This Is Why I Think Tube Screamers Suck

this video just convinced me i need to buy a TS9

I love the tube screamer! Not sure what your on about. Perhaps speak more from your own thoughts and feelings and speak less like you own the truth. Just my 2 cents

You are literally using the worst possible stuff for this pedal. A Les Paul into a Hiwatt? No. Strat into super reverb on 7 is the way to go. In my opinion Les Pauls have a much darker tone than a Strat. Thats why it was sounding like your high end felt dampened and nasally. Also didn’t help that you were using a Hiwatt amp with the bass too high. One last thing this pedal I don’t think is meant to be used to completely change the sound like most overdrives. I think it’s just meant to add a little more umph to your clean sound. Like putting hot-sauce on some chicken lol. Like to give you more edge on your solo (SRV, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, etc.)

I'm with you Rhett. I to, hate the tube screamer. The "overly compressed no dynamics" tone is not my thing. Doesn't work for humbuckers or singles as far as I'm concerned. To be clear, I am not a SRV tone fan (yeah, I know-his go-to pedal). Great player. Not a fan fan of his tone. I know what many are thinking..."How dare you, that's blasphemy!". I answer by saying I'm an Atheist.

You dislike the tubescreamer because it doesn't clean up (like a driven tube amp), and it's not as bright (....like a driven tube amp). I get that you're entitled to your opinion, but the TS9 is literally supposed to be imitating a driven tube amp lol.

2years later and he still has these dumbass takes

TS9s are great for 2 things. You can use it in the front end of a dirty amp to tighten the sound and give it a push or you can use it as a channel switch almost. A more mid scooped low overdriven tone can be good for some songs and then kicking on a TS9 fot a gainier sound changes your tone immensely all at the touch of a button

I've never played through a tube screamer, but it's something I've wanted to try. What he's doing with them here sounds good to me, a 70's rock, billy gibbons, black crowes guitar sound is what I'm into, and this seems good for that.

Tube Screamers suck arse.

Rhett, I completely agree with you. Your Amp sounds great ,it's tight and punchy with good headroom,especially with that morning glory. The tube screamer(I must admit I bought one because of the hype)sounds like those mini danelectro amps with fizzy low headroom. Don't get me wrong I love SRV and that pedal worked great for him. Tube screamers are one of the most modified pedals around,so what does that tell ya. If there so great why modify them. I'd rather just buy a pedal that I like instead of Stevie ray memorabilia. Try a Ibanez SM7 or an old MXR super overdrive.

I ordered my first tube screamer and I was really disappointed with it myself. I play a LTD ES-1000 into a Peavy Delta Blues 85. Just doesn’t suit my setup. I have a Dirty Duo overdrive that I got for like 40 bucks and it’s got one channel that sounds a lot like your bluesbreaker. I’d recommend the dirty duo for sure if your rig is like mine for rock and blues.

The tube screamer gave me really good tones for metal songs, though. Power chords thick as a brick, right in the midrange. Really enjoyed it for that. But it doesn’t seem very subtle. It seems like what I play is less responsive but when I play hard, it’s more direct and punches harder

Thank you for this video - You have put me off Tube screamers for life.
Perhaps its better suited to a Fender Strat with their shitty Single Coil pick-ups with their 60 cycle hum.

I bought a tube screamer after going to a small festival and seeing all the guitar players had them, so I thought Id try it out. Pedal was ok but the switch stopped working, which was a deal breaker, Boss super overdrive is better imo

I love my tube screamer. It's probably my favorite pedal. Makes my solid state amp sound like a tube amp. I compared it with my actual tube amp on many occasions.

You lost 79.6% of your credibility today... You didn't even try to set it up properly. Your base tone was already muddy.

I think you don't like the pedal because your base tone is so distorted that it sounds like you're already using a tube screamer. I forgot some people need to always sound like Led Zeppelin II

This might be some of the most incoherent tone snob bullshit I’ve heard in a while, and I actually like a lot of what Rhett does.

Tubescreamers aren't the greatest sounding overdrive ever, but they are in the conversation among the best "tool for a job" pedals ever. The mid boost and the low-cut just make for the most mix-friendly overdrive ever, across multiple genres an rigs. Even a les pau with an Hiwatt could benefit from a ts9 in a particular studio setting ,I for example like double tracking riffs, giving each take 2 tracks, one panned 70% to a side with a tubescreamer and the other at 90-95 % with an overdrive with a more scooped eq. This usually leaves open enough room for a couple of bass tracks (clean, fuzz, and sometimes a mid-boosted) to occupy the middle and create a wholesome wall of sound.

The tubescreamer is made for amplifiers with as scooped sound like a Fender or so. There fore the TS is more mid sounding to compensate the Fender scooped sound to cut through the mix. The Marshall amps are more flat sounding with more mids. The mashall is better to cut through the mix bij itself. If you place a TS for a marshall or clone the sound will be as discribed bij Rhett midrange plus midrange is schrill. Therefor Marshall invented the bluesbreaker, Govner and clones like the morning glory. In front of a Marshall they shine, In front of a Fender they suck. That is the secret behind these pedals. So using a TS in front of the Hiwatt is a bad choise. Hiwatt shares the tonestack of the Marshall.

lol you made tube screamers sound better to me

But seriously, I know this is anecdotal, but I've met almost no one who uses a ts9, every Tube Screamer user I've ever met including myself uses an 808. I know there's not a huge difference but still.

