In our post covering the best Big Muff pedals, we posited that the contest of the most-cloned pedal came down to a race between the Muff and the Ibanez Tube Screamer. This is a touch on the reductive side, but it’s fair to say that every inquiry about an overdrive pedal can start with, “Is it Tube Screamer-y? Tube Screamer-ish?” You get the picture. Love the mid-pushed, lightly distorted sound of the Tube Screamer but want something more? Below find our list of the best Tube Screamer clones to expand your lightly-overdriven horizons.
In our best boost & overdrive combo pedals post, we included the big brother to this pick, the Palisades. If you’ve already got a booster you love and don’t have room on your board for the larger footprint, EQD also offer this to give you much of the same functionality in a smaller package.
Primarily based around the TS808, the Dunes offers three switches in addition to the standard-issue TS Tone, Volume, and Gain knobs. The switch at the top allows you to set your clipping mode preference between MOSFET (tight and crunchy), Silicon (which mimics the original TS808 sound), and no diode clipping to drive the op-amp. There’s a Normal/Bright switch that selects between full fat and chimer EQ curves. Finally, the Bandwidth switch allows you to choose between Stock, which is the original TS808 sound and Full Range, which backs off some of the low-end roll-off endemic to great Tube Screamers.
In addition to all that, you get true bypass, soft touch relay switching and top-mount jacks. It also looks pretty nice, too.
More recently, EarthQuaker has released the Plumes Small Signal Shredder, which is another take on the TS circuit with similar clipping options and a reimagined tone control.
Much like the Muffuletta on our best Big Muff pedals post, the JHS take on the Tube Screamer doesn’t settle for approximating just one. No, instead this relatively new pedal is a take on nine different TS circuits with the exact signal path of each wired into one small enclosure.
In addition to the expected Volume, Drive, and Tone knobs, there’s the nine-way selector switch. First is the OD-1, which is actually a Boss circuit from 1977. Then the TS808, TS9, MSL Metal Screamer, TS10, Exar OD-1 (a Polish variant), TS7, Keeley Mod Plus, and the JHS Strong Mod. If you’re a player who loves this famous mid-boosting overdrive, this is just about the end-all, be-all.
It’s priced to match, to be sure, but it’s a far cry cheaper than trying to get your hands on an actual vintage version of some of these. If you don’t want nine versions, but are interested in what JHS makes of a Tube Screamer, you could also consider the Moonshine, which lets you mix in your clean signal.
Like EarthQuaker, Brian Wampler was overrun with requests to do his take on the Tube Screamer. If you’ve ever watched his channel, you’ll know that he does several deep-dives into what makes the circuit work, how to make subtle tweaks to it, and how best to run one into your amp. This is a man intimately familiar with every component that goes into a TS-style pedal.
Wampler’s Clarksdale is a TS808 type that offers far, far more flexibility than most versions out there. There are Volume and Gain knobs, of course, but instead of a tone pot, there’s a three-band EQ. The Bass and Mid controls are active, meaning you can boost or cut those frequencies by 15dB, while the Treble pot is like the tone control on a traditional Tube Screamer. The switch in the middle allows you to customize the clipping; Big is more open, higher gain, more touch-sensitive, and Smooth is more compressed and closer to the original 808 circuit.
As with the Dunes, you get top-mounted jacks, silent true bypass switching, and you can even run this one at 9 or 18 volts if you want more headroom. There’s a lot more gain on tap in this pedal than your average 808, and with the active EQ, plenty of room for finding your voice.
Toward the end of 2017, T-Rex re-released their Classic line of their original three pedals, all of which are handmade in Denmark. Among those was the re-issue of the original Alberta, which is their take on a lower-gain Tube Screamer. Their literature refers to Stevie Ray Vaughan, which indicates that this leans more toward the TS9 circuit. That said, they say it’s “lower gain and less strident than Stevie’s pedal,” so make of that conclusion what you will.
