127th AES Convention Coverage (New York, NY Oct. 9-12)

Please direct all questions, comments, or feedback about User Reviews to reviews@harmony-central.com.
Home > Effects > Effects Reviews > Maxon > OD-808 Reissue

Maxon OD-808 Reissue

Summary
Price New Maxon OD-808 Reissue @ Musician's Friend
Manufacturer URL http://www.maxonfx.com/
Ease of Use 9.5 (73 responses)
Sound Quality 9.0 (77 responses)
Reliability 9.0 (54 responses)
Customer Support 9.6 (12 responses)
Overall Rating 8.9 (71 responses)
Submit a review for this product!

Page: 1 (Show 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 reviews per page) Showing 1 - 77 of 77 reviews
Advertisement
Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: USD 139
Submitted 10/26/2009 at 01:28am by Peter Varkonyi

Ease of Use : 10
Sandard gain-tone-level (balance) controls.

Sound Quality : 8
I fell in love with the sound of this pedal. Whether I'm running it into a slightly overdriven or clean amp (Fenders here), it comes up with the goods. It's amazingly transparent: the character of each guitar shines through. The tone control has a very nice range to it. I wish it had a tad more gain in store but otherwise I'm very happy with it.

Reliability : 6
Doesn't really look like something you can kick around without fear of breaking it. Good thing I'm using it through a Boss LS-2 on my board, so I'n not touching it.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't dealt with them yet.

Overall Rating : 7
A great sounding pedal, beefs up my tone nicely when needed. As mentioned above, I love the way it lets my guitars shine through. The range of gain on tap here is a bit limited, but paired with DS-1 Ultra, this thing is an essential part of my arsenal.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 08/03/2009 at 12:45pm by Brian

Ease of Use : 6
Easy.

Sound Quality : 1
Sounds terrible.

Reliability : No Opinion
Don't know - gave it back.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 2
Can't understand how anybody can like this kind of sound.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 05/26/2009 at 07:00pm by symeboy

Ease of Use : No Opinion
pretty standard for an overdrive, only three knobs

Sound Quality : 10
I play a USA jackson w EMGs into a single rectifier (on the vintage channel). I use this pedal with a Boss NS2 noise suppressor.

I play old school metal similar tone to helloween etc. I always try and minimise gain on the amp to let the clarity and punch shine through (gain is usually 12 oclock which isnt much at all on this channel). Mid punch attack for staccato picking is important for me and one thing I pay close attention to.

I also have a TS808 and a Boss SD1, both of which are fantastic in their own right but this one is a winner for me. It has less mid range "nasal" punch than the TS808 and is the most neutral sounding of all three which is perfect since I use it as a tightener/boost to my already distorted amp tone.

The pick attack is as good as on the TS808 but a shade less aggressive than the SD1 which certainly has more gain at its disposal. The SD is more dirty and gritty sounding especially in the upper mids, but I wanted a more transparent sounding pedal.

Loss of bass is not an issue at all, but if I ever went back to a vintage marshall the lack of gain might lead me to dust off the Boss SD again...

Reliability : 8
I have to say it looks pretty flimsy in comparison to my TS, which looks as though you could drive a tank over it.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Havent had to deal with them

Overall Rating : 9
Have been playing guitar seriously for about 7 years (plus about 5 years playing bass).

I'm afraid alot of people get confused about what overdrive pedals do, hence some spurious, low scoring reviews. All they are really used for is to boost the signal going to a tube amp which adds a tone which some people like. They arent distortion pedals so they wont really do much with transistor amps! they certainly wont make you sound like dimebag or whoever :-)

As a neutral sounding boost with clear uppper mids and little loss of bass this pedal is a dream and an absolute keeper for me.

It is annoying that you have to unscrew the whole thing just to get at the battery and it doesnt feel anywhere near as sturdy as the TS version so I cant give it a 10, but on sound quality alone it does get a 10 and I'm really fussy!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 02/26/2009 at 10:41pm by luke

Ease of Use : No Opinion
I play blues / rock ... right now my rig is various strat's / tele's into - older analog "stack-o-dimes" crybaby - >> STL (super tuberscreamer) >> CS-2 (comp) >> BD-2 >> Uni-VIbe (stereo) >> .... various amps ... mostly fender clean - (blues.. & all)

Sound Quality : 7
i'm writning this review becasue i see a lot of 10s everywhere... i Love Tubescreamers , ihave used several incarnations to pump up that smooth blues tone ... this one is nice but TOO nice, i have used the Ibanez SD-9 Awesome pedal (truley a 10) TON of gain never turned it up too much... but w/ my current rig i scaled back a bit to a STL Super Tubescreamer also a 10... The Maxon 808 is transparent and all... but it doesn't have enough punch ... i love the switch design, nice thats it's true bypass... probly be great with the analofg man 808 mod (can't say honestly) you MAY really like this pedal just know that (IMHO) it's too polite... too tame... not enough gain ... and i don't mean - big distortion / fuzz or gain like that .... I MEAN TUBESCREAMER TYPE GAIN... so in that sense IT"S LIMITED... i guess if it's within your required paramaters then fine... just wanted to give you the benifit of a disenting opinion ... i don't run that many pedals .. i believe most cases less is more... but in this case ... less is just not quiet enough... for me... there has always been hype around the tubescreamers ... you might like it ... but you might want to try it first ...thats all i'm sayin ... lol


Reliability : No Opinion
...

Customer Support : No Opinion
....

Overall Rating : 7


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: GBP 60 USED
Submitted 12/26/2008 at 05:36pm by ZeFredster

Ease of Use : 10
3 knobs !!! how difficult can it be???

Sound Quality : 10

setup:
guitars: 1995 PRS CE24 - 1996 Gibson SG standard - 1991 fender american standard stratocaster - 1984 Tokai telecaster - 1989 mongrel Charvel
into
cry baby - MXR dyna comp - Xotic BB preamp - maxon OD-808 - Xotic AC booster - Seymour Duncan pickup booster - MXR Smart Gate - Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe - TU2 tuner (in effect loop) Boss DD-20 all in Laney VC15 amplifier

Sounds awesome as a boost on the dirt channel as a boost or great on its own on the clean channel. Sounds amazing on top of the Xotic drives as well. People tend to grubble about loss of bass etc... but that's to be expected with a Tube Screamer type pedal. If you play loud enough the bass loss won't be a problem at all (" ))




Reliability : 9
does feel a bit flimsy compared to my other pedals but as long as you don't jump on it both feet with the intent to kill it..... As for back up I've got other pedals on the board (not counting the ones who are bored to tears in their little box waiting to see the light of day)
GAS is a terrible affliction (;-))

Customer Support : No Opinion
no idea - never got in touch with'em

Overall Rating : 10
I play everything and anything as long as it's good music. I play in 3 bands: a 50's and 60's cover band, a 70's 80's 90's 00's cover band and my local church worship group. The OD-808 sounds great in every situation.
All in all I'm looking for another one, just in case the 1st one packs up.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 07/10/2008 at 06:55am by gee

Ease of Use : 10
No problem there. N/A

Sound Quality : 10
I use it through Fender original blackface deluxe reverb. Various other amps. Tube and solid state. Sounds really great.
I also have an Ibanez turbo tube screamer. TS9. Maxon sounds better to me. You can really hear the difference. It has some more mids. It's just more vintage in sound and feel when you play it. It cuts through more. Ts9 sounds "bigger" to me but lacks some character. It is personal i guess. Ok, in a band situation- you could not probably hear it...

Reliability : 5
Ok. It is very light- which I like but it seems way more vunerable than the Ibanez. In a pedalboard-great. Otherwise, you got to take care of it. Almost feels plastic. Ibanez is heavier and really is heavy duty.
My main issue, the reason that i am writing this is that you have to unscrew the bottom plate to change the battery. Ok, that it cool- like it always was. BUT, the screws are really rubbery and If you don't have the exact size screwdriver, which you won't have somewhere on the gig, you will just ruin the screws. I could not open it at home. The screws are just soft. I will use it in a studio with a wall wart but, for gigging I will take the Ibanez( there is a battery compartment).
Anyway, if you will not use the battery than it is great.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A

Overall Rating : 8
I am a pro musician. Jazz- fusion. If it was stolen, I would buy a maxon series 9 tubescreamer. It is true bypass. Ibanez is not and maxon vintage reissue ia not. They all sound great but I would check for practicality of them all.
Maxon od 808 is the best for pedalboard 'cos it is very light and you power it via dc9 input. It sounds great. Looks wonderful.
Accessing the battery is bad. Shame for such a great sounding product.
I would like to see how it is with the new Ibanez ts808.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: USD 100
Submitted 06/15/2008 at 04:10am by SD

Ease of Use : 9
Very easy to use

Sound Quality : 10
I'm a believer. I can't speak at all about how metal guys use this pedal with their high gain amps. That makes no sense to me, if your amp has a gain knob, why would you buy it if you didn't like the sound of it or need more gain? Anyway, if you have an amp that only overdrives if you crank it - but need/want overdrive at lower volume levels - and like the vintage overdrive sound (similar to a small fender tweed cranked), this is the best overdrive I have ever played. Hands down. If will not give you any more gain than that level. So if you think you need more gain, look into a Fulldrive or something of that nature. Like most of you, I have tried a ton of OD's. They did a great job on this one. It definitely cuts the bass and blasts up the midrange. If you don't want that sound, don't look at a tubescreamer

Reliability : 10
Solid construction.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't had to use it, so I have no idea

Overall Rating : 10
In my opinion, absolutely hands down, the best overdrive pedal I have ever played.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: 155
Submitted 02/29/2008 at 05:35pm by Doug

Ease of Use : 10
This pedal is very easy to use, as are most pedals. The manual is bland, but really the generic settings they give are just a good start, who uses those anyway. As for getting a good sound out of it, I had no problems at all, anywhere across the board it sounds good to me.

Sound Quality : 9
I am using this with an American Standard Tele, as well as a Highway 1 Tele, modded to the end of the earth through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. The OD 808 sounds fine all throughout the sweep of gain and volume. As with a tubescreamer, it seems to sound best when amp is already overdriven, but even when played at lower volumes I must say I am quite satisfied. I found that the ts9, Blues Driver and Sparkle Drive were quite farty sounding at lower volumes, but the OD808 was very nice. If there is a downside I have not found it yet.

Reliability : 9
I would depend on this as it seems like a well built pedal, but being a paranoid guy, I would use a backup...but that's just me.

Customer Support : No Opinion
n/a

Overall Rating : 9
I play Blues, and in my opinion this pedal is a good match. I've been playing long enough to realize good quality, and that's what this pedal is. For me, I'm not about high gain distorted sound. That's why this pedal is terrific. If you like a smooth mild overdrive this is it. the only reason I won't give it all 10's is because no pedal is perfecy


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: 62 USED
Submitted 01/15/2008 at 08:24am by Rawk

Ease of Use : 10
These are basicly the Ibanez tubesreamer in Maxons own format. Theres just three knobs; gain, balance (level of effect) and tone. What I like about this pedal is that it has a traditional plunger type stomp switch rather than a hinged type foot switch like you get on a Boss pedal. I previously had an Ibanez TS9 tubescreamer but the footswitch kept failing and I got sick of repairing it, so I got this as a replacement. Sounds virtually the same to me.

Sound Quality : 10
I run a Les Paul into a 100W JCM800 stack on the high input with nearly everything maxed out, my core tone is therefore very distorted. I run this pedal with all knobs set at around 2 oclock and basicly it gives my tone definition which makes it excellent for old school metal. Because it tends to boost the mids (like all Tubescreamers) it tightens up the bottom end which makes the tone very chunky, it even works well with drop tunings. You need to use this with a good valve amp that is turned up and cooking, when playing at home I have to turn the volume of my JCM800 down to below 1 and at this level you dont get the full effect of the pedal. When played into a clean amp you get a nice light bluesy type of drive.

Reliability : 8
Seems rugged enough with its MXR style die cast box.

Customer Support : 8
Sent an e-mail to Maxon once and got a polite replay after a few days (the Japs are generally polite people anyway!)

Overall Rating : 9
Shove it infront of a cranked up naturally distorting valve amp for hard rock and metal tones. Shove it infront of a clean amp for blues and lighter rock tones. These really are the dogs doodahs for making your tubes scream. Theres loads and loads of expensive boutique Tubescreamer clones out there but if youre after a tubesreamer tone then just buy a Maxon (or Ibanez) tubescreamer. They are the original and best in my opinion. I think alot of boutique pedal makers make money out of peoples curiousity and addiction to buying pedals.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 01/06/2008 at 07:56pm by Rusty

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use three controls:

Drive, Tone, Balance

Input, Output, 9v input, battery compartment

Sound Quality : 10
Awesome pedal.

Warm overdrive great for blues/rock tones.

Great for boosting your amps front end to give your amp more grind ie metal.

