Kinda want both now. In my experience so many OD's either agree or disagree with certain amps and guitars. Having both in a studio arsenal might be great to handle different players, guitars, and heads!
Most people get mediocre or poor sounds from their Tube Drivers because they don't really understand about impedance. Tube Driver has a high output impedance so it needs a good quality buffer right after it. Makes a very large difference. Can't just stick anything after a TD. Try any Pete Cornish pedal directly after it or an LD-1 and you will understand the legend of the Tube Driver. Also the older/original ones from the mid 80's sound better.
I was hoping for same setting tweakage so I could hear what else that pedal on the right could do when you turn the low just as high as the one on the left.
The Real Tube sounds just as good as the Tube Driver. Both are by Butler and have similar circuits, the RT just has a different EQ with a mids control. I’ve been able to get the Gilmour Tube Driver tones from the Real Tube, and I got it at a fraction of the price of a Tube Driver (which is strange, because it has more range and a solid build, imho).
Real Tube sounds better IMO. you should have raised the 'Lo' control more! Maybe dialed the Mid back just a little. Tube Driver sounds fuzzier, which might work better for leads. hell, what do I know? haha 😁
Interesting, saw your other one on the tube driver vs klon & left a comment that I had the real tube version then today I found this comparison. Always wondered what the difference was. The real tube seems a little more open sounding. And as someone else said the tube driver is maybe just a bit more compressed. From the video it seemed the tube driver may have a little more bass & I always felt my real tube was a little bass heavy. But then I don't like a lot of bass, I leave that to the bass player. I also lowered the value of the coupling cap before the tube just a little and changed a couple of values in the tone stack which made it a little more marshally IMO. Great comparison, Thanks. Also wondered if u used the same brand tube in both, I found that makes quite a difference in my real tube.
I like the the sound of tube driver better. which is weird due to it seeming like everything thing with a mid control seems to sound better being more control over the sound. Is it possible ( would you consider ) to compare butler tube driver vs behringer vintage tube monster vt999. I am cheap and waiting for a back ordered vt999, which via utube sounds pretty good to my ears. Thanks.
Did you like the Behringer? I got the 911 vintage tube pedal and did a Bitmo mod to it. Still not impressed. Then I went and bought what I really wanted. A 5 knob Tube Driver. It's cool but big. Too much room on my board. Got lucky and found a older 3 knob Tube Driver modded by Frommel with bias knob. I run that with an old RCA 12AX7 and 18v for more headroom. Awesome tone. Stack with a Meat and 3 modded Soul Food and a Alchemy modded Blues driver. Lots of variables for sound.
Tube Driver sounds a bit more modern. I think it's the Mid control on the Real Tube that's making it sound more classic. I like the Tube Driver more, sounds a bit smoother
I have both. TD sounds a bit thin. RT is beefier, and has some Ibanez TS character to it (compared to TD). This video demonstrates it. No matter how I tweaked the MID on RT (or any other EQ knob on either pedal), I could not get these pedals to sound the same.
Ibanez Tube King also designed by Mr.Butler is very similar to the real tube except it has an active tonestack no internal transformer an output buffer plus a few more minor differences. I can get great eric johnson lead sounds pushing a plexi with the Tube King
Justin Grimes I agree with that. I have 2 of them. 1 is a 3 knob modded older Tube Driver and the other is a newer 5 knob w/ it's own elect cord. They both sound better than these. I listen to You Tube vids through a guitar amp and RCA plug to phone. Gives me a better idea of what it will sound like. Not perfect but is what it is.
I have the Real Tube and like it a lot. It does seem from this video you might get more gain and midrange from the RT. The Tube Driver might be perfect for more traditional blues players. It has a nice warm, fat tone. Thanks, good test.
Gerard Smulevich I have read folks recommend replacing the 12AX7 with a 12AU7 to make it sound more vintage. I have the Real Tube and may try it eventually. The Tube Driver sounds fatter, warmer and more vintage to my ear for my styles here.
I just put a new Mullard in my Real Tube... man, it fixed a multitude of tonal sins. It's worth it if you want to spend a little and get a lot back in return.
