A 1980s Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer that once belonged to Stevie Ray Vaughan has been sold for an undisclosed amount, just days after it was listed.
The well-worn vintage overdrive pedal surfaced in a listing via Chicago Music Exchange last week (27 July). It is thought to have been one of several used by Vaughan and passed on to his guitar tech Cesar Diaz (who has certified its authenticity).
In addition, the sale also includes a note from an unnamed previous owner, stating:
“This TS-808 Ser # N/A was owned by SRV (Stevie Ray Vaughan). I purchased it as a pair along with TS-808 #111179 from Cesar Diaz. We were friends and I paid $5,000 for the pedal, I also paid $5,000 for the #111179 as well. These were used for recordings, gigs etc.
“When Stevie passed it was a shock and Cesar had these in his house. This is exactly the shape, condition etc. that I bought it years ago. Has been in bank vault and is a sweet pedal. Enjoy!"
The store hosted the sale at an unlisted price via its site and also demoed it in a YouTube clip – comparing it to a vintage Maxon OD-808 (the first Tube Screamer build, produced from 1979 before it was licensed to Ibanez) and a modern day TS808 reissue.
In the clip, you can see Chicago Music Exchange’s vintage/used buyer Dan Lump discuss the item acknowledging that it was one of a few. As Lump puts it: “If he stepped on his pedals the same way he played guitar, I imagine he broke quite a few.”
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CME demo man Nathaniel Murphy then puts it through its paces and contrasts it with the vintage and modern equivalents with a 1960 Fender Stratocaster and 1966 Super Reverb amp for the full SRV flavor – extracting a very convincing take on ‘that’ tone, in the process.
Several comments on the clip speculate as to whether Diaz had in some way modded the box, and perhaps we’re listening with our eyes – or maybe it’s just down the simple componentry of the ’80s build – but we’d swear the SRV model stands out, though they all sound good.
“The reason the Tube Screamer is so popular,” explains Lump, “is that it boosts midrange a lot, which fills in the gaps that you naturally have with the Strat and a clean Fender amp like this and just makes it sound huge. It cuts through a mix fantastic and just feels good to play.”
This particular Tube Screamer has changed hands a number of times in recent years. It was available via Reverb.com in October 2015 for a price of $11,000. It then surfaced in March 2016 for sale via Seattle-based vintage guitar dealers, Emerald City Guitars.
Now it appears to have sold again, albeit for an as-yet-unspecified price. We’ve reached out to Chicago Music Exchange in the hope of confirming the price (if the buyer allows it to be shared), but it’s likely – given the pedal’s previous sale history and SRV’s inseparable association with Tube Screamer tone – that it will be in the upper echelons of the world’s most valuable guitar pedals.
That said, even if it went for double its 2015 value, the Tube Screamer is unlikely to knock the world’s most expensive pedal off its perch. That honor goes to a Boss DS-1 that belonged to Kurt Cobain and sold at auction for an incredible $75,000.
