Ibanez TS9DX

Ibanez TS9DX. Same as TS9 plus 3 alternate modes. Tone knob, gain knob, level knob, and the mode selector knob. I give it a 7 because of the volume boost between modes.

The sound on this pedal is very authentic. It sounds very close to a tube distortion. Not quite there, but close. The modes drop in gain while increasing in volume from TS9->Plus->Hot->Turbo. I am using mine in conjunction with an MXR Distortion 3 on Turbo mode. The TS9DX provides most of my tone, while the distortion 3 adds extra gain. I am going guitar->distortion 3->TS9DX->other effects->amp, and it sounds wonderful. I have my amp set to a clean sound and use the distortions to boost it into overdrive. It is FANTASTIC as a "channel" switcher. I would not recommend it as an "always-on" style pedal, as it mudds up the clean tone if doing your switching from the amp.

It seems very sturdy. I plan on gigging without a backup.

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Overall, an excellent pedal. Like I said, I need to add the distortion 3 on top of it to get a nice thick distortion. But this box has all the tone you could need, just needs the gain boost to be used for more high gain situations.

Very, very simple. Foolproof.

Love it. Gritty, fat (if you want it to be) just the right amount of gain for most grown up types of rock music. None of the fizzy high-freq overlaying artifacts that I get with BD2 or other pedals. Personally I could occasionally do with a little more gain depending on how pushed the amp is by it's self. I use hot PU's so this also helps get me in the zone. Having said that I've put Single coils into it and it still hangs in there with the right amount of gain/distortion.

I've spent too much money lately on pedals. I have been very disappointed with several boutique pedals which do not come up to scratch build-wise. One of the reasons I love this pedal is because it has all the right build ingredients and design features. It's heavy for it's size and instills a sense of confidence. I have Ibanez pedals that I have used for over a decade and are still going strong.

This is always the section that tarnishes a good product reputation... either because you need it or because you don't... I have never needed it. There's always a 50/50 chance so I'll give them 5.5 and round it up.

I read a few of these other reviews. Look, this is a pedal with a switch. It's designed to be switched on and off to CHANGE the sound of your amp/guitar. It's not going to fix a bad sounding rig, there is no magic, it won't cover up your sloppy musicianship. so in that respect this is not your answer. It's not transparent and I would be disappointed if it were. For 100 bucks... I want to hear something happen. If you are feeling that you need to leave something switched on to tailor your sound then perhaps you rig is not up to par. Perhaps you're not playing the right guitar/amp.

Also addressing the JRC chip issue: If it matters to you, the JRC4558D is the one chip that was common in both the TS9 and the 808. It is the one that is in the current production model. If you still believe that the chip matters more than, or even [i]as much as[/i]??? a cable or a preamp tube, for example, then watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpTv2jAree8

Then go play your guitar...

Very easy.

Not good. I too bought this pedal based on the reputation of the "Tube Screamer" name and thought the DX would have a little more flexability if I needed it.

I ran it through a ISP Decimator into a BBE sonic stomp and into my amp: B52 AT100. My hope was that this would at the slightest amount of dirt to my clean channel to make it sound more vintage and enhance the overdrive channels to give more life to my crunch and lead..basically an "on all the time" pedal that would increase the overall signal received by the amp.

The result was not what I wanted. First of all the pedal has a lot more break-up than I expected. I basically had to turn down the gain knob to almost zero to get the kind of clean drive I wanted. The other problem was that the pedal is not really transparent. It kind of muddies up the sound unless the tone knob is wide open...like a tone knob on a guitar.

A few other things I didn't like were that the pedal's breakup was kind of scratchy when I played hard. There may have been a defect in mine thought. Also a very important point...Musician's Friend, where I bought it from advertises this pedal as being built with the same chip that comes in the 808 model...the one that everyone mods the TS9 to have. This was a major reason I had for buying it but it isn't true. I opened it up and saw the same chip that the TS9's come with stock. Could be the reason for the crapy sound. Not too cool of MF.

I've always heard these things are built like a tank. I don't really see them being any more solid than any boss or digitech pedal out there.

I tried mine out for a day and then sent it back to MF. I was kind of disappointed because for the price I expected better. I used to have a Digitech X Series Tonedriver pedal and a Line6 Crunchtone, both of which sounded much better than the DX(especially the digitech).

I won't buy the DX again. I have always been curious about the 808 reissue but I don't think I'd ever pay that much for a simple overdrive pedal.

Very easy to use but pretty over-rated IMHO.

I bought mine online and it was advertised as having the JC4885DC chip that the original 808 has. I always here that people have to get this in a mod for this pedal so I thought maybe Ibanez decided to improve the design. Not the case. This pedal was falsely advertised and comes with the chip that everyone gets removed. I don't understand why a company would manufacture a product that most people have to pay extra to modify.

