Jacques Stompboxes Tubeblower

Very easy to use, I wish the distortion knob was the same size as the volume knob.

Sounds great for rock rhythm with the distortion up around 3:00 but leads sound a little stiff.

Small but well built, solid.

He is in France.

Good for rock rhythm, not as good for lead. I play a Gibson Les Paul Standard into a Marshall AVT 50 and a Fender Blues jr.

Bought this new six years ago in 2004, its an overdrive pedal that goes from clean boost, past overdrive, to moderate distortion. Nice solidly built pedal.

Sounds pretty good, explosive harmonics only occur with the drive up high, but this pedal gives a nice rhythm rock tone, I play lead and can get a good sound out of this pedal. Other pedals I own include the Boss Blues Driver and SD-1 Overdrive, Zinky True Grit Overdrive, Roger Mayer Axis and Spitfire fuzzes, Well's 5:00 Shadow Fuzz, Reverend Drivetrain black & white version, Austone Millenium Overdrive and Fuzz Nutz pedals, Prescription Electronics Rx Overdriver, Maxon OD-820 and OD-808 overdrive pedals, Vintage Rat pedal, MJM Britbender 2 knob version, Soulbender, and Banzai Cold Fusion overdrive.

Built like a tank.

He's in France and I'm in New York.

I like this overdrive pedal, I play blues and rock and use it with my 1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard into the 5 watt tube amp Epiphone Valve Junior (2008 model) into a Songworks 1 x 12 cab with a Jensen 12 inch speaker. It rocks! I also have the Marshall AVT 50 watt amp bought in 2001 and a Fender Blues Jr bought in 2004. Also have two Crate 58 amps, they are 5 watt class A amps with an 8 inch Celestion Speaker made in the USA in 2003.

It's easy enough to use. But with the additional dials beyond a normal TS808, there are many more possibilities for tweaking.

Before sharing my opinion on the sound quality, let me say first that I never quite "got" the idea of an overdrive pedal. I usually preferred either a clean sound or a fully distorted sound; only occasionally did I use a mild "dirty" sound. But I head so many good things about the TS808 over the years that I wanted to try one. When I came across the Tubeblower, the additional features seemed like a better match for my.

The first amp I used it with was a Cyber Twin (yeah, it's not the best amp). Once in a while I liked the sound, but generally didn't like it. I was about to sell the pedal, but instead set it aside for a while.

Recently I bought a Super Champ XD for home practice so I gave the pedal another try. It sounds much better with this amp. Between the dynamic range of the amp and the dynamic range of the pedal, on one setting I can get anything from a soft, slightly edgy clean sound, to a loud, grungy blues sound.

It'll take more trial and error to see how this pedal will fit in. I've learned that some amps are more pedal-friendly than others, and after owning the pedal for 3 years, I now own an amp that it works well with.

It seems very well built, and the warranty is great.

No experience in this area.

Here is my take on the tube blower: It does what the ts-808 doesn't do well, but it doesn't do what the ts-808 does do well. It is like the tubescreamer alter ego.

What do I mean by that?

The ts-808 is great for overdriving a tube amp or boosting a lead, but as a stand alone distortion in front of a clean amp it sucks. The ts-808 is smooth and doesn't add much distortion. The ts-808 makes your leads pop but it makes your chords sound thin and nasal. It cuts your bass and boosts the mids.

The tube blower really sounds like tubes distorting and it can do chunky riffs. It is not smooth but raw like an amp going into powertube distortion. It is very transparent and doesn't cut your bass or boost your mids. It's got a lot of output and can drive a tube amp like crazy. It can cut on leads but you pretty much need the bridge pup on to get it right because there is no mid hump to act as a crutch for you.

So try this put a tube screamer in front of the tube blower and turn the ts on for leads. Goodness.

Simple and self explanatory

Well this pedal seems to divide people. I dont get why. If you like a tubescreamer, you just have to like this pedal. It really does address the 3 faults in a TS tubescreamer - lack of gain range - this goes from less than a TS to about X2; lack of bass end - solved with a bass control so you can have a lot more or about the same as a TS; no mid hump - sorted by the extra bass end. I have tried an awful lot of TS type pedals, and this is the one that stuck. I have had it 3-4 years now and it's still here and being gigged. A superb refined take on the tubescreamer, highly recommended if you like that type of pedal. If you dont, go elsewhere

OK this is where the issues start. After 3-4 years on the road, several things have become clear. The silly bent wire battery contacts are totally inadequate. I had to remove them, take a craft knife to the battery box and fit a standard battery clip. The soft grey plastic parts and the battery cover departed forever shortly after. after a couple of years hard use, the electronic footswich packed up and was a pain to replace (this is common to TS9, 10 and 808 pedals too). All the white writing has gone as have the little plastic caps on the knobs. It is very road-weary, not nearly as durable as a Boss for example, but its still working and still sounding great

Jacques replies if you contact him, but i have never asked for support, so no opinion.

