Maxon OD-808 Reissue

Very easy to use, 3 knobs: Gain, Tone, Balance. My only problem is the fact that you have to unscrew the back to replace the battery but it's not that big of a deal, but I gave it a 9 because of that.

I play a Fender Telecaster with an after market Seymor/Duncan mini-humbucker and I also play a Gibson Les Paul Classic through a Fender Twin. On my drive channel this thing sounds great, adds some bite to my tone. I get a little more gain, a little more high end as well, sounds really good. On my clean channel it sounds good also but I wish that it had just a little more oomph, If I could get just a little more out of this thing I would get a great. It is a little noisy if you have it turned up to the max and have your amp cranked but it's not unbearable...
I am considering trying out the Maxon TS9 Pro, which has a boost and is switchable to 18 volts... Anyhow this is a great pedal, not a 10 but close.

I have only had it 2 weeks now so I guess I will have to get back to you...

Haven't had to deal with 'em.

I play punk rock music, Ramones, The Clash, Against me! type stuff. If you are looking for a high gain pedal this is not it, but if you are looking for a pedal to add to your sound with this is perfect. I probably would not buy it again, not because it doesn't sound good but because I am looking for just a little more gain (like if this pedal went up to 11 it would be perfect) I do love the look (very retro), and it does sound great through my drive channel, but I wish the battery was easier to get to since I hate dealing with adapters at shows. In the end I am very happy with this pedal.

Very simple to use.

3 controls:

Overdrive - controls amount of drive

Tone - equalise sound

Balance - mix of effect and dry signal

Well the sound of this pedal is very cool.

It can be used as:

1) a traditional overdrive pedal (sounds great as a stand alone overdrive SRV, Hendrix, Zep tone)

2) a boost pedal to add more clarity or grit to your sound (especially with high gain amps, helping to cut some low freq and add some mid freq creating a punchier sound for recorded or live sound)


Now although this pedal is not true bypass I can hear no audible change in tone. Which is nice to know as there are a few overdrives out there that suck alot of tone. Not this one though.

Relatively new pedal so we shall see.
There are alot of pros out there who use them both in studio and onstage so Im guessing it will be fine.

Have not dealt with them, never had a need.

I like the sound of this pedal. It is quite a nice looking pedal too and small; which is nice, if like me you have a rather over filled pedal board already.

Compared to other overdrive pedals I have tried I have to say I prefer this one.

Very easy to use and very versatile!

I see a lot of guys with reviews who are trying to sound like "artist A" or "artist B". Screw that! I play metal and I wanted my amp to have bit more edge in general, so I bought this overdrive pedal for just that - simple!

I have a 100 watt Carvin X100B Head, and I play Ibanez RG's/Jackson PS-4's all with DiMarzio pickups. The Carvin has a great crunch and an incredible clean, but I want more of a "chunk" than a "crunch". Right away I knew that this pedal would do the trick! Instead of plugging into the high gain input in the Carvin, I went into the second or low gain input. This gets rid of a lot of noise right off the bat because I use the overdrive on the distortion channel.

This pedal does exactly what I need it to do - it takes that crunch and turns it into a much more dynamic chunk that I need for my metal sound. I crank the distortion on the Carvin to 7 and dial in the Maxon's overdrive about a quarter of the way. The tone knob yields some surprisingly versatile results - all the way down it seems to suit or even compliment a slightly scooped sound. In the middle it starts to favor the upper midrange bite and all the way up it really shows its fangs, complete midrange grind. I have my tone set a little past the halfway mark to give me that bite without being too overwhelming.

I personally think this is a terrific combination with my setup. I now have more chunk for rhythm and when I switch to my lead channel (via a G Major volume boost => Ground Control MIDI Pedal) there is a lot more definition in that tone and definitely more sustain.

If your amp is not already suited in some way for metal, this pedal (or any other) probably will not do the trick! One pedal will not answer your prayers if the amp it's going through is garbage. I have a moderate amount of gain dialed in on the amp with the Maxon contributing just enough to give me that chunk that I need - I've never been happier with my Carvin or my sound!

Middle of the road switch - not heavy duty but it can withstand some gigs!

I play metal all the way - Maiden, Metallica, Priest, Queensryche, Pantera, etc... - I took a leap of faith when I bought this pedal off Ebay but I'm glad I did. It does exactly what I need it to do, it takes an already solid crunch and helps turn it into more of a metal chunk.

If you want to sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan...I don't know what to tell you other than you're wasting your time! I think this could be a terrific pedal for an agressive, slightly overdriven blues sound and that's great if that's what you want - I want metal and you want blues. But it's another thing entirely when you're trying to sound like somebody else! Stop it you fools!