Not true bypass but no noticeable tone loss

Reliability : 10
Used live and in studio no problems

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never needed them

Overall Rating : 10
Great tone from this pedal. No audible tone loss with effect in effects chain.
Great as a stand alone overdrive pedal or used as an amps boost or combined with a Distortion pedal.
Rugged and reliable.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: USD 134.
Submitted 08/05/2007 at 09:47pm by Josh

Ease of Use : 9
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.

Sound Quality : 9
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.

Reliability : No Opinion
I have only had it 2 weeks now so I guess I will have to get back to you...

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't had to deal with 'em.

Overall Rating : 9
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.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 05/10/2007 at 08:45pm by Rusty

Ease of Use : 10
Very simple to use.

3 controls:

Overdrive - controls amount of drive

Tone - equalise sound

Balance - mix of effect and dry signal

Sound Quality : 10
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.

Reliability : No Opinion
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.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Have not dealt with them, never had a need.

Overall Rating : 10
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.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 11/30/2006 at 02:22am by Chris

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use and very versatile!

Sound Quality : 10
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!


Reliability : 8
Middle of the road switch - not heavy duty but it can withstand some gigs!

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
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!!!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 09/11/2006 at 10:25pm by Bottledup

Ease of Use : 9
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.

Sound Quality : 9
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.


Reliability : 8
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)

Customer Support : No Opinion
never delt with them. never had to

Overall Rating : 8
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


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: 130 (Euros)
Submitted 05/30/2006 at 04:07pm by Marcos Gomes
Email: Intext<at>clix dot pt

Ease of Use : 10
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.

Sound Quality : 10
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 ...

Reliability : 9
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).

Customer Support : 10
No comments on this issue ...

Overall Rating : 10
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.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $80.00
Submitted 05/24/2006 at 02:45pm by Jim C.

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use, three knobs. I am assuming the reader is familiar with the Ibanez Tube Screamer.

Sound Quality : 9
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.

Reliability : 9
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

Customer Support : No Opinion
No experience with customer support from Maxon.

Overall Rating : 10
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.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: (Imported from the US)
Submitted 02/24/2006 at 06:51am by marcellus wallice

Ease of Use : 10
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.

Sound Quality : 9
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...

Reliability : 10
Never had a problem with it. No backup required. Rock solid build quality.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Can't comment.

Overall Rating : 9
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!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $130
Submitted 01/09/2006 at 09:56am by ANTO
Email: msaccuz at tin<dot>it

Ease of Use : 10
easy to use.
thre knobs: overdrive , balance, tone

Sound Quality : 10
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Reliability : 10
ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Customer Support : 10
OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall Rating : No Opinion
I LOVE THIS PEDAL, I PLAY CLASSIC ROCK, BLUES, ALTERNATIVE AND OD808 IS THE OVERDRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: 90 (Quid)
Submitted 11/27/2005 at 03:09am by Phil

Ease of Use : 10
3 knobs, easy as 1,2,3
Overdrive, Tone, Balance. Easy to quickly dial in a useable tone

Sound Quality : 10
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!!!!

Reliability : 10
I don't reckon this thing would break if you run it over in your car!!
Solid!

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
Adds tube tone to your clean without changing the charcteristics of the tone and its just utterly great.
Go buy one!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $110
Submitted 10/12/2005 at 04:49pm by i?igo ilzarbe
Email: gobeco<at>hotmail dot com

Ease of Use : 7
POSITIVE: 3easy butons,DC in.

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

Sound Quality : 10
POSITIVE: Best light-medium overdrive in the world.Creammy.Velvety.

NEGATIVE: Residual noise too loud.

Reliability : 10
I need it everytime and everywhere.
Maxon OD-808 or Ibanez and ProCo RatII for ALL GENERES OF MUSIC.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I don't know.

Overall Rating : 10
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.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $160
Submitted 06/27/2005 at 03:20pm by wah hah

Ease of Use : 9
VERY easy. Just use your ears and know-how.

Sound Quality : 9
I think it's great, BUT I use it a very specific way. I put it front of an amp that is on the verge of overdrive and the set the level high (3:00) and the gain low (8-9:00). In this way I'm not hearing the sound of the overdrive per se, just the boost, with a little bit of welcome drive and compression. When I do this, my tone is transparent, it sounds like my amp, AND the characteristic tone is smooth and "woody." I ride my volume pot andn vary pick attack for variation in tone. If the amps breaking up already, this really pushes it into great msuical overdrive. I fillow it with other pedals for more agressive overdrive/distortion/fuzz, but I love this pedal for gentle overdrive, and organic woody tone. I never use it with the gain high and the level low, I'd rather use a smaller amp. In the studio, I used it as descibed above, this week to push an 18 watt marshall into even more hair. Sounds great, and there is no TS mid hump anywhere to be heard.
I no longer use pedals like this to take a CLEAN sound and make it OVERDRIVEN, the way I might have in the early 80's. So, used right, this pedal is a great addition. But, ok it's not a Klon. So no 10.

Reliability : No Opinion
So far.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : No Opinion
I play Americana, blues, alt country, fusion, rock, britpop thogh various amps (old vibrolux, tweed deluxe, marshall 18 watt, Gibson skylark). I do like this pedal as the first stop in my pedalboard. Used the way I use it, there is no loss of low end, no mid hump. It doesn't go into endless sustain and raging distortion the way I use it, but believe me, if the amp is set to break up, it'll deliver the goods, with a nice organic woody tone.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $120
Submitted 06/21/2005 at 08:13pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
three knobs. overdrive, tone, and balance. just how i like it.

Sound Quality : 10
this pedal can be kinda tricky. if you're using it on an already overdriven amp, dont turn the overdrive up that much. use it as a clean boost. this way, your tone will stick out more and it does sound a bit dirtier.

also, i think it sounds best when used with an amp thats clean, but is on the verge of breaking up. kinda like when you crank a fender tube amp and when you hit the chord hard enough, you can hear a little bit of breakup. if you turn this thing on when your amp is set like that, this thing really kicks some ass.

also, it doesnt sound that great with really high output pickups. it gets compressed and its just not that great. sounds great with my tele, es335, and les paul though. i love mids so the mid "hump" that some people bitch about, is a blessing to me.

Reliability : 10
ive had it for a few years and its been through hell. its still ticking.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
i love this pedal. i've gone through so many different drive pedals since i got this. i've had pedals that cost anywhere from $15 (used DS-1) to $260 (fulltone distortion pro, among a few other fulltones i've had) and this one is by far the best. i like the fact that i can play it and it doesnt sound like pedal overdrive; it sounds like the overdrive from an amp.

this pedal doesnt allow you to make mistakes. if you can't play, you'll know. it has such great tone that i dont have to worry about my sound and i can just worry about my playing.

be warned that this pedal is not for everyone. if you're into metal, this isnt for you. if you dont like the tubescreamer mid hump, its not for you. however, if you want a nice overdrive that packs a bit of crunch, this could be for you. better than the ts9, ts9dx, and the ts808ri (which is good though).


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: 149.99 (Canadian)
Submitted 04/03/2005 at 10:26am by Derek Labelle

Ease of Use : 9
Very easy to use. If you know how to work a TS then you will know how to work this (because it is a TS). Manual is worthless...

Sound Quality : 7
This is my setup> '04 Gibson LP Standard > Fulltone Clyde Wah > Sweet Sound MojoVibe > Fender PT-10 tuner > Maxon AD900 Analog Delay > '89 Marshall JTM 45.

I also use a 1975 Traynor YMG-3 Guitar Mate Reverb.

Also, I use '59 Danelectro DC2 Reissue, Fender Custom Shop Tele, Gibson EDS-1275 and a '85 Fernandes Strat copy.

This pedal I find is not very good with the LP and the JTM45. It gets very muddy and highgaining, even when set properly with gain on zero and level max. Doesn't boost at all actually bogs down your tone and gets lost in the mix. (i gig regularly and the JTM45 is usually maxed out). Not nice! With the tele it cleans up a bit but still does not jive well with the JTM45. Impossible to use it with the doubleneck and the danelectro. All in all this is not a good pedal with the JTM45.

With the '75 Traynor and the Fernandes (which I believe has more tone than any fender other than the custom shop guitar) the tone is standard SRV. Dull and repeated to death by every wanna be out there. Colours your tone. Not transparent. Adds alot of mids even when you are trying to run it as transparent as possible. The tone the traynor is glassy, shimmery and clean with a wonderful breakup (this is a non master volume amp, 35w, with a greenback) when you put the od808 it loses all the shimmer. Its great if your want to forget about your amps tone and just have SRV tone.

If you are looking for SRV tone this does it better than all the other TS reissues out there but its still a TS which has inherently a very limited sound range.

Runs better through a very clean non-master volume amp without any other pedals. In the traynor it will actually boost your tone. Also, tested on a Marshall JCM 900 4102 and a JCM 900 2100 (both master volume amps) and it was not a pleasant tone... very muddy.

Reliability : 7
Seems quite sturdy. The battery knocks around in the casing. Switch is okay. Not a heavy duty switch by any measure. I am returning it on monday to try something new. so I cant say if its longterm reliable

Customer Support : 9
I've dealt with Maxon concerning my AD900 and they were prompt in their reply and helpful (very to the point).

Overall Rating : 6
I am mostly a rock/blues player. Working on bluegrass right now (great slide and hybrib picking to be learned there). Currently play in a Led Zeppelin Tribute who gig 2x a month and practice 2x a week. I have been playing for 11 years. I am very picky about my tone and even more picky about my pedals. Have gone through tons of pedals and am still looking for the perfect boost (the fulltone Fatboost was great but i stupidly sold it!).

I didnt actually purchase the pedal. I know the owned the guitar store where i shop and he lets me borrow pedals to test them out so there is no actual loss and none of that "well i payed alot of money for this so I'd best live with it". Sat with it for over 3 hours tweaking it and didnt find anything that impressive. Played it at a show and ended up using it for one moment and then realizing it just drained my tone and shut it off; never to be used again. Its now back in the box and ready to be returned.

Dont particularly like this pedal. Never been a big fan of TubeScreamers. Colours the tone too much and turns your tone to moosh in high volume live situations where you have an amp that has fantastic breakup.

Definetely better than the Ibanez TS reissues. But that is also based on the TS9 board and not the TS808. I had the opportunity to play an original TS808 and it sounded quite close to this pedal.

A low cost faithful replica of a classic pedal. Not for me though but for you SRV fans out there this is a cost effective alternative to boutique pedals and originals.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $120
Submitted 03/28/2005 at 04:35am by process

Ease of Use : 10
can't find more easy working pedal then this

Sound Quality : 10
i may say i got impressed by the worm tone this little pedal speaks out...it's one of the best i've played til now and i think it's really cheap for the price it's been sold out.
i play indie stuff ( metal guys this pedal it's not for you for sure)
use it on a twin reverb with the cs pro9 and ad9 also from maxon and a shredmaster from marshall..i like to keep a small and simple effects chain...use spring reverb and tremolo from the amp.
i think the od 808 came to stay on my pedal board..it can go to bluesy to great sustain...but in high extreme settings it gets noizy..oh yeah..

Reliability : 10
i alredy depend on it

Customer Support : 10
don't know..never dealed with them

Overall Rating : 10
i play for about 12 years...this pedal it's pretty good for blues lovers..or any other style where guitars like to use smoth distortion...really worm and with great sustain.
on high settings gets noizy ( but you aren't playing metal with this right??!!! it's an od pedal)
i 've choose this one cause i also have other maxon pedals and i think they are pretty good..i ordered the od 808 without even played it..and it got me so surprised...really nice.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $119
Submitted 03/01/2005 at 04:17am by Lorde
Email: rians<at>sbcglobal dot net

Ease of Use : 9
This pedal is very easy to use, but can be tricky to get a good reorded tone with it at first. I kinda wish it had notches or markers to where you set it instead of estimating? But it is still easy to use. The manual is helpfull and has some sample settings.

Sound Quality : 7
I bought the Maxon and use it on a 5150 and Ibanez guitars. It can be a little noisy on some tweakings, but low noise overall. The mids really come through with this pedal whether you like them or not. Not as transparent as I thought it would be, but I like the sound! Saturates nice. The sustain is killer, but with that comes a little distortion....It is a give and take. I think most of the settings sound kinda the same. Organic sounding. Not sterile

Reliability : No Opinion
It looks a little weak in the stomp button part....It is pretty light. I like the looks, but It wouldn't hold up if you clapped someone over the head with it...haha

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 7
I play metal. All styles. I bought this as a boost and is how I am rating this pedal. I have been playing for 18 years and have only tried a few overdrives as boosts. This one made the 5150 sound better! I love the saturation live, but don't during recordings. I love the playability, but not much headroom. I like the looks. I did test after recording test with the Digitech Bad Monkey A/B'd and I went with the Bad Monkey. So I am returning the Maxon. They sound so similar...The Bad Monkey has a more clear sound, and is trasparent to my amp. The Maxon is more organic/tube sounding, but doesn't record as hot or clear. I did what is suited for me.....It might be different with a different amplifier. I spent a lot of time trying to get a good recording tone outta the OD808, but it fell a little short....For Live applications and quick success, this would be a great pedal. My overall rating is based on my needs for this pedal and price.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $120
Submitted 12/03/2004 at 06:38pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use.

