Maxon OD-808

Pretty easy I'd say. I've been using a tubescreamer since the TS-808 cost $40 new.

The Maxon 808 is a better, over the counter, tubescreamer. It's really appearent when twisting the tone knob. More usable range. I use it as a fattener for my tone. Works great when you can't crank your amp up. I prefer my amp run hard and hot but when that can't happen do to volume restraints, the 808 is the best substitute.

I have had problems with the Ibanez TS9 switch but not the Maxon 808. I don't have a backup, but it would be no big deal to perform with out it.

I'm a blues guitarist with 30 years of professional experience playing bars and festivals.
I've had many boutique clean boosts and OD pedals inc the fulldrive, tim, etc etc. The best for me have been the basic tubescreamer, complete with mid hump, or the ausie hot cake.

I use an Ampeg Trem/Jet or a DrZ Maz 18 at the moment. I have a mic on my amp most of the time. I like a tele, strat, lespaul, or a es330/335. They all have their good points.

Doesn't get much easier than 3 knobs.

First off I'd like to say, I use this to saturate my amps current gain. That being said, in my opinion, this is THE overdrive pedal to go with, if you're using it the way I do. I play heavy 7 string death metal, but I'm obsessed with clarity when it comes to high gain. My rig right now is, Agile Interceptor 7 string > EMG 707's > Dunlop DC brick > Maxon OD808 > ISP Decimator > Peavey JSX head > 2 Carvin cabinets > stock speakers.
I use this pedal with the Overdrive on 0, Tone a little higher than half way, Balance on 10. In my opinion those are the best settings when using it with your amps distortion. I advise using a noise gate with this, because like all overdrive pedals, this is going to create a tiny bit of noise.

I haven't had it for long, but it hasn't given me any problems. Although, I try to be as careful as I can be with all of my gear. It's a pretty light pedal, so I wouldn't doubt if a good drop from a few feet would damage something internally.

I wouldn't know, I never had to deal with them

After playing this pedal, I honestly don't think I could play without it and be satisfied with my sound. It's a must have for anyone playing metal who needs to push their gain to 11. It I were to lose this pedal, I'd definitely get another. Either that or get a vintage Ibanez TS-808. They're essentially the same pedal, because Maxon designed the Tube Screamer then licensed the design to Ibanez to be sold in America. Maxon still makes these pedals with the same original design and parts, Ibanez however uses cheap parts on their reissue Tube Screamers. Don't ever buy an Ibanez Tube Screamer unless it's an original. Chances are you'll be able to find a Maxon OD808 for a lot cheaper though.

3 Knobs ,couldnt be easier, if you cant understand this you probably don't know how to plug in an electric guitar.

American standard telecaster and a 1970's strat-Crybaby 535Q -OD808- Boogie MK4 with EHX Small Stone Phaser, Electric Mistress, and Deluxe Memory Man in effects loop. Bought it for 60 quid on ebay after reading all the hype about tube screamers, best 60 quid ever spent, this thing just brings an extra dimension to my clean channel, the sound is still there but with extra grit and punch perfect for rock and roll and 1970's rock. Doesnt add much to lead channel just tightens it a little as i have this running on max gain anyway so wouldnt expext it to.

Dont know only had it a few weeks but looks solid enough

Not needed it

When used as intended its brilliant, this is not meant to be a distortion pedal if this is what you want buy a big muff or something. It brings something extra to the clean channel on a good tube amp, i can imagine it being really good with a fender amp. Also tried it with a POD which i use for practice at homeand it just sounds like a crappy overdrive pedal, but again i didnt expect it to sound good in this situation. Rating it 9 only because i think some people might expect it to make them sound like SRV etc through any set up.

Pretty easy.

Well, i tried this Maxon with a Vox AC4TV and an DA5 for a while, and it just sounded phatastically bad. Just like very cheap solid state distortion. No chance to get a good tone out of it. I wonder if it is damaged or so, although it is absolutely new. Even the fuzz from the DA5 is better.
Will send it back.

Don't know.

Quiet terrible.

Three knobs, pretty straight forward.

Phenomenal. Produces gorgeous, full sounds. Rig: American Fender Strat > Bridge Pickup: Seymore Duncan Hotrail Humbucker > Boss-CS2 (junk, but gets the job done) > OD808 > Marshall Valve-State. This pedal really warmed the tone from my guitar. Leads are soaring, full of character and sound, sustain is nice as well. My tone, and even guitar playing was significantly improved by this pedal. Boosts the mids very cleanly, and makes my leads cut through the mix like chain saw into human flesh.... or like warm butter, your choice. I wouldn't go anywhere without this pedal, actually have two of them for different tones. Great pedal, by the original manufacturer of the Tube Screamer. Great for blues, and rock alike.