Great pedal if you like tubescreamer type sounds and look after it carefully.

It's a simple overdrive unit

The sound is pure shite. There is no comparison what so ever to the ts808, that it claims to do. i used it both ways, as in an overdrive to push the amp, and a booster for solos, neither worked well!! I'm totally disapointed with this pedal. Jacques, take it off the market and make some changes to it. It just sounds shite, cant explain it, I've tried all settings, tweaked it till I can't tweak anymore!!! Too muddy, then too trebley, too this too that!!! No sustain. Couldn't get anything out of it, and I played it through a variety of amps, even a Vibrolux, and it made the amp sound shit when I switched the pedal on. DO NOT BUY THIS PEDAL.

Not reliable, it hasn't got a regular Boss/Ibanez type of 9v adaptor socket, so gotta rely on batteries, then it hasn't got the same battery connector either, so when i did put a battery in the back, it came loose and the effect went dead mid-solo!! OH NO!!!

Just couldn't be arsed, the pedal pissed me off that much.

Right then, it supposed to be a transparent overdrive pedal, it looks good, all boutique etc etc. But it's shite!!!!!! I tried it with every amp and every pedal, nothing changed, it was a weak link in the chain. Try and get yourself a Keeley modded TS808 or TS9, or even better, a Monte Allums modded Boss BD2, you won't be disappointed then.

the layout is simple

I'm rating it down to a 6 to balance out these ridiculous 10's. Whats all the hype! I don't like this thing. it costs to much. the sound is shrill. sure you can boost the bass up but you can't dial out the shrill. it is quiet, even on full gain. but I think i can buy a boss or something that will sound just as good in its own vein. the basic sound is pretty good but i need to dial down the shrill. I'm sending it back!

I play blues to hard rock and some metal. I have a Les Paul, Custom strat, a Parker nite fly(da best)Ibanez etc. mesa boogie lone star, Tranor yc40wr. and pedals galore. been playin 35 years. I certainly can play!

Now lets get down to it! I wouldn't have bought this thing if the reviews had put the way I'm putting it! I,m on a mission to bring it down from the 9.9 at the time I bought it. Whats up! Who the hell are these guys. People who work for the company. 2 or 3 three of these guys had it modded! Just put the reveiws under the guys company who modded it you knuckleheads. Like Keeley. By the way, I,m comparing most pedals to my keeley mod bd2. Which costs about the same.

A breeze, Not rocket science, no brain required.

Sound is very good . The Tube Blower's separate bass and treble knobs are rare in most pedals. The range of treble and bass are superior to any overdrive pedals I've used. Sounds like a Tube Screamer with a wider range of bass,treble and clipping distortion. It goes from near clean boost to serious crunch distortion. I would give it a 10 rating.
I had mine modified by Indyguitarist. The pedal is even better now. The clipping is more asymmetrical, warmer, more organic sounding, more punch.
Improved voicing, a more musical and warmer sound that goes from warm and musical to ferocious and explosive with ripping tubes that have that edgy driven tube tone. With the mod it takes this fine pedal to a 12 rating ,beyond 10 because I have yet hear a better pedal. It sings like a sweet bird or it can scare fur off a weirwolf.
Compared to the legendary Peavey Rock Master preamp tube distortion that has 4 tubes, the Tube Blower to my ear sounds better by far. The Tube Blower has no tubes, all solid state.

It is solid, metal housing,no trouble so far, well built.

E mailed Jacques, he responded quickly with helpful info.

Been playing guitar for 20 years. Rock,blues,raw swamp blues rock finger slide.This pedal suits a wide range of musical styles. This pedal has great EQ and versatility. I use mostly overdrives with a clean boost pedal and sometimes a buffered distortion pedal in a chain, through a tube amp or a good solid state amp. Play humbuckers and single coil pickup guitars.
I have several cool pedals, Tube Blower, Rt 66, TS-9 DX Tube Screamer, Ibanez DS-7, all modified,also TS-7 and a Microamp clean boost.
If they passed a law you could only have one pedal, I would choose the modded Tube Blower.
Nothing is perfect, what I do not like about the Tube Blower is the dial readability on the knobs, it is not bold enough and doesn't have good contrast for easy reading. I can fix that so no big problem.
The one I have has standard 9 volt power jac plug ,like Boss or Ibanez. That is a convieniance and improvement over the earlier models.
The stock Tube Blower is a great pedal,the modded Tube Blower is a killer class pedal.

