Demon tube screamer vs Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer | So close!

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

What did you think? Close enough? Surprising isn’t it, Cheers guys

[@danpena4472]

Same, there is no difference. The difference is when you spend 3 times as much and hear it in your mind because you don't want to feel like a fool for forking out the X tra bones.

[@johnnolan4312]

This is a very good comparison! Playing the exact same riff and switching pedals. The difference is so subtle you could never distinguish in a live setting. If the build quality and longevity are on par, I would choose the Demon .

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks John, appreciate the comment! Cheers

[@suggo3326]

Just got the Demon, wow what a great pedal for next to nothing and you get the 808 and ts9! Thanks for the review one of the best ones out there.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks! I really appreciate that! And glad you like it, it’s a bargain!

[@schipbreukeling3]

I scream, you scream we all scream for Ice cream.

[@earlycuyler8719]

I have a demon screamer and have found that it has unbelievable Brad paisley tones through my bf deluxe reverb!

[@moshingclubtv]

I have a problem for the demon pedal produce too loud of noises..It is normal?

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

It shouldn’t produce any noise other than the overdrive sound

[@totemstomp]

Change your power source newb

[@monobrow1983]

If you put level right up on demon it will make that hiss/fizz. Try cranking your amp then set your pedal level lower,and volume on guitar to suit! ☝️🤓🎸

[@TVoltG]

Demon FX one is what I have kept on my board. Actually, I have two, one set for the 9 and one set for the 808. I like them a lot.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

A great pedal! Thanks for the comment!

[@pedaliction]

It's almost identical I cant really tell the difference. Amazing! Would want to get one too. 😊

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

It is unbelievably close isn’t it, great little bargain overdrive 👍 Cheers dude

[@jOHNNYDEM]

Real Screamer wins👍🏻 Trying it in person really shows the true colors even more.

[@nakinaki7991]

The difference seems to be only money

[@TiagoEliasu]

Close? Haha. They have the same circuit, demon even has better capacitors film.

[@dimebagtribute]

The tone difference is certainly because of the tolerance of each parts (caps, resistors, diode, opamp), it's the same circuit so if there is the same quality parts it must sound very close except you can't have 2 times exactly the same parts with the same resistance or capacitance... Even between 2 TS9 from Ibanez...

[@boonatuna]

it sounds good for $25 but ibanez tube screamer is smoother and more consistent. I bet the demon could be even better with the right compressor and boost.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I bet you are right man! Yes it is smoother I agree too

[@FoodiePunk]

This is the kind of comparison every clone model needs, but not all unfortunately receive. Sold!

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks man!! It was definitely worth doing, stay well!

[@Guilherme77769]

Beatifull video, great, thanks!

[@bambuccioromano824]

Hello. I disassembled the pedal and noticed that there is only one chip inside, that is the "4558D JRC 0088T". This chip should be part of the "Tube Screamer TS808", or am I wrong? Now can this pedal work in TS9 mode if it only has the chip for the TS808?

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I’ve absolutely no idea, you seem to know more about this than I do, I’m only judging the sound, seems like a good question for the manufacturer though, cheers

[@bambuccioromano824]

@@DerekPaulGuitar Oh no, as already specified, I'm not an expert, otherwise I wouldn't have asked the question. However the pedal sounds good.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Bambuccio romano ah gotcha! It’s been such a long time since I was involved in anything to do with electronics, I studied it when I was a lot younger, it does sound reasonable though as you said, stay well my friend :)

[@stephenhammond9793]

I have one if these pedals and it's fine, just tweak the amp tone controls to get the tone you want. I've not studied the circuits in depth, but a quick search on Google and it looks like the ts9 and 808 are very similar circuits and both use a 4558, so I would think it is easy to create a circuit which mimcs them both with a small change in EQ and/or gain.

