IBANEZ
TSA5TVR Tube Screamer
By Charles Saufley
After what seemed like a neverending barrage of micro amps , lunchbox amps , and tweed- Champ revisitations , these days the littleamp deluge is feeling more like a gentle spring drizzle . But while the 6V6-driven Ibanez TSA5TVR Tube Screamer amp — which , as you might ' ve guessed , has an onboard Tube Screamer circuit — is a little late to the party , it ’ s an exceptionally strong and very stylish arrival .
Saturday Night Boulevard Style Ibanez is typically a pretty forwardlooking guitar company . And while they ’ ve dabbled effectively in retro styling before in the form of the Jet King , various archtop lines , and elsewhere , the TSA5TVR toys much more overtly and playfully with ’ 50s product eye-appeal via a fusion of that era ’ s amplifier , radio , and television designs ( check out those mahogany-toned hardwood legs !) and two-tone vinyl that looks lifted from a ’ 57 DeSoto Fireflite . If it doesn ’ t clash too severely with your interior design motif , it ’ s a pretty cool little piece of furniture
It probably would be easy to dress any old pile of parts-bin amp components up in clothes this sassy , charge 150 bucks , and make a minor killing . But Ibanez put a lot of thought into making the TSA5TVR sound great . The 8 " Jensen C8R and Ruby 6V6 and 12AX7 tubes ( both common upgrades for vintage Fender Champ and newer Champion 600 modders ) pay considerable sonic dividends in the form of headroom and detail . They also help communicate the flavor of the subtle but lush Accutronics spring reverb . Man , it ’ s nice to hear an amp this small with real spring reverb ! Better still , you can take
advantage of the extra air and capacity for tonal complexity with the preamp ’ s very effective bass-and-treble EQ section , which is super-effective for moving between disparate guitar voices and pickup sets . It was as easy to dial in body for a thin-sounding Stratocaster as it was to slim and focus a humbucker-equipped Telecaster Deluxe . The extra headroom also means there ' s lots of leeway for working with fuzz . This amp would be a go-to if I needed to record reedy ’ 60s garage fuzz or Led Zeppelin-style leads .
It ’ s hard to say exactly what iteration of the storied Tube Screamer circuit is under the TSA5TVR ’ s hood , but it ’ s complete with overdrive , tone , and level knobs , and it feels and sounds like a perfect match for the amp . Light-gain applications sounded great for bluesrock leads and were an especially nice match for humbuckers . Higher gain settings were killer for grinding power chords and generating a compact , slightly compressed distortion that felt bigger than 5 watts and seemed perfect for double-tracked rhythms .
The Verdict With a great-sounding , well-matched overdrive and a lovely-sounding spring reverb , this two-toned Ibanez makes a great case for " less is more ." It ’ ll work on a stage with a good PA , provided your band isn ’ t too loud , and it ’ s the perfect amp for a singer-songwriter or a guitarist who accompanies one . It ’ s also a potentially killer studio asset for all the same reasons . But even if it never leaves your living room , this is a superb little amp for practice , demos , and aroundthe-house jams .
Ibanez TSA5TVR Tube Screamer
$ 399 street ibanez . com
Tones Ease of Use
Build / Design Value
PROS Real spring reverb . Nice speaker and tube complement . Excellent headroom and natural overdrive tones . Tube Screamer overdrive is nice match for circuit .
CONS Turquoise two-tone may be too brash for some .
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128 PREMIER GUITAR SEPTEMBER 2016 premierguitar . com