What's the Most Cloned / Most Popular Guitar Effect of All Time?

[Paul Marossy]

Maybe slightly OT, but I was wondering... does anyone know what is the all time biggest selling guitar effect(s) pedal is? Also, what do you think is the most "cloned" commercially manufactured guitar pedal?

Just something to ponder.... 

[vanhansen]

Ibanez Tube Screamer the most cloned by a long shot.

[TheBigMan]

Fuzz Face, Rangemaster, Ross Compressor and Tube Screamer, in no particular order.

[ninoman123]

I vote Fuzz Face

- Its simple and convenient. The Rangemaster is simple but its original design (the big box with no footswitch) isnt very useful in real life. The Fuzz Face has a giant metal box that is built like a tank, and its easy to find onstage. (Compared to the smaller TS808s and such) Lets not forget the plastic switches that break in the TS808

- Almost every boutique builder has some sort of their own Fuzz Face. The actual Fuzz Face itself has had more make overs (internal and external) than any of the other popular pedals.

- The Fuzz Face was introduced in the late 60s while the TS808 was introduced in the late 70s. The Fuzz Face had a whole decade to grow before the TS808 was even introduced.

- The sound of the Fuzz Face is one that most people strive for since many of the most popular guitarists have used them. It also makes the most noticeable difference to the sound. (Dont get me wrong the others change the sound too but not as much as the Fuzz Face)

- Simple circuit and well known circuit. I personall hadnt ever heard of a Rangemaster until I started building my own pedals. Even then I wasnt too sure why it was so well known or what the fuss was. The Fuzz Face is 2 transistors and 2 knobs which makes it easy. Not the easiest, but the combonation of its popularity and simplicity make it a good first choice for beginners.

- The number of mods to the originals. There arent many TS808 mods, but theres a ton that can be found online for the Fuzz Face. I vote Big Muff for the most moddable but the Fuzz Face isnt too shabby when it comes to something to hot rod.

- The mystery. We are all guilty of spending hours trying to find the "best" sound from our Fuzz Face. Whether it be switching transistors or rebiasing to get it perfect. The TS808 is a relatively straight forward circuit and the only mojo comes from the 4558 chip which IMO sounds the same as any other dual op amp.

So theres my 2cents.

[stm]

Jsut for fun it would be nice to have an "equivalence and/or similarity" table, something like:

TS808 -TS-9 - Boss SD-1 - Landgraff Dynamic Overdrive - John Grenne's Fullclone - Fulltone Fulldrive - etc.
Big Muff Pi - Swollen Pickle
MXR Dynacomp - Ross Compressor
MXR Distortion - Ross Distortion
MXR Phase 45 - DOD Phaser 201
Dallas Range MAster - Austin Treble Booster
Dunlop Fuzz Face - Roger Mayer Axis Face
Boss PH-1 - MXR Phase 90
.....
....
...
..
.

[cd]

Ibanez Tube Screamer the most cloned by a long shot.

Agreed.  I was thinking the FF at first too, but the relative unobtanium of Ge transistors knocks it down a few notches.

[Fp-www.Tonepad.com]

Tube screamer.

[gaussmarkov]

Tube screamer.

... from someone who ought to know.  i'm gonna guess tubescreamer, too. 

[Stevo]

The HM-2 is the biggest seller of the Boss pedals I have read ,not the DS-1 yet....I think that this pedal could have a comeback to the scene since so many where sold and that everyone used one at least once in the days...(80s) that is ....it is a good sounding pedal and is in the middle of the dist-overdrive....type...has a good waveform to it ,pretty close to the OD-1 which everyone used too.....not an easy one to clone...