Very easy. Level, Drive, High, Low...very standard overdrive controls. Very hard to get a bad sound out of this thing.

Wow.
I'm playing an epiphone les paul custom with stock humbuckers into a peavey classic 30 two channal tube amp. I usually have a dd-20 in the effects loop and sometimes put a boss bd-2 blues driver after the tube blower as a clean boost/slight overdrive depending on my mood or the music I'm going to play. I also have a jacques trinity (wah effects) after the tube blower.
This pedal is EXACTLY what I've been looking for in an overdrive. The gain range is very broad. Jacques website says that it can get both cleaner and dirtier than a standard tube screamer and I will say that this box sounds fantastic at both extremes and all points in the middle. The low control lets you dial the exact amount of bass response you want, and the high control voices the drive so that it sounds anywhere from dark to very bright. You can literally imagine in your head the overdrive sound you want and dial it in in about 15 seconds.

Nice and solidly built. Not quite a boss.

My search for perfect overdrive will probably never fully end, but it's going to take one heck of a pedal to knock this thing off my board. When I saw the stellar reviews on this site, I decided to get one after I decided that the jacques fuze blower 2 was too harsh an effect for me (check out my review, it's a great sounding pedal for heavy distortion). I am so happy I got my hands on one. Perfect 10 rating.

It's a lot harder to get a bad sound out of it than a good sound. I don't recall even looking in the manual, but it's all very self-explanatory. I'll be honest, I have customized mine for more gain and assymetrical clipping, so it is upgraded.

Gibson LP -> Jacques -> JC-120. It is very clear, responsive, and you can dial in as much bass and treble as you could ever want. The control range seems to be very wide. Both knobs all the way down produces a nice midrange distortion that could be compared to a radio sound or a lo-fi tone.

My only worries about the reliability are that it is in fact made of plastic and not metal like the bosses, and that it is actually quite a bit smaller too. Also the footswitch is very touchy, it take ever so little pressure to turn on and off. I often wonder if this leads to switching problems down the road. I dare say it's not a "stomp" box but rather a "tap" box.

But so far no problems.

I haven't dealt with, so I can't say, but word is that the folks are friendly and prompt.

I upgraded it myself though, I didn't need their help.

This pedal will wrok well for blues and country, but since I play rock I modded it for more distortion capability. I've been playing for roughly 15 years. If I lost this pedal I might ultimately try a T-Rex Mudhoney or a Jacques Fuseblower, I'm curious and like to try lots of gear. But certainly the Tubeblower is worth getting again. It's EQ section is remarkably flexible.

Very easy to use. Level & Drive are self explanitory and Low & High are basic EQ/Tone settings. Simple.

Fantastic. This things has more fat tones and hormonics and overtones than other distortions I have used or heard, including the Ibanez Tubescreamer and Vox Valvetone. It has so much extra power and really makes my Fender HotRod Deluxe sound better than it really is. It has way better sounds than any other similarly priced pedal and I reckon it could give those really expensive boutique effects a run for their money too.

Solid, like a house brick. Very sturdy design and feel. The knobs even feel welded on. Quality of the highest order. I would rely on this at a gig without any worries.

N/A

A very good investment. I use a fender strat, fender hotrod deluxe and nobels tremolo TR-X. That's it. The Tube Blower is all I need to play blues, rock and a bit of pop. If it did break or get stolen I would certainly buy another.

Again a follow-up...
It turned out my unit had a problem with the bypass circuitry, hence the drop-outs which made the pedal useless as a booster for me.
My new one works perfectly, no drops, only holy tone.
So now it's back at its place, before my amp or sansamp (original, incredible box even after all these years) and I couldn't be happier.
The Nobels I used instead is now retiring, the jacques sounds better in bypass mode, and has no noise while being healthy in booster mode.
Guess what: I paid my Nobels 4times less...

an overdrive, like many others, common four knobs...

hand made es335 (humbackers) on marshall jtm60
second just to the ts808 vintage, it's a tube screamer, and it screams, even if now i use it just as a boost with a little bit of dirt...

why a minijack for the adaptor and not a boss-like?

you are rich -> you buy an old ts808 or an handmade one like so many on the market
you are a moneywaster -> you buy a ts9 and you modify it
you are intelligent -> you buy it

Very easy. 4 knobs: Bass, treble, gain, output. The only thing I miss is a stombox you can open from the upper side to change the batery...
So only 9 !