Never had a problem, had it for two years.

Never had in issue.

A must have to anyone who plays rock and roll, and is looking to add a smooth, rich, warm OD to their rig. Not sure how people here could get such bad sound out of it... perhaps they don't know how to move their fingers right, or are expecting this to sound like ozzy.... cause it wont. Completely recommend it. Influences stem from Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, Trey Anastasio, Eric Clapton, etc.

No easier pedal than this - overdrive, level & tone knobs.

Pure gold. The only time i turn this pedal off is for absolutely clean, like the intro to more than a feeling. Otherwise this pedal is always on in my rig. Every guitar i use sounds better with this - smoother tone and more sparkle and punch. my usual axes are a Gibson L6-S, Fender Lead II, Eric Clapton strat, and G&L ASAT semihollow tele. i go through a whammy pedal, then the OD808, into a Boss ME-50, which also has a tubescreamer effect that i throw on for more sustain/bass punch. I also own the Ibanez TS-808 and TS-9, a Fulltone Fulldrive 2, a Boss overdrive, and a Fulltone Soul Bender. None of these comes even close to the Maxon. i just bought a second one as a backup. that being said the maxon works great w/ a second overdrive or compression pedal. i always have the OD808 set to 9 o'clock overdrive, 3 o'clock level, 4 o'clock tone, that way if you dial your guitar volume down to 3 or 4 you'll get a clean tone that still sounds solid, full of sustain, and really cuts through the mix. the Boss ME-50's tubescreamer at the end of the chain yields gobs better tone than either of the ibanez tubescreamers or the other fulltone pedals. the boss overdrive pedal comes in third. don't leave home w/o your maxon

Gigged with it for the last three years w/o problem, now sometimes when i setup for a show it might be shorting out but i nudge it slightly and it resolves, just a loose jack probably.

haven't needed to do anything to this pedal except plug it in

I play all kinds of music with all kinds of gear. The Maxon OD-808 is my most indispensable pedal, the only constant in my rig over the last three years. Whether i'm using my mesa lonestar, 1964 bassman, or peavey valveking, this pedal makes everything better. the only real no brainer i've come across.

Very easy to use. 3 knobs. :)

Amazing. i play metal and blues and rock. ive used it on a marshall, my old framus cobra and now my splawn quickrod. every amp i use it on, im totally blown away by the metal tones i can get. it makes your medium gain amp a metal machine! tightens palm mutes and give them a thick "dig". very much a killswitch engage sound. very rich on harmonics. its my favorite piece of gear.

no problems at all

no experience need so far here

i wouldnt play metal without one. the only thing it does that i dont like is that it compresses your tone a bit, but most Overdrive pedals will. but it is a small price to pay for the quality of sound you get. i cant stress enough how much this thing makes any amp with a decent amount of distortion into a metal amp. amazing!

Very simple to use. Generic manual that covers all Maxon products, but gives you the essentials to get going with the unit.

Did what I wanted--until I really needed it in a gig (more under reliability). A great unit for adding some kick for solos, and a really singing sustain.

I played live with it twice in four years. In between, I removed the 9 volt battery and it rested. Second gig, 10 songs in, it died--I was out of play for the entire song. So I would not recommend the Maxon OD808 as gig worthy.

Oh, at $179CDN, I will be calling them. The gig failure happened two weeks ago.

I hedge here. Maybe I just got a bad unit. When it worked, it sounded great. But to cack out on the second gig--well, very vexing. Especially, because at the price, I consider it a premium effect.

Simple, plug it in...

My TS-9 Reissue has a harsher tone to it The OD 808 is smooth and creamy...It's the winner...

Works fine...ultra light too...

Haven't needed it...but maxon's fantastic...visit their site...

