The quintessential overdrive pedal!

The Maxon OD808 Overdrive is made by the same Japanese company which crafted the original overdrive circuit in a green stompbox that's been obsessed over by guitarists for the past 30 years. It uses the identical circuit found in the original employing the same JRC4558 IC chip for smooth, natural overdrive similar to a cranked-up tube amp. The OD808 pedal responds to the picking dynamics and nuances of your individual style while also letting the true tone of your instrument shine through.

Originally released in 1979, the Maxon OD808 pedal was one of the first tube-amp overdrive simulators to hit the market. Its smooth, creamy crunch tone caught on quickly, and helped to launch a long line of predecessors as well as imitators. Today, the OD808 design is without a doubt the most used, most imitated and most lauded overdrive circuit of all time. The reason for this is simple-tone. Simply put, the OD808 provides the natural, mild overdrive of a tube amp without sacrificing your guitar's original tone. In addition, it can be used as a clean booster to provide increased gain without compromising the sound of your amplifier.

The secret behind the legendary "808 tone" lies in the amplifier section of its circuit. Rather than having an amplifier stage followed by a clipping stage, the OD808 uses a signal-distorting diode (Panasonic #MA150) that is located in the amplifier stage's negative feedback loop (which also contains the JRC4558 IC chip). Therefore, the OD808 distorts signal in the amplifier circuit itself which yields a smoother, milder, more natural sounding distortion than a separate clipping stage. This is also the reason that the IC type used in the circuit has such a large impact on the unit's tone. Maxon developed this unique design more than 20 years ago, and while it is commonplace nowadays, back then it was an industry first.

It should be noted that the Reissue Series OD808 uses different output resistors than the original version. After the unit's initial release it was discovered to have a high susceptibility to noise due to static electricity buildup. To improve performance, the positions of the output resistors on the reissue OD808 were reversed and their values increased in order to reduce noise levels. This circuit change has no audible affect on the sound of the unit, save for reducing the noise levels.

Whether it's used as an overdrive or a booster, the Maxon OD808 is the closest you can get to the classic sounds of rock guitar in a compact effect pedal.

" it"s nearly impossible to dial in a bad sound. If you"re after classic blues/rock overdrive, it would be tough to pick a better pedal." Guitar Player Magazine, May 2000

"This device is perfect if you dig the sound of your amp but wish it could go up to 11." Guitar World Magazine, April 2000

"I"d definitely recommend the OD808 to all Tube Screamer fans." Vintage Guitar Magazine, November 2000

"I always loved the sound of my TS808 now I can have it all back without the paranoia and anxiety of a feared theft, all at a cheaper price than a vintage one. Bravo!" 20th Century Guitar, October 2000

Past - Present - Perfect: Reissue Series Faithful reproductions of the legendary '70s product line, the Maxon Reissue Series Effects offer today's musician a classic sonic palette that has defined the tones of guitarists for the past three decades. Each model's circuit is 100% analog and packaged in a time-tested chassis for a lifetime of trouble-free performance. Component quality and PC board layout have been optimized to provide consistent, low noise performance without adding unnecessary coloration to your instrument's tone.

• Rugged, Lightweight Chassis: Made of cast aluminum, extremely lightweight (less than one pound) and strong. Rectangular chassis offers easy interface with other pedal types without taking up excess pedalboard or rack space.
• Electronic Bypass Switching: Dual FET (electronic) silent switching with plunger-type activator switch for smooth, quiet bypass. Buffered low impedance outputs will drive long cable lengths with no signal degradation.
• AC/DC Power Operation: power using 9-volt battery (supplied) or AC adapter (Maxon AC210N optional).
• LED Power/Battery Life Indicator: Ultra bright LED indicates effect status (on/off). Dim or no LED indicates that the battery is low or not installed.
• 3-Year Warranty: Godlyke Inc. guarantees to replace or repair (at their option) this product should it suffer from defects in materials or workmanship. Coverage period is one year for moving parts (example: pots, switches, jacks) and three years for non-moving parts (example: IC's, transistors, etc.). Damages caused by accident, abuse, alteration, or misuse are not covered by this warranty. Product appearance and normal "wear and tear" (worn paint, scratches, etc.) are not covered by this warranty. No other warranty is expressed or implied.

Maxon OD808 Overdrive Features:

• Warm, natural overdrive similar to a tube amp
• Overdrive, Balance, and Tone controls
• Uses same JRC4558 IC-based circuit as original green '808 overdrive
• Responds to picking dynamics and playing nuances
• Great as overdrive or amp booster
• Silent dual-FET switching circuitry

Legendary tone is in stock. Upgrade your sound today!

