Dumb question re: tubescreamer

[Mr. C]

This might be a dumb question because the pedal is called a Tubescreamer, but does this pedal sound best when used with a tube amp. (As I wrote that I just remembered that tube amps are IT, but...) Or maybe I should ask if they sound best, but do they work as well with a tube amp as SS. Also would one be using the pedal on the lead channel or clean, or either? Thanks.

 

[Farview]

The tube screamer is an overdrive pedal. Alone it doesn't really have much distortion. It was meant to be used with an amp that doesn't quite have enough distortion on it's own. Or as a lead boost type of thing.

I'm sure it will work just fine with any amp that need a little push over the top.

 

[heroics321]

This might be a dumb question because the pedal is called a Tubescreamer, but does this pedal sound best when used with a tube amp. (As I wrote that I just remembered that tube amps are IT, but...) Or maybe I should ask if they sound best, but do they work as well with a tube amp as SS. Also would one be using the pedal on the lead channel or clean, or either? Thanks.

I had a kid who had won a TS7 in a contest at our store bring it back because he thought it was broken. He plugged it into a Crate, sure enough it was fairly thin, not much kick. I had him plug it into a Traynor tube amp, and it was night and day. For the most part, it's really meant for tube amps. Some SS might react well when the front end is pushed, but in my experience that usually isn't the case, and that's why I think the TS7's get a bad rap. A well designed tube amp will naturally react to changes at the input, instead of completely masking the true sound of the source.

 

[Adam P]

I got into a discussion on an Internet forum once with some kid who insisted that the Tube Screamer was a tube amp emulator.

 

[DogFood]

There was a pedal that had a 12ax7, it was a contemporary of the Ibanez. It was tan and they put out a "blues" version that was appropriately blue in color. I used to get the Ibanez and the real tube confused.

just looked it up. Tube Works Tube Driver.

 

[episg]

With tubescreamers, odd as it may seem, the cheaper Maxon copy's are better, and also, use your amp for the gain and use the pedal as a tightener. Sounds incredible if set up well!

 

[TelePaul]

Tubescreamers were meant to emulate the sound of vintage overdrive and natural compression of saturated amp. Does it do this? not exactly......But it still sounds sweet as a booster.

 

[Farview]

Tubescreamers were meant to emulate the sound of vintage overdrive and natural compression of saturated amp.

No, they were meant to add distortion to amps that didn't have quite enough. In the late 70's and early 80's, when the tubescreamer was designed, tube amps really didn't have much gain. The tube screamer and the Boss overdrive pedals were designed to give the amps just a little push over the edge. Most people had the level control decked and the drive control almost off. People were using the boss ds-1's the same way. Just for a preamp to push the 12ax7s a little harder (to make them scream)

 

[Outlaws]

Tubescreamers were meant to emulate the sound of vintage overdrive and natural compression of saturated amp. Does it do this? not exactly......But it still sounds sweet as a booster.

See Farview's post.

 

[GONZO-X]

there are a series of pedal made by dave BARBER, that are really really well designed and nice sounding pedals, with TRUE bypass, for not much dough.

i own a DDSS, and it'll do tube screamer territory really well.

 

[DogFood]

No, they were meant to add distortion to amps that didn't have quite enough. In the late 70's and early 80's, when the tubescreamer was designed, tube amps really didn't have much gain. The tube screamer and the Boss overdrive pedals were designed to give the amps just a little push over the edge. Most people had the level control decked and the drive control almost off. People were using the boss ds-1's the same way. Just for a preamp to push the 12ax7s a little harder (to make them scream)

This was long before Peavey got the bright idea to slap 6 (maybe 7?) 12ax7's in the pre amp for gain. "...our amps go to eleven."

 

[slidey]

This was long before Peavey got the bright idea to slap 6 (maybe 7?) 12ax7's in the pre amp for gain. "...our amps go to eleven."

I used a classic 30 & 50 & they went to twelve....................

I played kit in a band called the daintees for a while & the lead man had an ibanez TS going thru a fender deluxe & it rocked, I played it a couple of times, once with a dearmond (les paul shaped thing) & a standard tele

it's also a setting I use a lot on the XT live

 

[Codmate]

I love the sound my TS9 makes with my Fender CVR.
I plugged it straight into my computer once though - hahahaha!
That was funny - try it

 

[punkin]

I donno,

my electronics background tells me that if you push a transistor, you get clipping and distortion but not the kind that sounds good. It's different than when you push a tube over the top, the harmonics come out and the tube saturates and it sounds kinda cool.

I have one of the cheapie TS7 pedals, I think it does provide a little sonic something or other in front of a transistor amp but, it's a whole different story when you push the tuber.

Hey, if you like the way it sounds, great!

 

[DogFood]

Punkin, I'm not a expert on this however I read a description of why the TS sounds good to human ear. The TS has a mosfet chip or something like that. And, this particular chip somehow SLIGHTLY rounds the waveform from the expected square wave, there was a graffic of the waveform, and this slight rounding lessens the harsh. I found this on DIYStompboxes.com.

 

[TelePaul]

No, they were meant to add distortion to amps that didn't have quite enough. In the late 70's and early 80's, when the tubescreamer was designed, tube amps really didn't have much gain. The tube screamer and the Boss overdrive pedals were designed to give the amps just a little push over the edge. Most people had the level control decked and the drive control almost off. People were using the boss ds-1's the same way. Just for a preamp to push the 12ax7s a little harder (to make them scream)

Hey guys I think an Ibanez OD 850 was preferable for what you're talking about...basically it ditched the push/boost..,on 1 it sounds like a tubescreamer at 11! Pure gain.

 

[Farview]

Hey guys I think an Ibanez OD 850 was preferable for what you're talking about...basically it ditched the push/boost..,on 1 it sounds like a tubescreamer at 11! Pure gain.

That would be useless if what you need is a push/boost. The tube screamer isn't really a distorion box, it was never meant to be.

Now that everyone builds amps with more gain than you would ever really need, these things aren't really necessary.

 

[Keiffer]

Now that everyone builds amps with more gain than you would ever really need, these things aren't really necessary.

Really. . .

 

[Farview]

Really. . .

The only guys I know still using them either have really old amps (70's and 80's Marshalls) or they don't have channel switching. Their amps have enough gain, but they don't want to use that much gain for the rhythms. So they use it as a lead boost.

 

[Keiffer]

It's very common to put a Tube Screamer, OD808, SD-1 or other overdrive type pedal up front of a tube amp and especially in front of hi-gain amps. Often with the pedal gain (overdrive) fairly low and with the volume at unity gain. They'll tighten the bottom and the tone control almost acts like an exciter adding clarity.

it's a great pedal to have and can work in virtually any situation, clean to completely insane.

stock pedals can be improved by changing the opamp and some components, depending on the pedal. do a search on the WEB.

my recommendation, get a SD-1. it's the least expensive and can sound very good and with a $20 mod can sound excellent.

kp-