Sound Quality : 10
Sounds a lot warmer, natural, and a little more gritty than a TS9. Its not noisy, especially for an overdrive pedal. I use it with fender tube amps. I love this pedal. It has great sustain for lead and has enough clarity so the chords are articulate.

Reliability : 10
Ive had it for a long time and i take it out all the time and its been great.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
I play most styles of music. I jam out a lot so I play whatever and love it all. If it were stolen, I'd have to buy another. There's nothing bad about this pedal. It sounds better than the ts9, ts808, ts9dx, fulltone fulldrive 2, boss sd1, boss od3, boss bd2, and many other ODs i've used.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: 125 (# UK)
Submitted 11/29/2004 at 04:55am by Sonny
Email: cackleman<at>hotmail dot com

Ease of Use : 10
3 Controls and a decent manual to boot, very easy.

Sound Quality : 10
Laney LH50R Jackson DKMGT with EMG81 and 85 set. No other effects. I tune to drop C, and set the amp to about 7 on the gain. Think Killswitsh Engage type tone, turn this bady on with the overdrive set to low and it just "heats up" the whole sound, WITHOUT destroying it, like most other pedal's I have tried.

Reliability : No Opinion
Only just got the thing, its built to last though!

Customer Support : No Opinion
Only just got

Overall Rating : 10
OK we place alternative metal, failry technical here and there, lots of pinched harmonics palm muting, you get the picture. The fact this pedal can be uswed for so many things says alot. Yes I have tried it as a mild overdrive i.e. into my clean channel, and while not my usual "bag" it sounds VERY VERY NICE.

But I bought the thing to drive the hell out of my amp, and still be able to hear all the detail of the sound.

JOB DONE.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $125
Submitted 09/30/2004 at 08:53am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use, but does not produce the best results right away. Requires a bit of tweaking.

Sound Quality : 7
This pedal is pretty good. It nails that peircing cut through the mix SRV blues tone. Yet, for me, it is a bit harsh. Played with a strat it seems to be scratcing at my face. Not pleasant. With a les paul this pedal sounds better. I would guess that this is due to the observation that over all this pedal is a bit thin sounding - not enough low end , as others have noted, and too much high end, which is particularly noticable with single coils. The resulting sound, even after tweaking the tone knob, can be harsh and unpleasant. Compared to my Ful Drive II, the Maxon is less rich, less full (less bassy) and harsher. However, it has an aggressive highend that makes the full tone sound somewhat timid by comparison. Essentialy, if you want a pedal that screams, is aggressive to the point of being a little harsh, but does indeed cut through a mix like a cleaver, then this could be a good choice. One of the cool tings about this pedal is that for chord work it produces a very musical and transparent crunch that cuts through nicely. When pared with humbuckers and used for rythym the pedal sounds great.

Reliability : 8
Compared with Boss and run of the mill pedals these Maxons are a cut above. Compared with the botique market they are on the lower end in terms of build quality, stability and internal wiring. However, overall these things are solid.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 7
If this pedal is what your after in terms of sound (see sound section of review) it represents a reasonable value. There are a thousand overdrive pedals on the market, and the Maxons are cheaper, yet more limited and less versitile. Still, some people like a pedal that is easy to use and has one basic great sound. For the money these are a good deal.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $140 (w/tax)
Submitted 08/10/2004 at 10:13am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 9
this pedal couldn't be simpler to use; 3 knobs. the manual is helpful, but there really isn't much you need to know in order to use the pedal.

Sound Quality : 9
I'm using a very modified squire standard stratocaster or a schecter C-1 elite into a dunlop crybaby, the maxon, a digitech ditial delay, and finally into a Fender '65 twin reverb reissue. with the strat it can get a bit noisy if the gain is turned way up (mostly due to the single coil p'ups) but all in all this pedal is pretty darn quiet. the pedal itself sounds fantastic. it can go from slighty natural tube overdrive to pleasatnly transparent crunch. I do wish it had a little bit more of a bassy punch though...even with the bass at 10 on the amp, I feel like it's missy a little something when the pedal is on (that could just be me though). I've tried this pedal right alongside an ibanez ts-9 with the maxon behind the ts-9. that sounded great for leads and I would higly suggest trying that or even better, getting 2 808's. it gives a great SRV sound (esp. through a trat of course). Also, although I've heard that the digitech X-series pedals are trash, I've managed to conjure up a great sound from the number 1 setting on my X-series delay pedal that sounds great with the 808. It's a bit like a compression/slight reverb sound; it really brings everything to life.

Reliability : 9
the footswitch looks and feels a bit weak, but I've had the pedal for almost a year know and nothing has happened to it so far. I don't have the money for a backup, so I guess I don't have a choice but to use the one pedal, but it's not a problem because it's stayed strong through every gig i've used it with.

Customer Support : No Opinion
never had to deal with them

Overall Rating : 10
I've been playing a lot of SRV and Hendrix of late. and this pedal absolutely nails their sounds (although having a good strat and tube amp does help a bit). I haven't been playing for too long, only about 4 or 5 years, but after purchasing this pedal I've been able to dial in great tones that I'm really pleased with and which encourage me to go out and play more and more. I've heard that the analogman modification makes this pedal even better (which is hard to believe) but I'm happy with it for now. I compared the pedal to other maxon overdrives and the ibanez ts-9 and od-9, but this one just appealed to me the most. It has a great transparent crunch sound that I can only achieve otherwise if I turn my amp to deafening volumes. I'm definetely not the best player out there...not even close, but the pedal makes so easy to dial in great tones in a flash, and works great with all my other gear. I'm just 16 now, but I have a feeling that in 10, 20, maybe even 30 years, I'll still be using this pedal or one similar to it. I just wish i had the money to buy another one.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US trade
Submitted 08/01/2004 at 10:54am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : No Opinion
so easy-3 knobs...

Sound Quality : 9
for some reason these types of pedals have become the standard-just about everyone into OD has some type of variation
on this theme on the floor(or has used one)...i like this Maxon 808 and right now am using it for a slightly overdriven sound near the same volume as the amp's clean. it does not need a 'sort of dirty' tube amp to sound decent-i have a deluxe reverb(usually with a tele) that is pretty clean under about 4 and this is a good combination.
my pedal is the american export version with the 4558d chip in there-the japan market one another fellow below was talking about supposedly has more of a mid hump than this...i would call it overall a very good sounding OD-an old ts9 i have been borrowing is not nearly as good as the maxon.

Reliability : No Opinion

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : No Opinion
it is definitely a 'smooth' sounding pedal but not too much-a little light on the bass compared to another similar modded OD i have(but more bass than other TS pedals) ...sometimes the little drop in bass/slight mid boost thing can really work in your favor. there is one thing thats a pain: the tone knob is pretty close to the switch and it tends to not stay where you set it. i'd get another if lost...


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $185.00
Submitted 07/31/2004 at 02:50pm by AESII
Email: arminsolognier at hotmail<dot>com

Ease of Use : 8
Very easy. Three knobs. Each does what it says it does. Manual was OK, but suggested no settings.

Sound Quality : 9
I use various Stratocasters and they go through a BOSS Tuner > Crybaby DIME-Wah > Maxon OD-808 > Ibanez TS-9 > Danelectro Tunamelt Tremolo > Ibanez Analog Delay > Radial Tonebone Classic and finally in either a '65 RI Deluxe Reverb or a Hot Rod DeVille depending on the venue or my mood. I use the Maxon exclusively as a boost with the Distortion on 0. The Level around 7 and the Tone on 3, 4 or 5 depending my mood. As you may notice I also keep a TS-9 on my pedal board. I find the Maxon to be smoother, so I figured I would use the TS-9 for when I need a harsher more piercing boost. Needless to say I use the Maxon more often. It seems to affect the tone of my amp and Tonebone Classic the least. I love how it kicks my solos into higher gear and keeps the tone well-rounded and "brown".

Reliability : 10
I have been using it without a back-up for more than a year. I have no complaints.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I have not had to deal with them.

Overall Rating : 9
I play a brand of hard-edged blues and this pedal suits me perfectly. I have been playing guitar for 17 years and music for 25. If it were stolen I would get a new one. I like that it is simple and that it adds overdrive in an even and smooth manner. I own a lot of distortion pedals and I like this one.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $100
Submitted 05/03/2004 at 11:25am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
The maxon has a variety of good sounds readily available. The three controls are very easy to use and have a good range of sound within them. 10 for ease of use.

Sound Quality : 9
Great sound quality. There are a decently wide variety of sounds at one's fingertips. And by "decently wide", i mean "awesome". My setup is a Fender strat>>maxon OD808>>line 6 modulation modeler (mostly used for tremelo)>>dunlop crybaby>>fender '59 bassman reissue. I originally used the maxon as an amp driver (low drive setting, high volume setting) to drive the front end of my bassman. It did that thing well, although I could use a bit more volume boost. Now I use it as a heavy overdrive, with the drive knob all the way up. It does this very well, too. Don't look to use it as a heavy metal distortion box, even with the gain all the way up, it still sounds like overdrive...like the TS 808. I'll dock a point here for not having quite as much clean boost as I'd like.

Reliability : 10
I have owned it for less than a year, and have played half a dozen gigs with it. It seems remarkably solid, although it is fairly lightweight. The case is pretty narrow, so that makes for good structural support. I could imagine that the knobs could get a bit messed up after a few years of stomping, as they are not structurally protected (as boss and some other pedals are). But that's not worth taking any points away. 10 out of 10.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I have never dealt with Maxon.

Overall Rating : 10
Overall, I'll give it a 10. If the maxon got stolen, I'd either get it again or try one of Analogman's TS9 modded pedals--i've heard those are good. I definately adore the TS 808 sound, though. I play jazz, mostly, but am making ventures into rock and blues. The maxon is excellent for both those styles. I wouldn't call myself a distortion or overdrive expert. The only other distortions i've used are: overdrive channel on Fender Hotrods, the overdrive from cranking my Bassman up above 7, the overdrive on a marshall 30W Solid state combo (the amp of my junior high years), and a boss super overdrive. I personally prefer the maxon to all of the above. Well, i've also played my friend's original TS 808 which he got from his dad, who is an LA studio guitar player for porn soundtracks (Ha!). I couldn't tell the difference between the maxon and the TS 808. Overall, 10 out of 10.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 04/16/2004 at 11:59pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
3 knobs. if you think the ease of use for this is less than 10, you're a moron.

Sound Quality : 10
this is actually a follow-up review. I still use my Les Paul, but it go straight into this then into a Fender Blues Jr or a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I play jazz and blues and i fuse it with rock (not nu-rock, but more like english 90s rock). It cuts through the mix with ease. Its wonderful. its versatile cos it reacts well to how hard your attack is. i dont require much gain. it can be smooth for my blues or jazz lead playing, or very cut-through for rock.

with my fender blues jr already overdriven, it produces a killer sound. its just the perfect live sound, IMO. sustain, clarity, yet there's crunch. flip to the neck pup and its smooth as butter. i've gone through two different dist pedals since i got this (and about 20 before) and this is the only one i'm keeping. in fact i want a Maxon D&SII since its supposed to be a hopped up OD808. I could use a lil more gain for some of the covers i do. but for what i bought this thing for, its awesome.

Reliability : No Opinion

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : No Opinion
for those who says it doesnt have enough balls... you need to step in front of a truck or something. of course not, ITS AN OVERDRIVE PEDAL, NOT A DISTORTION PEDAL. if you want to play your crappy Nickelback garbage, get a worthless Boss Mega Distortion. If you want a smooth, transparent overdrive with clarity and versatility. get this. my only complaint is the lack of true bypass and it should have easier battery accessibility. oh well.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $120.00
Submitted 04/07/2004 at 11:17am by Aaron D. - Fort Smith, AR

Ease of Use : 9
Very simple to use. Three knobs do the trick: Balance, Overdrive and Tone. You do need a screwdriver, however, to access the battery.

Sound Quality : 10
Over the years I've used an Ibanez TS9, a Boss Blues Driver, and a Boss OD-3, and a Digitech Tone Driver. The Maxon OD808 is my favorite overdrive pedal. It gives you a mild warm and grainy sounding distortion that's perfect for classic rock and blues.

Reliability : 10
It hasn't failed me yet!

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
For blues and classic rock tones this pedal is perfect. I've been playing guitar for 15 years, and I'm always searching for equipment to compliment my tone. I have owned this pedal for a year now and am especially pleased with the results. After shows I've had guitar hounds come up and check out my pedal board to see what all I'm using. People have all been very complimentary on the sound I get from this pedal. I turn my Fender tube amp up just to the point where it's getting a little dirty (on the clean channel) and kick this pedal on. The gain dial is set all the way up, and the little tone dial is set around 10 o'clock. My guitar is an American Strat loaded with "Texas Special" pickups. This combination is perfect for the styles of music I play. If you play a strat style guitar through a fender tube amp, you'll love this overdrive. Don't think you're automatically going to sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan though!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $80.00
Submitted 03/02/2004 at 11:09am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
super easy. three knobs.

