Maxon OD 9 Pro+

Pretty straight forward, Drive/Tone/Level plus a boost switch.

I play a Gibson Les Paul Classic into my Boss Tuner, this pedal, then a BBE Sonic Stomp through a Fender Twin amp. This pedal definitely warms up my sound. I have the drive set about 12'O clock and the Level around 3'O clock through my drive channel where I have my gain set about 2. I get a very smooth overdriving distortion very similar to 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' era Clash or 'Who Are You' era Townshend... sorta a big arena rock sound. I don't use the boost switch, it's just a little harsh for my taste but it is a cool option. The 18 Volt switch inside the pedal is another neat option which give the pedal a little more headroom.

I bought it new and have been playing with it for a year. Between band practice and live shows it has taken a beating and I have yet to encounter any problems.

Have yet to need to use the customer support.

I play rhythm guitar in a punk rock band and this pedal does exactly what I need it to do and that is give my sound a little more edge and some warmth. I had the OD-808 and that did not have enough oomph for my taste and this pedal has just a bit more of a modern sound with a little more bite than the 808. So if you are looking for a overdrive pedal that has just a bit more drive but not too much this is perfect.

Very easy to operate. Basically your standard Tubescreamer layout with a booct switch. The 9V-18v selector is great, but I'm not really sure why it has to be on the inside.

If you like the Tubescreamer sound, you should love this. Comfortable and familiar but inspiring, too. Gives just enough to set it apart and make it desirable even if you have a great old TS. It seems that the boost setting is very much the regular old sound. Switched out, the mids are less emphasised and it's less compressed overall for a more open, clear sound. Switch to 18V, and it's more present and clear but the same recognizable tone. Really effective. Seems to be more drive available in all settings than regular TS, but doesn't really work as a clean boost when turned down with the level up.

Seems like the best Tubescreamer ever made and built by the true originators of the model, whatever name it goes by. Has most of the improvements you would want, including true bypass on-off. Would absolutely depend on it to be reliable.

I have never had any direct contact with Maxon, but I'll give them the benefit of their excellent reputation.

Been a gigging pro for a long time and have tried many similar effects. My feeling is that this is the one to have- along with a nice vintage one or a good reissue TS type from one of the better modders like Analogman, so you can have a good idea of where it came from. If you find the tubescreamer sound useful, you will probably love this. Has several added benefits while preserving the essence of the classic. As always, if you're looking for really high gain, or total transparency, there are other choices. Otherwise this one is really worth it.

Anyone who has used a Tubescreamer - or any OD unit - will have no problems with this, it's very straightforward. I guess the only tricky bit is selecting the operating voltage. I set mine at 18V for maximum headroom. The 18v option is after all, a special feature of the pedal - might as well use it!

Out of the box, this sounds like a very good, modified TS. But it doesn't stop there. My own Ibanez TS808 has the bass mod, and for me, that's the only mod that a TS808 needs to make it very useable and relatively natural sounding. Comparing the two, the Maxon OD9Pro+ still lacks bass - but not much!, it's much better than the pinched, nasal sound of a stock TS. The great thing about the Maxon is that it is much more natural and 'open' sounding than a standard (or modified?) TS. I very carefully set up the two pedals to be as similar as possible, then did A/B listening tests. The Maxon is definately another rung up the ladder towards solid state overdrive heaven. The difference is not amazing, but it is definately there; clarity and openness, combined with a sweet, harmonically rich overdrive. In comparison the TS808 thickens in the mids - and in fairness this can often be a desirable quality for some types of overdrives/sounds - so I'm not knocking the TS808 for that, just that the Maxon is more natural sounding, and less like a pedal. I guess it's more like having another gain stage in your amp.

Now, if only Maxon could have let it have more bass - just a different cap value would have done it! Then crunch rhythm sounds wowuld not be bass light when you kick in the pedal. As I said, the lack of bass is nowhere near as bad as a stock pedal, but I fail to see why it needs to there at all given that there is a switch to 'boost' the mids for those who want a more traditional fattened/thickened TS sound - and it does that very well I may add. So come on Maxon, give us back our bass in the 'normal' mode! Then this will be a truly great pedal.

Lastly, Maxon reckon that with the drive down, it can be used as a clean boost. I found that once you turned the drive down to zero, then even with the level up full, there was barely any boost, if at all. That's what I found.