[@emipw8869]

As far as i know both ts9 and ts808 have the same chip. What changes among the two are the resistors and capacitors of the output circuit. The 4558D is a dual op amp - a pretty standard component that in audio applications is always transparent and it doesn't influence the sound. The only exception I am aware of is the RAT, which uses a very low quality (from engineering perspective) op amp that doesn't amplify well the high frequencies and therefore colors the sound

[@mrphil1092]

Having built these and also Having both the orig (not re-issue) and the Demon I'm with Alex Aragon on this, ie The tone difference is certainly because of the tolerance of the parts as they use the same circuit. So if you bought several from Ibanez and subjected them to the same subtle listening you would find the same subtle differences.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Agreed, the tolerances in most pedals will make them sound different, cheers!

[@davidkastin4240]

There's a new version of the DemonFX pedal like this one. It's red and called the 2.0 version. I wonder how it compares to the Ibanez T.S. Anyone know? I put it on my wish list for Xmas ☺

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I didn’t realise there was a new version! Thanks David, I’ll check that out 👍

[@davidkastin4240]

@@DerekPaulGuitar Cool thanks. No demos of it on YT yet.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@davidkastin4240 and I can only find it on Ali Express so far

[@pcollenyt3683]

I've read that there is very little difference between the Red 2.0 version and the original Green TS09/TS808. I just bought the original Green one on Wish for 13.00 plus $7 shipping (got a $3 off coupon)

[@davidkastin4240]

@@pcollenyt3683 Where did you read that? I've been waiting to order one of these till I hear someone's opinion or comparison. How do you like the pedal?

[@18bagabooo]

had same nigh pitch noise when pedal is on (nothing on bypass) . Same psu (1 output) when powers the MXR dookie has no issues with noise. PSU has ferrite and wire is all twisted (came from a boss gt100). Funnily I got 2 of them, for me and for a Christmas present. Do you think both can be faulty? or could it still be the PSU that's the culprit, and perhaps the MXR has more tolerance to bad PSU's instead? (I don't count the GT100 as that is a big old beast, surely that will work with any PSU).

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

It's possible they are both faulty but worth trying another power socket, power supply or patch cable?

[@18bagabooo]

@@DerekPaulGuitar Tried today one of them with a battery (some old 9V battery so not even a new one) ... zero noise.... very interesting. Before that I tried other sockets, amps even cables... Now another thing, sound wise, what I found gives the best sound was to turn the valve amp (fender champ 25) all the way up to where its just starting to break up/distort. add the tube screamer at same input level as per clean side... and omg goodness comes all out - seems like less compression and less low end is wasted (if any) - mids come out "screaming" and I don't need high drive on pedal anymore.. Before at low levels even at max drive it sounded really bad with zero low end and barely any distortion to the point I was thinking is broken to start with.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Oh wow didn’t think of that! And that’s what they say, get the amp just breaking up and add a tube screamer! Glad you got to the bottom of it but still issues with the power supply side of things I’m guessing!

[@Viicorico]

hi I have the same issue, do you think that it's a construction defect ? It works well with a 9v battery

[@Amir93-l6t]

Ts9 reissue or vintage?

[@joleng7627]

World best device! Cheap and good. I used it on my ukulele. It sound superb!

[@thomashoyle2997]

I really like the blind test format 👍They're indeed pretty damn close (I had a very marginal preference for the clone).

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks for the comment!!

[@joeobrien167]

They are literally identical, the components are exact. Any differences are in component value tolerances. The interesting thing is the Demon is made with thru-hole components as well. These are simple electronic circuits that are easy to copy, no magic

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Cheers for the comment, appreciate it man!

[@robyvern]

I bought this pedal and it is not true by-pass. Cut off high sounds when not activated.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I didn’t notice that on mine, thanks for the comment

[@1UpGameGeek]

I'm sure I heard somewhere that you are better having a buffered bypass like boss do. Something to do with the longer the chain, even if its a true bypass, the less signal gets through. Same would happen with a really long cable i suppose. But I have not tested the theory myself.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@1UpGameGeek it really depends on the application, true bypass is great for a somewhat noisy pedal board and buffered is great as you say for long signal chain to keep the high frequencies intact, cheers!

