One of the guitar gurus at Long & McQuade, Sterling Brave Rock poses in the amp area with his favourite pedal the Ibanez Tube Screamer Mini.
When you think about the most used (or overused depending on your perspective) guitar pedal ever, only one should come to mind.
With its versatility for everything from blues to metal, the Ibanez Tube Screamer is by far the winner.
It is one of the few pedals that has been in constant production since the late ‘70s, although it has gone through many iterations since then with subtle variations over the years.
Currently there are eight different versions being produced by Ibanez.
So why is it so popular? Well, According to Sterling Brave Rock, one of the guitar gurus at Long and McQuade, it acts a bit like an equalizer, dialing in your tone so it sits just right in the mix, especially in a full band situation.
“It reacts really well for guitars when you want to thin out your sound, but in a good way by bringing up the mid-range to get more focus,” says Brave Rock.
Essentially it is a light to medium gain pedal originally designed to make your amp sound like it was breaking up without having to turn it up that loud.
It takes out some of the low end of your signal and boosts the mid frequencies, so the guitar doesn’t get lost with the rest of the band.
“I always go back to the Tube Screamers whether it’s an old one or a new one, they all sound a little different, but it’s just a solid overdrive pedal,” says Brave Rock.
So, which one should you choose? Brave Rock feels you can’t beat the Tube Screamer Mini.
It is a miniature remake of the original version of the Tube Screamer, the TS 808.
“I have both of them and the Mini sounds just like the 808,” says Brave Rock.
So, you get a great sounding pedal at a reasonable price and you save room on your board, win, win, win.
The Tube Screamer Mini retails for $120.
The only drawback is it cannot work on battery power because there is no room to put one in. You must use a power supply.
“Because it’s such a versatile pedal, I say when people buy them, never get rid of it because you’ll eventually use it,” says Brave Rock.
Remember it’s important to try before you buy, so give one a go and see if it is right for you.