I a hard Rock, Blues Lovin Fool I been at it 30+ years and like the music WICKED. Professional Luthier and Musician The pedal is great for any music you want to play (if it requires a pedal effect)

First, I am suprised at how many people refer to this pedal as a "tube screamer" clone. Maxon built the TS 808 for Ibanez, and is building the same re-issue with the same parts and specs. So I guess you can call the "Tube Screamer" a Maxon clone.
That said, I own to Tube Screamers, (one the DX verson) one a regular TS 9, the Maxon, a snarling dogs Blue Doo, A visual sound OD,
and a visual sound Jeckyll and Hyde, and I think a couple of more, I'd have to dig through the closet. The Maxon is by far the most transparent of them all, seeming to have no unwanted coloration. It's my go to pedal, although I like the Jeckyll and Hyde when used with heavy distortion because both overdrive and distortion are in one pedal, and easier to manipulate and tweak on the go. The TS 9's are cool, but do add some coloration of their own, and the Blue Doo has a sound all it's own, and I use it occasionaly. That said, the Maxon makes me a little nervous because it seems to be built a little on the light side, however, I've had no problems with it at all. I'm using 2 guitars, an American Strat, fully shielded but otherwise stock except for locking tuners, and a Hagstrom with a Seth Lover in the neck and a Dime Bucker in the bridge into a Fender Blues DeVille, and a Blues Jr. I get my best and cleanest overdrive with the Maxon, hands down. Three Knobs, easy to use.

I don't usually try to emulate other players, but I do like to cop a little Eric Clapton blues tone, SRV, Albert King, and a little Hendrix. Although it takes more than just the Maxxon to do this, It's a big help. As above, I'm using an American Strat with the Delta Tone pickup system and a Hagstrom with a Seth Lover in the neck. The effect isn't overly noisy, just slightly, and I'm playing through 2 Fender Amps, a 4X10 Fender Blues DeVille, and a Blues Jr. (mostly for recording) Other common pedals are a Dunlop 535Q - Maxon or other OD, A Visual Sound Chorus Echo, A MXR 10 band EQ, and an occasional phaser, flanger, or whatever, just to mix things up a bit. The Maxon always shines through, but can get a bit much with the 15 DB boost from the Wah, and 15 DB boost from the EQ. Requires tweaking and your set-up probably isn't the same as mine, but the Maxon plays well with the other bunch of pedals I've got. I also use a Decimator Noise reduction pedal which helps in any situation.

Has been totally dependable so far, however as stated above, it seems to be built a little on the light side, while my other OD's are built like tanks. I would bring a TS or Visual Sound OD pedal as a back-up, but I usually have them in the chain anyway.

Never dealt with them.

Now Days, just primarily blues, and I like to take Zepplin's, and Others Jammed up blues, and try to find a mix between and the origional versions. This also goes for SRV, Hendrix, and others, et. al. Yes I would replace it. Yes I compared it with other models and own several of them. Wish it was a little more (solidly) built.
Yes it helps me make music. And again, I think half of the people rating this, and comparing it to a TS, that Maxon actually built, need to do a little homework, and give that Maxon and TS another listen.

As easy as a any tube screamer obviously

Easily a 10, here's why:

I A/B'd it with my TS9, the difference is that the TS9's distortion has a very high treble to it that the OD808 doesn't have regardless of how you set the tone knob, making the distortion less focused, more scattered and harsh. The OD808 is smoother and more focused regardless of which knob is turned to what.

I A/B'd it with my Full Drive 2, and the FD2 has the same smooth and focused sound, partly because they use the same JRC-4558 op amp, but the OD808 has a realy nice upper mid range, sort of nasaly snarl to it that the FD2 doesn't have. The FD2 has a more transparent middle-of-the-road distortion. That upper mid nasaly voicing the OD808 adds realy makes a strat stand out and sound powerfull no matter whether you use it as a clean boost or if you dime it.

Other tuber screamerish clones I've tried such as the Sparkle Drive are similar to the FD2 in that they sound like a tube screamer in general but they don't have that realy nice kick in the upper mid range. I can't find that nice mid tone in any other pedal.

Comparing it to a Blues Driver type overdrive is apples and oranges. They are both called overdrive but they are a different effect in reality.

Great, but the knobs need tightening after being brushed by your feet so many times.

don't know, don't need to know

Definately try it if you see one, and listen for that upper mid range.

Three knobs, it don't get much easier.

I just play for fun, and am big on gear. I have been on the hunt for perfect tone from the get go and the hunt is over. My main guitar is a Carvin dc400c. I use this pedal mainly as a boost for solos. It is first in my chain after my wah then goes into a boss metal zone, a od-1, and then delay and chorus and finally a 56' fender deluxe. This pedal really adds a lot of warmth especially through a tube amp. And it makes all of my other distortions sound better. In short it is the $%^&.

so far so good

no clue

This pedal is awsome, I was told that maxon made the original ts808 by ibanez, I don't know but I honestly don't see how the ts808 could be any better than this baby.

