820. If I were a blues player, I would probably have kept the Maxon instead. (by the way, back in the day, Maxon actually built the original 808 for Ibanez) If you are a real rock player (REAL rock, not this modern fuzzy buzzy high gain crap (Rectifier) with no solos or talent) - anyway, for true rock players, forget Fulltone and Maxon for overdrive, what you really need is the 808 reissue and a high quality tube amp - it will never leave your board!!!

Volume, Overdrive and Tone. How hard can it be?

On the other hand, the reissue has a mini phone plug power jack, just like the original, (or like the Rat) instead of a barrel plug like every other pedal including the TS9. I reckon they were trying to make it ultra-similar to the original. This is vintage-cool, but also a pain because most adapters don't have this end on them.

The LED is barely visible when the battery is brand new--what's up with that? My oldie's was bright with a new battery, and got dimmer when the battery was almost gone.

This is the overdrive everyone pays big bucks for. People pay insane prices for the original. I give it a nine, only because the Fulldrive sounds a little bit better, especially the new Fulldrive-2 with the flatmids/vintage toggle switch. The Fulldrive has a bit less of a midrange hump, and kicks out better bottom end, but the differences are very subtle. The audience couldn't tell the difference between the two.

I had an original 808. Last year I sold it for $500. This reissue looks, works and sounds just like my original. Don't waste your money on the original.

Well, everyone says these are built like a tank, but the Ibanez 8 and 9 series were (and are) made of cast zinc with thin walls. It'll crack if you drop it, and with time they tend to crumble if banged around. My oldie was epoxied to help stop cracking. But it was still working fine after more than 20 years.

No idea.

This is a great overdrive pedal for almost any style of playing. There's not enough gain for metal shredding, but plenty for rock and roll. This pedal won't make you sound like Stevie, but it definitely is one of the best overdrive pedals ever made. It clones the tone of my oldie, and word is that the new ones are much more consistent. Some old 808's sound merely good, and some sounded awesome. These new ones should all sound fine. What this pedal does is overdrive an already good sounding tube amp, such as a Fender or a non-master Marshall. In fact, plug a strat or paul into the 808 and an old Marshall and you're in heaven. Quit trying to sound like Stevie and try to sound like YOU.

This reissue should be compared to the Maxon OD 808 and the Fulldrive 2. The sound is the same as the Maxon OD-808 reissue. The Maxon is in a smaller, stronger, lighter case with a better footswitch, and sells for about $30 less. Neither are true bypass. The other competition is the Fulldrive 2, which is better made than either, more versatile, true bypass,and costs about $30 or so more.


TS808 reissue Maxon OD 808 Fulldrive-2

Country of origin Japan Japan USA
Street price $169 $139 $199
Channels one one normal & boost
Construction zinc aluminum steel
9v input miniplug barrel barrel
true bypass no no yes
sound 9 9 10
modes 1 1 3 (flatmid,
vintage, clean
boost)


You can't go wrong with any of these three. Don't get me wrong, the TS808 reissue is the real stuff, but I'd save up for the Fulldrive 2. It's made in America, more versatile, sounds a bit better, and it's built like Maryeva Oliveira. For another thirty bucks, its superior sound, construction and versatility seem like a heck of a deal.

Very simple three knobs.......same as original

This is the one everybody and their mother has been using since what i bekieve to be the late 70's. I have used the original 808 with alot of guitars single coils, P90's H-buckers..ALL GOOD!!!
This reissue I have used with a BF Super and a BF modded Vibrosonic....folks I think this is what many of you cats want to know......I ab'ed with two original 808's and a Maxon RI...the reissue 808 sounds idenical to the two originals....AT ALL SETTINGS!!!
The Maxon still sounds a hair fatter at the same settings but the pots on the Maxon have all slipped and become barely useable but to my ears the Maxon is slightly fatter especially at lower settings.
This pedal is a great pedal......but What is up with that pilot light?........this makes it impossible to tell if your battery is dying (unless by hearing it of course).its not a "sound quality issue" so no points off for that ...but that really sucks!

This one is new........but it seems to be as formidable as the original

no experiance

This is the best pedal i have ever used for the bluesy sould as well as od'ing tube amps for a nice compressed fusiony sound. Irecommend high to put this in your chain right behing an MXR Micro-Amp. I thought this was my discovery until during a gig I gandered at SRV's set-up and he had two 808's and two Micro-Amps and we both laughed how our rigs were similar. Check out the combo y'all you wont be sorry!
As I said earlier the only reason i submitted this review was to let you all know that this pedal DOES sound like the original!!!

