Gearmanndude Luther Drive vs Ibanez TS-808 tubescreamer reissue guitar pedal shootout

[nadiyahz]

Dear GearMannDude, thanks for all the help,  my board is crazy bad ass, and I just

wanted you to know you are a enjoyable

great help. Peace Bro.

[mecoffeenut1973]

I'm diggin' the Luther. Nice work, I think I could use it in a Praise & Worship setting for contemporary services. Well Done!!!

[usojas1]

Hey gearmanndude, could you do a comparison between the luther and the fulltone OCD or the fulltone plimsoul?

[MrHatandClogs42]

Three People hated the School of Rock

[Jeepjones85]

I just plugged my Luther drive into my Traynor ycv40 that uses Sovtek 5881WXT beam power tubes and the sound is Amazing to say the least. These videos do not do justice for the real sound.

[waxwox]

hey gearmandude, could you do a comparison between your Luther drive and a tonebender MK II

[esreverheadstock]

Hey man if you can sing will you make a video of you preforming Master Exploder?

[TheMaersk12]

how much for the luther drive??? :D :D Love it

[DecemberSean]

I am a novice. I listened like 10 times. They sound very very close. Also, he sometimes plays them slightly different. And longer riffs, making it harder for me personally. (atleast when I repeated it 10 times

Again.. they sound a-lot alike. One thing I THINK I hear... is the luther has a touch more bass, or bottom end. BUT....it could be a "hair" of volume. You really cant totally tell....from computer speakers and youtube. So close. So close. Am I nuts?

[Hesthewizeguy]

tube screamers traditionally don't stack very well, how's the luther drive compete? Sounds a little thin to my ears is this fair to say?

[dnnysrock]

gearman dude tone sucks, but the has attitude if a pedal sound great in this demos then that it's the pedal to get, cause the quality of the audio recording is reall bad in ALL his videos!

[tonebone78]

G'day from Down Under...How do I obtain the Luther..? I can hear some killa blues tone with that...awesome..

[timbo177]

@tonebone78 From his website. He ships worldwide.

[tothetop777]

the L drive has a good mod to it, not over the top.

[brandinator22]

you made thhe luther? great pedal

[bonetrainmusic]

Lutha be smokin dat green cig box..chit mon.

[coin112]

gmd!

If Im gonna but a lutherdrive and get it to sweden, will get to pay taxes n shiiet?

[giggs102]

sounds really similar. haha

[mixermantim]

I had a guy in my small studio a few months ago and he always picked the lutherdrive for the solos. It was also my pick. Great pedal.

[zombieshuffle]

I've been watching your videos and thought you was called ' Germandude'

great vids

even better boots!

[EnvyInc]

Just an opinion, the Luther Drive seems a bit more lively when playing chords. Otherwise they're pretty close.

[JakeHollebon]

The Luther Drive sounds dirtier to me...

Gearmandude should post his videos on his blog or his website, that way there wouldn't be any of youtubes compression on his videos!

[cheesedude5050]

Dude, love the demos. How much are you selling Luthers for? And also, is it analog or digital?

[Ericclapton325]

Sorry but only cause im a HUGE SRV fan. TS808 but thats a prefrences i could see were most people would like the Luther better though

[Tuttermuts]

Luther seems to let the individual notes through more clearly

[MrAustinBond]

Can I plug a 9V in this or is it batteries only?

[flagstaff990]

what black crowes song is that in the beginning?

[yoga2eka]

Luther Drive win!!

[zyxomma1]

The lutherdrive gets points for being a homebrew deal. I don't think it's a better sound, simply a different sound. it sounds like it has a higher slew rate than the 808. It's also a bit cleaner. The ts808 has a legendary sound. any movement from that sound isn't really an improvement, so much as a move into new territory.

What isn't translated in this video, is how the luther 'feels' while playing it. Has anyone tried it that could comment on the feel?

[TheVerlaine]

Luther Drive just sounds better balanced... And I completely agree with the LD having "a bigger schlong".