Very, very easy to use.

Anyone who gives this a 1 for sound quality doesn't know what they're talking about. This pedal sounds GREAT and gives you a nice/warm layer of customizeable distortion over your amp sound. This is the real deal for getting the classic 808 tone. Great for blues and rock.

No problems noted.

I have dealt with Maxon's customer support and they've always quickly responded to my emails.

I've tried the following: Ibanez TS808 reissue, Maxon OD-9, Maxon OD-808 and this one sounded best! Gives you a nice real sounding overdriven tube amp sound.

3 knobs

guitars:
-epiphone sheraton
-gibson les paul
-gibson custom shop non reverse firebird (3 mini hums)

pedals:
-crowther hot cake
-mjm london fuzz II
-maxon od808
-maxon D&S
-Boss DD3

amps:
-fender blues junior
~i've also had a fender hot rod deluxe, marshall jcm2000 DSL, soldano astroverb, and peavey delta blues 210 while owning this pedal.


this is the best tubescreamer/tubescreamer clone out there. if you can't get a good tone out of this, i'm surprised that you can even work your way around on the internet.

with my fender blues junior, i use it to push the amp's natural overdrive over the top. adds lots of sustain and bite.

with my marshall, i'd set it on slightly dirty, and use this to fatten up the tone. it sounded better than just the marshall on full boar.

with the soldano, i used it as a lead boost.

i dont remember how it sounded with the peavey because i never played the peavey on account that it sounded like crap.

this pedal isn't for metal. if you dont like mids, stop playing guitar. drums and bass are for the low end. vocals and cymbals are for the high end. guitar takes care of the mids. if you have a problem with that, play something else. this thing has a lot of mids and it cuts through the mix like a knife. i've never had a problem being heard.

i've had it for years. never a problem.

great guys

i play rock, heavily influenced by british music. think Oasis, Beatles, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (theyre british influenced), Interpol (same as BRMC), and Coldplay. I also really like Neil Young, Dave Matthews Band, Bob Dylan, and the Sex Pistols.

If you dont dig this, then you dont dig tubescreamers. If you do like tubescreamers, then this is as good as it gets. Its better than that Ibanez TS808 reissue. The only ts clone that rivals this, and may be better, is the Maxon OD9. i've never tried that one though. I definitely dig this more than the Fulltone Full Drive 2.

Since the day i've bought this, i've gone through many drive pedals. fulltone distortion pro, fulltone soulbender, dod flashback fuzz, boss ds1, boss amp factory, hao rust driver (which really kicks ass, check it out if you want a Marshall Plexi-esque tone for $130), Boss SD1, and many others. This has been my favorite whether i use it just for a boost or for some extra dirt.

I dont always use this pedal the most, but its been the pedal i've owned the longest and thats for a reason. my rig, and my sound, has changed drastically over the years and this is the only pedal thats been able to make the cut every time. sure its only an overdrive pedal, but it has so many uses and what it does, it does well. even when i set it out of my chain, i know its only temporary.

if you want the best tubescreamer, get the Maxon OD 808

Simple to use, nothing wrong with that department. It only get's one tone!!!

Sound's like CRAP!!!! Ok here's the setup. Tele or Strat then OD 808 Band Master or Twin. The pedal for what it is is good if all you want is a thick compressed tone with no bottom end. But it is to harsh in the midrange, and as I said has no bottom end and just to compressed. It'll pretty much cover the SRV overdriven tone. But if you want your own tone better look else were. Unless your in a SRV cover band. One thing I don't under stand is that in the description is states that it is transparent, and lets your true tone of your instrument come through. That is a false statement. I screwed around with the thing for about two weeks and just could not get it to sound good. No transparency at all. So I have taken it to some one to mod it so it will be more transparent, more bottom end, less compression and less of that harsh midrange. Lesson learned don't get caught up in all the hype. If you want a good overdriven tone out of your Twin or Band Master or what have you, have some one build a pedal to your specs.

Hasn't fallen apart. Which im surprised being that I got pretty angry with it and knocked it around a few times. I think it'll hold up like a SM57!!

No need to call them. If I did im sure I would have the authorities at my house.

What style of music do you play? I play it all from Rock to Metal to Out Law Country to Blues.

Is this a good match? Absolutely not!!!

