Meet The Designer SUSUMU TAMURA
THE BRAINS BEHIND MAXON AND IBANEZ’S LEGENDARY DESIGN REVEALS THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF OVERDRIVE
What was the first pedal you built and how did the design come about? “The first pedal I designed was a phase shifter – it was sold as the Phase Tone PT-999 under both the Maxon and Ibanez brands. The PT-999 circuit design was inspired by the MXR Phase 90 and consisted of only three operational amplifiers so that many players could use it at a reasonable price.”
What’s your best-selling pedal and why do you think that is? “The best-selling pedals I’ve designed are overdrives such as the Maxon OD-808 Overdrive and the Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer. To say that the Tube Screamer is synonymous with the term ‘overdrive’ would not be an exaggeration.
“You could also say that a majority of overdrive pedals on the market are based on the Tube Screamer/Overdrive circuit. Regardless of the genre of music, though, I think that the overdrive sound expected by both the player and the audience can be easily attained with these pedals.”
Which notable guitarists have used Tube Screamers? “The most famous user would be the genius blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who used the TS-808 and TS10 [and TS9]. I listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Texas Flood a lot while working on pedal mods. Besides SRV, lots of guitarists have used a Tube Screamer, including Eric Johnson, Trey Anastasio, Brad Paisley, The Edge, Joe Bonamassa, Kirk Hammett, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Michael Schenker, Gary Moore, George Lynch, Gary Clarke Jr and many more.”
What do you think makes your OD-808/ TS-808 design unique? “Before the release of the OD-808/TS-808, distortion circuits had a separate clipping stage that came after the amplifier stage of the circuit. OD-808/TS-808 was the first circuit to incorporate the clipping stage in the negative feedback loop of the operational amplifier. This configuration yields a smoother distortion that retains the original guitar tone. After more than 40 years since its release, many clones of Ibanez Tube Screamer and Maxon Overdrive and many overdrives derived from the Tube Screamer have been released and sold. It is undoubted that the original design was unique yet also simple.”
“To say that the Tube Screamer is synonymous with the term ‘overdrive’ would not be an exaggeration”
What’s your favourite vintage pedal? And can you explain why? “My favourite vintage pedal is the OD-808/TS-808 with the ‘caramel’ switch manufactured in 1980/1981. It has a simple circuit configuration, which consisted of easily available parts. The OD-808/TS-808 has been used by musicians across various musical genres for over 40 years since its release, and many reissue models have been released over the years. There have also been many TS-cloned products and derivative products released by different companies over the years. It is one of the most copied pedal designs of all time.”
If you had a three-pedal ‘desert island’ pedalboard what would be on it? “The Maxon AD-900 Analog Delay, the
Maxon OD-9 Overdrive, and the Maxon OD-820 Over Drive Pro.”
Is there anything new on the horizon? “I am very excited about my most recent design modifications, the Ibanez TS808 1980 ‘#1’ Cloning mod and Maxon OD-820 Secede from T.S. mod pedals. These products are sold in Japan. Also, the Maxon Apex808 that will be sold overseas this year.”
Are there any long-lost Maxon gems that you think would be worth reissuing? “I would like to reissue a version of the [1980s] Maxon DCP series vintage pedals – DCP stands for Digitally Controlled Processor. The Maxon DCP series was expensive at the time and did not sell well. I see original DCP pedals on social networks and markets these days, but I definitely want to reissue the [POD1] Overdrive/Distortion and [PDS1] Distortion DCP models. The DCP series was a wonderful product that controlled 100 per cent analogue audio with digital circuits instead of using DSP to simulate analogue circuits. Furthermore, multiple control settings could be stored and instantly recalled. Basically, these products offered the best of both worlds with analogue audio and digital control.
“I think that the concept of a hybrid pedal where a simple analogue circuit is controlled digitally still needs to be perfected. There are currently hybrid pedals on the market, but the concept still needs to be refined and improved upon.” https://maxonfx.com / www.ibanez.com