Maxon SD-9

The Maxon SD-9 Sonic Distortion is a distortion pedal from Maxon, first released in 1981¹. It is the higher-gain version of the Maxon OD-9 overdrive, built in the same 9-Series era, and Maxon has called it the "black sheep" of that range²³. Vintage Guitar's reviewer found it "immediately reminded us of a Boss DS-1, but with noticeably more bottom end," with chunky overtones and tighter lows⁴.

The pedal uses the JRC chip, the op-amp family shared with the Tube Screamer lineage⁴, and Maxon describes it as offering "the best characteristics of transistor and op-amp circuits in one compact unit"². A GuitarPCB build document, published for a DIY PCB based on the circuit, characterizes the sound as saturated distortion "perfect for screaming leads and thick rhythms," with smooth distortion, long sustain and clear articulation⁵.

A higher-gain relative of the OD-9

The SD-9 sits alongside the Maxon OD-9 in the 9-Series, but where the OD-9 is an overdrive, the SD-9 pushes into distortion territory. Vintage Guitar reviewed the two together in 2002 and called the SD-9 "the higher-gain SD-9 Sonic Distortion," comparing its character to a Boss DS-1 with more low end⁴².

For a player choosing between them, the practical difference is drive character: the OD-9's descendants were praised by Guitar World for "a wider dynamic range and broader tonal spectrum than its forbears" in the OD-9+ variant, while the SD-9 aims at saturated leads and thick rhythm work⁴⁹. Analog Man, who mods both, describes the stock SD-9 as "fine sounding" and offers a Super mod that makes it "clearer, purer, and less scooped, while retaining all the gain," noting that the mod "does not make it sound like a tube screamer"⁶.

Analog Man also documents two practical details a buyer of a used unit should know: the pedal has a true bypass switch, so there is no buffering or tone change when it is off, and the shop can add a Bad Bob Booster as a separate pedal inside the Maxon (not Ibanez) SD9, with its own stomp switch, LED and volume knob⁶.

History and the SSD-9 update

The SD-9 dates to 1981, the same era as the OD9⁵¹. Its most famous player, fusion guitarist Scott Henderson, kept one on his live board for many years¹⁰, and Godlyke states he has had an SD-9 parked on his pedalboard for the past 20 years¹¹.

The line's modern history runs through three updates:

The SD-9SH was announced on 31 January 2020¹². At the time of the announcement, pricing and availability were still to be confirmed¹⁵.

The SSD-9 is an updated version of the SD-9⁶⁸, and Maxon's page for it lists it as sold out⁸. Godlyke's page for the SSD-9 notes that Henderson, who used the stock SD-9 for years, has stated the original's Tone control is too harsh if set past 9 o'clock¹⁰.

The SSD-9's current status is sold out on Maxon's product page¹⁰²⁷, as are the SD-9 and the OD-9²³.

Who uses it

The SD-9's documented player is Scott Henderson. Godlyke describes him as a fusion guitar great who "has used the stock Maxon SD-9 in his live board" for many years¹⁰, and elsewhere states he has had one on his pedalboard for the past 20 years¹¹. His attachment to the pedal is strong enough that he has gone so far as to call it "the best distortion pedal ever made"¹⁶.

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