What other gear do you own? Vintage Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, Marshalls, Twins, you name it.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? I would get a Expandora, or a have a pedal built to my specs.

What do you hate? To compressed, no bottom end, no transparency and to damn harsh in the mids. Think of some one honking there horn at 3 a.m. thats what this thing sounds like.

What is your favorite feature? It is very small and doe's not take up much room.

Did you compare it to other products? Yes, and then later own I found the Expandora. Much better pedal and a little bit more.

Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way? I get absolutely no inspiration from the OD 808. In fact most of the Maxons just sound like... well I can't repeat that here.

Fairly easy: turn knobs and keep your ears open. Needs some adjustment to playing style and taste but overall it's a breeze.

I'm using this with a little Fender Champion. The OD delivers crisp sounds. You can hear individual strings in a chord. It gives you mild overdrive to an AC/DC type rock'n'roll tone. No noise. Beware, you still won't sound like Hendrix or SRV unless you also know how to play like them. I'd say for an od pedal this is a good deal. I have owned the Ibanez tube screamer before, early Eighties issue, and think this Maxon does sound better.

It looks fairly reliable but I'm not sure because I've never gigged with it. The housing is metal but thin. While I wouldn't fear for an MXR even if you throw it against a wall (except for pots and switch), I'm not sure if this Maxon would survive it. They could have also put some foam into it. The battery rattles around as is.

No idea.

Rock, Blues, some jazzy stuff. This pedal is good for that but will not create a wall of sound type distortion. It would be interesting to use it for boosting a cranked tube amp. I have a feeling that should sound pretty good. I've been playing for over 20 years, own Tele and Strat guitars.
I like this pedal's simplicity. The switch is very easy to operate. Much easier than the similarly built MXR pedals or my RAT distortion. The Maxon OD808 and RAT complement each other nicely. The OD definitely helps me achieve certain sounds: a nice crunch and punch for rhythm. I got it used and feel that the high price due to vintage tube screamer craze is not really justified. For $130 new I feel this pedal is overpriced because it's in essence a simple box. However, it sounds good and is still cheaper than a vintage whatever and probably better than a new TS9.

simple. Better know what power tubes are for or by a mesa boogie instead.

Sounded like a cheap effect stock. now it is very transparent with much more low end. With my Blackface '66 Bassman I can actually switch it on and do not lose any bottom. It even adds bottom to my super lead marshall. Stock the maxon od808 would jump in with all mids and wasn't very clear sounding. But with the mod it sounds so real. Like having the bassman on 10.

seems fine

Very good communication, Mike replys to all emails. no problem.

Very cool. Even has true bypass now. Just ask Scott Henderson.

overdrive, balance, tone...easy!
Nice manual with setting options to start off with. Included most of the old Ibanez series pedals. Showed me different things to do with my old Ad-80, Fl-301dx, Cp-835 and EQ.

First off, it did not sound real to me. Too many mids in yer face, no bottom. Sounded like a cheap effect, not an overdriven power tube section of a good amp.

Then I sent it to analog mike, YO! What a huge change! Perfect match to the bottom of my black face '66 bassman and added bottom to my Marshall. Much more transparent. really pushes the power tubes, not pre-amp distortion for all you lesser noise makers.

Mike also put a true bypass switch on it, perfect.

Would not ever contact maxon, although they made great effects in the 70's and early 80's the Od-808 is like a Ts-5. Actually having a ts10 output section, very short of a claimed true TS-808 replica.

If you really want a 808 by this and send it to analogman, he makes these sound huge. and with true bypass yet.
I do not work for Mike, I don't even know him aside from a few emails
but this is worth it! And worth mentioning!
Just ask Scott Henderson if you don't believe me.

CERTAINLY ONE OF THE BETTER overdrives out there. It gets that 808 vibe (overdrive w/o excessive crunch) very smooth. You do a lose a bit of teh bottom end when the effect is engaged. But that seems normal w/ most pedals. works great w/ a clean fender style amp or in front of a marshall. Don't know if its worth it to get it modded as the pedal sounds great as is.

so far so good, have taken it out a little. Seems well built.

havent dealt with them yet. Have heard good things about them.

overall very happy w/ it.
If you like a TS9 but want something a little more harmonically rich and not so middy, get this.

Very easy to use. If you've ever used an overdrive pedal with a tube amp, you know how to use this.

