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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer

Been meaning to do this one for a while. One of the most classic effects ever, the Tube Screamer has been used by just about everybody. This layout is for the original TS808 circuit, but you can also build the TS9 on it as well. Just swap the 100Ω resistor coming off the emitter of Q2 with a 470Ω, and swap the 10k from output to ground with a 100k. The 220nF capacitors on the original TS808 and TS9s were tantalum, but I've laid them out to be film for better response. The 220nF coming off lug 2 of the Tone pot can be decreased to 100nF to open up the range of the tone control. Also, if you feel like it, you could hard mount the Drive and Tone controls to the board if you want.


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98 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 21, 2015 at 11:48 AM

    classic srv sounds, and the perfect drive to push muffs distortions into the stratosphere.
    can mark this as verified.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownAugust 23, 2015 at 10:57 PM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omKi0luhjAA

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownAugust 24, 2015 at 11:14 AM

    Verified and it works beautifully!
    What a sound!!!
    Very smooth and nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJanuary 6, 2017 at 12:40 AM

      Hi, did you fit this into a 1590B or into a 125B? Also, do you remember the aproximate size of the board?

      Delete
  4. Scott WestNovember 12, 2015 at 12:37 AM

    I see you have round, green, and yellow capacitors on the top left image layout. What types of capacitors do you recommend for these 3 different types?

    ReplyDelete
  5. dtgehringNovember 12, 2015 at 9:03 AM

    The round ones are electrolytic capacitors, the green ones are film, and the yellow are ceramics. Typically anything below 1nF I use ceramic, and above that I use film (though you can certain use ceramics just fine). Another above 1µF I generally use electros. Hope that helps.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMay 1, 2016 at 5:11 AM

    Hi everyone especially the one that created this TS , I have a question on where to add footswitch , jack in and out ...sorry im new to this but im interested in building one of this thanks :) and i listed all the parts needed

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsMay 1, 2016 at 2:09 PM

      Check out the general layout notes tab at the top of the page

      Delete
    2. UnknownMay 3, 2016 at 9:19 AM

      Thank you and have a nice day :)

      Delete
    3. UnknownMay 3, 2016 at 9:49 AM

      Hi its me again , I'm sorry I didn't find it. But can you send me some pics? Sorry for disturbing. Have a nice day again...

      Delete
    4. Effects LayoutsMay 3, 2016 at 9:59 AM

      Here's the link:

      http://effectslayouts.blogspot.com/p/general-layout-notes.html

      Lots of offboard wiring tutorials and images online too. Just search on google.

      Delete
  7. UnknownMay 5, 2016 at 12:09 AM

    Thank you :) one last thing before I start my journey hehehe
    Is the blue resistor indicates as metal film? thanks again :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dtgehringMay 5, 2016 at 9:16 AM

      They do, but carbon film can be used as well. Not vital to the circuit.

      Delete
    2. UnknownJuly 3, 2016 at 9:30 AM

      Last question :)
      ,is it okay if use a 5 band resistor?
      Thanks that's all :)

      Delete
    3. Effects LayoutsJuly 5, 2016 at 9:12 AM

      You can use any kind of resistors you want.

      Delete
    4. UnknownSeptember 14, 2016 at 6:26 AM

      Hi... What kind of switch used in this pedal?
      No 3dpt switches in electronic shops here in the philippines...
      I tried guitar shops but no 3dpt switch, may I ask if there's a substitute?thanks...cheers

      Delete
    5. Effects LayoutsSeptember 14, 2016 at 7:22 AM

      You could try Millenium 2 bypass. It uses a DPDT footswitch and still gives LED on/off indication.

      Delete
    6. UnknownOctober 4, 2016 at 11:28 AM

      Hi again...Can i use 10v electrolytic capacitors?
      And what's the wattage of resistors? Thank you

      Delete
    7. Effects LayoutsOctober 4, 2016 at 11:59 AM

      10v caps electros are not recommended. Use at least 16v, and 35v is probably safer. Resistors are 1/4 watt.

      Delete
    8. UnknownOctober 8, 2016 at 1:48 AM

      good day :) how about the film caps?
      is there anything that i need to know about it?
      thanks

      Delete
    9. Effects LayoutsOctober 8, 2016 at 9:01 PM

      You can use film or ceramic caps, your choice. The ones I use are rated at 100v

      Delete
    10. UnknownOctober 14, 2016 at 12:36 PM

      Hi...is there a difference between mylar and film cap?
      The only caps in my possession are mylar...

      Delete
    11. UnknownOctober 15, 2016 at 9:43 AM

      and about the 51pf, can i use 50pf?
      and is the square pad negative side of electro cap?
      thanks ...