However, I have a couple TS808 clones that I got for about half the price of filling my tank, so I'm pretty happy with them for now... Luther Drive later!

[TAVRIS]

are you rich germandude? 

[barronvonripper]

Man.. both sound good, but the Luther wins in my book

[metalsolosandcovers]

@guitarsteve6190

i think he said he made it

[omfg51]

hey GMD, i love pedals and since you make your own i was just wondering, where did you learn how to build pedals? id like to start makin em myself

[DuncanSlack]

@omfg51 try making a build your own clone pedal

[alohastewie]

gearmandude you are a cool guy.

[metalmader]

Is the Luther True Bypass?

[ottozing]

@metalmader yes it is BUT it has no power supply

[metalmader]

@ottozing Awesome! 9v supplies are easy enough to get

[theEddievanhalen]

can i buy the luther?

[WhatSayestThou]

I think the Luther's somewhat thicker. Chu makes good stuff mahn. =)

[Rsx1rokr]

The luther drive is truer to the classic transparent boost heard from a vintage TS 808 whereas the RI is a little fuzzier.

In my opinion the luther sounds cleaner with more gain, less fizzy. Hard to tell over youtube. As much as i'd love to try one out, living in the UK pushes it slightly over my budget :-/

I might be heading to the states this summer though :D

[walterockmx]

I have another question

Dou you own a Guitar Gear Store?

You Have a lot of Great Gear!!!

And it ir Rare for me to know someone with that Equipment like you :D

Great Overdrive

Great Demos

Keept On Going

No matter What :D

God Bless you

[Ericclapton325]

Looking at all your guitar shit i take it your not married

[scottladoucheable]

@Ericclapton325 He just has a very understanding "rare" wife lol, but yeah hes married

[Ericclapton325]

@scottladoucheable I guess so lol

[munchycrunchypancake]

Luther sounds more like an amp to me.

[guitarsteve6190]

where did you get the name for the luther drive?

[ebeatworld]

right off the bat, the luther wins simply because it doesn't have that god-awful switch the 808 has. That thing always malfunctions and gets stuck. Plus the led on the 808 is barely visible unless you're in the complete dark.

[MaximumThompson]

As much as I love the Ts-808, I'm thinking the Luther Drive has a bigger schlong.

[a7x7636]

the luther only good for tube amps? or any? im rockin a line 6 spider 3 lol

[thmsrojo]

@a7x7636 If you want a dirt pedal for a solid state amp get a tube pedal like a ibanez tube king, it'l make your solid state sound more natural and less thin in my opinion:)

[embracerandom]

Is this the LD with the loud mod or without it?

[letsgetcarriedaway]

The Luther Drive sounds clearer and more transparent, with a touch less gain.

[zbaby82]

I want one of those Luther Drives!

[sthugh]

The tube screamer sounder thicker and more mid-rangy. They both sounded quite a bit alike though. You can keep them both. Just give me the right amp to begin with.

[SingleCoilVoodoo]

Lutherdrive 100 times over...for my personal taste. I own 808s, TS9s, and the Lutherdrive. They are all similar, but in my opinion, the Luther wins.

[GetCrunked10]

you should get a original ts808 and compare it to the reissiue

[MultiScoffer]

Check out Keely's new overdrive pedal. They have sound clips of this pedal on their web site. By the way, your Lutherdrive pedal is awesome!

[robrippen]

Ts 808hw blows both of these away. Sorry snake boots. Get one and try it for yourself. Not that either one of these sounds bad. How much is a luther compared to a handwired?

[lu07caj]

Gotta say the luthar is more articulate and less mid humpy...

Gives the 808RI a snakeskin boots square to the nads. Well played GMD

[rafammbass]

Man, love when you say "White coiled cable"!

[lauriedepaurie]

cool demo, but don't you have the urge to switch both of them on and do an awesome solo.. You do the best demo's but 2 tubescreamers in 1 loop?! C'mon man, you've got to feel that urge...... grtz

[Samhain35]

I have a Luther and it's one of my fave pedals.

