As we have already established, these pedals can essentially be thought of as reworkings of the original TS-808 and TS-9 Tube Screamer circuits, so as expected they deliver very creamy and boisterous lead sounds in abundance. Even to the well-trained ear, the voices of the OD808 and OD-9 can appear to sound almost identical in a loud mix, both boosting the signal into a valve amplifi er on the verge of breakup, and flat-out overdriving a clean amp; but listen closely and there are subtle textural differences. We detected a little more edge and graininess from the OD-9, and found a little extra refinement in the smoother tones of the OD808. Although there isn’t a lot in it, we just about preferred the 808 overall as it felt a little more authentic for both bluesy lead and classic rock riffs.

 

Author   Chris Vinnicombe   Issue   Guitarist 02/2006   number of pages   1