I A/B'd this with an original Ibanez TS-808 in a music store for about an hour with a Fender '69 Strat and a '57 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue through a Fender Bassman Custom Shop reissue. The shop I auditioned it in is rather small, but the owner was kind enough to let me open up the volume for a few minutes to really test the pedals. I've bought a lot of gear from him already, so he was pretty cool about the testing thing. I was mostly trying to hear if there was any difference between the two pedals. I used the same settings on both pedals when I was doing the comparison. I have to say that the two pedals sounded extremely similar, if not exactly the same on most settings. I'd say the only difference I heard between the two was that the original was just a tiny bit more harmonically rich. But ONLY a TINY bit. Certainly not enough to justify spending another $150 for the original. In a mix, there is absolutely NO WAY anyone could tell the difference between the two. If someone really wanted the sound of the TS-808 and didn't want to pay the ridiculous price for an original, the reissue would certainly be the way to go. If one wanted to make this sound EXACTLY like an original, then he could get it modded at AnalogMan.com. Mike is excellent to deal with, and it would still cost far less than an original TS-808!

I already own many pedals and amps, so I didn't buy this one. However, if I was in the market for a Tube Screamer type overdrive, this certainly would be a winner. It seems at least as reliable as the original, and I like the switch much better. I've always preferred the positive action and "click" of a mechanical switch as opposed to an electronic one. I own two other Maxon pedals, and I've never had any problems with either, so I would expect the same from this.

Never dealt with Maxon - No opinion.

I've been playing since '77. I own a lot of gear and I'm pretty picky about tone. Anyone looking for the sound of the original TS-808 won't be disappointed with this unit. Why spend $350-400 on an original just to have a box that sounds almost exactly the same as this one? You would have to be extremely anal to be able to justify the difference in cost. The major differences are entirely cosmetic. I just want to reiterate that NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE will be able to tell the difference in a band situation. If the original TS-808 is the Holy Grail, then the reissue is the Return Of The Holy Grail. Highly recommended to anyone looking for the TS-808 tone.

Pretty simple: tone, distortion, and volume: then again, I've never seen a hard to use overdrive pedal

I use a Warmoth mahogany tele with emg 85/81 pickups, through the Maxon, a TC Electronics sustain/parametric eq and a TC Electronics chorus pedal through a Polytone Mega-brute (ok, I mostly play jazz , so that explains the amp, I guess).

I mostly wanted this so that I could get just a little breakup when I pick hard, especially on double stops. This works great for the purpose. I also use a bit heavier distortion for more bluesy stuff, using the bridge pu (the 81): this gives a great blues tone, and a pretty good 70s Allman Brothers imitation, as well.

This pedal is sensitive to pickup level and picking attack, which I quite like (although it is a bot of a pain with the neck pickup, which has a ridiculously high output leve). You can completely change the tone by turning the pickups up or down and by picking harder or softer.

It seems well built, but I've just had it a couple pf months, so we'll see. I've had the TC electronics pedals for almost 15 years, so it's got a lot to live up to.

Never tried

For the purpose, at least a 9. I tried some other od pedals; the voodoo labs sparkle drive (that one was shrill and unpleasant to my ears, but it's all a matter of taste), the route 66 (don't remember the manufacturer), the fulltone fulldrive, the other maxon tubescreamer type pedal, the rat (which I've owned previously), the really weird blixonic thingy (can't remember the name, it's shaped like a big tuna can), as well as the usual boss and dod stomp boxes, and I liked this one best. I can control this one the best through my atack, and it's not too shrill to my ears (this could mean that you'll hate it, since I don't like really trebly sounds).

The flaming negative reviews below seem pretty infantile to me; this is all a matter of taste and subjjectivity, but I just can't see anyone saying it absolutely sucked.

That being said, if you want a pedal for playing heavy metal, this one won't work for you at all; it's maximum level of distortion isn't as high as some of the other pedals I tried.

Easy to use. You gotta tweak it for a while and then you never have to touch it.

Swamp Ash Tele - Crybaby Wah - Small STone Phaser - Line 6 DElay - Maxon OD-808 - Mesa-Boogie Bottle Rocket - MXR Micro Amp - Tuner - 70's Silver Face Deluxe.
It's way quieter and clearer than a ts-9. There's no weird papery upper mids.

Has never gone down, looks like a solid construition.
I used a ts-9 with an 808 mod [any decent tech can mod the pedal for 20 bucks] for years but replacing the dodgy footswitch every 2 months got a little tiresome. I attempt to step on less pedals during a perfromance and stomping on a malfunctioning TS-9 switch 18 times looks pretty goofy onstage. I got the Maxon so to avoid that.