Maxon OD808 Overdrive Specifications:

• Input Impedance: 500K Ohms
• Input Jack: 1/4" standard phone jack
• Output Impedance: 10K Ohms
• Output Jack: 1/4 inch standard phone jack
• Output: 1
• Controls: Drive, Tone, Balance
• Switch: Normal/Effect
• Noise (IHF-A): -110 dBu
• Max Amplitude; 35dB
• Power Supply: 9V Manganese dry cell battery (S-006P) or special AC adaptor
• Power Voltage: DC9 V (Battery) / DC10 V (AC-adaptor)
• Current Consumption: 5mA (9V)/6mA (10 V)
• AC Adaptor AC210N (option): AC120V Input; DC9V/200 mA Center - / Sleeve +) Output
• Dimensions (main body): 61 mm (W) x 112 mm (D) x 35 mm (H)
• Dimensions (whole): 70 mm (W) x 112 mm (D) x 55 mm (H)
• Weight: 260g
• Accessories: 9V Manganese dry cell battery (S-006P) x 1; Non-skid pad x 1; Warranty Card x 1; User's Manual x 1

Maxon OD808 Overdrive

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Average of 25 User Ratings

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Night and Day...

Posted by MusicMaster from Boston on Oct 21, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: The Music Masters

Reviewer's Play Style: Awesome

This pedal is not only a world of difference for your tone but its also night and day. I bought this pedal because i heard Matt Marcel from the Matt Marcel Band uses one. Just amazing.

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Mean Green Machine

Posted by JaredK from Atlanta, GA on Oct 3, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: Active musician

Reviewer's Play Style: Alternative, Hard Rock, Metal

This little pedal is amazing. Hands down, my favorite pedal on my board. Dare say couldn't live w/out it. I run it in front of a Carvin X100B & a Mesa Dual Rec. Trem-o-Verb. Most of the time I use it as a boost w/the overdrive turned almost all the way down & the balance(volume,mix)almost all the way up. Tone knob about 10-11 o'clock. It is so transparent, imho, yet adds so much. Cuts through brilliantly. Tightens the bass freq. up nicely on my Mesa & adds just a bit of grit to my clean sounds. Love this thing. Would buy it again w/out hesitation.

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Ideal as a gain boost for high gain tube heads!

Posted by DrRickzo from LA on Sep 25, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: 8 - 9 years of playing

Reviewer's Play Style: METALLLL

My Peavey JSX has great tone and pretty high gain as it is, but I wanted to be able to kind of push it to 11. The high gain input has pretty decent gain, but sound is kind of fuzzy, the low gain input sounds extremely clear, but the gain is about 5% less than what I really want. This pedal completely solved that problem. Run the overdrive at 0 (trust me, this doesn't necessarily mean the overdrive is off) , and the balance at about 9. I prefer the tone at around 6. It really saturates your distortion, and I think it's ideal for anyone playing metal.

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A NEED FOR METAL

Posted by Yall know me from Windsor Ontario on Jun 30, 2009

Experience w/product: I have used it

Reviewer's Background: Pro

Reviewer's Play Style: Metal hardcore (use this pedal as a boost!)

I gave it a 4 on quality because my buddy had his break on him but that's it. If you're using this for metal here's what you're gonna wanna do. Dial in the best heavy tone on your amp with out the pedal. Put the Overdrive on the pedal on 0 (if you're using this and you play metal this isn't my personal preference, it's how you best use the pedal trust me.) Then set the Balance/level (w/e it's called) to 10 which will be a little bit too hot, but keep it at 10, just turn down the gain on your head and slowly bring it up till it sounds about right (this works better then leaving your head gain normal and putting the level/balance only to 6 or so) then set the tone control and sometimes adjust your EQ of your amp to balance it out. So once again, 0 drive, 10 balance/level, turn gain on your head down and bring it up till it sounds about right, then adjust the tone to w/e you feel.

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SOOO CREAMY!

Posted by Jesse from NJ on Apr 20, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: hobbyist, part-time guitarist, made few recordings

Reviewer's Play Style: alternative, metal, rock, blues

Okay, so I finally gave this pedal a try. I have this pedal and been using it for almost five months now. I have two main uses for this pedal: (1) as a signal booster, and (2) as a mild overdrive for my blues solos. As a booster, it works perfect feeding my signal to my distortion pedal during solos. It didn’t change my tone at all. As a mild overdrive, I did a side-by-side comparison on both my TS808 and OD808 (both tone knobs are about 4 o'clock position) and in my opinion, this pedal (OD808), sounded better than my Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer. I got creamier tones and fatter sustain. This pedal has been part of my main pedal board and unfortunately my TS808 is starting to collect dust. My equipment: American Deluxe Strat, Ibanez guitar, and a VOX amp on clean boutique setting with a little delay.

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Maxon OD808 Overdrive

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