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December 2008, Gear and Tech
Tube Scream, or not Tube Scream... That is the Question.
It seems innocent enough... The lime-green stomp box from which many of my more obnoxious guitar 'passages' have originated ('passages' in the context that you envision the stairway to heaven as being a colonoscopy). The legendary, Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer guitar pedal from the early 80's. This vintage pedal is considered by many to be the holy grail of distortion (TS-808 notwithstanding) and has been copied with various levels of success (or lack thereof) for many years. The trick to obtaining one of these pedals is determining an authentic version from a later version, or a re-issue.
To truly find out if the pedal you are looking at is the true vintage model, you will need to get out a phillips screwdriver and crack that baby open. There are a couple of signs on the outside that will give you a clue. The first one is on the giant label on the back of it. It should be silver. Also, on that label, there is a large blank space where the symbol 'CE' should be. There are also two typographical errors. The word 'Dims' is misspelled as is the word 'Alkaline'. See Label Here.
Open up the battery cover. Molded into the back of that cover should be the word 'Maxon' (the actual manufacturer of the pedal, for Ibanez). Don't get too excited yet though, as battery covers can be swapped out. See Cover Here. You will also notice that the battery connector is grey. Black ones were used in reissues. See Connector Here. OK, carefully pull back the little piece of foam under the battery... If you see the Maxon logo and name, it is fair to say that a tingling in your loins is warranted. See Logo Here.
Alrighty... time for probing. Disconnect the battery, and unscrew the back cover. Carefully lift it off. You may also unscrew the circuit board and gently lift it as well. Here is what you should observe: All of the resistors (the little capsule looking things with colored bands on them) should have a 'green dipped' look to them. I have no idea what that slime is, so I advise not to stick your tongue on them... Also, on the circuit board, should be printed (at one of the edges) the word Maxon. See Board Here. You still with me?
The final slam-dunk is a biggie; The Op Amp chip!! You should see a thumbnail size black component with print on it that says, '4558D' and the letters 'JRC'. Oh man, is it soldered in, and not in a socket that it can be removed from???!! GOOD!! That is what you want. If the chip is sitting in a socket where it can be swapped out with different op amp chips, then it has been 'modded' (or modified). See Board Here. Sweet, now put that thing back together and call for a wet cleanup... Your job here is done.
No matter how you have come to be in possession of one of these dirty green boxes of fuzz (please... no Courtney Love jokes here) I encourage you to plug into this puppy and crank it up. Just like most things, mine seems to really come alive as I push the amp volume just past that 'verge of divorce' point. Oh, and next time you are at a gig, take a look at the pedalboards on stage. Chances are that you'll see a TS-9 nestled right in there. Hell, take your screwdriver with and open it up for the dude to see if it's an original one or not... I'm sure he won't mind!!! -Ryan
(the author's TS-9 acquisition was the product of a two hour, late night, bedroom window negotiation session in Darmstadt Germany in 1986. *Disclaimer: The following statement will evoke the gag reflex* I finally walked away with the Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, an Ibanez PT-9 Phaser AND an Ibanez Iceman II guitar for $80)
"Well, think me up a cup of coffee and a chocolate donut with some of those little sprinkles on top..." editor{at}roadcrewmag.com
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