If you mean the one with Low and high no mid adjustment, they can get pretty close, it's a little easier to dial the 4 knobs to the 3 knob's tone than vise versa, but at the same time same circuitry same designer same pedal really just slight differences. at least that's my experience with them, I want to pick up the rt-922 real tube rack and check that one out I've never had the chance yet
Psyfonify I got an older 3 knob Tube Driver and it's been modded with a bias knob. I'm running a old RCA 12AX7 and 18v for more headroom. It is kinda my fuzz since I already have a Meat and 3 modded Soul Food and a Alchemy modded Blues driver. Also on the shelf is a 5 knob Tube Driver and a Keeley Blues driver. I didnt really like the sound on my board yet. Maybe someday.
Not sure why the TD is so revered and expensive. There's a quite unpleasant sizzling noise I hear in the high notes in all these demos. It's like the body of the note goes away, but this fizzy, electrical sound remains.
Kinda want both now. In my experience so many OD's either agree or disagree with certain amps and guitars. Having both in a studio arsenal might be great to handle different players, guitars, and heads!
I actually love the sound of the real tube. Doesn't seem as compressed. And it's cheaper!
I have realtube 😊 , nice american rock sound ❤
Most people get mediocre or poor sounds from their Tube Drivers because they don't really understand about impedance. Tube Driver has a high output impedance so it needs a good quality buffer right after it. Makes a very large difference. Can't just stick anything after a TD. Try any Pete Cornish pedal directly after it or an LD-1 and you will understand the legend of the Tube Driver. Also the older/original ones from the mid 80's sound better.
2:23 lmfao at the noise when he accidentally engaged them both.
They almost destroyed one another 🤣
I was hoping for same setting tweakage so I could hear what else that pedal on the right could do when you turn the low just as high as the one on the left.
The Real Tube sounds just as good as the Tube Driver. Both are by Butler and have similar circuits, the RT just has a different EQ with a mids control. I’ve been able to get the Gilmour Tube Driver tones from the Real Tube, and I got it at a fraction of the price of a Tube Driver (which is strange, because it has more range and a solid build, imho).
Real Tube sounds better IMO. you should have raised the 'Lo' control more! Maybe dialed the Mid back just a little. Tube Driver sounds fuzzier, which might work better for leads. hell, what do I know? haha 😁
Interesting, saw your other one on the tube driver vs klon & left a comment that I had the real tube version then today I found this comparison. Always wondered what the difference was. The real tube seems a little more open sounding. And as someone else said the tube driver is maybe just a bit more compressed. From the video it seemed the tube driver may have a little more bass & I always felt my real tube was a little bass heavy. But then I don't like a lot of bass, I leave that to the bass player. I also lowered the value of the coupling cap before the tube just a little and changed a couple of values in the tone stack which made it a little more marshally IMO. Great comparison, Thanks. Also wondered if u used the same brand tube in both, I found that makes quite a difference in my real tube.
I had all these.....the one I like the best is the Ibanez tk999, or the HT model, or the Maxon ROD models
I like the the sound of tube driver better. which is weird due to it seeming like everything thing with a mid control seems to sound better being more control over the sound. Is it possible ( would you consider ) to compare butler tube driver vs behringer vintage tube monster vt999. I am cheap and waiting for a back ordered vt999, which via utube sounds pretty good to my ears. Thanks.
Did you like the Behringer? I got the 911 vintage tube pedal and did a Bitmo mod to it. Still not impressed. Then I went and bought what I really wanted. A 5 knob Tube Driver. It's cool but big. Too much room on my board. Got lucky and found a older 3 knob Tube Driver modded by Frommel with bias knob. I run that with an old RCA 12AX7 and 18v for more headroom. Awesome tone. Stack with a Meat and 3 modded Soul Food and a Alchemy modded Blues driver. Lots of variables for sound.
Tube Driver sounds a bit more modern. I think it's the Mid control on the Real Tube that's making it sound more classic. I like the Tube Driver more, sounds a bit smoother
I have both. TD sounds a bit thin. RT is beefier, and has some Ibanez TS character to it (compared to TD). This video demonstrates it. No matter how I tweaked the MID on RT (or any other EQ knob on either pedal), I could not get these pedals to sound the same.
