What About The SD9 Sonic Distortion? [Ibanez, Maxon/Analogman, Vemuram Butter Machine & TWA SH9]

[@m0j0b0ne]

Scott Henderson was one of the original instructors at GIT in Los Angeles. My favorite SH tip: don't use more than four notes in a row from a diminished scale; you don't want to sound like you went to school.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahah! Awesome!

[@shaft9000]

Musical "rules" are made to be broken, and pretending to play like you are someone/something other than "schooled" is frankly, strange. Fripp would say wear your schooling on your sleeve, don't be concerned with petty woo-woo...and I'm inclined to agree. You do you, in the end. Whether it is Fripp or Henderson, formative influences are good ....until suddenly they aren't. The 'rules' (that aren't laws) can only guide you so far.

[@LeviBulger]

​@@shaft9000I think you took that a bit too literally. Scott H was making a joke. He has a very unique but funny sense of humor

[@vassosserghiousr5488]

@@ThatPedalShow Funny that you said that this was first released in 1989 cause I have one, which was bought in 1985, and the serial number on it according to Ibanez themselves dates somewhere between 1982-1984... Still works although quite battered and road worn

[@bluesful]

Get Landau on the show!

[@jonathanlok643]

Would be amazing but unlikely. He’s notorious for not doing interviews and talking about gear…

[@jonathanlok643]

Scott Henderson maybe?🤷‍♂️

[@patrickmckay6621]

​@@jonathanlok643,he s in London on march 4th 😊,maybe he will come . ....did i mention that i ll see him in Hamburg on the 10th? yeahhhhh!

[@GuitarJawn]

Eric Johnson would shake the world

[@GuitarJawn]

​@@jonathanlok643thank you

[@chrishalemusic]

I adore that you’re sticking with Noels cameo, the legendary man makes a great sound bite, and it’s a great value to the interpretation of how the pedals sound.

[@Ram-zw7qz]

I always wonder if he's cool with the Noel's Knobs thing every episode? 🤷‍♂️

[@RMPMcDermott]

Best pedal for those creamy jazz fusion lead tones. Love that you all did the video. And Scott Henderson is a legend.

[@rubao6090]

Each pedal get a specific purpose. Each one is great for a purpose, but for what I’m looking for, the Maxon SD9 is what I need. It incorporates the spirit of guitar. Impulsive, projection and an attitude. All these pedals are fantastics.

[@jamesemerson4102]

I took a gamble and bought the Butter Machine and I love it and I have never even played an SD9, but I have always LOVED Landaus sound and playing. What I love about the butter machine is that you can get some searing lead tones at lower volumes and achieve compresion without blowing peoples heads off. It's bright and clear and has amazing harmonic content. It cleans up amaaaaazingly well. A very awesome pedal. I have been using it with my Lazy J 20 - being a slightly darker tweed style amp, it's a perfect match. Vemuram have done it again!

[@user-gh3dh4ee4g]

I first saw Henderson 40 years ago at the GIT, he blew us away back then, and now I was able to see him again a few weeks ago in a club in Hamburg, while many other great guitarists who were getting on in years are losing energy, SH still radiates the same youthful joy, I wish I could see him more often, he is pure inspiration

[@barrybritten7152]

isn't it wonderfull that we have brilliant guitar players like Landau and Henderson working with builders and manufactures and leaving us with pedals that where sonically inspiring initially and now better for there input, great episode thanks Dan and Mick

[@-plexico-]

Thanks for this episode. Really opened my ears. Ty!

[@Adventuresingearland]

Magic. Even with those questions answered, this presents so many questions! What a delightful rabbit hole - thanks team.

[@jamesleewright]

The part that I can never get over with my 80's SD9 is how well it cleans up. I play mine into a clean amp with the tone at 9:00, gain a little shy of noon, and volume at max or close to max, and it is almost always on. I can get almost completely clean tone with the volume knob on my guitar. It is so much more expressive than a lot of other drives I have tried over the years. So underrated.

[@Benz2112]

A big shout to the folks at Godlyke/TWA, great company to do business with. I have a SH9 on the way, and I can't wait to compare it to my Analogman modded Maxon. Love this circuit, thank you for making this episode.

