Maxon OD808 Overdrive Pedal

Submitted by Mason Hoberg on Oct. 18, 2022..

94

GEARANK

94 out of 100. Incorporating 900+ ratings and reviews.

Gearank Recommendation

The OD808 first appeared on our recommended list for Overdrive Pedals as an Honorable Mention back in January 2018 where it remained until February 2020.

Then in February 2021 it had high enough ratings to go on our now defunct recommended list for Overdrive Pedals Under $150 where it remained until the October 2022 edition was published in which we reduced the maximum price to $100 making this ineligible.

Overview

The Maxon OD808 Overdrive pedal is a copy of the original Tubescreamer, which was actually produced by Maxon on behalf of Ibanez. The OD808 actually uses the same chip as the original Tubescreamer, so it’s a great way to get the same response of the original pedals without shelling out the cash for a vintage piece of gear.

The Maxon OD808 also comes with a blend control, which allows you to mix clean and distorted signals. This is a great to increase the girth of your tone, as well increase harmonic complexity. It’s analogous to using a two-amp system (though not quite as effective).

Something to be aware of with this pedal is that it does have a strong mid-range hump and a noticeable low-end cut. This is great to tighten up the tone of darker voiced rigs, but if your rig is more brightly voiced it can make your tone a bit thin.

This was on our recommend list until a major review of overdrives in February 2020 uncovered more highly rated options which you will find in our guide to The Best Overdrive Pedals - Under $50, $100 & $150.