I have an original 1980 tube screamer and I recently retired it for a mini. I think the mini sounds great and I don't worry about it getting messed up. My original is now back in it's box in a safe place. Love the mini.
since we're in the middle of a trend where vintage gear gets jacked off to on a constant basis, I'm sure people will say the 808 sounds better but here's the reality of the situation...you're a gigging guitar player with limited space on your pedal board and who doesn't feel like exposing a 30 plus year old ts808 to the rigors of travel...your sound is constantly competing with drums, bass and vocals...no one is going to be able to tell the difference at all...the difference in sound quality is almost negligible when the guitar is alone, so imagine the difference in sound quality on stage...if you like collecting things and appreciate your history, an old 808 is awesome...in practice, however, a pedal like the mini is really all you need
+manifestgtr Agree. Unless you are recording than that's when it will be nice to have the TS808 but like you said the average guitar player gigs at church or with a band and the average person will never notice the difference. Well said.
+manifestgtr Yep. Subtle differences can be noticed in a recording or alone in your room. Add drums, bass and shit in a live situation, most guitar players wouldn't pass a blind test.
When you're playing to people that are drunk and/or high, if nobody boos you for fucking up that little bit from the intro to Back In Black (you all know it), then you're probably the only person in the building that gives a shit about specific Tube Screamer variations. The problem with Tube Screamers is people are all about "tone matching" but literally have no clue what the dials are set to for a lot of other equipment. The pickups being used, the tone and volume knobs on the guitar, dials settings on the amp/pre-amp, dial settings on the other stomps in the chain, or the position of the sliders on the soundboard in the studio. Tone matching is not even truly possible. Even if you own everything Line6 ever sold.
Why should there a big difference in tone? It is the same circuit. The tiny difference between a mojo vintage TS808 to another TS808 is the same like TS808 and Mini. The Reason is the production tolerance .
i can definitely tell when one is switched on -i like the one that is switched on -much more than the one that is switched off -and thats a blindfold test too .
Did it and I hear it very clearly The 808 has a nicer growl to it where the mini has a steril upper mids bark The TS10 is a perfect example of this harshness
Everyone say old one is warmer fuller. But if old stuff brighter than a new one everybody will say a new one is darker and muffled. This is a stereotype - old is better. Now seriously. I hear old one is really a little bit fuller and warmer. But I think mini one will work better with dark fat humbuckers plugged into a crunch channel of amp for boosting and tightening up sound. And it will preserve attack more. And of course very clean demo as any other Shnobels videos
Cesar0787 naw not at my guitar center they were selling one for 300 and I ended up getting the ts mini and im very happy with my choice it sounds amazing and for 79.99 you cant beat it still has the same chip as the 808 also so thats a plus
And they really do sound the same only difference is the knobs you just have to set them different to get the same tones evrryone that reviews them trys to put both pedals in the same spot to try and see the tone difference buht they both sound like eachother likenif yoy put the tone on the mini down a little less then half and you put the original 80 tone knob in the muddle they have the same tone they cant expect the pedal to be identical eith each setting you know hujt either eay both pedals get almost identical tones just slightly different placements in the settings
Cool comparison. I'm really loving all of the mini pedals that have been coming out lately. I would have gotten this if I hadn't already gotten the TS808 reissue.
I like the 808 a bit more for the transparency on the lows and that's not to take away from the mini. I have the mini and love it. At the end of the day we all have an Eq section on our amps. Kudos to for making this video ;)
The Mini sounds great. It's new and small with true bypass...perfect! I have an Analog Man modded TS9 (808 Mod) which is the best sounding screamer I have tried personally. It also has true bypass mod.