[chase1410]

the luther really shines in this video....luther all the way..

[b44styreraug]

Using both together really gives a damn powerful sound!

[HollyCze]

Luther's tone is fuller and fatter. I like him even more than TS 808

[zbaby82]

I wish I had them both. :O

[TheVitorinox]

ibanez leve tone grave

luther driver + tone nice

[willrober1024]

Hey GMD, what's the crowes song in the beginning of the video?! I love it

[cjdavda]

i think the luther is the best in terms of sound, ibanez for functional design

[JFGIandCo]

@cjdavda what the hell does "functional design" mean?

[cjdavda]

@JFGIandCo I like that the button on the ibanez is raised above the knobs so that its harder to accidentally change the settings

[Maxx61]

Love the Luther but one really has to appreciate the design of the Ibanez. Angled so the tip of the foot cannot bang into the knobs accidently and beyond that, recessed knobs behind the raised switch platform. Secondary to sound of course (both are great) but it's little details like this I admire. At 5:24, you'll see a perfect example of what I mean. In the "heat of battle," one can easily see how the pedal knob closest to the switch could be rolled by the boot. Again..sound first but...

[ibanezman007]

Are you sure it's not double secret probation?

[southlumberjack]

LUTHER VS FULLTONE OCD!

and then I'll buy!

[sunnyjim98]

you have 666 videos!!!!!! \m/

[JonatanJ6]

Which amp is the one on the left of the fender blues junior?

[neo14085]

@JonatanJ6 lil' jaguar.

[HardRockLeadGuitar]

I like yours better immediately - it has more personality & projection plus that light...

[Ncuab]

GMD LUTHER DRIVE - sounds brighter and more transparent

IBANEZ TS808 - sounds bassier and slightly darker and compressed

***like always, it depends on what other gear you're using, how all of your gear complements/works against each other, what sound you're looking for, how it feels, and what you're willing to pay.***

[Guitarstestdummie]

Luther sounds much more fat and hot than the TS808. GMD did a pretty great job on this... let´s wait for the Lothar now. I´m pretty anxious about it.

[willievega]

Luther also sounds good going into a Blue Boy Deluxe (or any TS type pedal), sustain for daze.

[MrTomZombie]

i agree the luther drive sounds abit fatter i want one ;D

[bassandguitargreg]

the 808 sounds just a hair thicker to me on some riffs.... luther has a tiny bit more gain it seems tho....

getting both is clearly the only solution =D

[yuvalrosen]

luther wins, i think it has a fuller, cleaner sound. tube screamer sounds awesome too.

[christslayer666]

the luther drive has a bit mor gain

[trevinor3]

luther drive kicks serious booty

[g0fukurs3lf]

got it, "come on" black crowes :) again great demo. 5 stars!

[g0fukurs3lf]

sweet! I'd give the luther a try, but I got the 808 and S&H to GER... not a good idea I guess.

btw someone's gotta know: what's the name of the black crowes song in the intro pls?

[MiniMightyMan96]

whats the small amp next to the blues jr?

[UnhealthyAddiiction]

tube screamer ftw

[Ludasz]

what is the intro song? I can't find it anywhere..:(

[gitaargast]

It's by the Black Crowes, I don't know the name of the song

[eragoncp14]

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll!!!

[prophetdude2]

Dude, love that sg, where'd u get it?

[dave0079er]

Luther has much better bass response. Nice work!

[00DirectorsCut00]

HI. Does the 808 add just overdrive or gain also the volume when on? ty

[knikk77]

The TS808 sounds more thicker and has more compression I think.

[aektzis91]

luther sounds great :) gearmanndude, you are the man!

[jsycorp]

i wanna buy a luther.. is it good for solo boosts?

[m2885the4th]

i bought a Boss OS-2 a year ago for 40$ and just bought the 808 and the OS-2 can get better tone than the 808

you should do a demo of those two.

if you need my setting msg me.

[sirgerry]

Cool licks!

