The Master Series only ran for one year,
though—and the Tube Screamer wasn’t
M.I.A. for long. In 1986, Ibanez released
the brightly colored Power Series (aka the
10 Series), which boasted a new, high-fidelity
TS10 with quieter circuitry that
eliminated the vexatious chirp that older
Tube Screamers sometimes emitted when all
the controls were turned up. However, these
alterations affected the burgeoning star’s
signature tone, and the TS10 wasn’t as well
received as Hoshino hoped. Thanks to blues
and blues-rock mavens like SRV, many
players were getting hooked on the tones of
TS808 and TS9 Tube Screamers.
 |
|
1986-1993
Model: TS10
Series: Power/10 Series
Knob Configuration: Overdrive, Tone, Level
Notes: Changed cosmetically to
match the 10 series. John Mayer’s
current Tube Screamer of choice.
Country of Origin: Taiwan |
1991-1998
Model: TS5
Series: Soundtank
Knob Configuration: Overdrive, Tone, Level
Notes: Changed cosmetically to
match the Soundtank series of
smaller, plastic pedals.
Country of Origin: Taiwan |
Piera says that, until the recent use of
TS10s by players such as John Mayer,
TS10s had remained undesirable. “I still
hate them,” he says, calling it a “disposable”
pedal. “They used cheap, proprietary parts—
jacks, switches, and pots that often break and
can’t be replaced, because the sturdy parts
used in handmade, handwired pedals like
the TS9 won’t fit. They have circuit boards
that have all these parts mounted on them
that break off, just so they could make pedals
cheaply with machine soldering.”
Lomas explains how the economy
affected the quality of manufacturing during
those years. “When I first joined the
company,” says Lomas, “back around ’83
or ’84, it was, like, 260 yen to the dollar.
Today, it’s around 77 or 78. Back around
’85, the yen started a turnaround and was
coming down to about 150, 160—and
they [Hoshino] were crapping their pants.
They used to be able to take anything that
was made in Japan and throw it out on the
US market and make money because it was
good quality and the exchange rate was
very favorable for the yen. Then, suddenly,
they had to start worrying about making
things cost effectively.”
When Ibanez launched its Soundtank
effects line in 1991, the new TS5 Tube
Screamer’s design goal was to capture the
sound of the older, vintage units at cheaper
costs by using streamlined manufacturing
techniques. The TS5 was not handwired
like the TS9 and TS808, and it was eventually
sold in a high-impact plastic case,
rather than the original metal casing. The
TS5’s circuit is comparable to the TS9, but
it was made by Taiwan-based manufacturer
Daphon rather than Nisshin, and it featured
smaller, cheaper components.