Sound Quality : 5
yuck. i ran it through a '71 twin with a sg, epi dot with rio grande p90's and a fender jazzmaster reissue with craptastic results. no balls or bottom end anywhere to be seen. even with humbuckers the tone was too thin. i wont even get into what the jazzmaster sounded like. yes, i realize these twins are notoriously bright but this overdrive was "almost" close with the tone turned all the way down. i ran an original maestro fuzztone next to it and the lack of a true bypass affected the tone of that as well. this pedal came highly recommended and im still trying to figure out why.

Reliability : 5
did not have it more than a week but this thing is chintzy as hell. i thought it was going to be in a mxr style box. it looked like an mxr box but it weighed in at about 4oz... i could have smashed this thing with my foot if i wanted to. no where near mxr, ts9, or fulldrive construction. the switch was super loose and did not look very well made either.

Customer Support : No Opinion
never used it.

Overall Rating : 5
no bueno for this one. perhaps with a beefier sounding amp this would be different but whats the point in that? i love a fender twin tone and a good overdrive should be able to boost the volume and give it a more transparent overdrive. in my experience here it did not do the job. i sold this pedal and bought a reissue ts9 for less $$$ and sent it to the analogman. for 60.00 extra $$$ my overdrive problems are solved. what a world of difference.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $139
Submitted 01/23/2004 at 05:08pm by Will

Ease of Use : 10
This overdrive is very easy to use and get a good sound out of it. You have tone, the amount of overdrive, and the volume level to play with. Either wanting extra boost, or extra overdrive as well, it's pretty easy to get.

Sound Quality : 10
I owned a Boss OD-1 for years and wished it didn't alter my amps tone, mainly it's bass loss. When I plugged in the Maxon, my amp's tone stays the same and so does the bass response! I always loved to do a lead scale from low E to high E and emphasize the low to high in the scale and now the Maxon can do it for me!

I use it with a Dr. Z Max 38 2-12 combo and an Acoustic G60T. On both amps it adds the extra overdrive I desire and keeps the tone the same. I only use the overdrive on lead's and prefer the amp's natural tone for rythm. For the tone knob, I keep it cranked all the way at 5pm to emphasize the high strings.

For higher gain, I crank the overdrive all the way up. Usually, I'll keep the overdrive knob at 2pm or so. It just depends whether the song is rocking out or not.

Reliability : No Opinion
I bought it over the holidays, so I can't give an accurate answer. However, it's all metal encased and looks as solidly built and my MXR distortion+ that I've had for 22 years.

Customer Support : No Opinion
There's a 1 year warranty on the pedal. They require you pay postage though which would be lame should the pedal crap out on me. I'll assume that the stuff I read about it is true and that it'll serve me flawlessly.

Overall Rating : 10
I've been playing for 22 years and now love to play blues and classic rock type of stuff. If I want to rock out, this pedal provides plenty of balls to my lead's. I love that this pedal doesn't jeopardize my amps tone. I'd buy another one should it get stolen or lost because in most of my blues jam situations, I'm up on stage with another guitarist and their amp, so the extra overdrive or boost helps me during my lead's. Especially when I play my Strat!

Try out this pedal because I think it's a good deal. By the way, I in no way started sounding like SRV. This pedal provides great overdrive tone to YOUR playing. It be like saying you'll sound like Jimmy Page if you buy his signature Les Paul model.

Bottom line, it provides me the overdrive and tone characteristics that I like.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $90.00 used
Submitted 01/05/2004 at 09:10pm by Mike
Email: mickcivic at hotmail<dot>com

Ease of Use : 10
Pretty much as easy as it gets. Overdrive, Tone, and Balance (Level) knobs and a footswitch.

Sound Quality : 9
Here is where it gets wierd: I bought the pedal on eBay and I was pretty excited to try it. Like I do with all new pedals, I stuck all the knobs at the 12 o'clock position so I could tweak from there. As I rolled counter-clockwise from center on the tone knob, an extra "tick" of noise kicked from my amp. I thought to myself, "damn, I got a bad unit." I kept tweaking and tweaking, and I realized that the first half of the space on the tone knob had a little bit of extra gain and extra upper-mids and highs to it, and even a little noisy. The latter half of the space on the tone knob seemed to be the "regular" space and had that warm, smooth kick to it that everybody talks about with these units.

Is this a two-stage tone knob? Is there such a thing? Seller claims it isn't modded, so maybe it's a lucky flaw? I just don't know.

Anyway, it is almost like having two pedals in one: 1 thru 5 on the tone knob being very akin to my Boss SD-1 Overdrive, and 6 thru 10 being like an original 808.

Strange? Yes! Am I happy with it? Yes!

Thought I got ripped off at first but now I feel like I got double for my money!

If anyone knows anything about a possible mod like this, let me know.

Reliability : No Opinion
I've only had it for about 8 hours as of this writing, so I don't know how reliable it is. And being the piss-poor musician/working stiff that I am, I've ALWAYS gigged without back-ups. Now that I have this baby, I'm kicking my SD-1 to back-up status and this is now my main OD.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Don't know much about this category either. I just got the unit!

Overall Rating : 10
I like everything from AC/DC, SDRE, Foo Fighters, SRV, The Clash, Wilco, Blur, Teenage Fanclub, and Sloan. It's a great match for the mish-mash of music I like. I'd definitely buy another if it was stolen or lost. Tone is great, and my unit seems to be unique, which is a kick.

I A/B'd this unit to my Boss SD-1 and its smoothness and clarity where apparent right away. Definitely going to be playing with this one for a while.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $119.99
Submitted 01/03/2004 at 02:54pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Very simple to use. It has three controls: Overdrive, Tone, and Balance (output). There's a manual but... you don't really need to use it. Its pretty self explanatory. Unless you're a beginner, the manual is practically useless.

Sound Quality : 10
I'm using a Gibson Les Paul---->Maxon OD808---->Boss Tremolo---->Vox wah---->Fender Blues Junior. This thing is not noisey at all. It couldnt be even if your amp was up all the way and the drive on the pedal was maxed out as well while you stood directly in front of your amp. Its VERY quiet.

I got this because I wanted a boost for leads and i wanted a very transparent overdrive sound. Something that'd be very natural sounding and light for blues, something that'd add a little spice to arpeggios and something that'd just give me that ol' cranked tube amp sound without the headache! I just sold my old distortion pedal and wanted to upgrade. I decided I need an overdrive pedal (such as this) and a medium gain distortion pedal. I've only gotten the overdrive pedal and this thing is about as perfect as i had dreamt. Its sooo smoothe and natural sounding. In the store I had tried an Ibanez ts9, Ibanez ts9dx, and voodoo labs sparkle drive as well as the maxon. the maxon was MUCH better sounding than any of the other three. I used to own a Boss Super Overdrive pedal and that thing BLOWS compared to this.

Don't get this expecting a Metallica tone or even an ACDC crunch. Get it to boost your already overdriven amp or get it to color your sound to get something similar to SRV. Personally, I like to push the tubes on my Fender so they distort then turn this thing on to give it an extra KICK!

Reliability : No Opinion
dont really know. i've not had a band in awhile. i doubt this thing is gonna die here at my house. the on/off switch seems kinda questionable though...

Customer Support : No Opinion
never dealt with them.

Overall Rating : 10
I play blues, jazz, and 90s rock. I've been playing for four years so i kinda know my stuff, but at the same time i'm still learnin. I also have a marshall halfstack but i don't really use that now since i'm not in the band so i didnt include it in the "sound quality" section. if it were stolen i'd definitely replace it. Or get the maxon od9. I've not checked it out yet, the local store didn't have one. Its supposed to be a modded version of this pedal. but its also about $30 or so more expensive so i may just get htis again. i love the sound of this thing, its perfect IMO. I hate the on/off switch. It feels like its gonna break on me! This pedal seems to me that it will be in my rig for years and years to come.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $145
Submitted 11/12/2003 at 06:17pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : No Opinion
Easy to use. I'm reviewing this because unlike most of the other reviewers and readers out there, I have a very good original TS808 with which to compare it.

Sound Quality : 9
Here goes. The original TS808 was made for Ibanez by Maxon between 1979 and 1983. It sold for about $49. Now beat ones go for $350 and pristine ones go for $500 to $650. There are numerous 808-style clones out there.

I have a TS808 that I got for nothing, but comparing it to two other originals it is the best sounding. These had some variation in sound, all the way from basic TS9 to great. Mine's great.

So in brutal A/B testing, I compared my TS to the OD. There is no difference. The tone, gain and output are identical. The one made in 2003 is a clone of the one made in the early 80s. You can't tell the difference playing by yourself, and you won't be able to with your band.

I give it a 9 only because the Fulldrive--best of all overdrive pedals, ever--gets a perfect 10. The FD just has a bit less mid and a tad creamer tone. For all purposes, the Maxon OD9 IS a good TS808.

Reliability : No Opinion
This pedal is built better than the original 808 and better than the reissue Ibanez and Maxon 9 series. It's cast aluminum, not zinc. Switch is beefier, too. I'd expect it to last a long time.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Don't know.

Overall Rating : 9
Here's the point: For about $150 out the door you can get something that's brand new, sounds identical to a great old TS808, and is in production. It's light and small, and won't take up much space in a guitar case or on a pedal board. Do not buy a TS9 and have it modded to 808 specs, get this brand new in the box for the same or less instead.

Do NOT spend any money on the original TS808. Get one of these instead and save big bucks. For the price, it's a steal, and blows away almost all the boutique overdrive pedals.

For about $30 more, you can get the Keely modded Maxon OD9, modded to 808 specs, brand new. This is true bypass and has exactly the same tone as a TS808, but a little more gain. Another awesome overdrive pedal.


For $50 more, you can get a Fulldrive 2. This overdrive pedal sounds a tad better than any 808 or clone, is true bypass, has a boost (higher gain) channel, is made of heavy sheet steel, and is made in America. I personally think the Fulldrive is the best of all in sound, features and construction.

These are probably the best overdrive pedals out there now. Pick your price and go for it.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $135
Submitted 10/31/2003 at 06:44am by JL
Email: jvl<at>nycap dot rr dot com

Ease of Use : 10
Pretty darn simple. Input, Output, Gain, Level and Tone. There is a good manual that gives you some sample settings to start with.

Sound Quality : 8
I was never a member of the Tube Screamer bandwagon. I used to require a ton of gain for the stuff I played, but I have since changed many things about my taste and playing, and I needed a good overdrive pedal. This pedal does a great job of providing moderate overdrive that is very transparent and touch sensative. I compared this with Maxons TS9, which looks exactly like the Ibanez Tube Screamer, and while the tones were very similar, I thought the 808 was more transparent and dynamic. I tried the Fulltone FD2 (old and new versions) and I just can't make the FD work for me. I have other Fulltone effects and love them dearly, but the FD2 just doesn't do it for me. The Maxon OD808 sits in my pedalboard, which goes into a Fender Super Reverb. I have a Tech21 Double Drive for the over-the top gain stuff and a Sparkle Drive for the very slight, hair-around-the-edges semi clean tone. My 808 gives me everything in between...and it works nicely in front of the DoubleDrive to give me that over-the-top gain (like an OD into a Marshall) when I want it. If I had to say one negative thing about it, this pedal can at times sound a little bit harsh - especially with higher gain pickups, like a humbucker, so I need to back off the guitar volume a little to compensate. It really shines with my Strat's Texas Special single coils. R&B tones are just killer, and if you are into the SRV thing, this combination is as close as I have heard/felt.

Reliability : 8
I have a Maxon Chorus of similar construction, and that has been very relaible. I'm willing to judge this one based on my expreience with their other products. Its not built like a Fulltone, but is is still very well built.

Customer Support : No Opinion
No experience.

Overall Rating : 9
Overall, this pedal is fantastic. For me, this gives me exactly what I need in an overdrive (though what I really want is the overdirve that oozes from a Two-Rock amp...but that's another $4000 conversation). Very transparent and touche sensative - especially for a Solid State pedal. I really enjoy playing through this.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $125.00
Submitted 09/21/2003 at 09:36am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 9
Very easy to use. Nothing fancy here. Just a straight forward overdrive good for pushing a tube amp.

Sound Quality : 9
I'm a big fan of Maxon pedals because they do their job without excessively coloring the guitar tone. My setup is a 1982 Ibanez AR-300 and 1996 Les Paul Studio through a Vox AC-15 (tube) and Fender Deluxe 90 (solid state). I use the OD-808 for light overdrive, a Boss SD-1 for heavier overdrive and a Marshall Shredmaster for big distortion. The OD-808 never leaves my rig.

Reliability : 8
The little metal button on top of the footswitch post popped off (it is glued on). Other than that, pretty rugged. No other problems.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never needed to contact support.

Overall Rating : 9
One of my favorite pedals. Nearly identical to the Ibanez TS-9. Great for blues. Also great for any music where you want just a hint of overdrive. You will not get a heavy metal sound from this thing even if the overdrive is full on. Also great for classic rock.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: 240 cdn
Submitted 08/10/2003 at 01:16pm by ken
Email: kendesjarlais<at>shaw dot ca

Ease of Use : 10
very easy to use, tweek the knobs to your particular sound you desire.

