Tube Screamer
Tube King TK999US
Of course, we cannot proceed without
addressing the Tube Screamer. I would never
be so foolhardy and elitist as to snub this,
the original overdrive. You see, before the
TS-808 was released in the late ‘70s, the
idea of overdrive as we know it today did
not exist. Other, earlier pedals were referred
to as overdrives (including a couple of preTS Ibanez models), but in sound and circuitry
these devices more closely resembled fuzz
boxes than the smooth, mid-heavy saturation
that the Tube Screamer generates. It was
the one of the first stompboxes designed
specifically to mimic the sound of a tube
amp running at full tilt. This was quite a
revolutionary concept at the time, and it
continues to influence the development of
guitar effects even today. Real TS nerds love
to go back and forth about the finer points
of every Tube Screamer variation, but the
fact is most of them sound pretty much the
same. Ibanez makes many excellent versions,
including hand wired, mini, bass, and vintage
models.
Most players are aware that the Tube
Screamer, though it does feature the word
“tube” as part of its name, does not actually
have a tube in it. Ibanez did, however, make a
dirt box with a 12AX7 in its heart, and this was
the TK999US Tube King. The original nineties
Tube King (which bears little resemblance
to the red, diamond-shaped reissue that
came out in the aughts) was designed by the
illustrious BK Butler for Ibanez, and is itself
just a slight variation on BK Butler’s legendary
Tube Driver. It’s a marvelous pedal, and excels
at turning just about any clean amp into a
firebreather. It features gain, volume, and
three-band equalization controls, and can
get a range of tones, from light, glistening
break-up to molten chunk. The Tube King’s
12AX7 tube can also be swapped for a 12AU7,
which tames the gain a bit, rounds off the
hairy edges, and gives it a somewhat more
controlled and refined personality. Used OG
Tube Kings can be had for between 100 and
150 dollars all day long (they do require a
slightly weird power supply though, so make
sure it’s included).
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TONE TALK //
The Legacy of Ibanez in Five Pedals