The Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger is a distortion pedal from the Ibanez Power Series, produced from 1986 to 1993. TONEHOME describes it as "hot and heavy, massive metalmania distortion," and notes that it was designed specifically to recreate the tonality of large British amplifiers1. Gearnews, covering the pedal's reputation in 2020, called it "the old Ibanez MS10 'mostortion' pedal (a MOSFET distortion pedal, if you were wondering)"2.
What it does
The MS10 is built around the idea of a whole amplifier chain in a box. According to TONEHOME, the Distortion control "is adjustable and at full settings simulates not only pre-amp clipping bu adds the effect of power-amp and sp"1, meaning that at maximum settings the pedal goes beyond preamp clipping and adds the effect of power-amp and speaker overdrive. TONEHOME also states that "It has more \"raw gain\" than any other distortion available"1.
The five controls
The pedal has five controls, which TONEHOME says "let you really capture the rage in your guitar"1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Varies the amount of distortion1 |
| Attack | For predistortion, treble and boost1 |
| Punch | Simulates the cabinet resonance at certain low frequencies1 |
| Edge | Concentrates on high frequency equalization and speaker traits, together with Attack1 |
| Level |
The Punch and Edge controls together provide post-distortion equalization, while the Attack and Edge controls concentrate on high frequency equalization and speaker traits1. The Punch control is the one that addresses the low end, simulating cabinet resonance at certain low frequencies1.
The Ibanez Power Series
The MS10 belongs to the Ibanez Power Series, a range documented in the Ibanez Power Series pocket manual1. Other pedals in the series include the BC10 Bass Chorus3 and the CD10 Delay Champ4. Ibanez made a number of distortion pedals across its 1980s and 1990s ranges, among them the MT10 Mostortion, the DS10 Distortion Charger and the SM9 Super Metal.
Collectibility and availability
The MS10's original German list price in 1989 was 114 DM1. The pedal has not been re-issued, so any example on the market today is an original production unit from the 1986 to 1993 run.
The MS10 has not been re-issued. Any pedal for sale today is a used original from the 1986 to 1993 production period1.
Schematic and documentation
TONEHOME hosts a downloadable schematic for the MS10 on its product page, and the pedal's documentation comes from the Ibanez Power Series pocket manual1.
Videos
Nikolay Karageorgiev
Six string to rock
Mikael Torseth
Questions
Has the Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger been reissued?
No. According to the reference site TONEHOME, the MS10 has not been re-issued. It was produced from 1986 to 1993 as part of the Ibanez Power Series, and the pedal remains available secondhand, with TONEHOME rating its availability as good and its collectibility as high.
What does the Punch control do on the MS10?
The Punch control provides post-distortion equalization and simulates the cabinet resonance at certain low frequencies. In practice it shapes the low end after the distortion stage, which is part of how the pedal imitates the character of a large amplifier and speaker cabinet rather than just adding clipping.
What is the Ibanez Power Series?
The Ibanez Power Series was a pedal range made by Ibanez in the 1980s and early 1990s. The MS10 Metal Charger belongs to it, and other documented members include the BC10 Bass Chorus and the CD10 Delay Champ, all covered in the Ibanez Power Series pocket manual.
Is the Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger collectible?
Yes. TONEHOME rates the MS10's collectibility as high, while also rating its availability as good, meaning examples turn up on the used market with some regularity despite the pedal's collector appeal.
Where can I find the MS10 schematic?
TONEHOME hosts a downloadable schematic for the Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger on its MS10 product page, alongside the pedal's documentation from the Ibanez Power Series pocket manual.
Sources (4)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME, 1989
- NAMM 2020: Danelectro 3699 fUZZ, a fOXX Tone Machine clone and more, gearnews.com, 2020-01-05
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME (www.tonehome.de)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