Sound Quality : 9
american strat, noiseless pickups, into ge7 - maxon> vintage rat> boss chorus> dano echo> traynor 40 combo> marshall 212 cab ext. no noise at all. big lows, very versatile grind.

Reliability : 10
gigging 2 years, stomping on it all weekend .no problems .

Customer Support : No Opinion
no need to deal with the company.

Overall Rating : 10
i play all manner of electric other than metal,this pedal covers all the bases. if lost or stolen i would repurchase another. abit pricey but generally speaking you get what you pay fer. its dead quiet, tranparent, very versatile grind, excellent build quality, way more authentic sounding than most other pedals, and after playing 30 years i should know, but hey, sound and tone is subjective, youll buy what you want to hear. go take it fer atest drive , and cave as i did.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $135
Submitted 07/07/2003 at 11:31am by Bill Stetter

Ease of Use : 7
Like any other OD, but no numbers or markings whatsoever. In my opinion, that's silly.

Sound Quality : 10
Love it. I use it in front of my Mesa Heartbreaker head (modified by Voodoo Amps), along with an Ibanez TS-9 Reissue. The TS-9 is very good too, bu the 808 is smoother. I love tube screamers. A little noisy with single coils though, maybe noisier than my TS-9.

Reliability : No Opinion
Don't know.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never dealt with them.

Overall Rating : 10
I play rock and blues. I've been playing for 30 years, with a 10 year hiatus in the middle. Some people love tube screamers, others hate them. I guess some don't care one way or the other. If you like 'em, this is the one. The correct 808 chip. I AB's against an MJM Blues Devil for hours. That pedal costs $30 more and there's really no difference. When I could hear a difference, I preferred the Maxon. So I returned the MJM. This is a great tube screamer.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $140
Submitted 03/23/2003 at 03:19am by Merry Maxon Madness

Ease of Use : 9
Cmon folks it has three knobs.

Sound Quality : 10
Maxon is the shit! Anyone who says their crappy cold-solder joint Menatone pedals are better than this is an idiot. Theres no noise, just clear gain that sounds like a tube amp thats been turned up full. Very convincing tube tone. The drive knob has a good range and a very smooth tapered response.

Reliability : 9
Built small butt tuff.

Customer Support : 9
Excellent.

Overall Rating : 9
Throw away your cheesy Menatone pedals because Maxon is the shit. I play Strats and Pauls into tube amps.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $100 .00 used
Submitted 01/23/2003 at 12:55pm by Mike
Email: mgranthoff<at>aol dot com

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use --- tone, output level, and drive controls.

Sound Quality : 8
I tried this pedal thru my 90's strat w/Kinman Avn-56's and an Avn-59 in the bridge -- straight into a Carvin BelAir or a '69 Super Reverb (w/fixed-bias circuit). Didn't care much for the clean boost (thin sounding, and I couldn't dial in enough bass w/out losing definition), slight overdrive was better, but still sounded thin. Moderate-strong overdrive settings (2-3 o'clock) bring out the best in this pedal, although I thought the overdrive/distortion sounded a little too "linear" - I like it to throb, swirl, and swell a bit (ala Joe Walsh's tone on the original James Gang's Funk#49).

Reliability : 7
I didn't own it long enough to really opine, but it was magnitudes lighter than comparable BOSS and Ibanez products --- just didn't appear to be very sturdy in that regard.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A

Overall Rating : 8
This pedal has a couple of really nice sweet spots on it, particularly if you're into the southern-fried blues-rock sound. The sustain gets a nice harmonic-like squeal going, and it works equally well on chords or single notes. But overall it lacked that natural, musical sounding swirl that I associate with pro-level overdriven tones. I compared it to a Budda Phatman, a Roland GP-8 (the OD and Dist modules), Keeley-modded TS-9 (std mod), and an Analogman-modded BOSS DS-1 (pro mod). I kept the TS-9 and DS-1 in my chain, am keeping the Budda for unique situations (but it primarily rests in its box), and kept the GP-8 in the chain for its chorus and delay only. I sold the OD808 on E-bay. I've been playing for 20+ years.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $150.00
Submitted 01/17/2003 at 05:03pm by Uriah
Email: uriahdeath2 at netscape<dot>net

Ease of Use : 10
This is super easy to use. Just turn the knobs until you get something you like. No manual needed. Also, really no review needed (I'm bored) as everybody and their brother has used one of these (i.e. Ibanez, which Maxon made. No secret there)over the last 20 years or so. If you've never seen one (if could happen) here's the layout of it...

1. Overdrive (volume)
2. Balance (gain)
3. Tone
4. Footswitch
5. Red LED
6. 9 volt jack

That's pretty much it, save for the in and out 1/4 in jacks.

Sound Quality : 8
This is what it is. An overdrive. I use it a few different ways, to kick an already cookin' amp in the ass, as a clean boost of sorts, and to add some grit to the clean channel, or as a lead boost. As long as you understand it's a OVERDRIVE and not a Metalzone or whatever, you'll be fine. Just don't plan on a wall of distortion with this into your clean channel.

Right now I'm pretty much using it with a VHT Pittbull 45 2-10 combo, or a old 1966 Gibson 4-10 Ranger. The Ranger is basicly a copy of a Fender Super, with more bottom end, and a slightly darker tone. The OD808 works really good with it, for that 'classic' 70s rock tone. This is really true when you turn it up a bit.

It also works really good with the VHT. I use it a number of different ways with that amp. It will make a noisy amp noisier (as will any pedal with gain) but it's really not bad as it's so mild.

For the most part, I play Gibson Les Pauls with buckers, and I don't have a problem with it getting muddy, UNLESS it's dimed. Even then it's still more transparent then my other OD/Distortion boxes.

I STILL like it better then my Boss SD-1. The SD-1 isn't a bad pedal, and has more gain, but the Maxon just seems to be more transparent to me. And it works better with the 2 amps above. The SD-1 does sound better with a tranny amp though, the OD808 just don't seem to work well with any of my tranny amps, but tube amps, it shines.

Reliability : 10
I expect no problems with it, and havn't had any. I've got several really (20 years plus) old Maxon built Ibanez pedals that are still going strong. I have no reason to expect any with the new Maxon stuff.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never contacted Maxon, Ibanez is another story...

Overall Rating : 8
I've been using Tube Screamers forever, and this is the best one I've had so far. I plan on buying several more Maxon pedals to replace some of my Ibanez stuff that has gotten valueable over the years. It only gets an 8 as I feel Maxon is pretty expensive for basicly imported mass produced pedals. The do what they do well though. No complaints there.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $100 used
Submitted 11/21/2002 at 02:07am by Rob
Email: robert_mune<at>hotmail dot com

Ease of Use : 9
It's an overdrive pedal, it's very easy to understand

Sound Quality : 9
I worked in a Hollywood Vintage Guitar store for a few months. I had hours everyday to try everything in the store. This is the best Tubescreamer. It sounds slightly more transparent/hollow than the original or reissue SD9's. ( I am aware that it's a slightly modded re-issue of an 808)

Reliability : 9
It's well built. I have no issues with its construction.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I have not had cause to contact Maxon

Overall Rating : 10
I play rock'n'roll. I like The Stooges, Hendrix, mainly '60's and '70's. I am lucky to own and play lots of classic tube amps, several British half and full stacks, and a nice old Super Reverb. This pedal suits some situations and not others. I don't think that you ever get versatile AND great in the same musical product. This is a great Tubescreamer. The best that I've found.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $140
Submitted 10/14/2002 at 09:39pm by Russ Austin

Ease of Use : 9
Easy to use if you know how to really play the guitar, and not just bang on the thing.

Sound Quality : 10
This pedal made history. It sounds like a tube amp- you lose a little bass response, but your ear adjusts, and the tone is very convincing, very wet sounding, with just the right amount of compression and sustain- sounds like a classic 1970's rock/southern rock pedal. Maxon is the shit!

Reliability : 9
Built small and tuff.

Customer Support : 10
Excellent support here in the U.S.

Overall Rating : 10
I wail on guitar. Im damn good and not afraid to let you know that. Been playing 25 years and counting, own three guitars that are quite expensive mind you, and too many effects pedals to list, so I wont bore you any further but will say this- Maxon is the shit! Gotta go now. Dig the Banzai Cold Fusion too.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $139
Submitted 09/13/2002 at 01:22am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Easy to get good sound from...of course this depends on what you're using this pedal for...see below - sound quality.

Sound Quality : 9
This is an overdrive pedal, not a disto-metal-thrash-fuzz pedal. If you're looking for OTT gain, look elsewhere.
If you're looking for warm sounding, tube-like break up of signal, this is your pedal.
Am not a connoisseur of tone but I know what I like.
A/B'ed this with the ibanez TS9 and could dialled them up so that the two sounded just about identical but the OD 808 still edged slightly ahead in terms of smoothness.

Reliability : 9
Looks sturdy enough but unscrewing the base of the change batteries can be a pain if you don't have a screw driver handy.

Customer Support : No Opinion
No dealings.

Overall Rating : 9
This is a great pedal to stick in front of your set up to give it an extra boost. Unfortunately, this pedal will only really shine if you use it with a tube amp. The response to the dynamics of your playing will be enhanced. You can use a solid state amp, but then you'll wonder what the fuss is about with this pedal.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $137
Submitted 08/24/2002 at 01:26pm by Davor
Email: davor<dot>pavuna at urbanet<dot>ch

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy - cannot be easier ! 3 knobs :-)

Sound Quality : 10
The positive reviewers below are all correct:
this is THE tubescreamer legendary 808 circuit w less noise !

I have all the other very best pedals in the world: Klon Centaur,
Fulltone Fulldrive II, Ibanez TC-9, H & K Tubefactor, Baby Blue ...
and I tested them all through my Prosonic and my fabulous
brand new light (35lbs) Ashdown Peacemaker 40 all
tube sweet class A 30W, 3 channel 112 combo (see the review
as this is the best light all tube 3 channel combo <$700)
and what can I say about this pedal is simple :

I always use Maxon OD-808 in my band's live gigs
and helps me with SRV overdrive or singing Santana tone ...

Actually a mariage of Maxon OD808 with class A tube amp as
in Peacemaker (designer Mark Gooday from Ashdown is a 21st century genious - new Ranal Smith from UK this time )
is mariage in heaven ... but it works great also with fender Blues
Junior or Laney LC15R all tube class AB amps ...

Reliability : 10
I play all my gigs with it and never had a problem ...

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never need them

Overall Rating : 10
I play since 1960 (remember Duan Eddy instrumentals ?)
and I buy all the very best gear on the Planet:

Great LP or Strat through the VHT Valvulator 1 power-supply
and then into Maxon OD808 and finally through the
Ayron technologies' S & Slim pedal into the Ashdown
Peacemaker 40 is THE VERY BEST combination
that your money can buy (and you can carry those as
these are the lightest top units in the business).

OD808 is truly THE original, yet improved tubescreamer
so if you care about your tone and want to improve
the breaking of your tube sound - just buy one !


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $140
Submitted 08/22/2002 at 03:46am by Harvey Gacy

Ease of Use : 9
Very easy to use- three knobs control volume, tone, and drive.

Sound Quality : 10
Sounds like a tube amp- very convincing tone. The reviewer below who trashes this pedal in favor of a cheap throw-away overdrive is completely clueless and downright incorrect as this pedal is a real beauty- its built well too with quality parts. The reason the output section of the re-issue isnt identical to the 25 year-old original 808 pedal is because maxon has IMPROVED the design to eliminate static-electric build up which caused noise- so the re-issued pedal is quieter than the original. The sound is very clear, smooth wth lots of sustain.

Reliability : 9
No back-up needed.

Customer Support : 9
Very fast responses to e-mail.

Been playing for 20 years, I use this pedal with a 1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard and the new Marshall AVT 50 watt amp.

Overall Rating : 9
Great pedal, so ignore the bad reviewers who have a bad axe to grind.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $100.00 used
Submitted 08/10/2002 at 09:12am by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 9
Very simple

Sound Quality : 5
Not bad, but a Nobels ODR-1 is WAY warmer and smoother--Kicks this
things sorry little ass. The 808 is more hype than anything. The ODR-1 is $40.00 new.

Reliability : No Opinion
N/a

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/a

Overall Rating : 3
I've had a least 7-8 tubescreamers over the years. If you get a good
one matched up with the right amp they're pretty usable. But this
new highly hyped up Tubescreamer/808 craze is just lame! Most of you fools just want an easy definitive way of buying some cool. As if
having one of these units gives you legendary tone or something. Open
your ears, there are sooo many creative options, many much better
than this. In this day of the ADD-USA generation the "be your self"
motto of the good old days has been replaced with the brain washed
easy to manipulate putty head aproach "everyone be the same"
Just listen to the radio? Hmmm?
Look a little deaper, use your own opinion, it dosen't cost more,
many time less to find a unique tone. The white boy with a Strat and
a tubescreamer is sooo tired!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $139
Submitted 08/09/2002 at 01:51am by Markie Ray
Email: mark dot vits<at>just dot fgov dot be

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use : three knobs --> Overdrive, Tone and Balance
You can't get a bad sound out of this thing. It's not really cheap, but you will not be disappointed ... worth every dollar !