Ibanez Tube King also designed by Mr.Butler is very similar to the real tube except it has an active tonestack no internal transformer an output buffer plus a few more minor differences. I can get great eric johnson lead sounds pushing a plexi with the Tube King
I've heard you can really good, creamy results when you replace the tube in the Real Tube.
Does real tube pedal still actually use a real tube or what? Do either of them buzz a lot? Can you use them with other pedals well?
Yes it has a tube inside, at really high settings they can buzz, and they work very well with other pedals.
The Tube Driver with Bias control is far more capable of different sounds than either of these
Justin Grimes I agree with that. I have 2 of them. 1 is a 3 knob modded older Tube Driver and the other is a newer 5 knob w/ it's own elect cord. They both sound better than these. I listen to You Tube vids through a guitar amp and RCA plug to phone. Gives me a better idea of what it will sound like. Not perfect but is what it is.
You shoud demo Modtone Aqua chorus I ! I would like to see a video on it. Thanks in advance !
The Real Tube has a better crunch than the Tube Driver and is less noisy.
I have the Real Tube and like it a lot. It does seem from this video you might get more gain and midrange from the RT. The Tube Driver might be perfect for more traditional blues players. It has a nice warm, fat tone. Thanks, good test.
Had both and still own the Real Tube.
I personally like the Real Tube better but there's a reason these are both sought after :P
Awesome review
If you are using say a cheap solid state amp is it really gonna make it sound like a real tube amp?
No sir!
Nope, that's not what they're for. Just gotta get an actual tube amp!
Do a vid with the tube pilot vs both
Interesting. They're both Butlers!?
+greatvanzinni Man, I am torn between the two.
Thanks
Shnobel: Both pedals had 12X7's? Did you ever try 12U7's?
Gerard Smulevich I have read folks recommend replacing the 12AX7 with a 12AU7 to make it sound more vintage. I have the Real Tube and may try it eventually. The Tube Driver sounds fatter, warmer and more vintage to my ear for my styles here.
I have an old real tube, but it's pretty noisy now, I know there is a fix for it but I like the warmth of the blue tube version better anyway.
I just put a new Mullard in my Real Tube... man, it fixed a multitude of tonal sins. It's worth it if you want to spend a little and get a lot back in return.
@@aaronallen7894 which one? 12ax7 ?
@@Kokopellli mullard 12ax7. Not a cv4004 type equivalent, the one labelled 12ax7.
Tube Driver sounds better to me.
i like the tube driver i think but they’re close
Real Tube all the way
If you know what you are doing, both pedals can be dialed into the exact same tone
Really? What about the vintage 3 knob tube driver as thats all i know?
If you mean the one with Low and high no mid adjustment, they can get pretty close, it's a little easier to dial the 4 knobs to the 3 knob's tone than vise versa, but at the same time same circuitry same designer same pedal really just slight differences. at least that's my experience with them, I want to pick up the rt-922 real tube rack and check that one out I've never had the chance yet
Psyfonify I got an older 3 knob Tube Driver and it's been modded with a bias knob. I'm running a old RCA 12AX7 and 18v for more headroom. It is kinda my fuzz since I already have a Meat and 3 modded Soul Food and a Alchemy modded Blues driver. Also on the shelf is a 5 knob Tube Driver and a Keeley Blues driver. I didnt really like the sound on my board yet. Maybe someday.
Not sure why the TD is so revered and expensive. There's a quite unpleasant sizzling noise I hear in the high notes in all these demos. It's like the body of the note goes away, but this fizzy, electrical sound remains.
Lots of people like what their heroes use. Eric Johnson and David Gilmour have a lot of fans. We're all chasing that tone in our head.
Tube Driver because it does not sound as Heavy .. more 70s to me
American style- British style.
Real Tube sounds more gorduroso.
Cut those mids and a little more volume on the real tube, same pedal
tube driver a bit more muddy
You can also make the Real Tube much more muddy by turning up de Lo selector, and a bit down the mid and the hi ones. I miss they didn’t do so here.
Two of the thinnest pedals I've ever heard.