The Ibanez MSL Metal Screamer is a distortion pedal from Ibanez's Master Series line, produced from 1985 to 19861. It is best understood as a Tube Screamer that has been shifted toward metal: the circuitry is very similar to the TS10 Tube Screamer, but with a change that pushes the response lower and fatter12. TONEHOME rates its collectibility as high, and the pedal has never been re-issued, so every example in circulation is an original from that two-year run1.
How it differs from the Tube Screamer
The MSL is not a Tube Screamer clone in the loose sense; it is a Tube Screamer with one deliberate change. Aion FX, which has documented the circuit for a modern build, describes it as "an identical circuit topography, but with a capacitor changed to lower the corner frequency" from 723 to 413 Hz2. Lowering that corner frequency is what moves the pedal's response down in pitch, letting more low end through.
On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick put the MSL in the context of Ibanez's wider overdrive and distortion family: "It's one step towards the SD9." Their read of Ibanez's own description was that "they put more bottom end in it for a fatter sound"3. Compared with the TS10 Tube Screamer, which a Pedal of the Day reviewer described as having "a more pronounced mid-range and a bit more output" than the TS9 and TS808, the MSL sits a step further away from the classic mid-forward Tube Screamer voice and closer to the harder-clipping, less mid-focused SD9 territory435.
For a player, the practical difference is this: if a standard Tube Screamer sounds too thin or too mid-humped for heavier playing, the MSL is the point in Ibanez's 1980s range where the same basic circuit was tuned lower and fuller23.
Production, price and collectibility
The MSL was made for a short window, 1985 to 1986, and TONEHOME's 1986 list price was 178 DM, given by the same source as $73 USD1. For comparison, the TS10 Tube Screamer carried a 1989 list price of 104 DM5.
TONEHOME's ratings for the pedal as of 2026:
The MSL has never been re-issued1. Any pedal sold as an MSL Metal Screamer today is an original 1985 or 1986 unit, and condition will vary accordingly.
A scan of the original manual is available from TONEHOME1.
Videos
shnobel
Mark Dunn
Ramon Goose
Questions
Is the Ibanez MSL Metal Screamer based on the Tube Screamer?
Yes. TONEHOME describes the MSL's circuitry as very similar to the TS10 Tube Screamer, and Aion FX describes it as an identical circuit topography with one capacitor changed to lower the corner frequency from 723 to 413 Hz. That change moves the pedal's response lower, which is why Ibanez described it as having more bottom end for a fatter sound than the standard Tube Screamer.
Has the Ibanez Metal Screamer been reissued?
No. TONEHOME, the vintage effects reference, lists the MSL Metal Screamer as not re-issued as of 2026. The pedal was produced only during 1985 and 1986, so any example on the market today is an original from that production period rather than a modern reissue.
When was the Ibanez MSL made?
The Ibanez MSL Metal Screamer was produced from 1985 to 1986 as part of Ibanez's Master Series line. Its short production run of roughly two years is one reason the pedal carries a high collectibility rating from TONEHOME.
What did the Ibanez MSL cost new?
TONEHOME lists the MSL's 1986 list price as 178 DM, which the same source gives as $73 USD. That was the price when the pedal was new in the mid 1980s; it says nothing about what an example sells for today.
Is the Ibanez MSL collectible?
TONEHOME rates the MSL Metal Screamer's collectibility as high and its availability as good. In other words, the pedal is sought after by collectors, but examples do turn up on the used market often enough that a patient player can find one.
Sources (5)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME, 1986
- Stratus Classic Overdrive / Ibanez® Tube Screamer, Aion FX, 2018-09-22
- Mystery Tube Screamer vs Original Ibanez TS 9 & TS10 Wow, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2026-07-30
- Harby Pedals Wasabi Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2025-02-22
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals, 1989