[@GuitarJawn]

I had a long wait for mine but they were awesome about keeping me updated. Even sent pictures of yhe pedals being finished. Great dudes

[@chedhead3278]

Cheers guys, loving the clean up on these, special stuff.

[@mattrector431]

Dan just ripping towards the end with the Butter Machine made me smile so much on the way home. Love the SD for the clean up thing, that butter machine may be in the GAS list. Lovely video as always fellas!

[@petermongayahogsholm3884]

The SD-9 is one of my favorite pedals of all time! Scott Henderson actually liked the stock Maxon SD-9 the best for many years until his TWA signature SH-9 (not the Analog man version although he used that one for a period). The trick to the SD-9 is turn the level all the way up, set the tone around 9 o’clock, gain 2 o’clock and riding the guitar volume: tons of shades of gain and cleans up beautifully(neither Scott or Mike rarely, if ever have the volume all the way up). Also, they put a volume pedal after the SD-9 to control the mix. Huge fan of Scott Henderson and Mike Landau both for their great playing and their masterful tone. Thanks for this episode!

[@hokumbox1]

That intro has to be the best tone and playing i've ever heard from Mick. Nicely done fella.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks Ben!

[@analogholic3651]

@@ThatPedalShow Scott Henderson will be playing in the UK March 4 (London, Ronnie Scott´s) and March 5 (Folkstone, The Chambers). He just released an awesome new album, Karnevel. You should take the opportunity to have him on the show :)

[@analogholic3651]

Yeah, sounds awesome!!!

[@nickthenail]

The Ibanez Sonic Distortion was my first pedal purchase back in '81! It was my one and only "dirt" pedal for nearly a decade. Played through an Ibanez Artist AR-50 and Marshall JCM800 2203 half stack because-1980's!!

[@sparks2spare782]

I bought one of the Ibanez SD-9M a few years ago on a whim of curiosity. It changed my distortion sound greatly. I love that grinding Swervedriver sound. I stack mine with a Tech 21 British pedal dialed to a JCM 800 sound and it is amazing!!! Very underrated pedal.

[@pjmtry7]

Freakin Love how you all go through everything with such detail!!!

[@JakobBakker]

So basically this is describing my pedal journey in a way. The SD9 describing the first ever pedal I got. (Think it was a double sided Vox Satchurator) At first and on its own it was magic, but in the band it just stank. Or at least the way I used it. Inevitably and through alot of learnings I found my way to an Amp on the edge, a fuzz and a light OD. The sound I thought I needed had waaaay more gain then I needed in the end to create the sound I wanted. The only pedal that clicked here for me was the Vemuram (glad I kept watching). Really very astonished by what its capable of! Thanks for the show gents!

[@RubyRoks]

Love seeing Mick play non-traditional strat shaped objects. :)

[@johnelcanrab2114]

Change is good ❤

[@live2shredguy]

S shaped

[@onenotesolo256]

The Butter Machine is the only one of these that I own, and it’s the best drive / distortion sound I’ve ever had in a full band context. And it cleans up beautifully - in fact it does fat clean to mild OD to rawk all on the volume knob. As someone who has lived on ODs for years, this one has been a revelation. Currently sits next to an ODS-1 on the board and that’s me covered from country to hard rock and everything in between. A cautionary note on the Vemuram: if sounds horrendous (fizzy, one-dimensional) with some amps (EDIT: Or rather, certain amp+speakers), and spectacular with others, so you will see wildly differing opinions on the interwebs! (Im only 5mins in, but I have it set very similar to how Mick has it set as this point in the video. I.e. you don’t need too much gain or treble, and the trim pots on the back/end make a big difference as well).

[@jc5512]

My main criticism is that the name makes me feel sick

[@alexzaytsevguitar]

I have TWA SH9 and like it

[@robertwood8605]

The SD9 was the very first pedal I ever owned, purchased back in the 80’s. I used it as a lead boost with my Marshall JCM 800. These days I have a SD9 clone built from a kit I got from General Guitar Gadgets. Still love this pedal, still using it as a lead boost. Great show as always, thanks guys!

[@tommyauth]

This was my first pedal purchase ever, as well, and still use it. I was about 13, and it was the only distortion pedal in the shop. The Fender Dual Showman I just bought for $125 was just too clean sounding.

