Long story short ... this unassuming OD808 was the winner. The Ibanez TS Mini was last place and the fancy, ridiculous expensive TS808HW was somewhere in the unremarkable middle.

Use the OD808 as a standalone effect going through a clean channel, use it to boost your overdrive channel even further into filthy saturation territory, or even go the way of using two of the pedals together to help you blast out those dynamic riffs with conviction. The build quality is impeccable. The pedal has a nice weight to it, and I predict it will still be working perfectly long after I'm gone! Let's assume it's a given that you want to buy a clone. That could be because of price, or it could be because of features not found on the original. Maybe you want authenticity, but even then a clone might be the best choice. You might assume that an Ibanez model would be the most authentic, but there are many different units. In fact, the original manufacturer on behalf of Ibanez was actually Maxon, meaning that the Maxon 'clone' is a more authentic Tube Screamer in some ways than modern non-reissue Ibanez units. Another thing to consider is whether you'd like a more traditional pedal over something more modern-sounding, or vice versa.Find out more about how we make our recommendations and how we testeach of the products in our buyer's guides.

Even though this modestly proportioned and rather plain box commits the apparently cardinal sin of not having a full-bypass switch, the sound is just sweeter and warmer than all the others. When originally constructing my pedal board, I went to great lengths to maintain an unbuffered signal path because I did not like the super-metallic brightness that buffered pedals introduced. Particularly bad with Overdrive pedals.

Rich overdrive that doesn’t lose definition with cranked, grinding amps. Great low-gain tones. Responsive.

To those who were “in the know”, Maxon’s OD808 was identical to the famous Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer in nearly all but name when it was initially put on the market in the late ‘70s and early ’80s. In fact, Maxon was the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for Ibanez and actually made both the Ibanez pedals as well as its own under the Maxon name.If you're searching for a modern take on the Tube Screamer, then there are literally thousands of brands all making cool modern-voiced pedals. JHS and EarthQuaker Devices are two of the most popular, and their TS-inspired pedals don't leave much to be desired. They can cover virtually all bases, especially when it comes to modernizing that Tube Screamer tone we love.