I tried this on my 100 watt all tube head which I use in my live set up. I play schecter 7 string guitars with seymour duncan pickups(JB/'59) and not many effects; just a TC Electronic rack unit in my live rig that I use mostly for reverb. I wanted this pedal to be an "on all the time" unit so that I could have a hotter signal throught the front end of my amp for a tiny bit of dirt in the clean channel and a slightly more reactive overdrive channel.

The closest I could come to a usable sound was on the TS9 setting with the level at about 9 o' clock, the gain at just about one notch from zero and the tone cranked all the way open(Interesting note: the tone knob on this thing isn't like those on other distortion pedals I've used. It acts like a passive tone pot on a guitar: bypassed when fully open and can only cut frequencies when turned down. It isn't like an active tone circuit that boosts when you turn it one way and cut when you turn the other way).
Anyway, on the clean channel of my tube amp, I got an increase of volume but with a scratchy, crackeling sort of break-up that was totally unpleasant and just sounded like the pedal was clipping because it couldn't handle the signal.
It just made my overdrive channel sound fuzzy and less articulate though it did increase my sustain by a good amount.

Another point: the other three mode settings; Hot, + and Turbo, while they do change the voicings and increase saturation and low end, also decrease the volume on each setting. The TS9 mode is at least twice as loud as Turbo on the same level setting. This seems very counter-intuitive to me and was very unexpected.

It doesn't seem as solid as other people have said. I'd trust a boss or digitech pedal over this any day.

I play progressive metal and I've been playing guitar for almost 15 years. And of course, since we guitarists are especially suseptable to G.A.S. I've played through many, many distortion and overdrive pedals. This one has been the most disappointing one in a long time. It is possible that this unit was defective but that just makes me all the more disappointed in Ibanez for neglecting quality control on a line of products that is supposed to be a modern musician's standard go to pedal. For my purposes I could probably get a better result from a compressor or a simple boost pedal. But for classic overdrive sounds, I can think of at least half a dozen other pedals that sound better than this and cost half as much. Try before you buy.

Can't get a useable sound.

Ropey.

Don't know.

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I bought this unheard on the strength of its reputation. Judging by the other reviews here, maybe there's something wrong with mine but it was a complete and utter waste of money. I play a PRS RG4 through a Blackstar A30 (a really good valve amp) and a blackstar HT boost pedal (also really good). I wanted to add something to get a 'singing' solo sound for home practice or recording at low volumes, nothing too fancy, just a useable lead sound. Forget it. All it did was add some toneless fizz with no body or anything. ??90 down the drain.

If you bought one of these, you know what you are seeking. I thought it would more of a distortion pedal but it is more subtile and you have to develope an ear for it. As an antagonist for a tube amp-- it is standard equipment. Some experimentation with the modes is in order to find the shape you want. it is not difficult.

ts-9- classic, creamy chock full of mid range. The closest to a tube amp you can get in a box under $200. the "hot" and "+" are not useful to me as far as I can tell. The "turbo" setting is awesome especially if you use a guitar with humbuckers- it has great bass responce and a real compressed mid range growl that is just slightly evil! With my strat it is just kinda of bassy but not bad. If you use another distortion pedal, put this in before it in your chain. If it is after your dist, it will get a real nasty spitting grunge that is really cool if you want to use that effect ( think a really overdriven tube amp about to crapout its speakers)! I use this through a Randall SS and Fender Frontman 15R. I have a Peavey 212 Classic in the shop and I would love to see what this will sound like with that!

tank...I have been using Ibanez since 1982 and they all are still working fine!

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you have to have a ts-9, why not have one with extras? It has lots of output so keep your level down. The Turbo and + modes have increased levels so watch that too. I have been using it with a Randall SS amp and I get a great tube thang when I need it. The Randall has enormous gain and I am a gain junky but a Strat through a Randall to get a bluesy sound is difficult s the single coils just shout, " hey...this is solid state!!!!!!!!!!" Jimi would kill you!!!. Enter the TS-9 DX with the extra gain available! I play in a blues outfit also and this is great through a Fender Frontman 15R coupeled with a Danelectro FAB distortion. With a strat, it is priceless- perceptibale distortion with not alot of color taken out of your tone. With a humbucker ( mine an Electra Phoenix or Dean ZX) a great growly compressed distordion very unique sounding. GET ONE!

Easy to use. Only 4 Knobs. They are all clearly marked and self explanatory.

On the origional TS9 setting it sounds great no matter how it is set. I use it with a Tele through a class A Fender tube amp. I couldnt imagine a better set up. Crisp, crunchy and clear. Think SRV tone (now all I need is to learn to play like him- wish me luck!). The turbo and deluxe settings seem worthless to me, with these settings the distortion decreases, while volume and bass are added progressively. Each setting just gets louder, flabbier and boomier. Im glad I got the DX to stisfy curiosity, but would have done just fine with the standard TS9.