[@dregerj1]

Peak pedal show, showing classic pedals that not everyone is familiar with. Fantastic.

[@lincolndaugherty]

That 345 is sonically arresting. Every time you pull it out, I stop what I'm doing and listen. Thats quite a feat in an episode where so many great guitars are played. Its so special! Thank you for the amazing content, gentlemen!

[@mattybradbury]

My favorite distortion pedal of all time. Currently I have the Butter Machine and a modded SD9 on the board. Thanks for this comparison!

[@stefanward7838]

The AM SD-9 with the added mids control and bad bob boost is awesome, probably one of the best compact distortion boxes

[@dannyblau3850]

I had a rediscovery of the SD9 this past summer. just in a bit of boredom and research, i had kind of forgotten that through a lot of the 90's, an SD9 into a DC30 was the core live heavier gain sound of Stone Gossard from pearl jam. plugged it got it dialed and it was like "oh...there it is. there is that sound" Very underrated pedal but also to my shame, after that play around, I kind of forgot about it again. good reminder show.

[@Strat642001]

Thank you gents, for introducing me to the SD9! What a great sounding pedal! Just picked up a Keeley DS9, what a great sounding pedal! Was pleasantly surprised by the DS side, as any of the old orange DS1 pedals I had tried in the past tended to be to fizzy. This one sounds really good, and with the bass cutoff knob you can readily control the amount of bass to give it a much fuller sound.

[@terryeaster1]

31:03 I just had me my own little tangent in the joyous discovery of Scott Henderson. That dude has groove. Many thanks.

[@basicsforbaroqueimprovisation]

Thank you Dan & Mick for this deep dive ! A great way to spend the morning gents. I'm grateful for all the work and research and energy you put into the TPS content. Cheers - John

[@BobMaulucci]

Mick, the Cutler and the opening was indeed stellar as Dan said. Thanks for a great episode guys.

[@petegeoghegan7562]

Another preconception gone. I always though of distortion as being a very uniformed breakup - remaining the same at high or low volumes. Here we have pedals that shape tone, cut through the mix, boost and even clean up to some extent. Some great sizzle here. Good stuff.

[@jbels41]

Mick’s playing is killing it!!! Way to go!!!

[@garybird4062]

YES THE HORN IS BACK!!!!!! What a quality show today, I've not heard of the SD-9! Looks like I'll be in contact with the legend that is Analogman ;-)

[@CurranKevin]

I love the SD9 and was so happy to see this episode. For me the best context in which to appreciate the SD9 is the band Tribal Tech, where we hear Scott Henderson's singular guitar tone interlaced with Gary Willis's equally singular bass tone. Stunning.

[@Fr3etd4nc3r]

I also own an SD9 and don´t really use it live, because of a lack of "go" on the level when the gain is low, I´d like a little more volume....BUT...after a long love-hate relationship I bought an OBNE Signal blender and put the SD9 in one of the loops and blended it with the clean signal and man, does it come alive. You should definitely try blending the SD9 with various amounts of clean to discover some "holy grail" rock tones, even blues. Give it a go!

[@MrChrisJDalton]

This is one of my favourite ever TPS episodes. I had almost completely ignored distortion pedals for many of the reasons tackled here - great work lads! (Although like Dan, I’m now in a flippin’ crisis!)😂 What struck me was whilst all the pedals featured proved to be so much more versatile than the traditional “stamp, chug, widdle” distortion pedal applications, there seemed (to my ear at least) to be way more songs in the Butter Machine. In fact in the last passage Mick played on the strat with the Butter Machine engaged there was a sequence that was begging to be turned into a track! Really really fantastic video chaps! Looking forward to Mr. Timmons at Fat Lils!

[@nathanadams694]

I’ve watched this episode several times, end to end. I really enjoy the ultra deep dive into one thing.

[@eastgatemusic2959]

Great video! The Maxon SD9 is a very underrated pedal. We love recommending it 😎

[@eaglerayrob]

If I had to pick one it would be the Vemuram Butter Machine. Observational Tangent: The tone of the ES-345 has a physical effect on me like that of a therapy dog; blood pressure drops, heart rate slows, and a general feeling of relaxation and "welcome home" blanket me. Thanks for the company, until we meet again...Cheers.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahaha! That’s awesome Rob. Me too. :0)

[@Laoboy9]

Didn't really know what a sd9 was, but heard Dave at LA Sound Designs play a XTS Tonic Distortion and had to get one. That and the expandora circuit like a JHS Kilt are one of the few distortion pedals I really like. Great episode as always!

