Maxon OD-808 Reviews

its a tubescreamer, and it works!

i use it mostly as a "push" for an already high gain sound, this does the job very well. for using it as and overdrive, i dont really like the "one part clean one part dirty" kinda thing. it sounds like it has 2 signals going in parallel, one clean and the other a little hairy, id much prefer if its all just one dirty signal, but then thats not what i bought it for

Great boost / overdrive

Pretty good as boost for rock and metal music, not as "mid rangey" as tube screamers and has also bit less gain and volume.

So basically more subtle but bit more musical. This allows it better to be used also as "always on boost" than tube screamers.

I use it as a boost for my Dual Rectifier. Very good sturdy quality. I'm very satisfied with the result without blowing the bank. I totally recommend it for this type of use.

A true classic

It can give you this 80's tone in front of a Marshall JCM800.Easy to use,great for every style of music.

Excellent OD Pedal

I use this in front of my EVH and Hughes and Kettner amps with drive on 0, tone in the middle and balance matching the amp's volume.

Great on heavy rhythm sounds for tightening up the low end and adding bite to palm muted notes. Not so much on a lead sound as I prefer the sound to be a bit more full and open, but for metal rhythms this is exactly what you need.

Since these guys made the original tube screamer for Ibanez it's a less expensive (and some might say more true to the original) alternative to the various reissues and modern soundalikes, and also seems solidly built. Absolutely nothing to dislike here!

Excellent pedal, highly recommended!!

Very subtle&creamy, with good sustain, and great with my dual rectifier

Classic sound

Having this Maxon OD-808 I aimed for a classic, compressed, distorted overdrive sound. I've tried using it many ways, but now with my Player Strat that uses relatively hot pickups, the best sound I've reached is a boosted, compressed solo sound using it for a louder, sharper tone. It does that, however I'm a bit surprised by the compression it does with the overall tone. I'm not sure its suitable for anything else than soloing (maybe its better suited for humbuckers, superstrats). But, It depends on your set and ear. Anyway I fancy the pick attack the middle, and the high-end definition of it. But not shure, that I'm going to use this for ever.

Old one is best

I bought this pedal second time. But I like old version. New version has different sound I guess. But it looks more beautiful than old one.

SLAYER ! Boogie !

If you like Garry Holt or having Mesa Boogie then do not Nag ! Maxon has brought a miracle to your life ! Step on !

Best overdrive pedal ever!

The maker of the original tubescreamer does not disappoint, made my tone more tighter than ever, To be it sounds better than the new tubescreamer from Ibanez, the only advantage that the ibanez had is the build quality, however for the price you pay on the OD 808 you cant expect better.... for me it is the best bang for the Buck OD and probably the best sounding one.

In love with this pedal

I was in the market for an od pedal and literally considered every pedal up to 200e. I went for the one than reminds me the sound of the classic tube screamer the most.

A lot of feedback on this one, the reviews were convincing enough and gave it a try.

I was amazed!

-perfect build quality

-good sound quality

-ranges from boost to overdriven sound

-works well with both fender and marshall tube amps

For me this is a proper tubescreamer and will always be on my pedalboard.

Fantastic

This pedal does exactly you'd expect from tube screamer no need to waste money on other brand tube screamers just get this instead Maxon is definitely a brand to consider if you're thinking about getting a tube screamer all the reviews of the Maxon OD 808 are n't all hype

Beste lead distortion pedal

I have looked around and spent a lot of money on mid range pedals to get the tone in my head, but never had luck. Plugged this in and instantly fell in love.

All tube screamers are the same ( imho)

Great pedal

I use it as a mid-booster and it sounds amazing. Classic tone in solid green box. :)

The perfect boost

One of the most popular and best features of this pedal is to use it as a boost in front of an already heavily overdriven tube amp. With gain control on minimum, level and tone adjusted to taste and necessity, it drives the preamp to the extreme metal territory and cuts off quite a lot of low end making the tone tighter and punchier, which is good thing for modern metal tones with low tunings or seven string guitars. Another excellent use of this pedal is to set an amp's clean channel to the verge of breakup and drive it to the crunch with Maxon OD-808. Wouldn't recommend it as a standalone overdrive though.

Good for vintage sound

Its reputation says a lot on this pedal. However it is not advised for modern heavy metal guitarist. This pedal will only make your already overdriven tone fatter. Good for those seeking a little distortion for clean tones or as a boost.

Amazing pedal !

I bought this pedal to use it as a booster for the overdrive of my Randall rd5 Head. For many years i was hearing how great they are and i decided to give it a try .

After spending a few hours dialing , i finally got a pretty good sound !

It helps to get a thick and tight tone without coloring it . It also made my palm mutes sound thicker and more aggressive.

With this baby , my recordings sound now better as i have a fat and focused tone .

This pedal is built like a tank . A really good metal construction and i am sure it will last for years. It also came with a free battery .

Absolutely Great Booster !!!!!

Bought this pedal to boost the overdrive channel of my Marshall DSL40c.

By having the drive at min and volume near max, its absolutely transparent, it only tightens things up, without coloring my tone. It gives a nice boost for the lead parts!

By adding drive you can get a nice creamy overdrive tone !

Love it !!!!

It got a permanent place in my pedalboard !

Everything it should be

This is the cheapest of the proper tubescreamer variants, but I also find it to be the best.

I mostly use it to boost the input on my hi-gain Koch Powertone II and add a bit of colour with the drive.

Indespensible!

I got one of these after hearing for years how great they are. I didn't realise just how useful they are until I spent a few hours with this one!

This is a great sounding low- to medium- gain overdrive with a usable range of sounds accessible via the tone knob. This is obvious, I think, from the myriad reviews available on this site and online. The pedal is useful in a variety of situations, from jazz and blues to extreme metal.

The build quality is impeccable. The pedal has a nice weight to it, and I predict it will still be working perfectly long after I'm gone!

However, as much as I enjoy the drive the Maxon OD-808 delivers, my favourite feature of this pedal is the way in which it compresses the low end of guitar signals. This makes this overdrive my first go-to for anything heavy rock or metal. When I'm recording bands in these genres, I ALWAYS throw this pedal in the mix to tighten up the guitar tones, as well as to drive amps as well as the best ODs I've tried in the past.

To point out a niggle I had when I first received this pedal: initially, the bypass switch caused a brief but noticeable silence before the effect kicked on. I thought I had received a dud at first, but after a week of use this sorted itself out and the pedal worked a charm!

This has become an important element in my work since I got it. I heartily recommend this pedal to everyone with a jack lead.