The Valeton Tube Engine Vintage Overdrive is an overdrive pedal from Valeton's Coral series, one of two overdrives in that series carrying a Modern or Vintage prefix1. Valeton describes it as a "perfect choice for adding smooth, tube-like overdrive to any clean amp", with a "warm, creamy, organic overdrive tone"2. It is discontinued: Valeton's own product page now lists it as "Tube Engine (Discontinued)"2.
A Tube Screamer-style circuit
MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen wrote that the Tube Engine's color and name "allude to the fact that it takes its cue from the Tube Screamer", and that it uses the same JRC4558 chip as a TS1. In use, he found it "delivers familiar TS-808-style mild overdrive that will add a natural increase in dirt to your amp"1. The Tube Screamer circuit itself is a vintage mid-range overdrive design that, as Guitar Interactive Magazine put it, "countless players have been asking" for over the years3, and Guitar World has described the TS808's overdrive as "truly warm overdrive, sounding very much like a gloriously overdriven tube amp"4. The pedal was also included in Guitar.com's Thomann Tube Screamer shootout video5.
The Tube Engine is discontinued, so it will not appear in current Valeton line-ups. For a sense of how it sat alongside a Tube Screamer, see our Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| OVERDRIVE | Controls the gain2 |
| BASS/TREBLE | Controls the low/high EQ amount2 |
| VOLUME | Controls the output volume2 |
The BASS/TREBLE knob is what sets the Tube Engine apart from the design it follows. The Ibanez TS808 Vintage Tube Screamer Reissue carries Overdrive, Tone and Level controls4, a single tone knob shaping the whole frequency balance. The Tube Engine instead gives treble and bass knobs, which Curwen found offered "more variability than a single-knob design, particularly in getting away from a TS's natural bass roll-off by fattening up the bottom end"1.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's verdict was that the pedal was good value for money, with various tonal shaping options and the same chip as a TS, while noting that cheaper TS clones are available1. On price, Curwen wrote: "but this is good value at £39, not least for its extra EQ options."
"In use, it delivers familiar TS-808-style mild overdrive that will add a natural increase in dirt to your amp."
Videos
Valeton
Valeton
Guitarist
Questions
Is the Valeton Tube Engine based on a Tube Screamer?
MusicRadar's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, wrote that the Tube Engine Vintage Overdrive's colour and name allude to the fact that it takes its cue from the Tube Screamer, and he described its sound in use as familiar TS-808-style mild overdrive. It uses the same JRC4558 chip as a TS, according to the same review.
What chip does the Valeton Tube Engine use?
The Tube Engine uses a JRC4558 chip, the same chip MusicRadar's review notes is found in a Tube Screamer. That chip is a large part of why the pedal is described as a Tube Screamer-style design.
Has the Valeton Tube Engine been discontinued?
Yes. Valeton's own product page lists the Tube Engine as discontinued, under the heading Tube Engine (Discontinued).
How much did the Valeton Tube Engine cost?
MusicRadar's review put it at £39 in the UK, and the reviewer called it good value at that price, not least for its extra EQ options. No US dollar price is given.
How is the Valeton Tube Engine tone control different from a Tube Screamer?
Where a Tube Screamer such as the Ibanez TS808 reissue has Overdrive, Tone and Level controls, the Tube Engine replaces the single tone knob with a combined BASS/TREBLE knob. MusicRadar's reviewer found the treble and bass knobs offered more variability than a single-knob design, particularly for fattening up the bottom end beyond a TS's natural bass roll-off.
Sources (5)
- Valeton Tube Engine Vintage Overdrive review, MusicRadar, 2015-06-29
- Tube Refiner, Valeton, 2026-07-27
- Wampler Announce Clarksdale Delta Overdrive Pedal, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2014-11-14
- Totally Gnarly: Five Modern Effect Pedals That Recreate Gritty '80s Sounds, Guitar World, 2013-02-13
- Watch Thomann’s massive Tube Screamer shootout, Guitar.com, 2018-08-20