The mini is defiantly better than the TS9, but when you're in a shoot out with the old 808...they're both great but both have a unique sound. The 808 has more character, while the mini has more body. I just picked up the mini today to pair with my 5150, Gibson Studio Les Paul (with EMG 81/85's), Boss Noise Gate and Marshall 1960a Cabinet and I'll say that I'm very impressed. I had debated on going online to get an original screamer, but for $79 for the mini (and I got to test out the difference between a T9 and Mini), the Mini easy wins. It's got your tone, level and "drive" knobs and a very nice stomp button. It's well built, solid and has no unneeded crap, unlike the Turbo, etc. And for almost half the price of a T9 (at my shop)...it was a no brainier. Just remember that when it comes to things like pedals, price does NOT always mean better quality when you're looking for a particular sound. Some of the best musicians and ground breakers from the 60's and 70's used some weird stuff to create their unique sounds, and as we all know...all those guitar players who wanted way hotter amps back then, didn't have access to it because they weren't around. That's why the screamer exist to this day! So thank bands like Sabbath, Zepplin, etc etc!
I have an original TS808 bought new back in the early 80's still use it.. I would love to retire it and use the Mini and save the real deal for my studio .. Mini saves space and I could live with the subtle differences at Gig volume your never gonna tell..
I love the way the pots crackle on the TS808 as they are turned...I also love the armchair internet experts' opinions. The facts are that the Tube Screamer circuit is extremely simple, there's a handful of discrete components and an op. amp and that's it. End of. It's all very entertaining to read the experts' opinions on ageing of components, drift and all such arcane nonsense, lol. Go and watch Brian Wampler's video on this stupid discussion, he sets the record straight.
So to me, the mini sounds tighter and brighter by a tiny amount, bit less smooth. TINY difference. 2 caveats to this, I don't live in a studio and thus don't have that finely of tuned ears, and it seems suspect to me that the "mini" version sounds "mini-er" to me, for lack of a better term... so I could easily be hearing a difference with my eyes. I would fully expect to crash and burn in a blindfold test. Give the mini 30 years of use and the components could age and mellow out like the vintage unit too. There's always that possibility.
The Mini definitely sounds great out of the box, it is equal to or even better than most other production line 'correct' Ibanez and Maxon TS clones. On 'That Pedal Show' they even commented that it sounded as good as the fairly famous Keeley Modded TS808 which is some really huge praise for something that costs under a hundred bucks.
Dont care what anyone says,I was all set on convincing myself the mini would sound exactly the same as the 808 for a lot less dough..but it doesnt.The ts808 is better to my ears,It definitely sounds more natural and less brittle.The issue here is where your main priority lies I guess..ultimate tone or great tone & value for money.Its close enough in performance to not matter especially in a band enviroment but I'd bet almost everybody commenting on here would buy the 808 if they were both easily available for £60 in a shiny new box.
@@Zuni7712yeah!! Didn't noticed ts9 clipping until read your comment! 808 seems to have a touch more clean signal blend and smoother clipping (as it should) I own vintage 808 and love it, but mini is just awesome - probably will buy someday
The only question I have with this type of comparison is, are the controls the same taper. Technically, for example, you would have to turn the controls to a particular setting, say 12 o'clock, and then measure the controls from wiper to high and/or low side to see if you get the same measurement, and if not, adjust them to be the same via your multi meter and make the audio comparison. If the taper of the controls is not the same, the settings won't be accurate. But who cares?!! lol
u guys think ibanez are stupid to make the mini same or better than ts808. ts808 is 260 dollars in canada and mini 95 dollars,of course ts808 is better cause it cost more.more good part
I’ve used the TS808 for decades, along with a OD-1 and DS-1, all as boosters with a Marshall JCM. The TS808s unique character is in its warm mid tone, in contrast to the OD-1 which sounds more nasally and the DS-1 which sounds more fuzzy with less mid. Because of their distinct characters they can be combined and used with contrasting preamps. Since the TS mini lacks the warmth of the TS808 it therefore completely defeats its purpose.
this is a good demo cause it shows us that although some vintage devices are great and cannot be duplicated, others are easily reproducible. i cannot hear much difference between these two pedals. by the way, when that tubescreamer first came out, it was not so special. still today, it's just a basic overdrive.
I think most of us can be happy that the Mini does a damn fine job for relatively little money. Tube Screamers really have to be your thing for the difference between them to matter a lot.