[@kayCOOL122]

Mick and Dan! Hats off today! Really some of the best sounds i have heard on youtube! Also maybe a board update video soon? Cheers!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Dan’s board coming next week!

[@chrisk3390]

That HDRX 20 sounds killer with this setup. Great demo of all these pedals.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Both amps are on all the time, just to be clear, but yeah it goes realllly nice with the Bass breaker!

[@alguitarchristie]

I always stayed away from Vemuram pedals, because I thought, they are way too expensive. But after I saw your Video on the Shanks, I had to have one, and the week after your show, I got one in mint condition second hand for 200 pounds and it's amazing. Then 2 weeks ago Andertons had a boost video with the Budi G and it sounded amazing, so I sold a couple of things and got one,and, it's amazing too!!!! I can literally get all my gain sounds now with these two! This Butter machine sounds great too! Those guys are geniuses at Vemuram! You and me are in a crises now, I want it!!!!

[@gordonrankin3995]

Dan the input buffer on the SD9 is a single NPN (emitter follower) biased through a 510K resistor on the base so it may even be lower input impedance. Butter is sounding pretty awesome on my high end desktop system. Thanks guys great show!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers mate, that lower impedance thing on the input is certainly common amongst all my favourite overdrive that clean up really well. Hope you’re over the boat🤓🙏

[@BrentGrowe]

Thanks dudes! about to put my sd9 on the board and have a play!

[@GazziAmplification]

I have the Landau pedal, have been looking forward to this comparison for a while. Thanks!!

[@TheBurdenOfHope]

That intro tone rocked Mick. Loved your playing man ❤

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you kindly!

[@timhall7771]

Nothing to do with today's show, but... a couple days ago I found myself in a tricky spot and got out of it by using a compressor as an underdrive, something I'd never heard of or thought of for myself til I saw you doing it on TPS while back. So: thank you for the tip, it worked great and got me out of a possible hole!

[@Airfire21]

Dear god the 345 with the SH9 was just mega. Not anything near what I would play but goodness gracious did it sound good. And the Butter Machine with the SG, the sweep on those pots was incredible to see and how fascinating that effectively the best results were at noon. Fab show and now I'm off to read the interview with Mr Tamura... nice bit of light reading before bed!

[@MesaGuitarGuy]

nice tones, lads! On another note, Scott 's band Tribal Tech was one of the best sounding shows ever

[@MrArios87]

Good morning from Dallas Texas. Sounds epic!

[@AWilliams7878]

Mike P modded my SD-9 and I added the external mid control. Super happy with that choice. Such a versatile pedal and try running a fuzz into it for some gnarly stuff.

[@hanovergreen4091]

Had one on my board in 1990-93 after the tube screamer and before the chorus. All I needed. Great show as usual and Best Regards and Best Wishes!

[@lowandodor1150]

Just saw a friend who i have been in a band with some 20 years ago, talked pedals, came to distortion, told him all i have is the Fat Sandwich these days and back in our band, some guitar trio, ambient, post rock thing, all my (very few) distorted parts i played with the IBANEZ SONIC DISTORTION....through a Fender Twin or a Sovtek and those parts were heavy and biutiful.....pure sonic bliss if the amp is right next to your/my ears!

[@spiltmilk615]

Ah guys. I love this. I’ve been using an SD9 and recently a Butter Machine, thanks to some well time birthday money, as a “character” drive. It can’t do everything I need but when I turn it on and rely on the knobs, it takes me somewhere inspiring that’s hard to come back from.

[@ap7498]

Thanks gents! Love these types of videos of pedal exploration you guys do….harkens to some of your earlier videos.

[@uttherkunst3806]

Christ, that’s an intro! Well done Mick!

[@kaneheuer]

When I was at GIT Scott Henderson would be there all the time doing open door clinics. You could just go sit with him and jam on backing tracks. It was nuts

[@ThatPedalShow]

Woaaaah!

