Another versatile overdrive. This was the first of the "reissue" pedals released by Ibanez in the mid-90's. The popularity of this pedal spawned a whole new "specialized" market of boutique and mass-produced "reissue" pedals.

I have tried this pedal with several different guitar and amplifier combinations. I've reached the conclusion that it sounds better with a single-coil guitar, BUT, it sounds OK with humbucker models as well. This is more bright than the TS-808, and can be "shrill" or "trebly" at times, depending on the pedal, amplifier and guitar settings.

It pays to experiment heavily with this pedal to get a good tone. One of my experiments years ago resulted in me running the TS-9 in conjunction with the TS-808, placing it after the 808 in the signal chain. This allows me to use the TS-9 for rhythms or mellower solos, and adding the TS-808 for more overdrive. The TS-808 darkens the TS-9 a bit in this setup, but really creates a ballsy overdrive for a Strat. This pedal sounds real BAD through a solid-state amp. I played the TS-9 through several solid-state amps one day, and NONE of them sounded good to me. This included vintage to newer types.

As far as this reissue pedal goes, I love it. I have played several original TS-9's. Some sounded great, some didn't. I have heard that this again reverts back to the type of chip used in the manufacturing process. I suggest playing several TS-9's when looking for an original to make sure you choose one that sounds good for your tone palette.