Maxon ST9pro+

[ezboarderz]

I am currently rethinking the overdrives that I am running and I was curious about the ST9pro+ overdrive that cannibal corpse and other bands have popularized. I currently have a ts9 on my board and I am thinking about replacing it with a ST9pro+, but can this also do the ts9 tones as well or is this its own thing? I currently use the ts9 like most of you guys do, with the drive at 0, level at max, and tone roughly 12 o clock - 3 o clock.

If it can do the ts9 thing, then it would be an interesting overdrive to replace my ts9.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

Supposedly it does the TS style and more, I have one and a TS. I have never bothered to try the TS out much because I prefer my other boosters. So I can't offer a good comparison. I can say that the pro plus does thick heavy tones very well, anytime I want a really saturated Corpse type tone, I go for it or my Swollen Pickle.

 

[Bearitone]

No experience but I hear nothing but good things about the ST9 Pro+

 

[ezboarderz]

A used st9pro+ popped up last week and bought it and I can say it can sound exactly like a ts9 with the mid enhance pot set to 9 o clock and the bass boost mode is off.

I must say that the bass boost on this thing is awesome and raising the mid enchanted knob to like 10.00-11.00 gives some quite nice results. It’s nice to have more control over where that mid hump is.

 

[Necky379]

So the mid knob doesn’t add mids it controls what frequency the hump is at?

 

[ezboarderz]

So the mid knob doesn’t add mids it controls what frequency the hump is at?

Yeah exactly. That’s what I am hearing at least.

 

[owlexifry]

Yeah exactly. That’s what I am hearing at least.

this is correct.

the mid control knob selects the mid frequency to be boosted - this is immediately before the clipping stage, just after the input buffer.

imo the ST-9pro+ (and the ibanez / maxon ST-9 / ST-01 / STL predecessors) is the absolute best overdrive for high gain boosting.

before i bought an ST-9pro+, i built a clone of the ST-9 to see if i’d like it.
fucken loved it.


ST-01 v SD-1 v OD808 v precision drive (clone, no gate)


here’s the ST9pro+ against some others for comparison

 

[Shask]

this is correct.

the mid control knob selects the mid frequency to be boosted - this is immediately before the clipping stage, just after the input buffer.

imo the ST-9pro+ (and the ibanez / maxon ST-9 / ST-01 / STL predecessors) is the absolute best overdrive for high gain boosting.

That sounds like how my VFE Ice Scream clone works. That is one of my favorite boost pedals

 

[owlexifry]

That sounds like how my VFE Ice Scream clone works. That is one of my favorite boost pedals

makes sense, the VFE ice cream is basically an ST-9 with mods (the added hicut + locut controls)

and there's even a board available to build one (it's on my list):

Frost Drive - PedalPCB.com

Compare to VFE Ice Scream

www.pedalpcb.com

 

[Shask]

makes sense, the VFE ice cream is basically an ST-9 with mods (the added hicut + locut controls)

and there's even a board available to build one (it's on my list):

Frost Drive - PedalPCB.com

Compare to VFE Ice Scream

www.pedalpcb.com

Yeah, that is the one I built. It is one of my favorite boosters, of the many I have built.

 

[owlexifry]

Yeah, that is the one I built. It is one of my favorite boosters, of the many I have built.

fuck yeah

got any other favourites ?

 

[Shask]

fuck yeah

got any other favourites ?

I have built so many, that I forget, lol. It depends on what you are looking for. I really like that Frost Drive, and the Seymour Duncan 805 clone. The Green Rhino Mk II clone (I have a real one also), BYOC Green Pony, the Isosceles boost, which is a 33/Int Pre clone, the Buxom Boost clone, Episode Boost, the Klon clone, the Rat clone, BYOC Parametric EQ can be a good boost, The Naga Viper clone, etc....

I think I have built around 90 pedals, so I have all kinds of stuff, lol.

 

[owlexifry]

I think I have built around 90 pedals, so I have all kinds of stuff, lol.

holy shit.
i slowed down after about 10 or so overdrives.
after you have that ‘omg they’re all the same’ moment, it got a little less exciting
(then i fell into the modulation rabbit hole and started having more fun)

 

[Shask]

holy shit.
i slowed down after about 10 or so overdrives.
after you have that ‘omg they’re all the same’ moment, it got a little less exciting
(then i fell into the modulation rabbit hole and started having more fun)

Yeah, did a lot of BBD modulations, delays, envelope filters, etc... even got into soldering surface mount FV-1 chips for multi effects. Lots of cool stuff.

 

[Shask]

holy shit.
i slowed down after about 10 or so overdrives.
after you have that ‘omg they’re all the same’ moment, it got a little less exciting
(then i fell into the modulation rabbit hole and started having more fun)

Here is a picture I took awhile back of my shelves I put the pedals I built on. I got more than this though, and have made more since.

I haven't built many lately though, because I ran out of things that I find interesting, lol. It is a fun hobby. I just like building them, but not sure what I will do with them all one day. It is a fun way to try things I would never buy though.

 

[ezboarderz]

View attachment 140807

Here is a picture I took awhile back of my shelves I put the pedals I built on. I got more than this though, and have made more since.

I haven't built many lately though, because I ran out of things that I find interesting, lol. It is a fun hobby. I just like building them, but not sure what I will do with them all one day. It is a fun way to try things I would never buy though.

That’s awesome. How detailed are the kits? I have a soldering iron and I have redone the electronics for a few of my guitars. Are they easy to put together or is it more like “here’s a box with all the parts and schematic, have fun” type of a thing? I have wanted to build a hm2 pedal with a blend knob but never pulled the trigger.

 

[Shask]

That’s awesome. How detailed are the kits? I have a soldering iron and I have redone the electronics for a few of my guitars. Are they easy to put together or is it more like “here’s a box with all the parts and schematic, have fun” type of a thing? I have wanted to build a hm2 pedal with a blend knob but never pulled the trigger.

A lot of these you just buy the PCB and then the rest is up to you. You have to order the parts and such. I just ordered the PCBs for Highwind Direwolf, and KHDK LFCR clones last night, lol.

However, if you want more paint-by-number for beginners, I would recommend a BYOC kit, or maybe one of the kits from Aion FX where it is a kit and not just a PCB. BYOC has a HM-2 style kit. The Green Pony is a cool Tubescreamer / Klon hybrid which is very useful. Aion has a HM-2 style kit also.