A+ on the metal scale! UP THE IRONS!!!

3 knobs to get your sound. As normal in an overdrive pedal.

Some 3 knob pedals are tricky to get a tone out of, but you can't really go wrong with this pedal!

Pretty much 90% of the settings I tried gave me crystal clear tones with that smooth subtle overdrive I've been looking for as of late.

Whisper quiet pedal when bypassed. Not much gain hiss either (but it's not a gainy pedal)

Pretty much I was using my Seymour Duncan pickup booster to send my AC30 into a silky overdrive at a lower volume. The problem was that I never got the top end clairty with the booster.

While this pedal colors the pure signal a bit, it's still giving me a comfortable compromise to the AC30 drive I want.

I have a few other Maxon boxes (AD999, AD9, CS9) and I have never had any problems. So I'm not worried.

I house everything in a metal pedal board, so I should be safe)

never delt with them. never had to

Seems to be a really solid wicked little pedal. I've had it for about three weeks now and it still hasn't found its way back to the store or into a wall, floor, or other hard surface, so I'm sure I'll keep it for a while.

I recently picked up a Distortion Sustainer II pedal just for funzies, so I'll see how that goes.

(1970's AC30 <- OD808 <- Gibson ES-335

This unit is very simple to use, and you it is very difficult to get a bad sound out of this unit.
The manual is very useful for starters to help you how to use it as a clean boost or to drive your amp that extra mile.

well it is booring to hear about others setup's but maybe it could be nice for others. Here i go: Fender American Standard or Hamer Studio (american version), the strat has noiseless pickups, and the Hamer Seymour Duncan 59, JB on the bridge. The setup: Boss Line Selector> Mini Qtron > Cry Baby 595Q > OD 808 > Big Muff (USA) > Maxon PT 999 (phaser)> Bheringer Tremolo > Maxon AD 999 ( sometimes on the amp FX)loop) > Rivera Hundred duo Twelve Combo (100W). This is the setup of my drems and all the Fx's are gorgeous and they do sound good with each others. The OD 808 it is simply a must for someone who cares about tone. It really makes you sound good if you have a strat and a valve amp. This thing blends with your valve amp as if it whas build inside. I use it to get the obvious SRV thing, and to push the amp into insane overdrive and sustain. This pupy realy adds harmonics and dynamics to your sound, depending on the settings, it also adds some fatness to your strat. The secret strenght of the OD 808 is to blend whith your gear and mantaining your tone, althoug it is not totally transparent it realy colours your tone in a good way IMO. I have also to say that if you have a toneless guitar and amp, this thing it's useless. The OD 808 is the god of OD's but it's not Jesus ... I also tried a bunch of OD's but this one got the place in my FX chain. Artists like Santana, Gilmore, Korn, SRV, Aerosmith, use some kind of OD with the pedigree of the 808, and it is for only one reason ... this thing is GOOD. Go and find Why ...

This thing seams to be very reliable.
It is built like a rock and the footswitch it's way better than the Ibanez version, Which it is similar in tone (Maxon whas the original manufacturer for the Ibanez best sellers until now, including the famous TS-808).

No comments on this issue ...

I play rock, blues, funk, and this pedal really shines.
I started playing when i was a teen and i'm 33.
When i purchased it i thinked to myself, s***t i have to buy another one ...
I love everything about this one.
I have compared it to the Ibanez, Boss, Fulltone, and this one beats them all in price/performance. The TS 808 is very close sounding, the TS-9 it's a bit harsh to my hears, and the Fulltone is quite good, but too expensive and a subtle/fancy variation on the STANDARD 808 tone.

Very easy to use, three knobs. I am assuming the reader is familiar with the Ibanez Tube Screamer.

I have 6 OD's, 2 TS-9's, a Visual Sound Jeckyll and Hyde, a Snarling Dogs Blue Doo, The Maxon OD808 and a Menatone. All of them offer up a bit of noise through my main rig, a much modded Strat and a Blues DeVille 4 X 10 amp. Most of the reviews here seem to be along the lines of the OD808 vs. the TS-9. Since I think Maxon produced the electronics for the origional Ibanez TS-9, I suppose it's only logical that is what most of the buzz is about. I think the Maxon is far superior to my TS-9's. It's more musical and allows more of the natural Tone shine through. And that's where I'll focus my attention. The only other pedal on the board that is as "musical" is my VS Jeckyll and Hyde, but that is a much more tweakable unit than all the others. As for the Maxon, and a straight up OD sound, the thing really sings for me. I play mostly only blues these days and it's a great pedal for that alone. I also got mine new for ony $80 bucks, but that's another story. I don't have an orgional TS 808 to do a side by side comparison, so if you're thinking TS-9 consider spending a few more bucks and try out the Maxon. I think that you'll agree with me.

