Ibanez 2014: Amp!

Ibanez amps are there for the taking. They might not be the best the manufacturer has to offer but they won't be excluded from the addition. This 2014, Ibanez has 2 for your considerations. The Iron Label IL15 is a tube offering for us high gain dweebs. True to its 'Iron Label' tag, the amp offers more gainful pleasure than nice cleans. OK, let's not dismiss the cleans entirely but I've played Ibanez tube amps before & let's just say that the outcome was acceptable in this light. The amp sports a pair of EL84s in its power section so expect something more Brit than American. Together with a 12" Celestion Seventy 80 driver, the IL15 should be it for many of us in terms of intensity & acceptable domestic volume.

Moving on to some likable cleans, would be this very retro-looking TSA5TVR; the new Tubescreamer amp. There's a Jensen 8" C8R driver in there so 'clean' is something we can be happy with. On a personal note, I prefer Jensen to any other drivers for cleans & that includes providing good cleans to propel my favourite pedals. The fact that there's a Tubescreamer circuitry in there means we can cascade some of our preferred pedals into the amp's drive channel for serious tone works. Those legs might not win over fans in terms of looks.

I'm definitely gonna check these amps out, more often than not, investing in amps are more fruitful for me as opposed to adding another guitar to the premises. Hmm...

Screamer trivia

Here's the answer to the TS trivia posted previously (this one: CLICK)- the TS5 is one of the manifestations that read 'Tubescreamer' instead of 'Tube Screamer' like the TS9. It's petty but it's history.

The morning tank

I had an old friend out for some tone works this morning. In fact, I just stopped playing. This is a budget pedal from Ibanez's Sound Tank series, so if you think the Tone Lok series were affordable, then you know there's something even more affordable. It's not in mint condition as evident here but it still works. The input/output access should be cleaned soon; the loss of signals were annoying. The LEVEL knob had seen better days as well, could use a replacement or some rectifications- would attend to this soon. The TS5 has a good Tubescreamer voicing but it lacks the cream of the TS808 which is in a different league considering the prices.

TRIVIA: The TS5 is a 'significant' member in Ibanez's TS history; do you know why? Answer in next installment :-)

See through screamer (2)

The Ibanez 30th Anniversary Tubescreamer is avaialble at the following stores:

• Swee Lee (Bras Basah showroom)
• Ebenex
• SV Guitars

Please call the stores for price checks. Click the store link on the left panel of this page for contact details.

The sound of tanks

The final day of October- spring cleaning...

Came across these 2 forgotten pedals form the Ibanez Sountank series which are really value for money units before the manufacturer introduced the Toneloks. Both pedals suffer from intermittent signal losses due to deteriorated connections, the Powerlead is in need of a new battery clip. The Tubescreamer was bought used from a friend, Marcus, who used to work in a shop/ jamming studio in the Queenstown neighbourhood. The Powerlead was a packaged deal from a former school mate who got married & had assigned his gear into oblivion. I bought his battered Ibanez guitar & the pedal was in the bag, he said it was convenient inclusion. 

We know the nature of the Tubescreamer, how it's referred to for its creamy overdrive, the Powerlead is really a distortion, one which functions more productively as a distortion type booster as opposed to a stand alone pedal. Wish they revive the Soundtank series...

Ibanez TS808HW

Ah, it's another Ibanez Tubescreamer incarnation but one with a touch of character as specified by the 'HW' suffix- hand wired. I'm not being dismissive with this pedal but the list price for it would rob you silly- $555. With this much money, you'd probably convince yourself to buy a new guitar/ amp instead. However, if you are a fan (like me), even the prohibitive asking price would make you consider, instead of aborting the purchase intention.

Tone-wise, the TS808HW still possesses that midrange hump that would make some of us cringe but this manifestation is a little creamier than its other siblings if that's any consolation for you in view of its differentiated pedigree.

Ibanez 2010 sneaks (Part 7): Amp!

Enough Ibanez guitar fodder, what I like this year is the new Ibanez amp- TSA15H. What's the buzz? TSA- the 'TS' stands for Tube Screamer, meaning: The Tube Screamer is incorporated into this amp... So now it's all about hearing it in action. Anxiety, anxiety... but not quite for me. This amp has no midrange control... *sigh* Still looking forward to hear it in person, though.

In the mean time, Rob Balducci's demo is here for everyone's considerations:

Tubescreamer application: Jeff Loomis

Jeff Loomis, has lethal equipment to propel his ultra heavy tone; an EMG equipped guitar (Schecter) + ENGL amp. Surely, this is more than sufficient to be crushing ear drums but do take time to watch the superb performance above, particularly, take note of the only pedal he's using- why would he need it anyway? This is why I always include a mild drive/ distortion pedal in my set up; it's not the greed of having more distortion, it's what the pedal does for playing ease- it helps rev up picking sensitivities (among other supplements) so I can pick faster without having to apply more pressure/ effort which would entail lethargy & mistakes.

Understanding overdrive

The overdrive effect, in its most fundamental understanding, is a device which increases the gain levels of your guitar input so that there will be a driven output at the amplifier. The understanding here is that the typical overdrive unit does not drive your signals upon receiving them but adds on more so that the drive would finally take place at the final destination; your amplifier. The overdrive produces a very mild effect, much typified by the grand daddy of all overdrive units, the Ibanez TS9.

It is, in this light, used as an enhancement for an already overdriven amplifier for a pile-on effect so we hear an increase in intensity. It can also be used as a primary source of overdrive to add minimum levels of drive for one's guitar tones, as superbly illustrated by the late Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Why is there much confusion between the overdrive & the distortion effect? This is simply because many overdrive offerings today are varied in their intensity grades, sometimes overlapping into the distortion capacity. We'd be thinking why an overdrive unit like BOSS' OD-2R for instance, has so much drive when the basic understanding of this effect unit simply states it to be a polite effect in terms of its intensity. There is much argument over the overdrive understanding but let it be known that it is one which enhances gain in order to produce a drive effect, not a driving effect per se.

Triple screamer!

Yes, it's a trio of Ibanez Tubescreamers working in tandem & doing me good! You might say it's sheer overkill & unnecessary but I value the final tone manifested by this line up. I hear a thick drive response unlike a solitary TS unit in action & with added (picking) sensitivity which only a metal-type distortion could give. The noise gate is necessary when employing more than a single drive/ distortion pedal to help curb the excessive hissings.

Remembering my ex...

My ex-girlfriend? Nah... my ex-amp, more like it. If you have to feel good about owning affordable practice amps, you should consider Marshall's mini stack (the MG15MSII depicted above). The stack nature of this baby is a definitely visual attraction per se but when it comes to amps, tone is priority for me- this stack has plenty of attractive tones to work with.

Thanks largely to the closed back cabs, the amps sound full with lots of good bottom end to spare, please keep in mind that cabs equipped with smaller drivers (less than 12") sound very shrieky when lots of overdrive/ distortion come into play. The MG15MSII managed to avoid this repulsion, the reason I bought it.

If you have kids at home, especially the curious ones who would go very near your amp & handle it while you're not looking, be mindful that this stacked unit topples over very easily. When it was in my possession, I placed it very near the wall so the chances of it tumbling over when pushed by any Godzilla Jr would be eliminated. If you have other means to secure it, please do so...

Others in pic:

• my 18yr old RG560
• Ibanez TS9