I use it with different Bassguitars and a Line6 guitar. I'm a Bassman. I got two amps: Trace eliot and Ashdown.
Well lets say it like that: For my taste the best sounding Bass overdrive I ever played. Tubescreamersound and more! More bass! More gain! More dynamic interaction. Before I tried and played: TS5, TS7, Guvenor, EBS Multidrive, Ibanez Phat Head, Sansamp. All these pedals don't sing! The tube blower does AND is agressive!

Have it now for 3 weeks. Had one gig with it. Looks reliable. 3 years warranty.

Never dealt with them!

I make music for 28 years (piano) and startet palying bass and guitar 19 years ago. Played in several unsuccesful Bands. Had alltogether around 80 gigs. So much for me. Play from Funk to Punk...
its just gooooood Sounding. I tried it with guitar....even BETTTTTER sounding. I'm so glad i found this Pedal. My search is over now!

Very easy to get a good sound - just use your ears. It comes with a small manual, but it's not necessary. All the knobs actually do something so you can dial in the tones you want.

The sound quality is excellent. It is very quiet for an OD/Dist. unit especially at high gain levels. I play a Zero aluminum body double cutaway ( think double cut Les Paul shape) with 2 P 90's into the Tubeblower, a Barber Direct Drive, Vox Wah, Jaques Meistersinger, and MXR Analog Delay. It works well with all the other pedals. This chain goes into a DR Z Maz 18. I don't really try to get anybody else's sound per se, but I find I can get a good range of sounds out of this pedal because of it's wide range. This pedal is modeled on the TS 808, but has a much wider range of distortion - from light boost to as much as you need before entering metal territory. It has much more tonal range than the TS 808,( not just the midrange punch) so it's more versatile. If you like that sound but with a whole lot more bottom end and gain, this is the one. One of the best things about this pedal is that while it compresses, it doesn't round off the front end of the note like so many pedals do. This thing articulates well, and has solid attack. I'd rate it a 10 because of it's clarity and tone

I've only had it for 3 weeks so I don't know about reliability other than what others have said. The box is well made and is pretty heavy for it's size.

Don't know about customer support regarding repairs or warranty, but Jaques was very helpful and quick in responding when I had questions prior to purchasing the pedal. Can't rate ir yet but I'll update it in 6 months

I ply a variety of styles including blues, country, pop, rock, some standards some alternative,etc. I don't play metal. I finds this pedal to be versatile enough to cover any of this stuff when I need any shade of OD or distortion, but it does not do fuzz.The Fuseblower II, Battfuzz and a brand new pedal Jaques has out, do fuzz tones very well. I've been playing guitar for 35 years , and this is definitely one of the best OD/Distortion units I've heard. It crunches, it compresses, it boosts,it keeps it's edge at the front end of the note, and has great tone. I use this unit about 95% of the time for distortion. I use a Barber Direct Drive for a few things, but if I had to choose one or the other the Jaques would be the one for me. I have owned or tried out a bunch of OD/Dist. boxes including an MXR Zak Wylde Distortion, Boss Blues Driver, Boss DS1,Boss SD1, Mesa V Twin, Ibanez TS9, and several tube driven boxes, and like this the best. If lost or stolen I'd definitely get another one. One unusual thing about this pedal - It has sprung metal straps that the battery terminals press against, instead of clips. The disadvantage is that you must insert a small piece of cardboard between the bottom of the battery and the casing to keep good electrical contact. The advantage is that it's quicker to change the battery, and you don't have to worry about damaged wires or terminal clips. I highly recommend this pedal to anyone who wants a great analog OD/Distortion unit, and especially those who like the TS 808. This pedal is a great improvement to the TS 808 design, and does not have that midrange hump unless you want it.

Hmm... 4 knobs, with the labels......

This is what the whole review is all about, the sound quality. I've tried some high end pedals: Fulltone DP-1, Ibanez TS-808, TS-9, TS-9dx. I have also tried mid range, like all of the boss overdrives and distortions. This thing is great. The problem with the TS-808 for me is that it didn't have enough gain and the mids really popped out and it killed the rest of the EQ of the guitar. If you really want that type of sound, than go buy the TS-808 for $30 more. This thing is really transparent and lets the guitar come through. It has lots of gain on it which would probably be enough for hard rock. The EQ lets you dial in the TS-808 heavy on the mids sound, but it also will let you shape your own tone which works ou really well. I've pushed an old 59's era gibson 30 watt amp with it and the tubeblower is perfect for this as well. At home I use a Gibson Explorer 76 reissue through a Mesa dual rectifier head with a Marshall 1960A cabinet. I know it's kind of crazy to have a distortion pedal when I have a mesa, but this thing is that cool.

