Tube Screamer Showdown – Vintage Holy Grail vs High-End Reissue

Tubescreamers, they are ALL the same, right? Maybe not...
In this video, I finally do the shootout I swore I’d never do: the legendary vintage Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer from 1979 goes head-to-head with the brand-new handwired TS808HW V2. One costs around $1,500, the other about $300 but Is there a Difference? That’s what we’re here to find out.

We’ll run both pedals through clean and crunchy amps, single coils and humbuckers, with blind tests, knob-matching, and a bit of existential tone confusion along the way. Whether you’re a Tube Screamer collector, a tone purist, or just wondering if mojo is real or marketing, this is the A/B test you’ve been waiting for.

Get a Vintage TS-808 from Reverb https://tidd.ly/43n6XRi

Get a new Ibanez TS808 Handwired V2
Sweetwater (US 🇺🇸) - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/55mP31
Thomann (EU 🇪🇺) - https://thmn.to/thoprod/603995?offid=...
Andertons (UK 🇬🇧) - https://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=...

Marshall JTM Studio
Sweetwater (US 🇺🇸) - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/mOrV61
Thomann (EU 🇪🇺) - https://thmn.to/thoprod/550465?offid=...
Andertons (UK 🇬🇧) - https://clk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=...


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00:00 - Intro: Vintage vs Handwired TS808
01:33 - Blind Test Begins – Can You Tell?
03:10 - Reveal: Which Pedal Was Which
04:41 - Trying to Level Match the Outputs
06:16 - Initial Tone Impressions
07:55 - So… Is There a Real Difference?
09:21 - Price vs Perception – Let's Talk Value
10:46 - Why the Handwired Might Surprise You
12:10 - Sustain, Midrange, and Clarity Check
14:05 - Vintage vs Modern – Final A/B Thoughts
16:04 - What I'd Actually Spend My Money On
18:04 - Outro & Personal Verdict

DISCLAIMERS
Some of the links in this description are affiliate links. If you purchase gear through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel!
All opinions shared in this video are my own and were not reviewed or influenced by any outside parties.

#TheGuitarGeek #tubescreamer #ibanez #ts808