NAMM 2024: Ibanez has taken the opportunity to expand its stompbox portfolio – and celebrate an old favorite in the process – by lifting the curtain on three new-for-2024 effects pedals.
One will need no introduction, while the other two bolster the options of Ibanez’s burgeoning Pentatone pedal collection, which was first introduced in January 2023 with the arrival of the Pentatone Preamp.
For 2024, the Japanese brand has disassembled its flagship PT offering, honing in on two sections of that original circuit and repurposing them as standalone stompboxes for those who don’t fancy forking out for the expanded preamp pedal. To that end, the Pentatone line has ushered in the PTEQ and PTGate.
Joining the above is a new-look, celebratory Tube Screamer 808, which has been given a fresh lick of paint to celebrate its 45th birthday.
These pedals line up alongside a string of electric guitar and acoustic guitar releases for NAMM 2024. This includes bolstered AZ, RG and S models, as well as an all-new acoustic range (the AE Performer) that debuts Ibanez’s A.I.R. Port innovation.
As for the pedals, read on to find out more about each unit.
Ibanez Tube Screamer 808 45th Anniversary
2023 marks the 45th anniversary of the TS808 Tube Screamer, and as such Ibanez has reissued the heralded overdrive pedal with a sleek Sapphire Blue housing.
But that’s not all: the limited-edition release revives the same JRC4558D chip and analog circuitry as found in the original. That means, on paper, it’s a more faithful recreation of the flagship TS808.
Otherwise, it’s a Tube Screamer as you know and love it. There’s a sole square-shaped footswitch, as well as parameters for Overdrive, Tone and Level.
The TS808 45th Anniversary pedal is available to preorder now for $199.
Ibanez Pentatone EQ
The second addition the Pentatone lineup arrives in the form of the PTEQ – or Pentatone Equalizer, to give it its full name – which takes the five-band EQ section of the flagship Pentatone Preamp pedal from January 2023 and repackages it into its own pedal.
On paper, that means the PTEQ has five sliders and five frequency control knobs to sculpt each band, which also have an additional variable Q control per band to facilitate “a wider variety of sound creation”.
In practice, the LED sliders dictate +/– 10 dB volume per band, while the parameter knobs – which are effectively low, low-mid, midrange, high-mid and high controls – navigate a 30Hz to 14.5kHz range.
A single footswitch, as well as a master Level knob, completes the fairly intuitive pedal, which is also said to offer high levels of headroom, making it suitable for not just electric guitars, but bass guitars and keyboards, if so desired.
The PTEQ is available to preorder for $129.
Ibanez Pentatone Gate
Rounding up the drop is the Pentatone Gate, which – as the name implies – is a noise gate pedal. Again, it’s lifted from a section of the Pentatone Preamp pedal, and repurposes the Gate function into its own pedal.
There’s not too much to report here: it’s a standard noise gate, with a sole footswitch and a Threshold parameter present to achieve “quick response and natural sustain”. Notably, there’s also a Threshold Mode switch that flicks between High and Low gate options.
It’s also worth mentioning the generous four I/Os, which allows for greater and more versatile rig assimilation.
The PTGate is available to preorder now for $99.
Visit Ibanez to find out more about each new pedal, and to keep up to date with all the new gear releases, head over to our guide to the latest NAMM 2024 news.