Heavy duty.

I emailed Jacque about a power supply question, he emailed me in less than 24 hours. He was really helpful. Great.

This thing is it. In fact, I'm probably going to buy more Jacque pedals. I kind of want to keep the brand on the low down because I want to be different, but these are too good to be true. This is a great distortion/overdrive pedal. Word to the wise, it won't get a nirvana fuzz level of distortion, but has more than any hard rock player will ever need. If you want more and more gain look at the fuseblower2 and the Bat fuzz. One of the best distortions (including amps) that I have ever heard.

With level,low,high and drive knobs its a breeze to set up and find "your" sound.
If anything there are too many "sweet spots" on this stomper to choose from !
A programmable one with memories please Jacques !!
A better manual would help, but its a "quirky typical Jacques" explanation thats fun to read !.

I've come back to guitar and bass recently, after years of pushing down plastic/Ivory keys ! and have been searching ( like everyone) for the best overdrive/distortion pedal out there.
I've had original vintage stompers: TS808, TS9, OD1,OD855 etc etc which have given some great results inbetween a '62 reissue strat and my Marshall JMP-1.
The "Tube blower" has the best of all these and a whole lot more!.
Think TS808 with more tone/gain and drive ! Amazing little pedal which will cover clean boost through blues ( SRV) to hard rock.
This is also one of the quietest pedals ever, preserving the guitars tone with no problems.

So far so good, its built like a tank and has a very solid heavy feel to it, so i dont forsee any problems.
One minus point deducted for the battery connection, which is a "push" connection on to two copper bands, which bend and will become loose over time.
Better than rewiring crappy PP3 connectors though !.

Jacques is a "top bloke" who will help you out and answer emails very quickly.
He is a total "gear nut" and very qualified to answer your questions, just check out his vintage collection !!! Awesome.

The Tube blower will make you want to play all the time, it has a wicked range of sounds and "blows" ( sorry!) the rest away by miles, i kid you not !.
DO NOT spend hundreds on "vintage" "noisey" "beat up" pedals which dont even come close to this little baby, just buy two or three of these, or Jacques other stompers instead.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED PEDAL

That is a follow-up, one year after. Still wonderful little box, I found out it was also good after a sans-amp original, to spice and add bass to the tone. The battery consumption is very very low, and its dual 9v-plugs still so valuable to chain other effects(a sans amp original!), provided you have adapters or,better, a soldering iron...
What bothers me, though, is the sort of drop you have when switching the device on&off, it makes on-the-fly changes(when rythming and you solo just a phrase) unnatural and some of the sound is cut off. For this reason I don't use it as a booster anymore, but I'm no bluesman.
I use a nobels odr-1 which I prefer, it sounds as good if not better with no switching problems. That's all folks, thanks for reading

you know, i'm the kind of guy that sees lot's of gushy reviews like those for this box, and tries to be the stick in the mud. but this pedal really is all it's chopped up to be. i do really out there screwy electronic music but i play guitar a lot along with my machines and gizmos. i have to say that i half ass a lot guitar gear stuff, for instance i play it through my solid state keyboard amp (by default really, cause electronics lose too much of their frequencies through guit amps). however, i'd come to accept that my cheap danelectro plywood crap guit would always sound a little unsatisfying through my keyboard amp (flat as heck souding, no life). i've been putting it through a 12ax7 tube preamp to broaden it's twang, give it a little fuzz. it went from being a flat dead sound to being an "ok" somewhat noisey mushy warm fuzz. not terribly invigorating though. then i read about this pedal, decided to splurge on the money and get it, sell my preamp.
damn! it is all they say. really opened up my guitar sound, now it sounds like i'm playing through a tube guitar amp. actually better, cause my friend has a big fender tube combo, which is more abrasive and less inspiring than the sound of my shit guitar going into a TB into a keyboard amp!
i don't do blues! i hate SRV (r.i.p., though). i don't like very much classic rock. this pedal just makes a guitar sound beautiful. no genres attached to it. it's transparent, yet what it does to the sound is very APPARENT.
great great great. i hear jacques is a real nut too. even better.
i haven't been this excited about my guitar sound since i had a MIJ strat years ago w/ a seymour duncan hot rails pickup in the bridge post. THAT sounded brilliant. that thing got stolen (degenerate lowlifes, s.o.b.s). i got more into electronics, and started playing less guitar, certainly due in part to the fact that my guitars and amps just didn't sound good anymore. i'm not rich, and i put all my money into non guit related gear.
now because of this one pedal, i'm playing guitar constantly. good sounding guit tone is magical. just wonderful.
merci, jacques.

lets see, how easy is it to get a good sound.. hmm the minute i opened the box i took it out and maxed all the knobs and level at noon ..
put my Keeley comp both knobs set at noon and then my keeley java boost tone at 9 o'clock level at noon and toggle in the mid position , plugged into a mij jaguar , mij jazzmaster , mim strat, gibson sg, epiphone dot,
and the sound was amazing !! Yes Very Easy to use !!