      Delete
    12. Effects LayoutsOctober 17, 2016 at 7:24 AM

      50pf is fine. Square pad = positive side. Mylars are fine.

      Delete
    13. UnknownNovember 16, 2016 at 1:53 PM

      Hi again ... I'm confused about the square pads on diode (1N4001,1N4148)
      Is it still positive side or negative ? Thanks

      Delete
    14. Effects LayoutsNovember 16, 2016 at 1:58 PM

      With diodes, square pads indicate the cathode (-) side. Should be the same as the marked side on the actual diode.

      Delete
    15. UnknownDecember 1, 2016 at 8:12 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    16. UnknownDecember 3, 2016 at 3:57 AM

      hi can i apply solder mask? and is there any stencil available. sorry just a noob :)

      Delete
  8. UnknownMay 14, 2016 at 3:34 AM

    Is it possible to squeeze this in a 1590A?

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownMay 15, 2016 at 11:54 AM

    What a pity... so you can take a 1590A Tube Screamer as request XD

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownMay 19, 2016 at 11:37 PM

    I don't understand. Made it, but the sound is clean. Tone and volume work, but drive doesn't affect sound. Changed jrc4558. Same story. Can anyone help please?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 21, 2016 at 4:26 AM

      Checked everything. Can't find the reason. Can anyone show the way please?

      Delete
    2. rreennddyyApril 6, 2022 at 5:49 AM

      me too

      Delete
    3. liamshanApril 6, 2022 at 2:41 PM

      i also built this but clean sound also

      Delete
  11. UnknownJune 18, 2016 at 6:35 PM

    I just made the circuit, when I connect 3PDT not work for me , you can be?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsJuly 5, 2016 at 9:05 AM

      You have an error in either your board or in your offboard wiring. Check it with a digital multi-meter and/or an audio probe to find faults.

      Delete
  12. fuss buzzJuly 4, 2016 at 5:17 AM

    May i get more volume output on this one.
    This things sounds great, but not enough output to be booster.
    Thx bro.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsJuly 5, 2016 at 9:10 AM

      There are a lot of mods to the TS808 that can be found online. But you should be getting plenty of volume out of this without mods. Double check for any shorts and use an audio probe if need be.

      Delete
  13. UnknownAugust 18, 2016 at 8:05 PM

    what i do if a want to add a clipping diodes switch?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsAugust 19, 2016 at 9:28 AM

      Basically you'll take the clipping diodes off the board and put them on one side of a DPDT along with another set of diodes of your choice on the other side and wire it like this:

      https://s3.postimg.org/x0j1qlpyb/switch_diagram.png

      Delete
    2. UnknownAugust 19, 2016 at 11:27 AM

      so where I put the sw1a and sw1b? like sw1a on the grey side of D1 and sw1b on the grey side of D2? (im pretty newb)

      Delete
    3. Effects LayoutsAugust 19, 2016 at 11:36 AM

      Yep you got it.

      Delete
    4. UnknownAugust 19, 2016 at 12:48 PM

      and this "logic" works to every drive pedal? replacing the switch in the grey sides of diodes?

      Delete
  14. UnknownJanuary 4, 2017 at 2:56 PM

    Hello, I'm sorry if this isn't the right place to ask this, but I'm completely new with perfboards and I have a couple doubts I want to sort out before attempting this build. First, how do you make the 'ground perimeter' for lack of a better term you have in here? Do you just use stripped wire to connect all the pads in the perimeter? Second, when you need to connect a component to ground, and it is close to the rail, do you use wire to jump it or do you solder the pads together? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsJanuary 6, 2017 at 11:58 AM

      There's not really a right or wrong way to do it (unless it doesn't work, then it's wrong haha). What I do is start with resistors and diodes and bend the legs under the board to start forming the traces. Then do the caps, again bending legs and filling in any traces that weren't created with the resistors. Generally by the time I get to this point just about all the traces are formed, but any gaps I'll fill in with either component leg cut offs or stripped solid core wire. For the ground perimeter, it's not really necessary to go all the way around, as long as everything that's supposed to connect to ground connects to ground. Hopefully that helps. I'm working on a tutorial video of how I do perf that I'm hoping to get out soon. So be on the lookout for that.

      Delete
    2. UnknownJanuary 6, 2017 at 5:53 PM

      I'll certainly be waiting for it! Thank you so much for being so helpful and having this amazing site up. One last doubt, was this designed with a 1590B enclosure in mind or something a little bigger?