Dunno, it works now.

I play with a comedian on T.V. and in an outrageous Soutehrn Rock band with 10 musicians and do studio stuff. I've been playing in bars since I was a kid. I would buy this immediately if I lost it. I use this for 80% of my sound. On stripped down gigs I use only this thing. It's awesome for a half-gainy warm rhythym gtr sound: Think Stones Exile on Mainstreet - ZZ top Fandango - Most Zeppelin. That's what this sounds like and those are the guitarist I try and rip off. It sounds great in combination with a 2nd heavy dist pedal [I use a Bottle Rocket] for creamy lead tones. Good Lord, did I just say 'creamy lead tones! I suppose we are all guitar nerds. Oh well, it's fun.

Its easy to use but for the $140 you pay for it, its not that good sounding. The manual is in the box where it belongs.

I used this with my strat and Les Paul through my tweed Bassman and was very disappointed with the sounds I got. I find that the Maxon sounds harsh and trebly and the only usable sound I perceived was the clean drive sound. At higher gain levels I found it to be very harsh. I couldn't get the sounds of my favorite artists (Clapton, Gibbons, Bloomfield, etc.), nor could I dial in a usable tone for my own preference. The one redeeming quality it sounds good as a boost to a TS-9 but $140 for a boost, c'mon get real.

I owned it for 2 months and nothing happened to it.

I play blues and blues-rock and I found this pedal to be a horrible value. It sounds a lot like the TS-9 at lower drive settings but at higher settings my TS-9 blows it away. I sold this to a local stratocaster "nut" and he loves it, I however bought a Marshall Blues Breaker and found that to be outstanding at only $75. Don't buy into this horrible hype, the pedal is not worth $140. Unless you have disposable income then I would suggest getting a TS-9 or a Blues Breaker.

Easy to use.

I have two of these original Maxon pedals (not reissues.) One is in the same style casing as the Ibanez TS-808, and the other even rarer one is in the "flatbox" case (similar to the shape of the Maxon OD-808 reissue). I use the pedal with P-90's LP Jr. style guitars, Les Paul humbucker style guitars, and Strat style guitars, through blackface Fender amps. Both pedals have the same classic sound as the Ibanez TS-808. I colect the Ibanez pedals, and each TS-808 differs a bit one from another -- and I'd say the Maxon versions rate right up there with the some of the best TS-808's I have. And they are so much rarer and cooler.

Very reliable.

N?A

You might come across one of these for a low price, since they are not so well known as their identical Ibanez TS-808 counterpart -- and if so, I recommend you grab one. And for me, the original Maxon OD-808's are so cool, sound great, and so rare, I feel they are well worth $500 to $700. It took me years to find them.

www.leoquintero.com.
Extremely easy to operate.

Very quiet. great tone. It sounds great with a Strat and a Fender amp or Fender like amp.

I take it to all my studio sessions and live gigs.

I do a lot of studio work. Get a lot of clean, bluesy and distorted sounds.

This box really helps me get the singing tone I need from a distortion box.

www.leoquintero.com

Extremly easy to use..plug in and youre good to go.gain,tone,and volume knobs..nothing confusing.

I use a strat w/ anderson pickups going intoa rivera rakehead. It seems to me that this overdrive is the bomb at almost any setting.It can be used as a boost when gain is low and output high or crank the gain for a fatttly rich overdrive.This bad boy covers Hendrix,srv,and floyd to the t and the tone knob is extremly usable.Im never going back to my other green box.Put it in front of your signal chain and enjoy the richness.

Ive only had it for a few weeks...so far so good

havent had to call them:see "reliability"

Ive been playing for 7 years and find this the most usefull overdrive ive yet to have.It came down to the fulltone fulldrive and this green box and I appriciated its grittyness more.The fulldrive got a little to smooth and creamy(eric jhonson)where as this thing retained its twang in higher gain setting:however the boost feture on the fulldrive is missed here(thats the only thing keeping me from from getting the logo tattooed on me) .If your thing is fat twangy overdrive you better give this thing a try.I would definitly buy another if this was lost.

very easy. Similiar to a MXR pedel. Gain, tone, and balance controls.