I have been through the following pedals in search of the right overdrive. Pro co Rat (vintage and turbo) big muff pi (russian & usa)
Dod 250 preamp , F.A.T. multi scream, Boss DS-1 , Boss Metal zone, Jekyll and hyde (moded and stock versions) Nelsound apex fuzz, Frantone hepcat,
Mr. ED distortion, Sobbat Fuzz breaker,Ts-9 DX,marshall drivemaster,rocktron rampage etc etc .. so as you can see i have tried almost everything this year. I can honestly say that after thousands of dollars and countless hours of tweaking pedals that gave me everything from a crappy sound to uncontrolable feedback to a sound close enough to be content , I have finally found my overdrive pedal. Im plugged into 2 very good amps a Bad Cat cubII and a Top Hat club both class A hand made amps priced up the ying yang. I have a mixture of Keeley,analogman,guyatone,digitech on my pedalboard and believe me im very critical when it comes to what is placed on my pedalboard. The jaques tube blower is the most natural sounding overdrive i have encountered that has the right ammount of gain/boost/clarity and bottom end while lacking in just about nothing. I would not recomend this pedal for someone in search of Heavy metal mayhem but maybe best suited for someone in the blues , hard rock vein. I dont know how this amp reacts with other pedals out there but i know it works well with my setup. not alot of noise out of this pedal. I cant say anything about it sounding like a vintage 808 because i never owned one.. i do know this pedal is what i have been hearing in my head and I suggest you try it out !

I have had one issue and one issue only with this pedal. When i first got it the battery seemed to fit really loose inside the compartment, nothing a piece of cardboard via matchbox couldnt fix. other then that the pedals
footswitch is smooth and the construction is very sturdy. dont think it would brake down. might want to use an adapter or power supply, I love this pedal so its rating goes from 10 to a 9 since i didnt have to send it back to fix it.

email em , I think the tech guy has nothing to do but answer emails all day. very quick to respond \m/ (`o`) \m/ ROCK OUT EMAIL GUY

I have been Playing about 3 years. and all 3 years i have been with the same band. I have been through about 15 amps almost 70 pedals -20 guitars
and have finally found my sound. Im into the alot of styless but stick to what i grew up listening to, everything from the Pixes/nirvana to radiohead/the stone roses the jesus and mary chain. new order, the smiths,anything box-depeche mode.. new wave to post grunge / alternative. I have no real guitar idols because i believe great sound is acheieved as a band and everyone in a band plays there own part in making up a good sound. I am very anal about gear from the guitar to the cables to the amp. I try not to copy the sounds of hendrix clapton or SRV because its not who I am .. Find your voice and be true to your music. thanks all for taking the time to read my review

What a box! Low low noise, high high quality! Fresh and lively, and the eq is fantastic,worth the unit for itself. I use the tube blower to boost a sans amp original, or a korg classic overdrive properly set, or any amp and you don't believe the results. Go try one, difficult to explain that. Another set-up I have is yamaha aex1500(jazzbox w/piezo)-boss cs3 compressor-jacques as equalizer with drive set to zero. The boss smoothens the piezo and the jacques refresh and focuses all(boss is dull of course). The result is very lively and natural. I won't part with my jacques!
The dc jack is clever(a second one is there to supply other units, why does everyone else make just that???) and the miniphone type becomes a must when you play far from the supply:any shop has extension cords for phones... The device itself feels very solid, and its size just the good one. Marvelous little thing!:-)))
I have to say you get a slight delay, but no drop, when switching,it just feels unnatural. But who cares, Jacques is really the best!

Level, bass, treble, and drive. That's it. Very simple. Manual is brief, and doesn't really describe everything. Such as, it has an output jack called "send" and I don't know what that is for. Hook up to another unit? Daisy chain power out? I suspect it's so you can send the effect to a board.

Unbelievably great sounds out of this baby. The best overdrive/distortion I have ever used, and I've used them all...up until now, the Boss Blues Driver was my favorite, but this one is insane. I wanted a box that would drive my Fender Blues Junior, but not just overdrive it, make it scream with pain. Kind of like a tubescreamer, but better..much better. More gain, and a bottom end that the TS-9 is missing. Super gain!!! Think Billy Gibbons with a Marshall Plexi and you're there. Superb tone. Sounds great at any volume level. Of course it sounds better cranked, but it even sounds awesome at bedroom levels and below!