It has been very reliable, but so have my TS-9's. I don't do gigs without a back-up pedal, even if it's of another make and model

No experience with customer support from Maxon.

For blues or blues and classic rock, this thing is great. It seems to be a bit lighter built than the TS-9, but the switch seems much smoother. I don't think this pedal would do much for the metal crowd, but for singing solo's and violin like sustain, well if that's your thing, consider this pedal. Try several pedals at once if possible. If your music store won't let you, then buy elsewhere.
The low price $80.00 was a one time good deal. Plan on spending bettween 120 and 150 U.S. Dollars.

Three knobs. Overdrive = how distorted do you want it?; Balance = how loud do you want it?; Tone = sweet or sour?
On/Off footswitch. Comes with a manual and a well made, robust box (always keep hold of and cherish those boxes, folks, especially if you want to sell later...)
Using the pedal is fairly intuitive. I defy you to not get a nice sound out of this pedal. Quickly.

I use this pedal with a Wah, Tremolo, Marshall Shredmaster and Delay through my mark one Laney LC30 valve amplifier, through the clean channel.
This pedal is fairly transparent even though it doesn't have an integral bypass. It is not noticeably noisy. I use one setting irrespective of the song we're playing. I use it as my signature tone. To really dirty things up, I add my Shredmaster to the mix.
I totally love this pedal. I think it is superior to the Ibanez TS909 (which I have tried). I find the Ibanez to be a little harsh.
The Maxon uses the legendary 'Holy Grail' JRC4558 IC chip and they are (I believe) the original manufacturers of the highly regarded Ibanez TS808. So you can't question the pedigree! The tone has a 'finished' or 'mastered' quality to it and I can coax a very subtle feedback at low volume from it. Such a beautiful sound. Sexy and seductive...

Never had a problem with it. No backup required. Rock solid build quality.

Can't comment.

I play Rock and Blues. This is perfect for my needs. If It were lost or stolen, I would replace it instantly. Love my green magic box. Creamy, capivating sound. Helps me write songs and take chances!

easy to use.
thre knobs: overdrive , balance, tone

my setup is : fender mustang '66+ maxon od808 + proco vintage rat +ibanez ad80 + boss ce-2 + fender '59 bassman ltd.
i think that this is one of the best overdrive, for my sound,i also have the fulldrive 2 but i prefer the od808..........
the od808 with my bassman is the base of my sound+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE THIS PEDAL, I PLAY CLASSIC ROCK, BLUES, ALTERNATIVE AND OD808 IS THE OVERDRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 knobs, easy as 1,2,3
Overdrive, Tone, Balance. Easy to quickly dial in a useable tone

I used this pedal reclently whilst recording a demo. I finished my clean parts and wanted a warm drive just to push the clean channel.
I was running a Framus Pantera Custom, Marshall Comp, into a Peavey Triplexxx for the clean and the crunch on the Triple was just too much and brittle. I tried a Russian Big Muff, too throaty, not creamy at all. Then a Tech21 Comptorsion, sounded too sharp and transistory. Then the Maxon. I just put all three knobs at 12 o'clock, mix pickup setting on the guitar, eq all at 12 o'clock on the same and it si the best drive sound I have ever got. Its so full and you can still heard all the richness of the clean sound. This is not a distortion pedal, its a sweet natural tube drive sound. Amazing!!!!

I don't reckon this thing would break if you run it over in your car!!
Solid!

Adds tube tone to your clean without changing the charcteristics of the tone and its just utterly great.
Go buy one!

POSITIVE: 3easy butons,DC in.

NEGATIVE: Excesive little and light case.I like ProCo Rat Box

POSITIVE: Best light-medium overdrive in the world.Creammy.Velvety.

NEGATIVE: Residual noise too loud.

I need it everytime and everywhere.
Maxon OD-808 or Ibanez and ProCo RatII for ALL GENERES OF MUSIC.

I don't know.

For Single coil and Humbucker.
Preserv original pickup tone.
For transistors amps.
To boost valve amps.
Maxon OD-808 or and ProCo RatII for ALL GENERES OF MUSIC.
DON'T PAY MORE FOR AN IBANEZ.
MAXON IS THE ORIGINAL COMPANY WHICH PRODUCED FOR IBANEZ.