Ibanez Fuzz Mini

Ibanez 850 Fuzz Mini

Back in the day when “overdrive” was more of a suggestion than a definition; before Tube Screamers, before OD-1s, before anything resembling the modern form of what we call “overdrive,” the concept was nebulous. With that said, the land of pedals was the electronic Wild West in those days and the lawless landscape birthed the Ibanez Overdrive.

So what does a pre-overdrive “overdrive” sound like? Well, it sounds a lot like a Big Muff. A lot like a Big Muff. In fact, the circuit is remarkably similar, but there are several enhancements that separate it from the pack. Firstly, as you may notice, the whole shebang is shoehorned into the tiniest enclosure possible without sacrificing a shred of the original tone.

Speaking of tone, the Tone section is interwoven with the typical Muff-style recovery stage which makes finding sweet spots much easier. This arrangement makes the Tone control more like a “range” control on the output instead of its own compartment for precision-dialing.

One of the major changes to the Muff circuit to make it more “overdrive-like” is the altering of the filter caps in the clipping stages. The Ibanez Overdrive uses low values which bring out the crunch of the circuit, resulting in a more “drive-like” character.

And yes, because it’s a Muff-style box, it sounds awesome with bass and will get totally fuzzed out. Bass players will like it because it adds crunch to the circuit, where many fuzz circuits flub out or bring copious amounts of mud to the mix.

Ibanez Pedals OD850 Overdrive features:

• Micro-sized reissue of classic Ibanez Overdrive of 1974
• Highly refined Tone section makes finding sweet spots easier
• More crunch added to clipping section