I had it for 6 months, and the on/off switch crapped out on me-doesnt work at all. I never even stomped on it with a shoe. I play bare foot, and am very gentle, it looks brand new. Thats faulty maunufacturing, and Ibanez says I have to pay for shipping to get it repaired. What a crock. If it didnt sound so damn good I would choke it up as a loss.

I had it for 6 months, it craps out and I have to pay for shipping. Thats one crappy warantee.

Ive been playing 15 years. Mostly bules, reggae and alt rock. It sounds great, though the deluxe settings arent useful to me. I wish the quality control and warantee was beter.

Very easy to get the right sound out of it

I play a Jeff Beck strat into an AC-30 Vox - great blues and rock tones but i needed it to kickit up when soloing or for playing harder rock.
This does the trick!
It makes my strat CRUNCH and ROAR and SING.
Great for solo boosts. Hard to believe its a strat at those times.
The Turbo mode is my favorite and packs the fullest and tightest tone.
Definitely mid-dominated but that is what the strat lacks.
I have noiseless pickups so it is silent.
I use a BigMuff Pi for fuzz and cream and use this for crunch and concrete.
It's a cross between overdrive and subtle distortion.

Seems solid.

No need.

Great for blues and rock.
Better than Marshall Guv'na.
Would definitely replace it if stolen.
Great buy.

Simple to use. Changing modes on the fly takes practice, as the output volume gets significantly louder as you go from "TS-9" to "Turbo." Once you get familiar with the settings, this ceases to be a problem. If you're using a pedal chain, I recommend placing this pedal after your other distortion/overdrive units (i.e., closer to amp).

I play a gibson les paul studio (1994) through a fender twin reverb (blackface reissue). Pathway is guitar > Teese RMC-3 Wah > ts9dx > EH Metal Muff > MB V-Twin > Dunlop Univibe > EB Volume pedal > amp. With this particular setup, I am primarily using the "Turbo" setting with 1/4 gain and 3/4 tone. This serves as an excellent boost. I am able to add volume, bass, and a slight bit of overdrive to Clean, V-twin, or Metal Muff driven signal. I find it a lot more satisfying, tonally, than simply using the volume pedal. It really adds balls to your sound. With my pickup selector in the treble (bridge) position, and a little more gain, I am able to get a passable AC/DC tone with the clean signal at garage-band volume. This is not a Marshall Plexi substitute, but it makes for a fun and useable imitation (again, in a garage band) for a lot less money. I did get the Analog Man "808" mod about 5 years ago, and it made the tone slightly warmer and less bright. I like what the mod did for my sound, but I don't think it's a must-have feature. Comparing pedal to pedal, for a bluesy-overdriven/crunch sound, I prefer my V-twin. That being said, I would feel crippled if I didn't have my TS-9dx to beef up the V-twin. It also changes the character of the Metal Muff from a heavy metal distortion to a dark/grungy heavy overdrive without muddying up the tone much. Again, this is not a replacement for a high-gain diezel or mesa boogie amp, but I think it gets the job done for the semi-serious musician hobbyist on a budget.

I have owned this pedal for roughly 8 years, and I have not had any problems with it. I bought it used, and it works as well today as it did the day I bought it. Its very sturdy.

I have never had to deal with Ibanez customer service.

I have been playing for about 12 years, and I have owned this pedal for quite a long time. I posted a review 7 years ago on this very same pedal (dinesh, 1/29/2000), and I am just as impressed today as I was back then with the tonal qualities of this pedal. My gear has changed slightly over the years, but I'm more or less using the same style setup. My ratings and opinions are based upon using this kind of setup (les paul through a fender tube-amp plus "boutique" overdrive pedals). I'm currently playing in a garage-band that plays everything from Santana to The Ramones to Tool to Smashing Pumpkins to Grateful Dead. I use this pedal during most songs, especially when I need to cut through with a solo. I would certainly buy another if lost or stolen. Highly recommended.

4 knobs; level, drive, tone, a 4 position mode switch. A hair more difficult than a standard TS-9, but it's quite easy to operate.

On the TS-9 setting, it sounds like a TS-9 reissue. As you notch it to turbo, you get subtle drive intreases without straying away form the original character. TS-9's generally add light overdrive (not highgain distortion), or it can boost other drive units/amps. The TS-9DX doesn't get too fuzzy, or harsh, and I've run this with another TS-9 to do a 2 stage overdrive and it worked great. I already had the TS-9 Reissue and was looking for the same sound with a little more boost, and the DX delivers.

The casing (i believe designed by Maxon) is solid, but I managed to break a shaft on the level pot, making it a handy on/off kill switch. I was able to replace it with a standard pot. otherwise, no problems.

Follows the TS-9 vibe quite well. The price is right, and it can be modded to a TS 808 type sound (which would be interesting to hear a TS 808 with the 4 modes). Even with the boosting, I still use it as an overdrive, for highgain distortion I use a Marshall Gon'Nor II pedal.