The TS9TMB is a modified Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer built to the design of Susumu Tamura, the Tube Screamer's designer. It keeps the TS-9 as its foundation but changes the tonal palette: the midrange is shifted to a higher frequency range, a "Magic" IC is fitted for improved tone and clarity, and a +6dB Level Boost mod raises the output level.1
The pedal is listed as sold out, and Maxon's page notes that units are built to order: "Please allow up to 7 business days for Kevin to build, test, & ship your TS9TMB."1
What the Tamura mod changes
Susumu Tamura, the original Tube Screamer designer, developed the TS808-TMB mod after analyzing the circuit in great detail, and the TS9TMB is a variant of that work applied to the TS-9.1 The changes the maker describes are:
- Midrange shifted to a higher frequency range1
- A "Magic" IC for improved tone and clarity1
- Additional note clarity2
- A +6dB Level Boost mod for increased output level2
The +6dB boost is the headline change for players using the pedal as a clean level boost into an amp or another drive pedal, while the IC and midrange shift alter the core Tube Screamer voice.12
How it relates to other Tamura-mod Tube Screamers
The TS9TMB sits in a small family of Tamura mods. The original Ibanez TS9 Tamura-Mod Tube Screamer is listed as sold out on Maxon's site,31 and the related Maxon/Ibanez TS808TMB2 Tamura-Mod v2 Level Boost Tube Screamer carries the mod to the TS-808 platform in a second version. Players comparing options may also want to look at Maxon's own boost designs such as the Maxon DB10 Dual Booster or the Maxon TBO-9 True Tube Booster/Overdrive, or browse the wider Boost Pedals and Overdrive Pedals categories.
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Questions
Who designed the TS9TMB Tamura-Mod?
The TS9TMB carries the newest mod by Tube Screamer designer Susumu Tamura, according to the maker's product pages. Tamura analyzed the Tube Screamer circuit in detail and developed the TS808-TMB mod, from which the TS9TMB takes its approach, applied here to the Ibanez TS-9 platform with an added level boost.
What does the Level Boost mod do on the TS9TMB?
The Level Boost mod adds +6dB of output level, for increased output from the pedal. That extra headroom lets the modified TS-9 push an amp or feed other pedals harder than a stock unit, on top of the tonal changes Tamura's mod makes to the midrange and note clarity.
How does the TS9TMB differ from a standard TS-9?
The TS9TMB uses the Ibanez TS-9 as its foundation but offers a slightly different tonal palette: the midrange is shifted to a higher frequency range, a 'Magic' IC is fitted for improved tone and clarity, and a +6dB Level Boost mod increases the output level beyond a stock TS-9.
What is the TS808-TMB mod?
The TS808-TMB is a modification developed by Susumu Tamura after he analyzed the Tube Screamer circuit in great detail. The TS9TMB is a variant of that mod, built on the TS-9 rather than the TS-808, and a related TS808TMB2 Tamura-Mod v2 version also exists.
What is the 'Magic' IC in the TS9TMB?
The TS9TMB is fitted with what the maker calls a 'Magic' IC, described as being for improved tone and clarity. It is part of Tamura's modification package alongside the level boost and the shifted midrange, and the maker does not publish further detail about the chip itself.
Sources (3)
- TAMURA-MOD LEVEL BOOST TS9 Tube Screamer (TS9TMB), Maxon / Godlyke, Inc.
- TAMURA-MOD LEVEL BOOST TS9 Tube Screamer (TS9TMB), Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- Ibanez TS9 Tamura-Mod, maxonfx.com (Godlyke, Inc.)