Personally I like the blues driver as well. Different tools. I think choice of overdrive is heavily dependent on genre of music.

Also are we not going to mention the fact that a 10 band EQ can be turned into a clean boost? With any kind of tone controls you'd like

Certainly not worth 500 bucks

Tubescreamers don't suck. Boss engineers back in the day made the best cirquits.

Try in with a strat and a vox ac30

Your ears are much younger than mine, but...I'm finally beginning to understand this "Transparency" story. This is what makes the sound of the guitar feel
"natural" even when distorted. That's why I like the good old boss blues driver, but if some guitarists don't want to sound "natural" I understand that too.
If someone just wants to sound crazy (which I don't), then the tube screamer can be very impressive.
Allthough Ibanez make all sorts of good guitars, (really), they sell a lot of heavy metal guitars (or so i'm told). And I guess they made a pedal to sell along with the instrument.
Well, who am I, all the kids do it. And their parents too.
Thanks to your videos on YT (and Marty music) I bought a blues driver, and I'm going to stick with it.

Yes it's a good pedal. Yes it's a bit overrated, maybe a bit over-used. Works well in some rigs, not so well in others. It's a sound. I'm not a fan of the TS-9, but I own one. I did have one pleasant surprise with mine. Forgot my high gain dirt pedal and had to substitute the humble TS-9. EMG humbucker into TS-9 into Fender reissue tweed Bassman. Cranked the TS-9 way up. Worked like a charm.

I assumed the title was just for clicks and your actual opinion would be more nuanced. But no.
“I don’t understand why so many people like these things?”
It’s like you’re intentionally acting dumb. Why wouldn’t you demonstrate other guitar/amp combos?

awesome play-through and video. it is allLLLL about context. in a busy band mix on stage TS or SD1 gives guitar exactly what it needs to sit in mix and support the song or lead. Playing alone in a room to sound of your own guitar, a fuller range overdrive gonna be more pleasant to hear (but it can struggle in a messy live band setting). It is extremely contextual... a lot of great sounding lead parts on classic albums sound terrible in tone when isolated. BOTTOM LINE for me, if I can have only one overdrive, I will go with full range one, but if I can have two, for sure need a TS or BOSS SD1 type...OR get a full range overdrive and an EQ pedal. Most studio and session pros use like 3 or 4 overdrives, gain staging etc. for a reason...

That amp can't handle a screamer. You do not need to change a screamer, you just need to change amp, maybe a more high gain amp. And that pickups impedance probably is not what a screamer wants to see.

After sitting down and really comparing the difference, I feel similar. Even with level up and drive all the way down it really dulls the width, rather than actually boosting. This used to be mandatory in my line, but don't think I'd use it today outside of a live scenario. It does a good job cutting through a live mix, but in the studio, it feels subtractive

Comment bate... but I'll oblige.

Obviously it's a matter of taste. What Rhett likes in the high end I find abrasive. I love a nasal tone. As Bonamassa says, you want to sound like me, turn up the gain and roll back the tone. And I think his sound is most inspired by early Clapton. Duane Allman was similar. Derek Trucks is also in the same vein. The TS along with a blasted tube amp is a good way to get there, and works equally well with single coils and humbuckers.

Nope. The TS9 we've got in our studio is amazing sounding in the sense that it gives body to the overall sound spectrum of the guitar being played. It doesn't add mud at all, just presence and boost. Your displeasure may be due to the amps and guitar settings you're using. I especially like the boost it gives to acoustic guitars. The Tube Screamer TS9 does not suck, says almost everyone who's used one. Rock on.

Here's the thing rhett , tune screamers don not suck , everyone has there own opinion on what sounds good , I love the tube screamer tone , you don't care for it , 2 different people 2 different opinion s , that is why everyone has their own taste and preferences

Have you tried to use it as a booster to your distorted lead sound? (doesn't matter if it is a distortion from the amp or a distortion pedal). ;)

I fully agree to what you are saying. The tube screamer sounds basically BAD. I prefer either the blues breaker or a Klon clone. Both work fine stand alone or in front of an amp.

It's all personal preference...I really like my TS9.... sounds great clean and dirty...I understand if you no likey....

now I want a modded ts9

I’ve got this green thing laying around. I hate it.

I use an Ibanez "Modern Fusion" distortion pedal and picked it out because you can adjust it to be subtle and give your sound just a bit of edge. For the big boost, I use a "Rat".

lots of people in the comments are pressed, because they have one on their board presumably.

these things sound like shit.

Loving the comments.

I loved this video from early on, when Rhett kicked on the pedal he hates and my reaction was “sounds fucking awesome!” I guess it’s just the millionth reminder that tone is very subjective. I must really like a very mid-focused sound. Love the channel, Rhett!

I love the way that tube screamers boost the mids.

I record Eric Johnson thru a Tube Screamer often. It's also my go to for Les Paul, Marshall tones. SRV used one. Guess u either like them or not. YYMV.

I feel the same. I got the behringer clone (thankfully it is cheap and identical to the original) and I came here to listen to you rant cause I feel the same. Such a disappointment lmao

Suonato e usato come unico stomp overdrive da SRV... Questo è tutto

just get ts9dx

Try the sd1