[yobhsiFehT]

Hey, GMD, can I "put in a request" for a demo between the common STOCK Tube Screamers (9, 9DX, 808 RI)? I'm sure there are demos of this somewhere on YouTube, but well, they're not YOUR demos.

Am I trying to butter you up to get you to do it? Yes. Will it work? Lemme' know:)

(I do like your vids a lot, though, it's not total b.s. lol)

[dcooper830]

They both sound GREAT!! But I think I like the TS-808 a tad better cause it sounds a little warmer as far as I can tell.

But really .... they both sound great and I love that tone!!

Very nice video clip!! : )

[northlander30]

The Luther has a more pronounced higher end then the TS808. Very nice!

[JakeUSC92]

i feel like the Luther comes off a bit richer sounding.

I had the lucky chance to plug into a Luther and a Keeley TS-9. The luther SMOKED Keeley.

 the thing i love about GMD shootouts, is he really plays for both. He doesn't play partially. I guess the Luther is just that good that he's got no worries

Keep it up!

[spratty59]

Love when he throws his pic down at the end!

[TheEddieManiac]

Nice vid...as usual! The 2 are a must have. Man, a sugestion...you may not like it, but... Why don't you make a review of those cheap behringers stomp boxes? The TO800 to be more specific. The a lot of people say it's as good as the tube screamer. We'll trust your judgement.

[spratty59]

I wanna see this TO800 vs 808 Re-issue vs Lovepedal Purple vs Lutherdrive vs OCD

[spratty59]

vs digitech hardwire tube overdrive

[Gibson1423]

haha i figured that, but hey u never kno

[ethuhmastuh]

could you do a ts 808 vs. lovepedal les lius? that'd be interesting

[smausetrap]

I just got the Les Lius by love today and its simply an awesome sexy beat......I bet the Luther would give it a run, but the 808 is obsolete in my opinion when you have premium stuff for cheaper.

[ethuhmastuh]

it does sound incredible. unfortunately my funds are currently geared towards a vinyl shopping spree in nashville =)

and I agree with you. it's a shame because the 808 was such a fixture, I feel like it's a loss to have it be replaced. the rothwell heartbreaker is also really nice

[Gibson1423]

wut pedal do u prefer gearmandude?

[JimmyJamLP]

i think i prefer the TS808, it does have a rounder tone to it, (whatever that means) not necessarily well rounded...ah whatever. the Luther drive seems to have more low end, and the 808 seems to have lower midrange. good stuff GMD

[Manhitbyfootball]

they sounds so very similar, you'd have to be very picky

[thebeat945]

The Luther, to me, is reminiscent of the Keeley-modded TS808. In any case it definitely holds its own with the Ibanez-and what would ya rather do, spend $115.00 with a dude working out of his garage or $200.00 with a corporation? BEFORE mods?

[commelesrobots]

Luther Drive woops the 808 hands down!!

[KickingAss24]

to me the Luther destroys the ibanez

[leondb]

I like how you brought them together at 3:48. They both sound great to m, but I'd go with the 808!

[occupiedbytim]

It seems like the 808 is just a bit rounder with more emphasis on lower mids. The Luther Drive has got a tighter sound, more emphasis on mid-level mids - maybe scooped out just a bit more? Just what my ears here, I might be completely wrong.

Tough one, gearmandude. I was doing a search for TS-808s in use with Blues Juniors, and your video came up. Your Luther Drive is HOT, and now I'm just not sure which one to get - or which one would sound best with my Blues Junior. I have the tweed version.

[lbeser]

okay, are u jack black?

[SpaceAceTX]

Ibanez better for the "crunch" Luther better "blues"

[Phishboy26]

I have always loved the Tube Screamer. I have the TS9 of course with the Analogman Silver mod and i love it

[msharky36]

would've guessed that....fellow trey-tone fan i see.....nothing like his 90s tone.

[JosephGallagher]

Well, obviously the Luther has a lot more drive, me likey ;D

[JordanLikesToRock]

Good see the Blues Jr. in action

[hooboo77]

again, another wicked intro song choise GMD. :D