Tube Screamer settings for boost, blues and metal
As a boost in front of a high-gain amp, set Drive at 0 to 2, Tone around 5 and Level at 7 to 10. For blues crunch into a clean amp or one on the edge of breakup, set Drive around 5, Tone at 5 to 6 and Level at about the same volume as the pedal bypassed, then clean up with the guitar's volume knob.
A Tube Screamer is a mid-hump overdrive. It trims bass before it clips, which is why it tightens a heavy amp and helps a lead cut through a band more than it adds distortion of its own.
What the three knobs do
Drive sets how hard the pedal clips. Near zero it barely distorts at all; past halfway it produces a smooth, compressed overdrive of its own.
Tone is a treble control after the clipping. Around the middle it is close to neutral; past 7 it gets thin and harsh on most amps, and below 3 it goes woolly.
Level is output volume. At the point where switching the pedal on and off makes no change in loudness it is at unity; above that it pushes the front of your amp harder, which is where most of its usefulness as a boost comes from.
As a boost for metal and high gain
Drive 0 to 2, Tone 5 to 6, Level 7 to 10, in front of the amp's high-gain channel. Here the pedal is not the distortion. It cuts the low end before the amp's own gain stages can smear it, adds a push in the upper mids, and hits the input harder.
The result is a tighter, more articulate version of the same amp, and it often lets you turn the amp's gain down while the tone gets heavier. This is why the pedal sits in front of so many high-gain heads. If palm mutes turn to mush, this is the first thing to try.
- Drive 0 to 2
- Tone 5 to 6
- Level 7 to 10
For blues and classic rock crunch
Drive 4 to 6, Tone 5 to 6, Level at unity or slightly above, into a clean amp turned up to just before it breaks up. The pedal supplies the grit and the amp supplies the body.
Roll the guitar's volume back to 7 or 8 for rhythm and up to 10 for a lead. A Tube Screamer cleans up well from the guitar, which is most of the reason blues players keep it on all night.
- Drive 4 to 6
- Tone 5 to 6
- Level unity
Level at unity or slightly above, into a clean amp turned up to just before it breaks up.
The Stevie Ray Vaughan approach
Stevie Ray Vaughan is well documented using TS808 and TS9 pedals in front of loud Fender amps. The pedal was there to push an amp that was already working hard, not to create the distortion by itself.
The usual starting point for that sound is Drive around 2 to 3, Tone around 6 and Level at 7 to 8, into a clean, loud amp with the bass kept back, and heavy strings help as much as any setting. Treat those numbers as a place to begin rather than his settings: his rigs changed over the years, and much of the sound was in his hands.
- Drive 2 to 3
- Tone about 6
- Level 7 to 8
A place to begin rather than his settings, into a clean, loud amp with the bass kept back.
Mistakes that make it sound worse
Drive all the way up into an already distorted channel stacks two sets of clipping and gives fizz and mush rather than more saturation. Keep one of the two low.
Tone turned up to compensate for a dark amp usually ends harsh. Fix the amp's treble or presence first. And a Level set below unity makes the pedal sound worse than it is, because a quieter sound always reads as weaker.
On a modelling amp or multi-effects unit
Most modellers include the circuit under a name like Scream 808 on Line 6 units or T-Scream on BOSS units. The same numbers apply as a starting point, with one change: modelled boosts often have more output available, so bring the level up gradually.
When you want the whole chain set for one song on the amp you own, Tonelify works out the positions for that rig, pedal included.
Common questions
Is a Tube Screamer a boost or an overdrive?
Both. The circuit is an overdrive, but with the drive near zero and the level high it adds little distortion and works as a boost with a mid-hump: it trims bass and pushes the amp's input harder, which tightens a high-gain tone.
What is the difference between a TS808 and a TS9?
They share the same core overdrive circuit and differ mainly in the output stage. The TS9 is usually described as slightly brighter and more aggressive and the TS808 as smoother. The difference is small next to how the three knobs are set.
Should a Tube Screamer go before or after distortion?
Before, in almost every case. In front of a distorted amp or pedal it filters and boosts the signal that gets distorted, which is what tightens the tone. After a distortion it only colours an already clipped signal, which is rarely what people want from it.
Why does my Tube Screamer sound thin?
Partly by design: the circuit cuts bass before it clips. Into a clean amp, raise the amp's bass a little and keep the pedal's tone near the middle. If you need a fuller, bassier drive, a different pedal may suit the job better.
Gear in this guide
Settings for your own amp
This guide covers what is true of every rig. For a specific song on a specific amp, Tonelify reads the documented chain behind the recording and returns gain, bass, middle, treble and presence values for the controls your amp actually has. Free for 7 days, no charge until the trial ends.
Keep reading
- How to get a blues tone on any ampSet the amp on the edge of breakup, keep the mids up and let the guitar's volume knob do the work. Blues settings for valve, modelling and pedal rigs.
- How to get a metal tone on any ampTight low end, controlled gain, mids you can hear and a gate. How to get a usable metal tone out of a practice amp, a modelling combo or a valve head.
- What order should guitar pedals go in?Tuner, filter, compressor, drive, modulation, delay, reverb. The standard pedal order, why each pedal sits where it does, and when swapping two is correct.
- What every knob on a guitar amp doesGain sets distortion, volume sets level, master sets power-section drive, presence works above treble. What each amp control does and which ones interact.