Controls are, as you might expect, Gain, Level, and Tone. Along with the lower gain range, this pedal is a lot like the Nobels in that some players note an overall enhancement to the sound of their rig. Could be psychosomatic, but one advantage to these being handmade (which in part explains the somewhat-exorbitant price) is that while the original circuit is used, the values of each component are matched not necessarily to spec, but to the best sound. Each unit is distinct and hand-tuned so that all the parts work very well together. It’s definitely a high-end offering, and you’ll opt for this if you’ve been chasing vintage units around and really want this one in particular, since a lot of boutique pedals are handmade these days and don’t quite go for this kind of price.
If you want more bang for your buck, you could opt for the Alberta II, which is not handmade in Denmark, and as a result is a hugely-flexible dual overdrive for considerably less.
Watch the product demo to get an idea what it sounds like.
The TS-style offering from Walrus Audio weaves around some of the other boutique offerings on this list. The product description naturally notes “searing Texas blues leads”, so we know we’re on the right track.
Like the Blue Note, there are four controls, with tone split into Bass and Treble. In contrast to the Blue Note, which lets you control the lower mids, this knob works more like a variable high pass filter, controlling all bass (or treble) frequencies. There’s a switch present here, as well, which Walrus calls the “Compression Switch.” Up is tighter and more compressed, down is more open and organic.
Pickup wizard Seymour Duncan also offers a number of relatively undersung yet excellent pedals. Among them is the cleverly-named 805, which is, of course a TS-style circuit. These are made in the U.S. and deviate from the Tube Screamer template in one important way: tone.
Not the overall tone, of course, I mean the tone control. Rather than a single knob affecting the midrange, this pedal has active tone controls for Bass, Treble, and Mid. That means you can scoop or boost any of the three in any configuration you like. You can aggressively mid-hump your TS-style pedal or use the controls to color match to your amp or pickups. The other controls are the expected but renamed Level and Drive.
It also has kind of a neat battery compartment that doesn’t require removing the bottom plate, if you’re into that sort of thing.
J. Rockett’s take on the TS circuit expands the control set and the gain range. Instead of the traditional three knobs, the Blue Note gives you a Volume, Gain, Tone, and Fat. The first two are self explanatory, except to say that the range of the Gain knob is affected by the Hot switch in the middle of the pedal.
When switched up, you get more gain, which is handy for matching to the amp you’re using at the time or just for more grunt. The Tone knob controls the treble frequencies, while the Fat knob mostly works on the lower mids so you can dial in the exact thickness you want. This pedal offers all the expected TS tricks, but also allows you to call up what is often missing from a TS as you need it.
In addition to this version, which is the Pro Version, you could instead opt for the Tour Version, which foregoes the Hot switch and is a little cheaper. Otherwise, it’s the same circuit.
This offering from Way Huge is the fourth iteration of their take on a Tube Screamer circuit, building further flexibility into their smallest enclosure yet (which is still a little on the large side, really).
Naturally, you get knobs for Volume, Tone, and Drive. There are also two knobs to either side of the Tone knob which, like the Clarksdale, allow for boosting or cutting those frequencies by 12dB. This allows for really finite shaping so you can develop a Screamer tone that matches your rig perfectly.
If you want to snap back to a more traditional Screamer, the switch between Volume and Drive can be flipped up to Classic, which defeats those two tone knobs. All that’s left is the TS9ish circuit from the original Green Rhino.
Listen to the demo by Shnobel to see the controls in action.
Be sure to check Reverb first in case there’s a decent used copy for cheap.
Another TS808 take-off, this version comes from Electro-Harmonix, in the fine tradition of that company’s relatively low-cost options. Based around the aforementioned JRC-4558 chip, this pedal creates that well-known symmetrical clipping for a few dollars less than the current generation TS9 from Ibanez. The familiar controls of Volume, Drive, and Tone are present, and it’s even mostly green.
The switch is a standard clicky true bypass, but it’s in a pedalboard-friendly MXR-sized enclosure. This is probably a pretty close approximation of the 80s TS808s, with a lower gain range and a pronounced bass roll-off and no expanded EQ set to offset that. Still, the price is certainly right.
Since the Bonsai brought up Boss, we’ll talk about their offering next. This is a bit of an interesting one. For one thing, whether you go for the higher-end Waza version or the standard offering, the Blues Driver is a pedalboard staple. It’s not flashy and it doesn’t get the same billing as its green counterpart, but you’ll see it on a wide variety of boards as a utility player gain-stacker. It may not be the main drive tone (but then again, it might just), but it does a very good thing.