Only time will tell. I've had it apart (to see if the PCB is the same as a TS in order to change the 'bass' cap - it isn't!) and it looks well built (I'm also an electronics engineer). Given that these type of pedals are built well, my feeling is that it will be robust and reliable....

No real knowledge here, although I did make a product suggestion to Godlyke distribution some months ago and I got a response. But as for procut service in the UK - I just don't know.

I play classic rock and blues, and I'm always looking for natural sounding OD effects - be it valve, solid state or modelling. I will definately use this pedal, it's got past the home experimentation stage, but I do need to get that small amount of bass cut removed. The main pedal mod guys do not seem to have woken up to this unit at the time of writing. Maybe - apart from the slight lack of bass - it's so good it doesn't need modifying!
To sum up the Maxon OD9Pro+ :
* A GREAT, natural sounding OD pedal
* Not really a clean boost pedal
* Is slightly bass light compared to a (bass) modified TS808

This unit is very easy to use. For those of you that do not know about this pedal, check it out! I am going to go out on a limb here and say that it is the best all-around stock tubescreamer pedal that you can buy. I currently live in Japan, and I purchased this pedal new here for the equivalent of $135 US. Super deal! No worries about the manual, it is helpful, and is in English, Japanese, and Korean. The manual offers sample settings and provides a comprehensive understanding of what this pedal is, does, and how it operates. This is an upgrade from the regular Maxon 0D 9, for several reasons. The output stage transistor is upgraded, allowing for less compression and a more balanced tonal response, ie, the mids are boosted without a huge cut in bass or treble. The output signal has been doubled, and the pedal is even less noisy than the OD 9. There is a small toggle switch on the pedal that you can use to operate it in boost or normal mode. In boost mode the overdrive is boosted, the signal more compressed, and the mids are boosted by about 3db while the bass and treble are cut slightly. Internally, you can choose to operate this baby at 18v or 9v. At 18v operation, this thing sings! It has more headroom, sustain, and is more balanced. All that, and TRUE BYPASS!!! What more could you ask for from a stock tubescreamer pedal??????????????

I use this pedal with a fender american deluxe v neck strat and a koch studiotone. I generally use this pedal with the studiotone`s overdrive and overdrive+ channels. Like most distortion pedals, it sounds a billion times better when run with a little bit of dirt on your amp. This pedal is wonderful. The boost mode is tubescreamer heaven. It has that great midhump that has made the tubescreamer the most sought-after, used, and copied overdrive in electric guitar history. I use the neck pickup on my strat and set the drive to about 2 o`clock, the tone to 2 o`clock, and the level at 12 o`clock, while using the boost mode at 18v internal operation. Great sound! It`s more of a classic 808 tubescreamer sound, similar to Scott Henderson`s tone (but, c`mon, you`re not going to get Scott`s exact tone unless you play suhr strats through CAE od-100 classic amps and cabs and can wail like a mofo! let`s be serious). But, the tone is comparable to Scott`s. Perfectly balanced. Seriously, the best stock tubescreamer available. No other unmodded tubescreamer comes close. Remember that this pedal will be noisy if you open up the gain on your amp (but any overdrive pedal of any quality will). But, you can put up with the noise for sustain for days.

I would use this without a backup. However, at 18v it eats batteries, so an ac adapter is a good addition. That, or a tone of 9v batteries.

I have not dealt with the company, but I get a feeling that they would be very helpful if you had to deal with them, especially if you are in Japan.

I play rock. I`ve been playing for a little over 7 years. I use the pro+ with a fulltone soul bender, fulltone clyde standard wah, maxon ad-999 analog delay, and an A.Y.A Tokyo Japan Products r-comp (ross comp clone, similar to the keeley, but cheaper than Keeley here in Japan) all with george L`s classic red cable. In Japan, this pedal is the same price as the Ibanez 808 reissue! Why even bother with that piece of crap. Maxon designed and built the classic tubescreamer anyway. I trust them better than Ibanez to get it right. If this were stolen, I would buy it again. In fact, I may buy another. In the states these run about $200. The only bone I have to pick with the pedal is that it does not have much gain. That`s why I think I am going to get a Keeley ts 808 mod with true-bypass. Keeley does a more/less mod that gives you more gain and less gain. This pedal does not cut it if you are only running it on a clean channel. You need some dirt. The Keeley has enough gain to run a clean channel into hard rock overdrive. But, you can`t beat this pedal for the price. A keeley 808 plus this pedal together would probably be tonal nirvana. A wonderful value at any rate, and most people will be satisfied by this pedal without a single mod. It`s great.