[@Martian891]

@@1UpGameGeek you wanna have a couple of buffered and mostly true bypass

[@emipw8869]

I doubt that, I opened the pedal and it's indeed true bypass

[@davidlloyd9598]

The Joyo is the best Tubescreamer I've heard. Rich harmonics and warm with tons of midrange. How does this compare? I might get it to cascade.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I haven’t tried the joyo one I’m afraid, did you compare it to the ts9 or ts 808? And which joyo one did you get? Cheers

[@davidlloyd9598]

@@DerekPaulGuitar I got the vintage overdrive.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Ah yes I know it, great overdrive, as you saw in the video, the demon is so close to the TS9 and isn’t a lot of money, cheers

[@taypkaz]

Not an expert on pedals but mine's like super glassy, it is very noticeable when paired with another drive. it's like it's voicing is so strong. I don't know maybe it's just the way this pedal sounds. Maybe I'm using mine wrong.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Definitely worth playing around with :)

[@ottoolsen9560]

im not an expert but usaly they use the tubescreamer at high volume just to push the tube amp into destortion and this is supposly the best way, i have this pedal to, but also an old gk250 ml non tube amp +2x12 vintage 30 cab, and it does not work verry vell, but then i do not want all my neighbours knocking on my door, so i dont play at theese volumes.

[@cleangoblin2021]

Chances are, you need to equalize treble and mids in your amp. There's hardly any terrible cheap pedals nowadays. But it takes some getting used to to maximize our gears. I used to hate my Nux Plexi crunch but after spending time with it, i finally figured out how to dial everything from my amp to the pedals

[@danieltambasco528]

As many others here, I thought #1 was better and assumed it would be the original. It had a thicker sound, pedal #2 the actual tube screamer sounded thinner, fewer harmonics, more clarity. But a drive pedal with tons of clarity just begins to sound like a clean tone after a while.

[@Oleg-p8p]

Ibanez ts9 обошел china demon.у кого идеальный слух тот увидет тонкость отличия в лучшую сторону.😊😅😮

[@The.Adam.D]

I currently have no pedals, though after watching this that may change lol

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Lol well if your budget doesn’t stretch to the TS9 or 808 and you were looking at a tube screamer I’d recommend this :)) cheers man

[@fotice]

this is a great video, as everything you have done by now! man can you do a mosky crazy tone??

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks man!! I’ll take a look at that one! Cheers

[@kimmolingonheimo]

hi, thats a great pedal, I dont use it as a heavy rock pedal, but for strat neck pup jazzy warm tone..., another great Mosky is the Silver Horse! I own 100 to 200€ pedals ( 200 is my limit!), but these two Moskys are irreplaceable, they have great bass frequency response! Cheers, K

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@kimmolingonheimo nice man! I’m enjoying the ones I have, great tones! Cheers!

[@andre_martins61]

Friend, does this key work in practice? I want to know if there is any difference in sound.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Hi Andre, i'm not sure what you mean?

[@andre_martins61]

@@DerekPaulGuitar Sorry friend, what I mean is, if the key that changes from Ts 9 to Ts808 works. If there really is a change in sound or if it's just an ornament.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@andre_martins61 Oh i see, from my experience there is a slight difference between the TS808, TS9 and TS10 even, i don't think its huge though :)

[@andre_martins61]

@@DerekPaulGuitar Thank's friend, I asked why I am looking to buy this pedal.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@andre_martins61 No worries, at the price i'd say go for it :) thanks my friend

[@jmch6359]

Seems like the Demon is a little harsher and the Ibanez has a little more bottom end.

[@pcollenyt3683]

Easily trimmed out using your amp EQ or guitar tone controls.