The battery was jiggling around in the battery compartment making it a bit hinky on the connection. I had to put a piece of cardboard in there jammed up against the battery to hold it securely. Don't know if they're all made this way or if mine is an aberration; when I get the proper AC adapter this won't matter.

Haven't dealt with yet.

I play blues and blues rock; ZZ Top, Trower, Hendrix, Zep, any 70s arena rock, plus BB King, Albert King, some SRV. Heritage Blues Deluxe semihollow into a Fender Blues Jr. I like things simple. It cracks me up to see guys pay 7-900 bucks for a nice tube amp, great pristine sound, then complain about how they can't find the right tone. Then they run down their rig: "I go through a noise suppessor then a tubescreamer then a DS-1 then a Toneworks overdrive then a flanger then a phaser then a digital delay then a reverb all into a Maxon Ibanez Boss thingamjiggy ..." then wonder what happened to their tone. Keep is simple, stupid! The amp is generally all I need, the drive knob crunches it up nicely for my style, but when I need an extra boost I use the tubeblower. It doesn't such the amps sparkly tone. It sings and rings. It makes a great amp better. All the other pedals turned my Blues Jr. into a solid state amp. Not this baby. I don't want to put my axe down now. This pedal is by far the best pedal out there for OD. Not metal but that's not what I do. Really high gain rock and roll with superb definition and tone tone tone! Creamy, rich, milkshaky leads and powerfully defined chords. Beats any boss, Ibanez, etc. hands down. I even tried several of the pedals with 12AX7 tubes in them and this one slays them all. Did I make myself clear? TONE TONE TONE TO THE BONE. I may buy another one and put it on the shelf so in 20 years when this one wears out I'll have another brand new one (New old stock!) because by then they'll be a thousand dollars if you can find them. If you want tone, go to www.ts808.com and check out Jacques. He hand makes these in France and has sound bites on this website. I heard them and HAD TO TRY THIS PEDAL. Unbelievable!

It's a stompbox, easy to use as every stompbox, unless you have an IQ below 80 you won't have any problem to use it

I play a Fender Strat with 57' custom shop PU, a custom 62' Telecaster, and an Epiphone Sheraton with Gibson custom shop 57' humbuckers on an old fender The Twin (red knobs), my usual effects are two Line 6 DL4 and DM4... I play some kind of a blues rock country folk music...I played for years many different effects ( even Roland guitar synths) and i had some years age a true TS9.... It's THE BEST TUBE BLOWER FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS I ever had !Versatile, no hum, solid...It sounds like a TS9, with more gain, with two tones, with more distortion...something like a customised TS9...

No problems since i use it

I wrote Jacques by Mail and a few days later I get my stompbox...

I am actually recording an album and use it on almost every song, ever with clean sound to be a little more "punchy"... My only regret is that there is no memory on it to store all the sounds I found... I probably should have to buy three more for the stage or call Jacques to make something special for me...But if you don't like this gear you should buy other ears or a brain, or stop playing guitar !

4 knobs,it`s hardly rocket science boys and girls!

i`ve bought and sold virtually every overdrive that`s commonly available[in england]including a mesa bottle rocket,boss od-3,american tubescreamer re-issue,rat,guv`nor,sparkle drive and various budget pedals and i have to say the tube blower beats them all.you have to fiddle with the tone controls a little bit to find the right sound but when you hit that sweet spot boy is it sweet.i`m buying the jacques sleep talker soon, hope it will be even better.

the switch is sensitive but that doesn`t mean it won`t stand up to copious amounts of stomping.otherwise it is built like a tank.i`ve only had the thing a week so i`m not going to rate this section.

jacques replyed to an e-mail i sent him within 24 hours and was very helpful in response to my queries.

an excellent overdrive pedal made by a true enthusiast and thoroughly nice bloke.

4 knobs : bass / presence / gain / volume. It is basically a Tube Screamer with a bass knob added, so it is pretty easy to use.

My guitar is a USA 62' Reissue Stratocaster loaded with Kinman AVn Blues pickups and my amp is a Tweed Bandmaster replica made by Beckar Amps in Spain.

It is the best overdrive pedal I've tried, among Ibanez TS-9/808, Vox Valve-Tone and Banzai Cold Fusion Overdrive (the CFO is excellent but the drive mode was too dirty to my taste).