[@ikbogle]

Great playing, great tones from all. The 345 is very special indeed said it last week it has a a very musical sound. Mick you’ll have to record an instrumental album with it for us tone nerds! Thanks have a great weekend legends

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ha! Thanks! Instrumental music definitely not for me tho. I am forever a song person, and song means singing to me anyway! :0)

[@ThatPedalShow]

Probably also worth saying that I’m a pretty basic guitar player, so it would get old, quick! Hahahahha!

[@ikbogle]

@@ThatPedalShow Ha, You’re too modest but anyway looking forward to seeing more of the 345!!

[@drippinglass]

This is great! The OG Ibanez had 2 different versions. I have an ‘81 with the single circuit board. Also an ‘84 with the daughter board for the controls. Different op amps as well. The ‘81 has a JRC4558 and the ‘84 has a Toshiba (forgot the number). They sound similar. Now on the way are the SH9 and the Maxon SSD-9. They will join the recent Butter Machine. I love this circuit, and think it’s somewhat similar to the DS-1, but with one less diode for symmetrical clipping. 😀

[@caydespliff181]

great another pedal I need to buy that buttermachine sounded incredible. I totally dig what this pedal does in relation to a pushed(or otherwise) amps. I’m not sold that any one pedal can or should be usable across the board with the same application or settings, the fact that the modded ones here have such tonal shaping makes them great for getting your sound where it needs to be in different context, and I LOVE how well the gain cleans up with the volume rolled down.

[@grahamkelly8299]

Wow!!! Your new SG sounds amazing Dan!! Looks so cool to 🤘🏻

[@taylorshattler]

That Joey Landreth lick though… chefs kiss.

[@mchalespermanentbrew]

I recently bought a Landau Coma model from Andertons, and I flippin love it. It has a sound all of its own that really shines in a band mix. It’s an oddball of a Strat for sure that is really reminiscent of a partscaster but it smokes my Fender CS 59 Strat in terms of versatility and tone. The ML noiseless pick ups will make you question everything you think you know about noiseless pick ups ( I’m guessing this is how Landau deals with having the volumes cranked) and the wide range humbucker in the bridge is amazing. A true signature model at standard prices. I really preferred the original with the ML settings to the other variations, great episode👌🎸

[@jeremyversusjazz]

this is so crazy. I’ve had a Landau style maxon SD 9 sonic distortion mod-whatever it’s called -it’s got two extra dip switches that a friend of mine who used to do work for landau put on it- he gave me the pedal and I haven’t used it in years, and I finally stuck it on my board a few days ago to use with a single coils. You know at real low gain settings and two days later here you guys are with the SD nine sonic distortion show! great minds think alike!

[@stuart_rose]

TY, as always, a comprehensive and nuanced deep dive… Dan’s “wow” count was particularly high this week 🤓

[@tmitz73]

Brilliant intro Mick!!

[@Mr.D34]

Here's what i've learned from this great episode. Boss SD-1 combined with GE-7 covers pretty much all these grounds 😀

[@DanielRettberg]

55:48 - “Let’s go both ways and see where we can get to.” Dan’s reaction lmfaooo

[@robertbaker5445]

Back in the 90's, I bought a weird distortion pedal at a pawn shop. It was a Dr. Blade Sustortion pedal. It had a 12ax7 pre-amp tube in it, and I found it to sound real harsh. When the tube died, I talked to the parts person at the local music store, and he suggested replacing it with a 12at7. Loved the sound of the pedal after that. Ended up trading it along with several other pedals to get a bigger amp. Would love to see you guys play around with one of them, to see what sounds you can create.

[@5se7en]

That room reverb sound on that Collider Pedal is great. I might have to get one of those.

[@jeremyversusjazz]

i have the shanks. love it. i have an maxin sd 9 “sonic distortion mod” which a tech from la that worked for landau for a time extra modded for him then he started selling them-he gave me one after i hired him to build a huge board for me years ago, which i only busted out the other day. its pretty great too. but i want that butter machine now!!!!

[@nicksummers2252]

Best episode in months 👍👍👍 And lovely to see the Blue Meanie back in action 💥

[@MarkDelsing]

Mick, you're on fire this episode!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Ha! Thanks Mark!