      Delete
    3. Effects LayoutsJanuary 6, 2017 at 7:03 PM

      This one would be easier to fit in a 125B. There's another tube screamer layout for the TS9 that'll work in a 1590B. And the difference between the 808 and the 9 is like 2 resistor values.

      Delete
  15. aldoJanuary 9, 2017 at 12:16 AM

    hi! what i need to do to this layout if i want to add a switch to go from ts808 to ts9?could that be possible?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsJanuary 9, 2017 at 9:20 AM

      You can do it like this fairly easily:

      http://members.optushome.com.au/bluespherecreations/forum/resistorswitching.gif

      This is well worth reading as well:

      http://geofex.com/Article_Folders/TStech/tsxtech.htm#obuffer

      Delete
  16. SkaybluesFebruary 8, 2017 at 11:05 AM

    Buenas Tardes, lo logro conseguir el capacitor ceramico de 51 pf las opciones que me ofrecen son de 47 pf o 53 pf podria indicarme si puedo utilizar cualquiera de estos dos para que funcione el circuito? Muchas Gracias.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsFebruary 8, 2017 at 11:11 AM

      Either of those values will work fine.

      Delete
    2. SkaybluesFebruary 8, 2017 at 12:23 PM

      Muchas Gracias!! Saludos.

      Delete
    3. SkaybluesMarch 15, 2017 at 5:05 PM

      About the resistance of 510K and that of 51K, do you think correct 470k + 47k? I would be giving a value of 517k and 47k + 4.7K, I would be giving 51.7 Is what I can get at this point to finish the ts808, do you think it can work?

      Delete
    4. Effects LayoutsMarch 15, 2017 at 5:08 PM

      That would work fine. Though, if it were me, I'd just just a 470k in place of the 510k and a 47k in place of the 51k. In all the many variations on the tube screamer out there, those values vary a lot.

      Delete
    5. SkaybluesMarch 15, 2017 at 5:20 PM


      Thank you very much!, I'm going to follow your advice.

      Delete
  17. UnknownFebruary 16, 2017 at 9:34 AM

    Hi! How are you? Let me say to you that your work is priceless!

    I have only one question about the layout (First of all, I have read your General Layouts Article). What does the yellow/orange path mean in the upper side of the board? As far I understand, red path belongs to VOLTAGE, green paths are GROUND and Blue paths mean AUDIO.

    Thanks in advance for your comments! Your contribution is Highly appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsFebruary 16, 2017 at 9:42 AM

      Thanks for your kind words. Those traces are the voltage reference (sometimes called VR, VB, Vbias, etc) and is 4.5v.

      Delete
    2. UnknownFebruary 17, 2017 at 7:57 AM

      Thanks to you for your help! I'll start inmediatelly with my first pcb project

      Delete
    3. faboF430April 6, 2019 at 5:21 AM

      What voltage is supposed to be on yellow line? Im troubleshooting my effect, cause it is not working :/ there are no shorts, what is next to check? Thx

      Delete
    4. Effects LayoutsApril 6, 2019 at 1:44 PM

      As stated above, yellow traces indicate the voltage reference, which is half the supply voltage. So with a 9v supply it should be 4.5v

      Delete
    5. faboF430April 12, 2019 at 12:51 PM

      so if I have 9V there, what can be wrong?

      Delete
    6. Effects LayoutsApril 12, 2019 at 4:22 PM

      My first guess would be the 10k resistor right above Q1 from the red trace to the yellow is shorted. Try replacing it

      Delete
  18. BerkicauMarch 4, 2017 at 6:56 AM

    Do you guys ever build an OD pedal which produces more gain than the original? Most of OD pedals I built does, including this one. Could it be because of the cheap components I use?

    ReplyDelete
  19. RadeApril 21, 2017 at 5:03 PM

    I've done this pedal with "A100K" level pot and when i compare with original, only that VOLUME (Level)pot does not work exactly like the original pedal does. When i change pot with "B100K" pedal works exactly the same as the original. I cannot believe, this sound exactly like TS808. Just USE lin potentiometer (Level B100K) insted of log and you have original TS808. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJanuary 5, 2018 at 5:31 PM

      Hola me preocupa más el.control de tono , que dices de poner w20k en ese lugar ?

