The Ibanez TS808TM2 Tamura-Mod v2 Tube Screamer is an overdrive pedal built on the Ibanez TS808 circuit and modified by Susumu Tamura, the engineer who designed the original Tube Screamer1. Where a stock TS808 is known for its midrange push, the Tamura-Mod v2 goes the other way: the maker describes it as "dumping the mid-hump in favor of a bottom-heavy thump that moves more air and adds more hair to your tone"1.
The pedal was originally conceived for a Japanese customer in search of an authentic "Texas Blues" sound1.
What it does to your sound
The Tamura-Mod v2 keeps the TS808's role as a drive pedal but reshapes its frequency response. Its advertised features are132:
- Accentuated lows and lower-mids1
- The mid-hump of the stock TS808 dumped in favor of a bottom-heavy tone1
- Additional even-order harmonics in the upper register (Level Boost version)2
- A "Tamura-Mod" gold anodized aluminum faceplate2
The maker calls it "the new gold standard in overdrives" and "an extremely musical drive pedal"14. Those are the maker's own words; the practical takeaway for a player is a Tube Screamer voiced with more low end and less of the midrange focus that the original is famous for.
Versions and the +6dB Level Boost option
The TS808TM2 line is offered in several variants, each listed separately by the maker24:
| Version | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Tamura-Mod version 2 TS808 | The standard v2 circuit32 |
| Tamura-Mod version 2 TS808 (w/ +6dB Level Boost Mod) | Increased output level2 |
| TS808TM2 True Bypass | True bypass switching3 |
| TS808TM2 True Bypass (w/ +6dB Boost Mod) | True bypass plus the output boost3 |
The +6dB Level Boost mod raises the pedal's output level, useful for pushing an amp harder than a stock TS808 can2. The same boost option is offered on the related TS9-TM Tamura-Mod Tube Screamer5.
The TS808TM2 Tamura-Mod v2 Tube Screamer was originally conceived for a Japanese customer in search of an authentic "Texas Blues" sound41. It carries a Carling SPST plunger footswitch4. Both the TS808TM2 and the TS9-TM Tamura-Mod Tube Screamer are listed as sold out4156.
Susumu Tamura and the Tamura-mod history
Susumu Tamura designed the Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer713. The Tamura-mod project is described by the maker as "the culmination of a three-year quest by Mr. Tamura to replicate the best sounding TubeScreamer of all time," following analysis of hundreds of 808 variants4. The Tamura-mod TS808 uses specific component substitutions to better match the pedal to its original vintage archetype8.
How the v2 differs from the v1 and the TS9-TM
The maker lays out the family differences directly:
- The v.1 Tamura-mod flattened out the 808's frequency response1
- The TS-9TM focused on fine-tuning the "(in)famous" mid-hump1
- The v.2 is the most complex of the Tamura-mod models1
The TS9-TM, built on the Ibanez TS9 rather than the TS808, offers what the maker calls "a slightly different tonal palette"51. The v2's distinguishing move is the bottom-heavy voicing: more lows and lower-mids, less mid-hump1.
"dumping the mid-hump in favor of a bottom-heavy thump that moves more air and adds more hair to your tone"
Availability
The TS808TM2 is produced in limited quantities. The standard version is listed at £269.00 GBP, and the Level Boost version at £306.00 GBP regular, £268.00 GBP sale, prices as stated by the maker12.
Sources (8)
- TAMURA-MOD v2 TS808 Tube Screamer (TS808TM2), Godlyke, Inc. (maxonfx.com)
- TAMURA-MOD v2 LEVEL BOOST TS808 Tube Screamer (TS808TMB2), Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- TAMURA-MOD v2 TS808 Tube Screamer (TS808TM2), Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- TS808 Tube Screamer Tamura Mod, Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- Ibanez TS9 Tamura-Mod, Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- Original Tube Screamer designer Susumu Tamura unveils Ibanez TS808-TMv.2, Guitar World, 2023-12-15
- TWA Source Code Overdrive Pedal, Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- TAMURA-MOD TS808 Tube Screamer (TS808TM), Godlyke, Inc. (maxonfx.com)