Excellent "transparent" overdrive box. I have owned many original Ibanez TS-9's and TS-808's over the years but always manage to sell them because someone is ALWAYS willing to part with LOTS of money to buy 'em from me. After exhausting my suppily of other friends closets, garages and junk boxes, my suppily of originals has dwindled off in the last few years. The TS-5 Soundtank (which is the only 'screemer I have left), while good in its own right, is not a "tubescreamer" per-say beacuse the tone is generates itself is quite different. The Maxon is very smooth and much warmer than the TS-5 I just A/B'd 5 minutes ago. Plugged in front of My Fender Bassman, the OD-808 is quite creamy and responsive without the harsh top end that some similiar OD boxes may have. In honesty, any "tubescreamer" will only made a good tube amp sound better and bring the amp into natural tube saturation. The most important thing (to me anyway) is that the Overdrive keep the amps character and remain a natural extention of the amp. The Maxon does this just like I remember my originals doing to the exact same Fender amp. Looks like a winner to me especially since these are built using the same components as the originals. Nothing earth shattering, but this OD-808 does what I want it to do and then some.

Looks very reliable with metal housing and durable "stomp" switch.

Just bought it from by next door neighbor who has had it for a month or so. I heard his Maxon through an early 60's Fender Concert amp I my jaw hit the ground cause I heard true TS-808 tones comming from the amp. I knew then I would have to get this pedel and fortunatly I was able to save a few bucks by pestering my neighbor for his. Let the suckers spend the big bucks in the vintage market for old and beat up originals. I sold **at least 7 or 8** originals for $200-$300 a pop and this pedel is just as good so try one out if you can. Highly Recommended.

Very simple with 3 knobs (overdrive, level, tone), 1 input, 1 output, and on/off switch. Manual gives some sample settings, but is very easy to figure out.

The sound quality of this pedal is FABULOUS! I've owned a number of overdrive pedals through the years and the moment I played this pedal I had to buy it. It works as a great boost pedal to overdrive your preamp tubes. Tons of output and is very responsive. The OD starts at very slight clipping to SMOOTH blues (not trebly like my TS9) to classic rock style crunch. Very versatile, best sounding OD pedal I've ever heard/used. Highly recommended!

I use my TS9 as a backup. Maxon pedals are built very well. I also see '70s Ibanez pedals, Maxon made all the early Ibanez pedals, everywhere, so if that's any indication, I don't think there will be any problems. And if there are, I'm sure Godlyke will replace it ASAP.

I've spoken to the owner of Godlyke, the distibutor of Maxon in the U.S., a couple of times. He answered the phone both times and with friendly and informative. If I ever have a problem, it should be no problem to fix/replace it.

This is a exact replica of the '70s Maxon OD-808 and Ibanez TS-808. I opened the pedal up to see how the construction of the pedal looked and to see the components. The construction is very neat and it even has the JRC-4558D opamp chip like the originals. Do yourself a favor and test one out. The most versitile, best sounding overdrive pedals made!

Very easy 3 knobs

this really kills the low end and compared to my TS-808 vintage Ibanez Tube Screamer it sounds like crap

I wouldn't mind using it on a gig for reliability purposes but since the sound sucks and is a shell of the real TS-808 I wouldn't use it in the first place

never dealt with Maxon

This is a sick imitation of the TS-808 and makes me sick to see a pedal in this class even try to imitate the Tube Screamer

Its real easy to use, it looks just like a TS808 and sounds the same because they are identical in every part. The only difference, "name" logo. These are sold in Japan, Ibanez had maxon make all there TS808s in the old days, so Japan had to have there stock to and they called it the OD-808. No manual. Its real easy to get a good sound out of it, its a TS808!

I opened it up and compared it with three other TS808s I own. Its identical in every part and my OD808 was even older than my TS808s. Based off the serial numbers on the JRC4558D IC chip. It read 0344. And thats an early JRC chip. The numbers I had on the TS808s were like 1444, 2435 etc, none in the hundred brackets. No noise from the pedal. I used a 1960 strat and fender amps to a/b the pedals. I could definitely get the SRV vibe off this pedal, because its a TS808. I was so lucky to find this pedal in Japan. For some reason, in Japan they don't have a clue about these old OD808s.

its been around for 20years.

Don't knock until you try it. One dealer told me no one wants these Maxons because no one knows the deal about them or SRV didn't use them etc, etc. Its like guitar players rather by an authenic pair of Levi's jeans because so so wore them instead of buying a pair that cheaper because it doesn't have the label on the back pocket. This pedal is a TS808 in disquise, and thats the way I like it.