[@ninachiara1]

Can I also use it for a blues harp for distortion

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I never tried it but I think it would work!

[@ninachiara1]

Oke i am gone try it,thanks

[@ninachiara1]

@@DerekPaulGuitar thank you for your respons ,i try it

[@barneymiller5488]

I got it right. I've owned both. But the real one is a bit beefier. Pretty close though.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Nice man! yes there is a slight difference but so close as you say, cheers

[@almostliterally593]

Bass demo please

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I unfortunately don't play bass and don't have the pedal as i gave it away in a giveaway, cheers!

[@bikeman1x11]

why would you use crappy sounding neck pickup?

[@patmccrotch5373]

Been playing the demon for around a week now, I'm sure there's a feel thing you get with using an original tube screamer, however, that demon is so much damn fun to play through! And for 25 bucks, you get a lot of tone and versatility. Love the pedal, I'm having a blast with it, also love video brotha!

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks man! It is very very close but I know what you mean, it’s a visual feel thing, enjoy it my man and thanks for the comment! Cheers!

[@patmccrotch5373]

@@DerekPaulGuitar I'm tellin ya brotha, I've been bit by the effects pedal bug big time haha I'm gonna attempt to make my own powered pedal board today haha I'm right on the line of a healthy/unhealthy obsession with them haha.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@patmccrotch5373 Haha oh i hear ya! i started this journey a year ago! it's addictive

[@patmccrotch5373]

@@DerekPaulGuitar Someone better start a support group fast! Haha 🤣 -"I'm Pat.." -"HI PAT!" -"Hello everyone.. I'm here today because I'm addicted... TO MAKIN FACES MELT AND PANTIES DROP WITH MY ROCKIN" 🤣🤣... I really do need help haha

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@patmccrotch5373 hahaha! This comment wins the thread!

[@zombiemontage]

Great demo

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks!!

[@JeremyAnderson-kg7cq]

Well I have a JOYO vintage od, a Ibanez ts9 and some others and I like them all and don’t have much money but sometimes just looking at the ts9 makes me feel like I’m a millionaire so they’re all a WIN WIN imho 😊

[@louistorres]

Great video!

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks man!

[@davidbeauvais1364]

Yo Louis!

[@Normanb15]

Van you mod the demon to make it closer

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

I would imagine so, plenty of people and articles on modding TS style pedals, cheers

[@emipw8869]

I got one of those Demon and dismantled it. I copied the circuit and compared with the ts9 schematic you can find on the internet. It's very much correct - only the input condenser is slightly off but that wouldn't impact that much the sound (it's there only for decoupling). I have the impression they inverted the ts9/ts808 switch, so that the ts9 position is actually ts808 (i might have made some mistakes though, that'd be strange since all the rest is spot on). On the plus side, the Demon is true bypass - the buffer of the ts9 is a bit rudimental.

[@emipw8869]

Also, for 20 euros you get a beautiful front graphics in comic sans

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Now that’s truly building your own tube screamer :))) a bit out of my comfort zone there but props to ya

[@emipw8869]

@@DerekPaulGuitar I built some diy pedals before so opening up these little boxes is an hobby of mine :) thanks for your video! I don't own an original ts9/808 and it was interesting to hear the comparison

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@emipw8869 Nice man! i did think of doing one a while back but wasn't sure if i could do it, Cheers and thanks for the kind words

[@KarstenJohansson]

I got it right. I could tell them apart pretty easily. Every time pedal 2 was on, there was a noticeable upward change in headroom. It's the better pedal. Having said that, I have a Demon pedal, so I'm not a hater.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks for the comment :)

[@kevinking2468]

That doesn't even make sense.

[@StevenGirling]

I have both the only difference to me is the demon gets through the battery much quicker

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!

[@mairuzu1]

Kinda disappointed I could guess which was which. I feel the Ibanez sounds almost like a clean sound mixed with the drive. But the demon is great value for money! Looks solidly built too. Maybe with some tiny modifications it could sound closer?