Compared to my ex TS-9/808, the Tube Blower is way better because :
- it has the same sweetness
- it has a more dynamic tone (I've always found Screamers "flabby")
- the bass knob can add all the low end you want (when turned on, a Screamer sucks your low end and it is really anoying)
- the presence knob is more usable
- it has a cleaner boost (when drive on 0 and volume maxed)
- it has MUCH MORE gain
- the high-mids are sweeter

How, this pedal isn't true-bypass. No matter, it is very transparent, and preseves your clean tone perfectly when switched off.

If you like the tone of Tube Screamers, but want more from it, the Tube-Blower is what you need.
It deserves a good "10".

I own it for about 3 months and it is still like new.
I would certainly depend on it because the case is made of strong metal.

The switch is strange (sensitive), but after a little time getting used to it, it is nice.

Jacques is very nice. He always answer to your E-Mails, and his answers are always helpful.

it is an excellent pedal. Before buying a new reissue TS-9 or another million $ boutique Screamer clone, think twice and try a Jacques Tube Blower. Even the price is cool !

One more knob than a Tube Screamer. Simple stuff, Bass, Treble, Drive and Volume.

This thing sounds like a dream and is much more versatile than the simple configuration might make it look. It seems to take on a lot of different voicings dependant on your amp volume and where you set the control knobs. Got a LOT of room to find your "sound", and it's ALL good.

This little gem is solid as a rock. A bit bigger than an MXR pedal and about twice as heavy. You can tell this is quality stuff just by picking it up and feeling the weight of it. The first night I bought this I lent it to a friend for a bar gig where it was duct-taped to the floor, repeatedly stomped on by him (and probably a few members of the audience, too). It came out unscathed. I would gig wthout a backup with confidence.

My ONLY issue with this unit is that the ON/OFF switch is a little sensitive for my tastes. I could see a misplaced stomp brushing against it and shutting it off durring a live performance. I remedied the problem by mounting up and out of the way on my pedalboard to give it some distance from less-than-precise pedal stomps.

I will subtract one rating point for this, even though it's a pretty trivial thing.

Haven't needed it yet, probably never will.

I suppose that I am not unlike most guitarists. I've been on the quest for the "ultimate" overdrive/distorttion unit for years and years, and i've tried more pedals than I can even count. My search is over. I tell you, this is the Holy Grail of overdrives, it's what i've been looking for.

I went into my fave music store looking to try out some of the Maxon stuff, in particular the D&S II. I wanted something that was able to produce thick, warm bottom end, more gain than a Tube Screamer and minimal raping of my original tone. My buddy at the store handed teh Tube Blower to me and said "I just got this in, you HAVE to try it. It's amazing". I demoed it against just about every OD pedal in the store and won hands down. I can't believe how fantastic this thing sounds. It's a dream come true.

I play Strat through a '74 Hiwatt Custom 100. My sound has always been a little too bright and this box does a beautifull job of adding just enough "color" to my sound to even it out and beef it up. The drive is thick and natural sounding, all the way from light overdrive to raging eat-your-face-off full stack distortion.

Do yourself a favor. Get your hands on one of these and try it out. You will not be dissapointed.

Pretty simple, an update on the fabled Tubescreamer, 4 knobs, gain high low and level. You just cant get a bad sound out. Simple box and manual, but its all you need.

Oh Jacques, you've done it man. I've been an avid Tubescreamer user for for more years than I care to remember. I a/b'd this with my old TS9 and my Sparkledrive, the Tubeblower tube blows them right into the weeds. It has MUCH more low and high end (individual controls for each which is the key) and it doesnt have the mid boost of the TS's. It goes from almost no gain to about double the gain of a TS - another big plus in the comparison. Side by side, the TS and Sparkledrive sound really weak, and frankly cheap. I just cannot use them again. It's just an absolute beauty. Real clarity, fat as you like, with no bass loss. Even on minimal gain, it sounds fantastic. Sadly its not hard wire bypass on the switch, but I can barely detect any sound degradation on the straight through sound and the switch is totally silent in compensation, so I cant mark it down for that.

Its metal cased, though the footswitch part is plastic. It has a kind of Far East manufacture look to it, really sleek switching mechanism. Havent had it long enough to test reliability, so wait and see. I'll give it an 8 just for the look

I have exchanged e-mails with Jacques, who has come back to me within 24 hours each time as advertised, so it has to be full marks on experience to date.

I'm totally blown away. Its the same price here as a TS9 RI and the Sparkledrive. It cans them both - honestly. Truly fantastic update on the old Tubescreamer act. Miles better basic tone, more controllable, much bigger useable gain range so more versatile too. Get one bought!