Extremely easy to get a good sound. I will agree with another commentor that the unit's red led light cannot be seen unless your standing directly over it.

I looked for the "creamly, lush" sound that everyone describes for original and this reissue. I didn't get it - until I A/B'd with my Boss SD overdrive. The SD has its use but sounds abrasive, tinny, scratchy, when OD and level are increased. Then go back to the 808 and I realize what everyone was describing. I think the 808's overiven sound is simply tighter and therfore less harsh than the Boss. I haven't checked out too many other pedals but quite frankly this one is it for me.

Built tough enough for me! I like the immediate short release of its switch vs other pedals out there.

No opinion.

Push up the drive when using my '97 Fender CS 60's Relic, and gotta turn it down for my '96 PRS Custom 24. Can't wait for the wife and kid to leave for a week end so I can tear into another weekend of distrubing my neighbourhood. I'm getting older but I still like to blast the tubebox and piss off the neighbours.

This pedal is very easy to use, it has three knobs which are overdrive, tone and level. I feel that it would be impossible to get a bad sound out of this thing because it is so natural and transparent sounding. This pedal has just recently been reissued, and I bought the last one of the first shipment of ten at my local Guitar Center. I had no choice but to get the one that was out on the sales floor being used to demo. They had thrown out the box and manual so I dont know how useful the manual is. I got a twenty dollar discount though.

I have a simple set up. A Tokai 56' reissue strat with a left handed tele neck, a 120 watt late 80's Peavy Triumph tube combo with 6l6 tubes and a celestion vintage 30 speaker. I also run this thru an old silver/grey front Fender 4 by 12 cab. The amp has three channels but I only use the clean channel. My pedal board has a regular standard Dunlop cry-baby wha, a Voodoo Lab Superfuzz, TS-808, Tokai analog delay, Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus, Ibanez soundtank flanger, MXR dynacomp, and an MXR phase 90. I only use one pedal in the loop, a Boss digital reverb/delay. The TS-808 works really well with my set up. I have owned every Tube Screamer model over the years(ts 9,10,5,7) and can honestly say ( I ab'ed them ) that this is the best one if you are looking for the most natural sounding overdrive. The Ts-9 sounded second best ( it has a little more overdrive but adds sort of a midrangy transistory sound ) The Ts-10 sounds almost identical to the Ts-9 except it is just a bit harsher sounding. These pedals are very good though, they just arent as clear and uncolored as the Ts-808. When I was buying this pedal I a/b'ed it with a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive. With my guitar, which has a little bit warmer sound than most strat's( not bragging but it sounds alot like SRV,s #1)the Sparkle Drive sort of muddied the sound just barely. I used the drive and blend knobs in several combinations and could not get it to sound as clear and no pun intended "sparkly" as the Ts-808. Dont get me wrong, The Sparkle Drive is pretty close in sound to the Ts-808, just not exactly. It must be due to the batch of componets that each company is using since both pedals use the high quality jrc4558 chip.The Ts-808 does not have tons of gain but if your intentions and playing are right those that are listening would probably think that your sound is a lot more overdriven than it is. To my ears this pedal can sound like Hendrix on Band of Gypsies, Earthquake era Uli Roth, OLd Trower, SRV. I know that of these players only SRV actually used the Ts-808, I'm sure that had this pedal been around then they would have used it. They all achieved their big, smooth strat tones by playing loud Marshall's to the point of power tube saturation, then stepping on Fuzz Faces for an added boost. The volume and power tube saturation enabled the Fuzz Face to sound good because a Fuzz Face on a clean amp sounds terrible. Anyway The Ts-808 is so dynamic that by lightening your attack it cleans up with enough dynamics and clarity to play funk rhythms. I cant say enough about this pedal except to say that its "Magical Overdrive".

The construction of this pedal is about as solid as you can get. Over time though all on/off switches go bad and have to be replaced. This pedal will be used without a back-up.

I have never dealt with ibanez, but if I need to I would.I have always loved thier effects.

