The Godlyke Tamura-modded TS808 TubeScreamer is a limited edition overdrive pedal: an Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer circuit reworked by Susumu Tamura, the one-time Maxon engineer who designed the original Tube Screamer in the first place. Godlyke announced it in July 2021 as the first release in its Tamura-modded pedal range, built with resistors and caps hand-selected by Tamura and a set of vintage-stock Toshiba clipping diodes12.
Only 100 of these pedals were made available to the public in the initial run, priced at $3491. Guitar World called it an "extremely limited" run, and Gearnews noted it was Godlyke's first release since its split with Maxon earlier in 202121.
Who is Susumu Tamura?
Susumu Tamura is the engineer who designed the Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer, a circuit that began life as the Maxon OD808 and was then rebranded for Ibanez as the TS808 Tubescreamer56. As Godlyke's own product page puts the appeal of the mod plainly:
"Who better to mod a pedal than the engineer who invented it?"3
Tamura spent his career at Maxon, and after Maxon ended its distribution partnership with Godlyke at short notice in the summer of 2021, Tamura began supporting Godlyke's own modded pedal range17. The Tamura-Mod TS808 was the first fruit of that collaboration, announced the same summer12.
What Tamura changed in the TS808
The pedal starts from the stock Ibanez TS808 TubeScreamer circuit and applies what Godlyke describes as "specific component substitutions to better match the pedal to its original vintage archetype"3. The changes the maker and press documented are:
- Resistors and caps hand-selected by Tamura1
- NOS Toshiba diodes in the clipping section, which Godlyke says are the same diodes used in certain production runs of the vintage TS80835
- A Tamura-Mod faceplate signed by Susumu Tamura3
- A standard-style footswitch instead of the traditional rectangular button of the Maxon and Ibanez designs1
On the clipping diodes, the accounts disagree: Gearnews' 2021 announcement described "a set of NOS Toshiba germanium clipping diodes"1, while Godlyke's product page specifies NOS Toshiba silicon diodes3. In a Guitar World demo video, Paul Riario described the result:
"NOS Toshiba silicone diodes have been installed in the clipping section for exceptional warmth and clarity of crunch"5
For context on how the base circuit clips, Origin Effects' technical analysis of the TS808 notes that it soft-clips the signal with a pair of diodes in the feedback path, which is what gives the Tube Screamer its characteristic smooth overdrive rather than a harder distortion8.
How it compares with related pedals
Guitar.com compared the Tamura-Mod TS808 with the Maxon APEX808, another Tamura-designed TS808 project, and found the Tamura-Mod "has additional tweaks that make it sound even closer to a vintage unit"4. The APEX808 was likewise designed by Tubescreamer creator Susumu Tamura, with its first 100 serial numbers signed by him9.
Godlyke's range also includes a Fortin-Modded Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer, which takes a different approach: a secondary diode clipping stage for increased saturation, which Godlyke says offers even more output level and saturation than Fortin's previous TS mods10. That pedal has since been discontinued10.
The limited run and what came after
The Tamura-Mod TS808 sold out and later returned in limited quantities, per Godlyke's product page3. It also kicked off a family of Tamura mods of the Tube Screamer3:
| Pedal | Basis | Notable detail |
|---|---|---|
| Tamura-Mod TS808 | Ibanez TS808 | Overdrive pedal aimed at Tube Screamer connoisseurs15 |
| Tamura-Mod v2 TS808 | Ibanez TS808 | Later version of the Tamura modification11 |
| Tamura-Mod Level Boost TS9TMB | Ibanez TS9 | Level boost mod3 |
| Tamura-Mod TS9 | Ibanez TS9 | Tamura-modded TS912 |
The v2 carried a further modification by Tamura13. The Fortin-Modded Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer has since been marked discontinued10.
The Fortin-Modded Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer is discontinued10. The Tamura-modded TS808 remains an overdrive pedal aimed at Tube Screamer connoisseurs15.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's Paul Riario demoed the pedal in April 2022 and framed it as "essentially a TS808 tube screamer modded by the engineer who invented it, Susumu Tamura," noting that the same Toshiba diodes were used in certain production runs of vintage TS808s5. He also pointed to the reception the pedal received:
"this little green overdrive pedal is definitely one for the TubeScreamer connoisseurs"1
Gearnews called it "one for the TubeScreamer connoisseurs"1.
Videos
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Godlyke Inc.
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News
Questions
Who is Susumu Tamura?
Susumu Tamura is the one-time Maxon engineer who designed the original Tube Screamer, the circuit that became the Ibanez TS808 TubeScreamer. After Maxon ended its distribution partnership with Godlyke in 2021, Tamura began supporting Godlyke's own modded pedal range, starting with the Tamura-Mod TS808.
How many Godlyke Tamura-modded TS808 pedals were made?
The initial run was limited to 100 pedals available to the public, announced in July 2021. Guitar.com reported a second run shipping in September 2021.
What clipping diodes does the Godlyke Tamura-modded TS808 use?
Godlyke's product page specifies NOS Toshiba silicon diodes in the clipping section, the same diodes used in certain production runs of the vintage TS808. Gearnews' 2021 announcement described them as NOS Toshiba germanium clipping diodes, so the two accounts disagree on the diode type.
How much did the Godlyke Tamura-modded TS808 cost?
The pedal was priced at $349 when it launched in July 2021, a figure reported by Gearnews, Guitar World and Guitar.com. Godlyke's own product page later listed it at £269.00 GBP.
How is the Godlyke Tamura-modded TS808 different from a standard Ibanez TS808?
It keeps the TS808 circuit but adds resistors and caps hand-selected by Tamura, NOS Toshiba clipping diodes, and component substitutions Godlyke says better match the pedal to its original vintage archetype. It also carries a faceplate signed by Tamura and a standard-style footswitch instead of the traditional rectangular button.
Sources (13)
- Godlyke issues limited edition Tamura-modded TS808 TubeScreamer with "Magic IC", gearnews.com, 2021-07-16
- After parting ways with Maxon, Godlyke unveils a limited edition Tamura-modded Ibanez TS808, Guitar World, 2021-07-16
- TAMURA-MOD TS808 Tube Screamer (TS808TM), Godlyke, Inc. (maxonfx.com)
- Original Tube Screamer designer launches Tamura-Mod TS808, a replication of the "best-sounding TS of all time", Guitar.com, 2021-07-19
- TS808 Tamura Mod Tube Screamer, Guitar World (YouTube), 2022-04-08
- 40th ANNIVERSARY OVERDRIVE (OD808-40), Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- “Who better to mod the mod than the engineer who designed the circuit in the first place”: Original Tube Screamer designer Susumu Tamura just overhauled one of the most popular Ibanez TS9 mods, Guitar World, 2024-03-20
- Tech Tips: Adaptive Circuitry Across The Range, Origin Effects (origineffects.com), 2023-07-12
- Apex808 overdrive, Godlyke, Inc. (maxonfx.com)
- Fortin-Modded Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer Overdrive, Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- TAMURA-MOD v2 TS808 Tube Screamer (TS808TM2), Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- Ibanez TS9 Tamura-Mod, maxonfx.com (Godlyke, Inc.)
- TAMURA-MOD v2 TS808 Tube Screamer (TS808TM2), Godlyke, Inc. (maxonfx.com)