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A TS-808, DON'T LOOK ANY FURTHER, BUY A MAXON OD-808 AT +/- 140 $. THIS IS A PERFECT COPY OF THE IBANEZ TS-808.

Sound Quality : 10
This pedal has EXACTLY the same circuit, resistors and opamp (JRC4558D) as the original and legendary Ibanez TS-808. Maxon produced the TS-808 pedals for Ibanez in the early years ... but now they came with their own version of the TS-808, it's called the Maxon OD-808 and it is exactly the same as a real TS-808, only 1/4 of the price you pay today for a vintage TS-808 (!), and of course it doesn't look like a TS-808. Why is everybody giving 500 $ or more for a vintage TS-808 ... why is everybody doing 808-mod's on their TS-9 ??? Probably because they never heard of Maxon ...
I use my Maxon together with an SRV Strat, a Vox Wah, a TS-9/808 and a Fender Super Reverb '65 Re-issue (with Svetlana tubes).
The Maxon and the TS-9/808 boosting each other gives me perfect SRV Tones, while the BD-2 provides me some nasty and growling overdrive/distortion tones.
The Maxon should NOT be used with solid state amps, it was made for being used with (good) tube amps. Much of it's quality will be lost when placed before a SS amp.
The pedal isn't noisy at all.
It IS a TS-808 ... the most sought after pedal in history !!!




Reliability : No Opinion
I have it for 2 weeks now. Can't say if it is reliable, but it seems a rock-solid box. Weighs less than my Ibanez TS-9/808.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never had to deal with Maxon, only when buying the pedal. I'm living in Belgium and received my pedal (from the States) 2 weeks later. It was well-packed and fast delivered !!! Good and fast service ...
It came in a black box with a green line on it, just the same as the box of my Ibanez TS-9.

Overall Rating : 10
I always wanted to buy a TS-808 ... until I found the MAXON OD-808.
A friend of mine convinced me to buy one instead of a TS-808 at 1/4 of the price of a real TS-808. I didn't believe it would sound the same as a real TS-808 ... until I plugged it in.
I was nailed with my feet to the ground !!!!!!!
This pedal is the Holy Grail for any blues player, especially when you are into SRV like me ...
Buy one now because these pedals are going to become LEGENDARY !!!

Please feel free to mail me if you have any further questions about the Maxon OD-808


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $110.00
Submitted 07/25/2002 at 02:05pm by Dixon Urmaum

Ease of Use : 10
3-knobs. Balance, overdrive, and tone. Would be easier if it came with a little trained monkey to turn the knobs for me on command.

Sound Quality : 10
Smooooooooooooooth. Did I say smooth? I like it alot. I've had mine for over a year now and I've yet to be dissapointed with it. I don't know why anyone would want to mod one of these unless they're going to use it on bass or something. To me, it sounds perfect. It's like giving my amp an instant case of the blues (in a good way, of course). I use this for mainly 2 things: 1.By itself, as an awesome stand-alone overdrive for a good tube amp to get those perfect blues tones and 2. With any combination of many effects to dirty up or overdrive other distortion and fuzz pedals. It's also the only OD I've tried that sounds really great before a wah. This thing's perfect for me and I see no reason to pay any more for any of the high-dollar ODs that seem to be the rage these days.

Reliability : 10
Looks kosher to me!

Customer Support : No Opinion
Don't know.

Overall Rating : 10
I play almost every kind of music and this thing hasn't failed me yet. If lost or stolen I'd definitely get another but, I might try the new Maxon 9 series because I think it's the same circuit but with true bypass. I like the way this one looks better, though. I should also add that this thing is very clear and transparent and the noise it does have is a good kind of noise. I love the way the articulation of the attack comes through on this and I'll even go as far as to say that I play slightly better with this OD than others because of the way I can hear myself play and my guitar's tone through it.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $134
Submitted 03/16/2002 at 12:13pm by Jack

Ease of Use : 10
Dead easuy: 3 knobs :-)

Sound Quality : 10
I have all those famous overdrives including tube-based
and this is the most satisfying: better than my TS9 !

The gentleman below me must have had a faulty unit:
I play since 1962 and I have tried any top gear and this
is as good as it gets - my guitars keep the character
and I can sing if I have to even with this overdrive :-)

Reliability : 10
Many concerts - no problem:

But I also use the VHT Valvulator 1 - top secret !

Customer Support : No Opinion
Do not need it.

Overall Rating : 10
I would buy another one immediately.

I have all the very best gear in the world (>$20'000)
and this is the best tubescreamer there is, period.

It overdrives or sings and respects your guitar sound.

Go and buy one.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 03/14/2002 at 05:31am by Dameon Mullins
Email: chickenpicker1 at hotmail<dot>com

Ease of Use : 10
Easy to use.

Sound Quality : 3
I don't even feel inclined to list all my gear and experiences, 'cause this pedal is too overpriced and sounds only marginally better,if that, than a tubescreamer. Let's face it...Maxon is just cashing in on the market. This pedal isn't AT ALL worth it. The parts aren't very good, the sound isn't good(to me), it's overpriced(I must stress that) and there are just too many better sounding/better build quality tubescreamer types out there. Go buy an MJM Blues Devil or even a Sparkle Drive or Fulldrive 2. The OD808 is harsh and uninspiring, to say the least. Try one at a store before you buy!!!

Reliability : No Opinion
Who cares, if it sounds bad?

Customer Support : No Opinion
Nah...

Overall Rating : 3
Yuk!! Sorry the review isn't very conclusive, but the pedal is THAT uninspiring!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $135.00
Submitted 03/06/2002 at 09:08pm by Bryan
Email: bryanmichael at juno<dot>com

Ease of Use : 8
There really isn't much to these controls. Basically Drive, Tone, and what they call "Balance" which is your Level control. The tone know seems a bit small...You have to, have to, have to, compare this with other Tubescreamers etc. to make sure it is voiced right for you-

Sound Quality : 8
My setup : Danelectro U3 into Maxon CP101 Compressor or MXR dynacomp>Ibanez TS-9 reissue (or Maxon OD808)>Boss NS-2 Noise supressor>Fender Princeton Chorus Amp>Voodoo Lab Tremolo and Akai Headrush delay in effects loop.I'll admit that I'm a little lost on the hype here. I have an un-modded TS9 reissue that I think sounds great, of course the idea that it may sound better led me to purchase the OD808. I've spent hours a/b ing them and I decided to stick with the TS9. These boxes sounded almost identical (almost) the OD808 was a little smoother, but seemed to lack that midrangey-bite that the TS9 has. The tone controls are also voiced very differently on these two pedals, I found the tone control on the OD808 too harsh and trebley,(I can't believe I just said that!) whereas the tone control on the TS9 adds alot of midrange to my Dano which really makes it sound "hollow" which of course, it is! I don't know, The OD808 sounds really good-I can almost clone my TS9 sound on the OD808 except for the midrange. The TS9 cannot clone the OD808 sound however because the drive is smoother-but one man's smoothness is another mans "lack of definition" and that's why I decided to stick with the TS9. Both pedals come ALIVE when you put a compressor in front of them, especioally Maxon's CP101 which is phenomenally clean,but maybe the fact that I use a solid state amp and rely on the pedal for my main source of overdrive has caused me to stay with my un-modded TS9. I'm sending this one back, for the money- I'd rather have another TS9 and fifty bucks in my pocket. The OD808 does sound REALLY good however, just not enough to woo me away from my TS9.

Reliability : 10
The box is well constructed and the switch is probably the nicest I've come accross. The box is aluminum and lighter than an MXR box which is heavy!!I never worry about "backups" Strings, tubes, fuses, even a second guitar maybe, sure-but stompboxes? no-if it dies then hell, it must be rock-n-roll! 13 years on club circut, never seen one die of any brand/make/model. Bad switch once on old Ibanez Flanger...

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never tried- Good warranty documentation in box.

Overall Rating : 8
I've been playing clubs for more than 13 years, I am primarilly a bassist, but I have played guitar for much longer than bass and I have owned/played a ton of gear. First distortion box was MXR Distortion+ circa 1985 2000 series, I was 15 and loaned it out, it was stolen. (Sigh) Anyway- This is a great overdrive pedal that is well constructed and seems to have alot of "vintage credibility" but it wasn't quite voiced right for me. There are alot of recipies for great tone, and the TS9, even in it's unmodified reissue state sounds pretty damn good. If this is what vintage 808's sound like, then maybe I don't need all that vintage stuff- I've found that there is a huge difference between getting vintage tone and having vintage gear, "vintage" is thrown around alot these days and is applied to gear that wasn't that great in it's own time. I think this pedal should cost 100.00 not 135.00, it is a great sounding overdrive, but I'm going to give the VOodoo Lab Sparkle Drive a go against the TS9 and see where I stand. I'm not 100% satisfied with the TS9 either, but it has a certain sound- go to legendarytones.com for a shootout between these two pedals.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $139.99
Submitted 03/02/2002 at 12:42pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10
Real easy plug and play type.

Sound Quality : 9
Great sounding smooth sounding overdrive at all the settings you can?t really dial in a bad sound. Responds excellent to my volume and tone on my dearmond pick ups which can be quite finicky with distortion & overdrives, Sounds good with solid-state amps too which is a plus. A good all around overdrive that kicks ass. Very smooth and warm with tube or solid-state amps.

Reliability : 10

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 9


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $150
Submitted 02/21/2002 at 08:45pm by Kyle
Email: kgs0001<at>hotmail dot com

Ease of Use : 10
Three knobs - Balance(volume), Tone and Overdrive level. The tone control has a wide range, better than a TS-9. Small red LED and the footswitch is the easy switching kind not the harder to push in ones like on the MXR pedals. Mine is brand new and Made in Japan.

Sound Quality : 10
OK forgot about TS-9 Mods that everyone is doing now, spending way too much for an orginal TS808 which you will just end up looking at and any other clone that is Tube Screamer like. I have owned a TS-9, Fulltone FD2, SD-1, a Line 6 DM4 and many other OD pedals. This is the best! It's quiet and just smoother than a TS-9 and also has more of a volume boost. It's basically a TS808 made from the same company that manufactured the TS808 originally. Don't waste your time with anything else, this is it the BEST OVERDRIVE PEDAL AROUND!

Reliability : No Opinion
Just got it, no problems yet.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : No Opinion
The best, a must for any serious guitarist.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $149.99
Submitted 02/18/2002 at 06:10pm by Dave
Email: dmusgrave at jam<dot>rr<dot>com

Ease of Use : 7
Most of the reviews here talk about how easy this pedal is to use. To get the tones I was looking for took some tweaking. I wouldn't consider this a plug and play type pedal... if that is what you are looking for you might do well to look at something else. If not, the time spent tweaking the guitar/pedal/amp settings is WELL worth it... this pedal sounds GOOD.

Sound Quality : 9
Im running a Fender Stratocaster into a Crybaby and the Maxon OD-808. Im using a Peavey Delta Blues 210 amp.

I love this pedal. By varying my guitar/OD-808/amp settings I can go from CLEAN CLEAN to breaking up to full on, feeding back, out of control noise. My favorite uses for this pedal though are to push the clean channel harder to break up early or boost the distortion channel to get a little nastier sound. You can really play with the volume knob on your guitar to get a wide range of tones from one setting though. You can set it nasty, then back off the guitar's volume to clean it up as necessary. If you play blues or classic rock I can't imagine a better overdrive pedal. Yes, the classic tones that are associated with TS-9s and TS-808s are there... and there are tons of other tones to be found as well. One thing to keep in mind... I have heard that these pedals (and others) don't perform nearly as well with solid-state amps. Tubes are where it's at!

Reliability : 9
I baby my gear, so I don't think gigging with this pedal would be a problem for me. If you jump up and down on it like some sort of freak I'm sure you could manage to break it eventually. Kids, take care of your gear and it will last you a long time and provide a lot of enjoyment. Extra 9-volts are never a bad idea where pedals are concerned, although this one doesn't seem to hard on batteries.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I've never dealth with Maxon... I have no earthly idea what their customer support is like. I guess Godlyke is the US distributor for Maxon, Guyatone, and Bixonic... I assume they would be the people to talk to if you ever had a problem. I'd try my local music store first, they have always taken care of me.

Overall Rating : 10
I've been playing for around 15 years. I've owned a bunch of gear, some good... and some bad. This is the best pedal I've ever owned. Play one yourself, you just might fall in love too. I almost bought a TS-9 modded to TS-808 specs... but this Maxon OD-808 was so sweet I had to have it. It will always be in front of my amp.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $159
Submitted 02/12/2002 at 08:43pm by Anonymous

Ease of Use : 10

Sound Quality : 9
Sounds very similar to the TS-808 but has a less cohesive sound. With both pedals up full the od808 has a less even decay than the TS808. This may have been just the 2 pedals I tried...they all vary slightly. A good pedal. A good workhorse if you don't want to gig your TS808.