I play Funky,spaced-out, bluesy rock with lots of exotic overtones. This pedal magically enhances the volume, tone and sustain of my guitar. It does not have alot of gain if used on a practice volume amp.This pedal has got tone magic though.I have had many guitars, amps and effects over the years (21 years of playing)and have never heard such a natural sounding overdrive. Way Huge, Fulltone, Prescription elec., etc, nothing this good. No wonder originals were so high. I must admit though that I have never heard a Clon Centaur Pedal. I could not imagine it being better though. If this were lost or stolen I would definatly replace it. Some times I wish it had more gain though. I accept this because for some reason it must be an impossibility or it would be out there. Every guitarist could use this pedal.

New TS 808 reissue. Simple to use but the red light is very hard to see unless you stand directly over it. Not sure if this is just mine or if they are all like this. I have to take off for mine though because it's almost impossible to see if you are more than a foot away.

I run my TS-9 into the 808 and use both for leads or just the 808 for crunchy rythm. Sounds great. Usually my Gibson LP or my 335 into a Fender Deluxe or my Hughes & Kettner Duotone. This puppy is noisy! A lot noisier than the TS-9 but it doesn't matter as you can't hear it while you're playing.

If it's anything like my TS-9 should be no problem. My input power input jack did break on the 9 but it was an easy fix. I like the old male into female power jack on the 808, seems sturdier.

I love this thing for the style I play which isn't the typical tubescreamer stuff. Sounds great for melodic leads like The Cure or Coldplay. Clean channel, effects in front, light gain, tone around 1 oclock sounds best to my ears. Especially when I play my Schecter Hellcat into it with a little delay, very dreamy sound. I've been playing for over 20 years and I believe this pedal gives me the perfect amount of warm overdrive in my music. Cuts through very clearly when recording, even direct. I have found that my Fender American Deluxe Jazz bass sounds very, very good with just a touch of gain and the tone rolled back to 11 or so. Overall this pedal is my absolute favorite and I have a lot of em! Much warmer than my Big Muff, not as harsh as my Boss Blues Driver. I find it very hard to turn the thing off, maybe the recessed light is there for a reason??

10 out of 10. How much simpler can any overdrive pedal be? Granted, the manual is a bit of a joke(no 'suggested settings', for example), but by using those two things on the side of your head(your EARS!), you will find the 'right sound' for your style of playing, no matter what that style may be.

I utilize a very simple setup - two VOX Cambridge 30 amplifiers, a VOX 810, a Fulltone from 1996, and a Danelectro Dan-Echo, plus this TS808 reissue. When I'm feeling REALLY crazy, I'll put a Danelectro Fab Tone in there too, for those occasional forays into metal or grunge(few and far between nowadays)...I use various vintage Ibanez guitars(Artist models, SG's, Les Pauls, ES-175 copies, etc.) through the "rig", and I get the sounds I desire very easily.

This is actually the first Ibanez pedal I have ever owned. I don't often gig as a guitarist(I mainly play out a bassist), but this pedal would definitely satisfy my tastes in a live environment...I have my other pedals to fall back upon should the TS808 fail.

I have never dealt with Ibanez concerning their pedals or their guitars...

I certainly agree with one of the previous reviewers about the idea of overpaying for "vintage" pedals...in my own travels, the older a pedal is, the more likely said pedal is to have its own difficulties. This TS808 is actually the first guitar pedal of any kind that I have purchased in several years, and I love it - I'm looking forward to a long and happy lifetime of use of the TS808...

Very easy to get a great sound out of this pedal.
Three knobs, you know the rest.
The data sheet that comes with the unit has very basic information,
no recommended settings.

Setup - 2003 Fender Vibroverb reissue, Maxon Compressor, Dunlap Univibe, Crybaby wah, Ts-808, Boss Metalzone (for the heavey stuff) Guyatone Microchorus....Fender strats.
Very quiet pedal, great sound. I own the following 'Tube Screamer pedals' Maxon OD-808, Reverand Drivetrain 2, Fulltone Fulldrive,Ts-9 reissue, Ts-9 deluxe, Jacques Tube Blower(Hate that pedal) and now the Ts-808 reissue.

I have always preferred my Maxon OD-808 above all the other pedals I have listed, but after getting the new TS-808 reissue. I have retired the Maxon from the road.
The Ts-808 has got a little mojo then any of the pedals listed above.

I sure hope so.
I do not like the cable the send along with the unit, its a female to male converter, mine did not work with unit, took it back, cable was defective.
Why not just put the standard connecter like every other f'ing pedal I own?

Never had to deal with Ibanez, no idea.