Often-times we Listen with our Eyes. Try closing your eyes and " Guess " which one is on. The Mini sounds just-as-good. I've listened with Expensive headphones and great quality monitors. I'd get the Mini or possibly the New Apex 808?
How about the East River Drive by Electro-Harmonix? It's basically a buffered 808 but has the added benefit of being built by the same man who works on the Analog Man pedals. Quality pedal from a quality builder
@@michael_caz_nyc Agreed! The soloist has been on my wishlist for a while now. That and the Pedal Pawn Texas Twang. But if I had to buy just one of them, I'd have to go with the Soloist. More bang for your buck imo. Then again they're two different styles of pedals
If they're in the same price range, why on earth would you buy the clone? "They're really close in price, I'd like you to compare the Rolex and the Folex."
Plot twist. The Danelectro Transparent OD is as good or better than both. Source? I have the mini, I've played the 808 and yet I chose to take the Transparent OD out for close to 1500 gigs... It stood the test of time too. I'm using the mini now because it saves space, and sounds close enough
Obviously, for market reasons, Ibanez doesn't make the Mini with the same sound as the 808, at least for the same knob positions, since it costs 44% of the value of the 808. I would say that depending on the purpose and the rest of the setup as good as.
My ears cannot tell the difference. I am a diehard vintage guy, until today. I just got the mini. I read that the difference in construction is this: the tolerance of the capacitors used. TS-808 +/- 5%. TS Mini +/- 10%, so you could get a slightly different sounding Mini. Mine sounds absolutely vintage with my Rickenbacker 320 plugged into a Vox AC15. Fits nicely on my board too.
They become toys after a while..no one really needs them its just that JM or some other player has one so you want one. When i lived in Bakersfield.. Alexander Dumble who is from Bakersfield, was making his famous amps and a few guys had them.... later i noticed the same guys with twins again.. .. goes to show you .. its not in the equipment..
Part of the sound difference it related to the fact that the TS808 has a buffer in front and after the circuit (FET-based soft-bypass switching), whereas the TS MINI has no such thing and only a mechanical-bypass switch (true-bypass). Another thing to consider is that the TS MINI has a lot of tiny SMD components which have a a lower noise floor (SNR) in total compared to (regular size) 1/4W trough hole mounted parts. I personally have Japan made: TS808, TS MINI, TS-9 and a Maxon OD808 (TS10 circuit) and Taiwan made TS-7 (JRC4558D), plus a Chinese (Daphon) TS-5. In my opinion all of these are excellent! Even though they excel at different things and react differently according to amp/guitar setup.
True bypass is only important for when you want to retain your original amp signal when the pedal is off. In this demo, we don't hear that original signal.
9unslin9er Wrong. It is integrated in the circuit and before and after the drive signal. The mini simply lacks these features, hence different circuit (and tone). 808 [input] [buffer] [drive] [buffer] [output] Mini [input] [drive] [output] The true-bypass looper is there to avoid buffering happening aka converting to low-z / dropping the impedance (which will influence the mini's tone). Thus, the looper will not remove the buffering happening at the input and output of the 808's circuit, it will only mechanically isolate it. There are also bufferless TS pedals, some of these boutique. You pay more for less options and lesser reliability (mechanical vs buffer). Without the buffering these are very sensitive to what is presented at input aka different pickups. Hence, marketing of 'dynamic response' nonsense.
+Nightingale1887 I'm sure you can hear all this. #corksniffing FYI. I own a TS Mini. But prior to this, I bought a BBE Green Screamer instead of a TS-808. It wasn't because it was True Bypass (which it is as a bonus). It was because it was $50.
+Nightingale1887 I wasn't being rude. You misinterpreted my comment. And I interpreted your response as coming from a smart-aleck. I was saying the difference between circuits is indiscernible at the level of gain used in this video.For that matter, most applications people use this pedal for. A far more reasonable differences go, I think they've simply tweaked the EQ in the Mini giving it more low mids than the original. Which makes a lot more sense for modern rock, and sounds better as a result of changing taste.
in response to Chris Dettner (no reply button by your name etc)....anyway the older one probobly sounds just a tiny bit smoother just due to the age of the capacitors etc.....you can probobly play with the tone knob and get it real close anyway.