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks Miles, it is close but as you say if you want that extra something then get the TS9, it’s a classic after all, but the demon is great value for money and not far off, cheers and stay well

[@markusfinkler9625]

I guess the different Greens are making the difference. Like comparing an First series to a reissue not much of a difference if ever - not to my ears. Bang for the buck - two for not even half of the price of one Original. In a life concert noone will be able to hear a difference. Maybe cause there are none while it's the identical tone circuit. Thanks for the comparison.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks for the comment and kind words Markus! Cheers!

[@ILLRICARDO]

Just wish there was a boss sd1 clone.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

You can probably get an SD1 for around $40 used

[@ryanbilly3434]

I found the demon creamier. The oem ts is abit harsh. Btw, that is a lovely guitar, mate!

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks mate, appreciate the comment!

[@Ardolynk]

I caught the difference: the first one sounds more raw and harsh, the original TS is better "roasted" and sounds softer.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks man! Appreciate the watch, comment and opinion

[@UweWong]

@@DerekPaulGuitar in your honest opionion, could this actually be corrected/compensated with a slight turn of the tone knob? to me, every single piece electronic component wont be the same, hence tolerances are provided by manufacturer. what i am trying to say is, would two TS put together sound different? I mean, especially with analog circuits, i have always gotten clones or diy kits. and this one will be next! the reason why i would get original is plain for collection or artwork.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

@@UweWong Hi, to honestly answer, in my experience there are around 10% tolerances in components so two TS pedals would sound slightly different, Brian Wampler from Wampler pedals did a video on it a while back, the reason i bought my TS9 was also for collectability and to have the original cheers!

[@UweWong]

@@DerekPaulGuitar absolutely agree!

[@Ren2009Mr]

This is the red one: DemonFX AT-DS Distortion JHS AT+ Clone

[@pcollenyt3683]

No....The Green Demon TS808/TS9 (switchable)

[@DanielDavis730]

Demon make great pedals. So it just go to show u how everyone getting ript off .with alot of products

[@eddiepenshorn4317]

Splitting hairs!! It comes down to the song…. My Sharona would have sounded just as awesome with either sound

[@waltzguy14151]

I thought pedal 1 was the better sounding of the two. So I assumed it was the TS9. Surprised it wasn't thanks!

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!

[@dindin3394]

I bought it a month ago and it is really nice sounding...I didn't own a ts9 or 808 so far but from what I see in all the comparissons it is really really close. I would say that it is definetely worth the money. Thanks for the nice video.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it, yes it’s very close so you basically have a really good pedal there :))

[@iplayloud2]

The Mosky is true bypass too. The original TS-9 and 808 have Jfet switching, not true bypass.

[@ryanbilly3434]

No coloring to it?

[@iplayloud2]

@@ryanbilly3434 The Demon circuit is identical, only the big switch bypasses the entire circuit. When the switch is off, the input wire is going direct to the output without passing into any electronic parts. While in a real TS, your signal goes through an input buffer and an output buffer even when the pedal is off.

[@ryanbilly3434]

@@iplayloud2 Oh ok. Thanks for the info, mate! Hsve a nice day!

[@arthurmello1641]

They are the same

[@tds2117]

I’ve used various Tube Screamers on Satan knows how many pedal setups. I’ve put in literally thousands of hours playing, recording, and listening to Tube Screamers. To say it’s my favorite overdrive of all time would be an understatement. And you know what? I was wrong on which was the Mosky. Maybe I’ve played too many different TS models, maybe I’m slipping in my old age, I dunno. But regardless, I was wrong. Good on you, shitty Chinese pedal company. Good on you.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Great comment!! haha cheers man!

[@totemstomp]

Shitty Chinese vs shitty Japanese? All the components are made in China anyway. Ibanez is not an American company. Pedals are metal boxes filled with cheap electric components, period

[@elmoffitto2171]

Great review. SOLD

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks man! glad it helped you out, cheers!