Reliability : No Opinion

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 9
I good buy but not the TS808.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $145
Submitted 02/02/2002 at 12:39pm by Johnny Barry
Email: jfbarry at inreach<dot>com

Ease of Use : 10
The OD-808 could'nt get much simpler to use. Plug in, set the level to your guitar, add the amount of overdrive you like, EQ the sound with the tone Knob and play, go back and tweek if you need to, thats it.

Sound Quality : 10
How do I give my Marshall the crunch of a boogie while keeping that addicting Marshall tone? a Ibanez TS-808. I've tried every overdrive/distortion/fuzz box I could get my hands on just to see if there was anything else out there as good as the Tube Screamer, and they all fell at least a little if not terribly short, until now. The Maxon is probably 99% identical to my ear to the Ibanez. There is a difference that you can occasionally hear when comparing the pedals plugged in side by side. You really have to listen for it. It's not bad, they both sound great. Now my TS-808 is retired and the Maxon pushes my Marshall. I've waited for this pedal for years, Thank you Maxon.

Reliability : 10
I've only had mine a few months, but the construction seems very tuff. I'm not afraid to stomp on it.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Everythings fine so far, hope I don't have to deal with repairing it someday.

Overall Rating : 10
If you know anything about older cranked up Marshall tube amps, and you don't want just an AC/DC sound(no offense Angus) you need to run some sort of stomp box. The Maxon is a indispensible link in the chain. I'm going to buy another one of these pedals for backup/collectors purposes. I did'nt play without the Tube Screamer and I won't play without the Maxon, yes it's that good.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $125
Submitted 01/02/2002 at 11:47pm by Vince Esquire
Email: imua<at>mailcity dot com

Ease of Use : 10
EASE OF USE IS UNBEATABLE!!! 3 KNOBS...WHAT COULD BE SIMPLER?

Sound Quality : 10
MY SETUP RUNS CLOSE/SOMEWHAT SIMILAR THAT OF KWS...
SRV SIG. STRAT-CRYBABY WAH- TS-9 - OD-808 - DANELECTRO DELAY/ECHO - BOSS TU-12H TUNER- 1967 BLACKFACE SUPER REVERB (ALL ORIGINAL)

THE OD-808 IS DA BOMB OVERDRIVE PEDAL! IT WILL REALLY COMPLIMENT A TS-9 AND WILL STILL MAKE YOUR GUITAR SOUND GREAT WITH THE TS-9 (IT'LL GIVE YOU A REALLY NICE CLEAN SOUND) IMPOSSIBLE TO DIAL IN A BAD SOUND ON THIS THING!

Reliability : 5
IT'S PRETTY STURDY...WOUDLIN'T WANNA KICK IT AROUND THOUGH...

Customer Support : No Opinion
NEVER DELT WITH THEM

Overall Rating : 10
I PLAY ALOT OF SRV AND KWS..SO THIS IS REALLY A GREAT PEDAL FOR THIS TYPE OF MUSIC. I BET YOU COULD PROBABLY SET IT TO GET A LITTLE MUDDY FOR PUNK OR WHATEVER YOU WANT. I COMPARED THIS TO THE OLD TS-808 AND IT WAS SCARY CLOSE....GREAT PEDAL.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $134
Submitted 12/26/2001 at 11:50am by Davor
Email: pavuna<at>bluewin dot ch

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy - 3 buttons :-)

Sound Quality : 10
It's THE best overdrive there is, period.

I play since 1960 and have and can buy the BEST gear
and I have all these pedals: TS7, Baby Blue, FD II and
H&K Tubefactor etc ... and also VG-88 and the POD ...

This is THE BEST, period: go and buy one.

Reliability : No Opinion
looks great

Customer Support : No Opinion
don't know

Overall Rating : 10
I can and do buy all the top gear: this is the best overdrive
in the ''808'' family: sounds like a genuine tube-screamer
and makes my tube-boutique amps sound Divine !

It is similar yet better than Ibanez TS9 reissue ...

All I can say is: go and buy one !
Guitar Player was right for once: a MUST BUY.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $125
Submitted 10/26/2001 at 11:53am by David Ross
Email: david dot l dot ross<at>abc dot com

Ease of Use : 10
Can't be any easier. Three knobs and usefull settings in the manual

Sound Quality : 9
I use a Fender Blues Junior - Maxon - Crybaby - Les Paul. It's a simple setup and it sounds awesome. From Hendrix to Duane Allman with no problems. Very responsive to pick attack and limited feedback. You can control the volume with your guitar or just by playing softer. I finally found the tone I've been looking for!!

Reliability : 10
So far so good. I've had it less than a year but the construction seems solid and the footswitch is great. Old school

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
Worth every penny. I've been playing for 12 years and LOVE Hendrix, Allman Bros, Phish, etc. I can get a variety of tones and it's so easy to use. I compared it to the reissue TS-9 and this blew it away. My amp/Maxon cost me around $350 and it sounds like a $1000 amp. If you're not playing gigs I would recommend a nice small tube amp (Fender Blues Jr, Ampeg Jet Reissue) and a Maxon 808 reissue. You can't go wrong and you'll sound like you spent a lot more money


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $145
Submitted 10/09/2001 at 02:06pm by Bryan

Ease of Use : 9
Pretty simple. Three Knobs...dial it in to your liking.

Sound Quality : 10
This thing nails the tube screamer sound and more. Great range of overall tone and better than my original TS-9 that I got rid of a couple years back. I like rolling the tone knob back...very warm and thick. I am mostly into blues and rock so this pedal is now a must for me.

Reliability : 9
Good construction, seems built to last. Nice switch.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't had to deal with it.

Overall Rating : 10
Been playing for about 18 years now and this thing really compliments my playing style. I would much rather go with this pedal than spending hundreds on a TS-808. I had heard too much hype that the OD-808 Reissue couldn't keep up with it, but it can definitely hold its own.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $160
Submitted 09/19/2001 at 05:08pm by Gerry

Ease of Use : 10
As user-friendly as it gets. Three knobs: tone, balance and drive. Easy to grab them during a gig or rehearsal to tweak the pedal.

Sound Quality : 10
I had been using an Ibanez TS-9 reissue for the last several years. I liked the sound quality just fine. However... that darn footswitch was so unreliable. Some days, it worked great; other days, it was a struggle to get it on and off. Figured I'd give the Maxon OD 808 a try. Not only does the switch turn the effect on and off umpteen percent more reliably, but this box sounds superior to the TS-9. With the Tube Screamer, I'd usually find myself completely rolling off the treble on the tone knob since it sounded somewhat harsh past 12 o'clock. With the OD 808, I have a more useable range of tones with the tone knob. Sounds great in every position, although I veer toward around 11 o'clock. With each pedal, I use it more along the lines of a clean boost, cranking the level, but keeping the drive control usually around 9 o'clock maximum. Also, the Maxon maintains the bass response better than the Screamer, which seems to compress the signal.
Noise specs are what you would expect for a gain device, which means it's going to offer some hiss.

I use the OD 808 with my overdrive channel on my Crate VC5212 amps (all-tube) and it gives a nice little boost for emphasizing lead lines or for soloing. Guitars I use include: a Hamer solid-body archtop (Les Paul-style axe); a heavily modded Ibanez RG 570; and a Squier Stratocaster.


Reliability : 9
I can depend on this. Would gig without a backup for sure. The box is lighter than the TS-9, but I have it anchored down to my pedalboard so it's not going anywhere.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing guitar for roughly 23 years. I play lots of different styles, but particularly enjoy playing psychedelia, blues, hard rock/heavy metal, free jazz and experimental-type things. This pedal respects your guitar's tone (as well as the amplifier's). This would be ideal for a blues player and handy for rock 'n' rollers who like the warmth of tube-type tone. I wouldn't recommend setting your amp on clean and using this pedal as your sole distortion source--it's not really made for that function. Use it to juice up your already overdriven tube amp. It's more musical than the reissue TS-9 and keeps your bass response intact. If I were to quibble, I might argue that it's a bit pricey for an overdrive pedal and the case doesn't seem as solid as the Screamer.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $130
Submitted 07/19/2001 at 07:40am by Brian

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use, standard 3 knobs like that of a tube screamer. Maxon owns ibanez and this is really a reissue of the original Ibanez TS-808. It has the same op amp chip at also

Sound Quality : 9
This pedal sounds like a tube screamer, but it doesn't have the crappy switch like a tubescreamer has. The box looks like an MXR style box. This has more gain than the vox valvetone that I have and is great for blues. But it is not as clear as the vox and sounds kind of like my amp has a sock over it. But still good, more of a blues sound though. Its very smooth and sounds just as good as my friends original TS-9

Reliability : 10
Very reliable, low current draw so batteries last forever. Good switch

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never delt with maxon

Overall Rating : 10
I play rock, blues, punk, and metal and this pedal works great. I compared it to the TS-5, TS-10, TS-9 and this is what I ended up with. Now I hear the TS-7 is suppose to be very good, but I never tried it out and I am a little sketical of the newer ibanez pedals especially after the soundtank series. I would definetely recommend this over a reissue TS-9. For the money the TS-7 may be a better deal, but this is a great pedal


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 05/04/2001 at 08:08pm by john parry

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use.

Sound Quality : 9
I have tried numerous OD's.
Liked this one the best so far.
Very warm and smooth.
No noise! Tone seems sweeter than Fulltone to me.
Records very well too.
Very nicely made. Fine craftman ship. Not cheap like some others.

Reliability : No Opinion
Don't know yet.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A

Overall Rating : No Opinion
I play rock, blues, reggae, folk,funk, etc...everything.
30 years playing. I would replace it. Sounds great, looks great!
Nice switch. Compared it to Fulltone, Voodoo lab, Ibanez.
Makes me very creative. I had a very hard time picking an overdrive and finally went with this one. I like the sparkle drive a lot too.
The Fulltone sounded a little thinner to me. I think the sound and beautiful looks won me over.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $160
Submitted 04/06/2001 at 10:45am by Ed State

Ease of Use : 10
if you can't figure this out, you've got severe problems. the manual is fine.

although, there should be an easier way to replace a battery on the fly. the way it is now you need a phillips-head screwdriver.

Sound Quality : 10
this is the best dist/sust/ovdr out there. unless you want super-heavy dist, this should be considered.

it's not noisy at all.

i use it wither several different amps: '71 twin, bruno, crate... and it sounds great with all.

Reliability : 10
very sturdy.

Customer Support : 10
very nice. they take pestering quite well.

Overall Rating : 10
i play almost every style, but mostly: rock, surf, country, blues and heavy metal... and it's good for all. it's small too, which is a big plus. it's a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. that said, it's absolutely worth every penny.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $130.00
Submitted 02/26/2001 at 06:13pm by G. Saich
Email: gsaich<at>codegreen dot net

Ease of Use : 10
Very easy to use. The manual had some useful setting suggestions. Dials just like a TS-808.

Sound Quality : 10
I lost my TS-808 (if you have it give it back). I was looking for a replacement and don't really like the TS-9. The OD808 sounds a great deal like my old reliable TS-808. The tone fully counter clockwise sounds better to me on the OD808 than my TS-808 did (less muffled), fully clockwise the OD808 is a little too tinny (like tin) but dialed back slightly it sounds just like my TS-808 did fully clockwise. I'm playing a Tele Deluxe through a GK 250ML and with the OD808 settings right I can get a nice barky overdriven Champ sound (Great on a SS amp). I like it. Wet with a little reverb it is quite nice. The best part is it still sounds like a Tele Deluxe. (I was using a Rat since I lost my Tube Screamer and it makes everything sound like anything played into a Rat.) Hats off, nice replication of the TS-808 sound. Its a 10 if your goal is to have something that works like a TS-808.

Reliability : No Opinion
Don't know yet. I'm pretty nice to my gear so it may not be a problem, but the switch is a little lightweight, and the box is thinner than the original TS-808.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't needed them, but they did do nice documentatrion.

Overall Rating : 9
I like to play R&B and Blues. The tones I can get out of this box are a great match. I started playing 25 years ago and took a 15 year break until recently. I play a Tele Deluxe and a Strat type that I built. If it were lost or stolen I would replace it with the same. If I had my TS-808 I would sell it for many dollars and keep the OD808 as I see them as functionally equivalent. There is nothing I wish it had it is a complete functional replication to my ear (others may disagree, beware their motives. When I started playing, any guitar built in the 70s was crap and a TS-808 was a cheapy pedal, you had to get the old stuff for it to be any good, now they are all 'vintage' and collectable). . . oh wait I wish it had a slanted face and a rectangular button, it was 25 years ond and that someone would give me $500.00 for it; then it would be perfect.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $140
Submitted 02/25/2001 at 01:58pm by jeremy cyr
Email: cyrja<at>hotmail dot com

Ease of Use : 10
Having graduated from kindergarten 14 years ago, this pedal gave me no trouble. In fact, even when I was 5 I could've figured this pedal out. If you still have trouble with finger painting or "staying within the lines", I would not recommend od-808 re.

