Based in Austin, TX, Warm Audio specializes in recreating legendary vintage recording gear, such as microphones, preamps, and compressors, at a fraction of the cost of the originals. Founded by Bryce Young in 2011, the company is known for using premium components like CineMag USA and Altran transformers while hand-testing every unit to ensure high-end analog performance for home and professional studios.
The Warm Audio Tube Squealer (WA-TS) is an all-analog, feature-rich overdrive effects pedal that faithfully recreates the circuitry and tone of three classic «Tube Screamer» variations: the TS808, TS9, and TS10. The WA-TS is the only pedal to combine all three of the most popular Ibanez Tube Screamer variations in one compact stomp box. The Ibanez Tube Screamer is one of the most iconic and widely used overdrive guitar pedals in history, known for its signature mid-boosted tone that emulates a cranked tube amplifier. Originally designed by Susumu Tamura at Maxon in the late 1970s, it has gone through several iterations, the most popular being the TS808 and TS9 models. Guitarists that are known to have used the Tube Screamer include Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Edge, John Mayer, Slash, Eric Johnson, and Joe Bonamassa. Note that neither the Tube Screamer nor the Tube Squealer actually contains tubes.
Unlike the Tube Screamer, The WA-TS features three selectable circuits. 808: The earliest iteration is known for warm breakup and a smooth, singing tone. TS9: The most produced version, offers more drive and a punchy, compressed mid-hump. TS10: A later, popular circuit known for its smooth character, fuller sound, and added “sparkle.”
Like the original Tube Screamer, the WA-TS has Drive, Level, and Tone controls. The WA-TS also adds four controls not present in the original Tube Screamer. Mix Control allows you to blend your clean, dry guitar signal with the overdriven tone for enhanced clarity and dynamic control. Pickup Voicing is a mini-toggle switch that optimizes the pedal’s midrange emphasis to better suit either single-coil or humbucker pickups. The pickup voicing switch shifts mids from 800Hz (original, single coil) to 2k (humbucker) helping to avoid muddiness with humbuckers. Voltage Boost is an external slider switch on the rear that activates an internal voltage doubler from a standard 9V operation up to 18V for increased clean headroom and a more dynamic, less compressed feel. Last, you can select between true bypass or buffered bypass modes via a switch on the back, to preserve tone based on whether you have a short or long cable lengths in your pedalboard.
The WA-TS is an incredibly versatile soft clipping distortion pedal that accomplishes what it promises to do, emulate the most popular versions Ibanez Tube Screamer in one pedal. Furthermore, the WA-TS incorporates many of the custom modifications that boutique pedal builders added. $119