The 808 is ore transparent on low drive settings but the same or otherwise not better on mid / high settings... and next time man, use motor actuators and a true bypass relay system. Or, let me know and I can build one for you. Cheers.
IF it is a conmparison you should play the same stuff with one and repeat the same riffs/notes with the other pedal otherwise is not a comparison it's just you messing around with two similar pedals !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I added one to my pedalboard to play Santana and Canned Heat for the other geezers in the retirement village. Since I added the mini screamer all the geezer babes wanna do me. Nice work if you can get it.
Yeah I've been surprised at the sound of these mini's. They sound fantastic. And if you want to do much better, you have to get into the boutique stuff.
Hithesh S raj I feel the vintage TS didn't ring so well in the treble. The mini is nice and spanky but really lacks the 'body' of the sound that the vintage one produces.
I own a mini (and just ordered a Bonsai😈) In comparison, the 808 is thicker and smoother than the mini. The mini sounds tighter and “punchier”, but not bad.
What a great video comparison! to my ears the original is slightly more transparent and cleaner but the Mini has more mids and fullness with a tiny drop in treble. I think we're all guilty of wearing rose tinted glasses when listening to vintage pedals, the truth is there really is minimal difference and it's been proven that not one vintage pedal sounds the same as another! Combinations of slightly different pot values, resisters and many other components alter the sound by a minuscule amount. Truth is, I think it's a bit of a con with overinflated prices for vintage/vintage re-issue tube screamers nowadays. Don't be fooled people, the mini sounds great and would be a fantastic effect for any pedal board at a quarter of the price of an original.
Indeed, the TS808 sound is significantly superior to the TSMINI, but the price difference between them evens things out and adds a bit to the overall TSMINI score. :) I just ordered one yesterday. :)
anyone shed some light on TS808 or TS-808? brother just nabbed one at a yardsale for $5.00 but logo has a dash between ts and 808(?)is this one early or a reissue? seems old but sounds great!
Only thing they should have done is kept the Tone knob as the big one. It really helps when I switch from singles to humbuckers not having to fiddle with a mini knob.I never touch the drive or volume knobs.
***** They are, if you look, the three knobs have different positions.. The 808 has It's overdrive upper left hand side while the mini has the OD on the middle knob.
+J.B. Burke you know some times one thing works better than others in your system. I just tried 8 new pedals and one TS808 clone, Guess what sounded best in my 50w Plexi.
+J.B. Burke They're great when you're playing at home or at a small venue where you want the overdriven tube amp tone (a la Derek and the Domons era Clapton), but can't afford to dime out your amp. At home, I have to turn my 15 watt tube amp all the way down to like 2/2 and it sounds weak and airy. I add my TS-808 and it gives me that tube bursting power without disturbing the neighbors. It's great.
J.B. Burke me either been playing for 20 years. everybody in the world loves his pedal and tells me how good it is. it doesn't sound bad. I have a marshall jvm I can dial a perfect overdrive tone on that. but still everybody says I need one? I'm trying to understand the fascination with it
I have alot of metal guys I work with at the music store I work at. they all have high gain amps, then use it as a boost for leads I guess. on the other hand I have a fender twin or a Silvertone 1485 I use. tried it with both. for those I don't hear anything flattering come out lol
It’s very ideal for metal guys like me using high gain amps. We use it as a BOOST, NOT as a distortion pedal. We only really use the tone and the level, it adds a little more midrange.
Vintage electronic circuits, now that's a laugh, it's not like going from tube to solid state, it's all components. So close as to not be worth mentioning, fact is some rust could account for the lack of highs on the older one.
***** lol smarty pants rust is a form of oxidation (which we normally associate to metals like iron) but oxidation is a broader term where two substances interact and electrons are lost. Additionally it is a comparison to a vintage instrument. Aging is a big factor in the sound of most vintage instruments. So your point, even if accurate, is pointless.