You might have expected to see the Super Overdrive in this spot, especially given that changing a couple of components can turn it into a TS808, more or less. It might be fair to say, then, that the Blues Driver, with its higher gain range, is more like a TS9. If you kick around the gear boards of the internet, you’ll find plenty of people suggesting the BD-2 as a suitable Tube Screamer stand-in. As ever, use your ears to decide.
If you opt for the Waza Craft version, you’ll actually get both versions of the BD-2 circuit. The switch between the ever-present Level, Tone, and Gain knobs selects between S (for Standard) and C (for Custom). Standard is the original BD-2, while Custom adds a fuller-range sound and a touch more gain. Being a Boss pedal, this is buffered bypass, but they use a decent buffer, so consider this not only for its wonderful gain-stacking abilities, but also if you happen to be in need of a buffer.
Fans of Andertons videos will know this unit. It was the original non-Tube Screamer Tube Screamer and is favored by Capt. Lee Anderton for doing the mid-pushed boost job. Technically, what’s available today is a re-issue, but is a very faithful one.
Controls are Drive, Level, and the elegantly-named Spectrum. Spectrum is tone, of which there is just more in comparison to the 808 from which it derives. This has a wider frequency range, which is particularly noticeable in the lower-mids. It’s less compressed than the Ibanez version, but has a similar gain range. To my ears, the note definition is considerably better than a lot of TS variants, so if you’re doing a lot of complex chord voicings, this might be the one to consider.
Jacks on this are top mounted, and there’s also a Remote input, if you should need it. If you watch a lot of pedal YouTube, as I do, you’ll know all about this pedal. If you don’t, it’s probably because it’s something of an industry secret and a favorite of session musicians.
To be fair to the Nobels, there’s some disagreement out there over whether it qualifies as a TS clone. Brian Wampler thinks it doesn’t and that dude knows his way around a circuit. I’ve included it here because it’s often referenced in the same conversation at the end of the day, it’s a green drive pedal that does a similar job for a lot of setups. It’s also just great and reasonably priced, so it’s worth your consideration.
The focus of this pedal is really on headroom for improved dynamics and feel. In addition, it’s well-suited for those that as want the flexibility to choose where to put it in their tone stacking chain.
Possibly the most transparent of this genre, the Mad Professor take offers a very similar circuit to the others on this list, but does not have the same mid-bump and bass roll-off that is available elsewhere. This is what you’d get if you set the Clarksdale to Big and never changed it again.
Controls include Volume, Drive, and Body. The last of these dials in the lower-mids and treble at the same time. Starting at noon, if you turn it counter-clockwise, you get the bass and treble boosts, while clockwise boosts only the treble.
Like the T-Rex, the handwired version is pricey, but you can get a machine-made one, as well. Or you can search on Reverb to see if there’s a cheaper used handwired Little Green Wonder kicking around.
Although Way Huge and MXR both live under the Jim Dunlop banner, MXR also offers a TS-style pedal. In contrast to the Green Rhino, however, you only get the standard control set here. It’s a faithful take meant to improve the circuit in ways other than strictly functional.
MXR claim that this is both less noisy and less coloring than your average Tube Screamer. MXR fans will certainly want to give it a look, but given that it’s both pedalboard and wallet friendly, anyone looking for options in green box overdrive territory will be hard pressed to pass it up.
Though we put the Biyang OD-10 Mad Driver on our best cheap guitar effects pedals post, the TS9 inspired Vintage Overdrive from Joyo is both cheaper and a little more common on pedalboards. It belongs on this list simply because it makes a TS-type pedal available to virtually anyone. Less than $50 is a smoking deal for a pedal as it is, but around $30 is just silly. Tube Screamer users should have one as a backup at this price.
Controls are as straightforward as they get. While in years past, a pedal this inexpensive would come in a plastic box, this is a robust metal enclosure with chunky knobs. The badly recessed power jack probably won’t win any design awards, but that’s a pretty minor quibble considering the price.