Sound Quality : 10
In my quest to sound/be like Trey Anastasio, I use the following:
PRS CE22 w/ dragon 2's > morley bad horsie wah > ds-1 distortion (dont laugh. it is cheap and compliments the maxon well) > MAXON 0D-808 RE > MXR dynacomp > Boomerang > fender m80 1x12 combo mic'd to a fender acoustisonic stereo amp. Yeah sounds odd in writing, but sounds oh so good live. In fact ever since I got the pedal, I have gotten many compliments on my tone. This pedal is an instant TREY or CARLOS

Reliability : No Opinion

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
Given the amount of jaws that drop on the floor when my tone shines through I would have to give it a ten. Yeah it is pricey. Hey, im poor and in collage...what's your excuse? I believe that with the Maxon od-808 re and a little boss ds-1 for lil' extra boost is great for the phish or santana stuff. Yes I would buy one again.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $85.00
Submitted 02/13/2001 at 11:23am by Lou Coppolino
Email: axe4me<at>optonline dot net

Ease of Use : 10
Three knobs: Overdrive, Balance (volume) and Tone on a puke green MXR like stomp box. It's as simple as it gets. My stock OD808 has that mysterious magical chip that seems to start that "mine is better than yours thing".
Very easy to use. Plug in and play yer geetar.

Sound Quality : 9
The OD808 is a mild overdrive stomp box that gives you a pleasant kick in the ass tone. I could hear all those SRV clones using this but there's more than one vibe here. If you're a Joe Walsh/Eagles fan, a Charlie Sexton, David Gilmour, Billy Gibbons or Rory Gallagher admirer, this is your pedal. Nothing will give you their exact sound, but if your phrasing is like these guys, you'll love the OD808.
Strats or Teles seem to sound best with it. My guitars identity is not colored too much. It's not entirely as "transparent" as some may say but that's a subjective view.
With my single coil guitars through my 50 watt Marshall plexi halfstack, the OD808 allows me to have the bite and tone of my guitar heroes. It sounds especially good with my Prescription Vibe Unit for that swirlly Ernie Isley "Who's that Lady" chops.

Reliability : 9
No problems.
I've only had it for a month.
Seems tough enough to step on.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Have no idea.

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing for over 30 years and have heard and seen just about all of these vintage toys and remakes. The Maxon OD808 has a more defined attack and tone than my Ibanez UE400 (TS9 tube screamer) multi effects rack piece. You definately know when it's on but you can play with it on all night. Very pleasant tone. Not that ice pick or breaking glass artifical sound.
I have an early version Bixonic Expandora; MXR block letter Distortion+ (not the Dunlop one); Dano Daddy-O; Boss Blues Driver;Fulltone 69 & 70 pedals; Matchless Hot Box (THEEEEE BEST)that I use in different playing situations.
My top 3 picks in my collection are: Hot Box, Expandora and Maxon OD808. A very good choice for just a bit of extra juice.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US N/A
Submitted 11/27/2000 at 11:40pm by outlier
Email: outlier1864 at yahoo<dot>com

Ease of Use : 9
Nothing difficult about three knobs: Overdrive, Tone and Balance. Maxon's manual provides five suggested settings and thoroughly explains the pedal's features. That said, a manual is not actually necessary. Bonus point for lack of stilted, sometimes bemusing but always amusing "Japlish" often found in other Japanese-made pedal manuals.

Sound Quality : 10
I use these pedals with Killer KG-Prime guitars, vintage Marshall and Park amps, Mesa Recto 4x12s, Lee Jackson preamps and a variety of rack processors.

I actually have two OD808RIs - the Japanese domestic version and the American export version which chronologically followed later. Inspection of the circuit board reveals notable differences: Four capacitors are changed in value, one capacitor and one resistor are eliminated on the American version. The Japanese version utilizes a JRC1458D chip while the American version packs the mystical-voodoo JRC4558D chip under its hood.

Resistors are tiny eighth-watt carbon film types and capacitors are equally small metal films or electrolytics depending on capcitance value. One tone cap is a tantalum cap.

It would seem that Maxon changed the circuit to respond to demands from the American market. This reflects what I believe is an essential difference as to what the average Japanese and American guitarist expects from an overdrive pedal. In Japan, Hard Rock and Metal still have large followings. The Japanese version has a tight focused tone with a slight mid-boost around 900Hz or so and a slight bass roll-off. I find the Japanese version extremely useful for a bright, yet smooth lead tone that really cuts through. It would seem that the Japanese version's intention is to compliment and punch up an already-overdriven HR/HM rhythm tone.

American guitarists by contrast, seem to prefer a pedal with a complete lack of coloration and it certainly seems that Maxon has addressed this issue well. The American version is the finest exponent of a non-coloring overdrive pedal I've had the opportunity to play. It happily passes up my benchmark overdrive pedal, a very sweet-sounding '83 TS9 with the TS808 mod.

I tend to use these pedals to give me a slight lead boost - neither pedal has its OVERDRIVE control turned past 1:00. Both pedals dish up extraordinarily smooth and responsive lead tones with out reducing pick attack to mush. Dynamics are preserved well. Very natural-sounding. Neither feature that harsh mid spike that mars the TS9.

Switching is accomplished by a MXR-style stompswitch. Some criticism has been leveled that the OD808 uses a SPDT switch. However, this switch does not mechanically switch the signal input like say, old E-H pedals, but instead switches FET switching ala the TS9. Anyone familiar with the fragile computer-type switches on 9-series Ibanez pedals going south on ya should actually appreciate a sturdy stompswitch for FET switching.

Coloration from FETs? Not enough for me to notice and not really a consideration anyway: Both pedals are mounted on a sliding rack shelf and controlled and switched in and out of the audio path with a Rocktron Patchmate - hence true bypass.

As an aside, I've tried varying the supply voltage from an ADA Batt-Man - rotating the voltage from 5.5 to 9.2 volts reveals very little of a difference, but to be fair, neither do any of my other overdrives and distortions sound much different either. Not worth bothering with, IMHO.

Reliability : 8
Reliability? Some might be concerned about the stompswitch, that's understandable. Still seems pretty solid. As I've mentioned, they're mounted in a rack, so they won't go under the boot and the conditions you subject the pedal to may be very different.

Wave-soldering of components and hand soldering of wires are both employed in the manufacture of the pedal. It would seem sufficient solder has been deposited to the AC input to withstand mechanical stress - always a problem with pedals that have a very thin coat of solder from the wave-soldering process.

Customer Support : 10
Customer support is A+++. I've had some questions concerning Maxon products, emailed the company in Japan and received very prompt, friendly and informative replies in fluent English. These guys want your business and treat everyone like a rock star.

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing for over twenty years and I find both pedals eminently suitable to the styles of music I play - anything from Vinnie Moore sweeps to Trower-ish heavy blues-rock to prog metal to even stuff like Southern Rock.

As I've mentioned, my previous benchmark pedal - an '83 TS9 w/TS808 mod has been surpassed by the OD808 American version. Quite an accomplishment when I consider that TS9RIs w/TS808 mod never sounded quite as good as the '83. Why the difference? Component aging? Different manufacture of resistors and capacitors? Who knows?

All I know is that Maxon has pulled it off. This is what I was looking for.

A first glance, the price of the OD808 might seem a little high - one online retailer lists it for $134.95. When compared to the Ibanez TS9RI that can be found new some places for $99.00, it might not seem like such a bargain until one considers the cost of modifying a TS9RI and all the attendant hassles of shipping, etc. The OD808 American version comes right out of the box with the JRC4558D chip and is ready to blast.

I did try others in my endless pursuit of the ultimate overdrive including those that make as their claim, "has the TS808 circuit in it!" So why not go right to the source?

Also, when compared to boutique pedals offered by lone-man operations assembling TS808 clones in basements and garages and asking $200, $300 and even more for handpainted pedals with Radio Shack parts, the OD808 is a downright bargain. Hey, Maxon ARE the guys that came up with the TS808! And while Maxon's name might not yet have the cachet of some of the Emperor's New Clothes glitterati pedals out there, listen with your ears and your wallet. I was very pleasantly surprised and I think you will be too.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $149
Submitted 04/05/2000 at 10:31pm by JohnnyConqueroo
Email: none

Ease of Use : 9
As has been said before, this is pretty easy to use (intuitive)...The footswitch is easier to nail on the fly than the TS-9's, I think. It doesn't take long to find a setting I like.

Sound Quality : 9
Having A-B'd this pedal against numerous distortion/overdrives, it won me over. I couldn't try it one-on-one with an original 808, but against much of the competition ( such as Hot Cake, Jekyll and Hyde, etc.) it was clearly more subtle, and thus more usable as an overdrive. I pair it up with a ProCo Rat if I want to go high-gain. This pedal has transparency, and also that wet character. The edges are rounded off (I agree that the tone knob needs to be tweaked somewhat to get this), and the other pedals I tried against this one seemd too gaudy. This one seems natural, like you're just cranking it!

Reliability : 10
The footswitch is pretty positive, although in truth, the old MXR pedals had better ones along the same lines. Maxon should look into this. The metal casing has the same feel as old MXR pedals - really good!

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't had to deal with them yet...Being as they are in Japan, I'm really hoping their distributor is around if I need them.

Overall Rating : 9
My signal chain is as follows: '72 Fender Strat>Budda Wah>Maxon OD808 reissue>ProCo Vintage Rat>EH Deluxe Memory Man Reissue>'62 Fender Bandmaster with 2X12 JBL's. My main sound is just the OD808 and the Memory Man delayed for some slapback. This gives me a very authentic blues tone, sort of Peter Green-like, sort of ballsy. Try this pedal out...definitely!


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: US $140
Submitted 06/16/1999 at 12:03pm by Aberwa@aol.com
Email: Aberwa at aol<dot>com

Ease of Use : 8
Just like the Ibanez tube screamers, the same three knobs, tone, overdrive, volume. Manual comes with it buts its written in Japanese. Its easy to get a good sound if you have good ears.

Sound Quality : 7
It sound like any other maxon made tube screamer, remember maxon makes Ibanez's tubescreamers. But on this one, there is one thing different. The tone know has a different output than all the other tubescreamers. Its set by the factory to have more treble than normal. So, when I a/b them with my tubescreamers, I came up with the conclusion that the OD808 reissue tone knob needs to be at the 8 oclock position to sound like a TS808(tone knob at 12 oclock). Thats the only big difference. More treble control on the OD808. I used a 1960 strat with fender vintage amps. And it sound alright. But I am spoiled with either a original OD808 or TS808. I just know that the OD808 is a good overdrive pedal and it will never beat the original. The original sounds gooooood! These vintage TS808s and OD808s have a special wetness to its tone and quality that I could not find in any new pedal. And I don't think I will ever find a pedal that will beat it. There is a reason why TS and OD808s are going for $400. They sound better than any overdrive in the world period. Maybe in 20years this new OD808 reissue might get a decent sound or magic from the ageing process. Who knows?

Reliability : 10
built real nice. aluminuim box, light weight MXR box which is cool.

Customer Support : 10
Maxon has there own web page. So its cool

Overall Rating : 6
I wouldn't buy another if it was stolen because I love my original Od808 and TS808s.


Product: Maxon OD-808 Reissue
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 02/28/1999 at 09:20pm by Charles LaPointe
Email: clapointe at viaduct<dot>custom<dot>net

Ease of Use : 10
Three knobs=Overdrive,Tone&Balance. Couldn't get easier!

Sound Quality : 10
I'm using Custom Fender Strat into Vox Wah=Maxon OD808=Boss DS-1=Dunlop Univibe=Boss RRV 10 into a Pignose G-40v (ohhh,what a thick tone !) I can nail SRV to Hendriex&Trower with this set up.

Reliability : 10
Maxon pedals are the worlds best(they made pedals for Ibanez for years) Will last a life time.

Customer Support : 10
Maxon has been great to me,answered all my questions&been very helpfull to me. Only problem is there in Japan only!

Overall Rating : 10
Ibanez has reissued the TS-808 it's called the Maxon OD808 Reissue.The only difference is that the JRC chip is the JRC I4580(Instead of the JRC 4558) It blows away the Ibanez TS-9 Reissue(crappy ass Toshiba chip) Screw all those $50 808 Mod to your TS-9,TS-10&TS-5! Get the real deal. By the way I've had all the DEALERS E-mailing wanting info on these Maxon OD808 wanting info !!!!Screw You Money Hungry Assholes!!!! (there only sold in Japan) If somebody wants ONE I'll hook you up. Watch out for those damn greedy DEALERS!!!!!!!(Dealers don't E-mail me)Fuck off!

Page: 1 (Show 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 reviews per page) Showing 1 - 77 of 77 reviews

Email: webmaster@harmony-central.com | © 1995-2009 Harmony Central, Inc. All rights reserved.