      Delete
  20. Ricco SeixasMay 31, 2018 at 7:57 PM

    You can mark this as verified !!!
    Wonderful sound and identical to the original ts808 !!!
    Once again your work has helped us a lot, thanks !!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownAugust 4, 2018 at 9:05 PM

    Perfeito!!! Excelente sonoridade e um baita timbre.
    POde montar!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Dalvare.s01613November 11, 2018 at 1:41 AM

    Im getting a weird farting noice even when the pedal is off :(

    ReplyDelete
  23. UnknownDecember 7, 2018 at 8:14 PM

    So, about 50 pf capacitor, can i use a 56pf?? Is it gonna work?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dalvare.s01613January 12, 2019 at 3:43 PM

    Those 2 1uf caps arent they suppose to be Non polar? Can i use poly capa instead?

    ReplyDelete
  25. CANEPLAMay 16, 2019 at 4:31 AM

    damn, here have a big pop when turns on and turns off... i tried some 3pdts and relay bypass circuits and both have the same pop, can be the circuit? i have add 10k in serial with the input and at the output 100k in parallel and after 1k in serial, i kill 99% off pops with this, but not in this time... any sugestion?

    ReplyDelete
  26. EmilianoJuly 19, 2019 at 8:45 AM

    Is the layout designed to be conected to a 3DPT so as to get the true bypass?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsJuly 19, 2019 at 10:29 AM

      Correct. See the General Layout Notes tab for offboard wiring info.

      Delete
  27. ZehDecember 17, 2019 at 9:36 AM

    Hello, would it work to put a capacitor of 27nf by one of 22nf ?!

    ReplyDelete
  28. AntoniozehDecember 26, 2019 at 9:09 PM

    Hello, I just set up this beautiful pedal, what a wonderful sound, but the level is not responding very well, only starts increasing after half past, I need some help to improve this level response, any ideas ?!

    ReplyDelete
  29. UnknownMarch 25, 2020 at 7:03 AM

    How do I add The output can be louder than this.

    ReplyDelete
  30. pabloyorkeMay 30, 2020 at 6:41 PM

    i made a mistake using c1815 (ECB) transistors, but i changed for 2n3904 and the pedal works just fine now!

    ReplyDelete
  31. primavera onlineJune 12, 2020 at 11:40 AM

    posso usar bc549

    ReplyDelete
  32. dj_shen18November 16, 2020 at 8:18 AM

    Hello Is there a noise problem and hissing?

    ReplyDelete
  33. pabloyorkeDecember 20, 2020 at 12:17 PM

    change the tone pot to 5k for better tone control. classic pedal

    ReplyDelete
  34. mrrobotJanuary 5, 2021 at 1:45 PM

    Please help. It works just fine but when the gain knob is at zero it cuts the sound. Any ideas?

    ReplyDelete
  35. UnknownFebruary 6, 2021 at 10:04 AM

    Hi, I built one and there's sound coming the effects but the level control is not working. It's fixed in a certain level. What seems to be the problem? The gain and tone controls are working and the sweeps are perfectly fine. I'm loving this pedal but i need to make the level works. Thank you Effects Layout for sharing this. Next project is The Depths.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsFebruary 6, 2021 at 11:18 AM

      Look for a bridge or short. Or you may have a bad pot and need to swap it out.

      Delete
    2. UnknownFebruary 9, 2021 at 10:44 AM

      Ok ... I'll check on that thank you for the revert

      Delete
    3. UnknownFebruary 24, 2021 at 7:27 AM

      The culprit is the 510K ohms to lug 1 of Level Control and my TS808 works great.... thank you for sharing your work

      Delete
  36. PeterApril 15, 2021 at 12:53 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PeterApril 16, 2021 at 8:35 AM

      i built this effect, but sound is only clean, no distortion. I tried more IC 4885 (chinese) and sound is still clean. When i tried tl072 sound was a little bit distorted but still sounds clean. Checked all values resistor and caps, checked all solder joints/traces, replaced diodes, a500k pot and sound is still the same.
      voltages:
      Q1,2 (2n3904) - C=9.10v B= 3.8v E=3.4v
      pins 1-3= 4.5v, 4=0v 5-7=4.5v 8=9v

      hm..any idea where is problem?

      Delete
    2. rreennddyyApril 6, 2022 at 9:06 AM

      me too

      Delete
  37. rreennddyyApril 6, 2022 at 9:05 AM

    why mine it so clean?? nofx

    ReplyDelete
  38. Az AntifizikusNovember 14, 2022 at 12:22 PM

    Hello! How big is the PCB? What's the lenght, and wideness in centimeters?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Effects LayoutsNovember 14, 2022 at 4:23 PM

      Check the Transfer Image Library tab for scaled PDFs of all the layouts.

      Delete
  39. jeffDecember 20, 2022 at 10:25 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  40. DannyetnOctober 15, 2024 at 5:43 PM

    It works!!!!!

    ReplyDelete