I’ve never been a huge fan of the classic Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal. There, I said it. It might be because I’ve never had the opportunity to play one of the “great ones” from the early 80’s, or maybe it’s just how they’ve always reacted with the amps I’ve played, but it just never grabbed me like it has other folks. So, I was a little skeptical to try the TS9 Strong Mod from JHS Pedals, but I thought I’d give it a go anyway and see if they could change my mind.
For this mod, JHS upgrades the guts of the TS9, resulting in some glorious new tones coming out of this green monster. First, they install a socketed JRC4558P chip, plus they change out some of the lesser-quality caps and resistors with improved versions, making the TS9 now more powerful and well-balanced. The overall volume and boost of the pedal is increased to where it should be, and the range of the gain goes up significantly as well. The mod just gives this pedal the kick in the pants that it’s always needed, making it cut through mixes and destroy amplifiers with ease. Plus, the low end, which usually gets lost in the stock versions of these Tube Screamers, becomes much more present and welcomed, allowing your pedal to achieve a whole new range of tones.
Sometimes, all a pedal needs are a few minor upgrades and adjustments to make it really sparkle and shine, and that’s exactly the case here with the Strong Mod from JHS Pedals (plus, the new green knobs really make it look slick!). If you feel like your stock TS9 is a little flat or needs a bit of oomph, send it over to Kansas City, and watch how well it performs once it’s shipped back to you!
Submitted by Mike B, Website