[@remoteuser65]

Way too much fizzy top end. Not a very accurate representation of either pedal. They are very similar though.

[@666dynomax]

i thought pedal 1 sounded better... and assumed it was the true TS.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Thanks for watching and for the comment!

[@danieltambasco528]

I was going to write the same exact thing. Had a thicker tone, more harmonics filling in the spectrum.

[@bradlaue1718]

Hi Derek, that was interesting. I guessed correctly, but maybe because I have a friend that owns three of the originals albeit, different iterations, so I know that sound well and the Demon has a little more harshness in the trebles that kind of jumps out. I have the Behringer Tube screamer clone that can be had for around thirty dollars and it sounds close to the Demon with a little less of a gutsy sound if that makes sense. The Ibanez TS is definitely the benchmark for overdrives and I think it is the sound that we all strive for in some form or other. Don't sell yourself short, Five Watt World is the background fill we all need to make sense of the choices available in the modern world. Your comparisons of pedals we can actually buy at reasonable prices is just as valuable. Muffled cheers from behind a mask.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Haha ‘muffled cheers’ thanks Brad, yes I noticed a smoothness to the TS9 that I didn’t get from the Demon, I guess that’s why you spend a little more money, I am finding as I do these reviews that by spending a little more you get more, not that the clones are bad at all, great budget pedals but if you want a tip end polished sound then investment is necessary, I thought you’d guess the original :) cheers man and stay safe

[@bradlaue1718]

@@DerekPaulGuitar I've been experimenting lately with several of your pedal picks and having several amps it is amazing how much different they sound depending on the amp. So what I have developing now is several mini pedal boards sprouting in front of different amps. The compression pedal recommend was gold as I have three of those now. Same for the delay pedal as I have two of those and I don't have to worry as much about pedal order or bypass issues. Keep 'em coming.:)

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Cheers Brad, I’m imagining they sound different through your amps, it’s a matter of finding something that works as there are some great pedals out there and I’m working my way through finding some gems, glad to be of help :)

[@BRLaue]

Derek Paul Guitar Just a note. I spent some time with a friend who owns a Bluesbreaker pedal as well as a King of Tone along with several others in that category. The one that stood out to me was the Wampler Pantheon. It sounded better to my ears in almost all instances compared to all the others and sounded the most like the ‘Marshall’ tone, though I am no expert by any means and after three hours of comparisons I was bushed. For what it is worth, he didn’t know of a inexpensive clone that came up to these pedals, but we can always try. Cheers!

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Btad Laue hey Brad, Wampler do make some good pedals, the only pedal I had in the UK alongside my telecaster and hotrod amp was a Wampler paisley overdrive (a pedal that I’ll definitely get again soon) it is worth (if you have the budget) spending a little more or saving for decent effects, they have a ‘polish’ and a quality to them, the KOT I’ve heard is an awesome pedal and I’d like to try it one day :)) cheers my friend

[@bubu89136]

When you listen to these in your rig, actually in the room, or especially onstage, that is when you can tell the difference. Furthermore, each of these will sound different because they use cheap low tolerance parts. They all break easily, and won't last. Don't waste your money.

[@toms2146]

I advise against it with all my heart. Its only advantage is its low price, but it's still a waste of money.

[@chrisbunch6811]

I bought one about 2 weeks ago and I love the shit out of it and I have an original ts9 from the 80s

[@seanellis8491]

These clones are rarely true bypass.There is always some interference

[@robyvern]

Sono uguali.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Grazie, sono d'accordo!

[@gregjandt2841]

All around terrible sound

[@j.c1574]

You definitely should use it together with another pedal that’s beefier

[@MarkyPaligs]

in modern standards, you're supposed to use it with another distortion after it and put the ts gain at 10%, tone around 60% and level at 90% to max.