[petemoore]

I was thinking the FF at first too, but the relative unobtanium of Ge transistors knocks it down a few notches.
  from someone who ought to know.
  FP, is this based on the # of board ordered, or opinion?
  I was going to say FF, I thought it'd be a hands down winner, I've personally perfed
  2 TS's and 3 or 4 derivative [OA FB Loop Clip Jobs] None presently used or even in boxes
  I have 2 FF's boxed that I use, I've perfed probably 10, though that is more than was necessary, [countless variations in the 'few 100's' or more if you count tranny swaps...lol].
  This has only theoritical bearing on the topic...a Tube Screamer is certainly easier to reproduce 'within parameters' [consistant results], are much more forgiving of what goes into it and what it is plugged in to, making them more appealing to being marketed. At music stores, there always seems to be a seasick green box in the counter, something like 20 to 1 sightings compared to the FF...but I'd bet there are many more small FF circuit boards than TS boards ... that never made their way into a showroom [like mine].
 

[Mark Hammer]

Go to Musictoyz and pedalgeek, sift through the promotional blurb/hype for all those new pedals and THEN tell me.  Off the top of my head, though, it's going to be Tube Screamer variants, for a few reasons:

1) SRV used them
2) There are so many things to tweak in the basic design for an "ideal" tone
3) It was a compromise design to begin with so there are plenty of ways to let it stretch out
4) Getting a steady supply of op-amps that yield dependable function is easy; getting a steady supply of germanium devices that yield consistent performance much harder
5) You can fit it in a 1590B
6) Given what vintage versions were commanding, pricewise, it provides an extremely flexible pricepoint range for manufacturers.  I.E., if it aims for being an "exact replica", a pricepoint of $200 isn't quite so bad, and if it aims for similar territory with a few changes, you can still bring it in for a reasonable profit (assuming yur production methods are sensible) as a "budget" pedal for $100.

[petemoore]

  I started by thinking FF at first glance, off thread title read.
  I've changed my 'bet' to the '3 knob, OA FB Loop Clipping wonder'.

[Paul Marossy]

Yeah, I guess I'd probably also have to agree that it's probably the Tube Screamer.

[jmusser]

Since I have been back on the forum this time for about a year and a half, it seems like the most questions, and the most built of clones, have been the Fuzz Face and Rangemaster. I would figure though, that both of the Tube Screamers would have to be the most copied overall, because they can be used over a wider range of music than the other two.

[nelson]

Ofcourse the "most cloned" would have to be the utmost "unoriginal tones" of the OA feedback loop clipper.


Now the REAL question is can original sound be wrought from modding the existing most cloned designs, matt bellamy seems to have  managed it. Mr K**l*y manages to have made a career out of it, not to mention a M*ll*on other boo*eek*rs.

Now creating an original sound that is, or may not be, inside our heads is perhaps why most of us are here.

Now I am sure there are enough vague ideas to define the next 20 years of analog effects design in these forums.
However who will be the next Zvex or "Way huge" to identify these differences in the cliche?

Who will create the next "most cloned" effect?

I doubt it will be boss, EH, MXR, Line 6, Dallas Arbiter, Ibanez or god forbid, Behringer. Corporatrocacy never breeds originality.

It will be some free radical, probably a voyeur on these very forums and many more like it who will  define the guitar sound of the next generation, that many generations in the future will try to emulate, in turn bringing many more people here to buy from SB, AN etc.


There is a self perpetuating ever growing market in music making. Due to the "American dream" of being a rockstar. Ofcourse C Wright Mills would have denounced the Celebrity as one of "The Power Elite", Bono would disagree.
I am intrueged to discover how many "fringe" bands who have browsed this forum, or indeed thier techs who have helped form the "sound".

I am not so interested in the "most cloned" therefore stereotypical sound. As in the original sound that can be wrought from tweaking the familiar. Ofcourse this theory lies in the very thought that the familiar and easily cognitioned sells, and helps one achieve "The American dream".

Ahem.

Paul Nelson

[vdm]

surely the most popular pedal of all time is the crybaby wah!!! (or at least that is touted on the box it comes in)

most cloned... TS would be my bet

but perhaps more interesting to all of us would be "the most underrated pedal"...

[549]

Hmm......I think Fuzz Face is popular to clone too.

[549]

It's mine

[A.S.P.]

Corporatrocacy never breeds originality.

Ahem...

[Steben]

Fuzz Face & Tonebender variants... No doubt!