Love the sound of this one, I'll be buying another as a spare.
Been playing 20 years, I own to much equipment to list.
This pedal is the Tubescreamer sound I've been chasing.

I'll Start this off by saying this review is for the NEW TS 808s that have come out since March 2004. Easy as pie to get a decent sound out of. Sounds exactly like the reissue TS-9.

I compared both the 808 and TS-9 reissue last night, so don't be fooled. The 808 is just a TS-9 in an old package. Cool retro vibe, but WAY more expensive than a TS-9 reissue. You could probably relic the new 808 though and fool somebody on ebay for some quick cash.

Same construction as the TS-9, sturdy as a rock.

N/A they're cheap, if it breaks, buy a new one.

The pedal is fine but really no different than the TS-9. The new 808 also comes with the voltage adaptor so you can plug a Boss wall wart into it, that was a nice touch. Anyhow if you want to brag to your friends that you have an 808 buy this pedal. But if your friends have TS-9s to compare it to, don't brag to much.

Overdrive pedals are deceptive, in that they are indeed very easy to use, with only 3 knobs to play with.
Yet, it takes a bit of time to get the best results tone-wise, especially if you switch amps and guitars and it is part of an effect chain.
The good part however is that no matter what setting you use, it is honestly very hard to get a bad sound out of it.

I purchased this pedal for my current small club setup which is: '97 Fender CS '60s Relic Strat/ '92 Gibson LP '59 reissue ---> Teese RMC custom Wha ---> TC Electronics Sustain + Parametric Eq. ---> Ibanez TS808 Reissue ---> MXR Micro Amp ---> Lehle A/B splitter ---> Fender Woody Pro Jr./ Marshall Studio 15.
The effect chain is powered by a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2.

The TS808 is quiet, both battery powered and AC powered, even on extreme overdrive settings and with single coils. The built-in noise suppressor in the TC Sustain pedal allows me to completely silence the effect chain, for studio grade work, with no significant loss in tone.

Tone-wise, this TS808 sounds great, warm, very transparent, and it preserves well the character of your guitar and amp. The Strat + TS808 cliche` is well known to all, and probably it is objectively the best setup, together with a good tube amp, but the TS808 sounds also excellent with humbucker-equipped guitars. If you like to roll off the tone pot in your LP to get that elusive woman tone, try a bit of TS808 overdrive with it, tone knob at 11 o'clock, you'll love it.

So, if you think that the original TS808 is the holy grail of overdrive pedals (and not everyone thinks so, but I do), rest assured: the TS808 reissue sounds EXACTLY like the original TS808.

Not better, not different, certainly not worse. I own two original TS808, both in collectors' grade condition, one I am the original owner of, while I bought the other simply because at the time it was still relatively affordable.

I compared the TS808 reissue with both originals, side by side, by using the Lehle splitter, and there are no differences in tone, gain or background noise.

Compact pedals like these are usually very reliable, and the only thing I would like to see improved is the on/off switch, which is small and feels a bit flimsy. Just like the original.

I honestly feel sorry for all those fine pedal builders who built some or most of their business on TS808 clones, conversions to TS808 specs of other pedals etc., because I think this reissue will put all those attempts out of the market.
Some better known builders have already taken a defensive stance, stating that the TS808 shares the same circuit template as a TS9, and that these reissues are still tonally inferior.

Now, I am not an engineer, but I have good ears, a 30+ years playing experience, and I can tell you this TS808 reissue sounds better than most overdrive pedals on the market, and if you are familiar with the TS808 sound, then you need not look any further.

It makes no sense anymore to spend up to $ 700 for an original TS808, because it doesn't sound any better. Original pedals don't have more "mojo" than new ones, don't age and get better, and will sound the same no matter how often you use them.

Let's be realistic here. The vintage guitar market is absolutely crazy, but the general consensus is that fine vintage guitars sound better than newer reissues of the same model. Wood ages, pickups de-magnetize, 40 years of playing give a vintage guitar a special character which cannot be duplicated.

Effect pedals on the other hand don't have this organic "soul". They are just metal boxes with a few electrical components. Aging here is purely cosmetic, and their inflated price is determined solely by their scarcity.
If you make a reissue pedal using exactly the same electrical and mechanical components, it will sound exactly like the original, and at that point, spending a ton of money for the original pedal won't make any sense at all.
So, bottom line, if you like the TS808 tone then buy a reissue, it'll cost you $ 170 or so, which is still quite a lot, and you will be happy.