[@christhompson9378]

Seriously wanting to try one of these, great vid 👍

[@drzecelectric4302]

Love the source audio. I have the same in my chain. Great output buffer. And I think I heard you play arch enemy? That was awesome

[@jpdenk]

Nice demo! The vintage pedal sounds particularly great on the humbuckers. Good on the Strat and Tele too. I ordered a vintage one on Reverb today!

[@aaroncurtis4476]

They all sound great. I’d probably get the BM for the extra controls. Nice job guys.

[@Evy-1988]

1:02:52 onwards, Mick, how beautiful you played there

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you!

[@nathanleonardmusic]

Awesome episode - thank you! Longtime user of the SD-9 and you nailed its personality and versatility for sure. I also love pushing it with a TS for my solo tone (low gain/high volume type thing). Using the AM mod now and digging it but that Butter Machine sounded glorious here. Thanks again for the insights 👍🎶

[@Coolbeans1492]

I think the most important thing abt getting a good distortion box for a strat whether od, distortion, or fuzz is that you want it to maintain the sound of the guitar. In particular the strats. Its not hard to get a massive fat sound when all you need is a big muff. But at that point it no longer sounds like a strat. Thats the magic of the ts, the rangemaster, the sd9, and the fuzz face. They maintain the natural character of the strat. Another one is the powerboost when used correctly.

[@joelwitherspoon6481]

Oh my gosh that intro hits hard.

[@RodClark]

Mick, the HH superstrat suits you mate! Sounds flippin' great too.

[@daviddegagatem]

Damn you just sold me another pedal today. The SD9M…. I don’t know if I still was missing some fizz or sizzle, but I soon will know when I plug it in.

[@johnmundt7834]

I tried an SG years ago when I hadn’t been playing very long and just didn’t get along with it, felt the neck sat way far out compared to my Strat. Think it’s time to give it another shot. I’m loving the sound of yours, Dan, and the bare knuckle riff raff in my hss. Preferences definitely evolve so who knows

[@justinguitarcia]

This is gonna be a good one! I have a tamura modded 808 that I love

[@RobFlaxMusic]

49:17 "Ah man, what is wrong with me" is a universal feeling...

[@jeremiahMc11]

The SD-9 is the Fuzz Face of distortions: Confusing when not in the right context or when paired improperly, but killer when applied in its correct places.

[@simongjose]

Gotta say that tweedy Marshall combo is a home run. The SD9 reminds me of my a special cranker🖖

[@therealjamesmarchant]

I used an SD-9 into a master volume Marshall for years set gain and tone low, volume on max. Great sound.

[@YanYeiDei]

for my ears, the Vemuram has the most appealing tones. They all sounded great , but something about that Vemuram brought lust to my ears.

[@aferreyrola]

Fav distortion pedal if you have a great amp.

[@lowandodor1150]

Played all my distorted parts with the Ibanez SONIC DISTORTION back in the day either through my Fender Twin or the Sovtek. Loved every second with it.

[@scotthutchens1556]

I bought a used SD9 back in the day and still like it a lot-much more than my Tube Screamer which is a TS-10. I’m not into the mid hump on the TS as with many players but the tone of the SD9 seems to fit like a glove being kind of contoured in sound.

[@nine9nein780]

Dan, you should play that Les Paul more. What a sound.

[@understated_5969]

can we shortly appreciate how insane the blue Cutler's sounds? wow!

[@sixstringguitarist1937]

Awesome guys as always 😎🎸 After watching this vid about the SD9 and 2 other cool ish ones, yesterday I had a little browse on eBay .. (My Overdrive pedal addiction striked again 😅) So now I have an early 80s original Ibanez SD9 on its way to me. Seller had it up for £150 i hit the watch button, he then pretty much straight away sends me an offer to buy it for £140.. I was like Na how about £120? Boom 💥 £120 posted happy days 🤙 Anyone seen current Reverb prices on the original 80s SD9? £255 vibes 😂 some dude in Italy has his available for £415 😅 Guess if I dont like it i can whack it up on Reverb 😂👍

[@robflo99]

“What’s wrong with me”, Dan’s crisis at 49:08. 😂

[@mikesmith2430]

Great stuff and a good sounding boost 👍🏻 These vids are a great idea TY would love to see one on the CP-1X compressor with the CS-3 as context ( unless I've missed that one already...)