Found an '83 TS9 with JRC4558 for $175 locally

[Heady Jam Fan]

Think I'm gonna pick it up - found it by chance completely!

Update 1:
The dude lives two blocks from me, dropped it off this morning so I could test it today and we will finish the deal tomorrow (scratch that, went to the ATM after playing and hour and dropped off the money on my way home) - pretty awesome of him, I guess he knows where I live

Update 2:
Decided to keep the '83, it is a pretty sweet pedal, some settings I ran through are more different than the Analogman Silver than other settings, but ultimately there are two differences sonically:
a) the vintage has less bass, Analogman states he opens up the bass a bit in his Silver mod, so no surprise.
b) the overdrive is more natural sounding, smoother or more pleasant (pick your adjective).

The '83 really has the perfect tone, particularly with the diminished bass response compared to the Analogman, for me. I think the Artinger is probably a little warmer than a Languedoc (no, I have not played a Languedoc) based on the size of the body and slightly shorter fret scale.

The only other difference I noticed is the Analogman is ever so slightly louder.

Now I want another one! I think I will use it as the lower gain since the decrease in bass makes chords a little less thick / brighter. I also preferred it for leads in most cases as well, though sometimes that low end gives a cool bluesy thing that takes a bit more 'touch' to pull out of the '83 (it took a while to get it on the Silver too for me, so I am sure I will figure it out).

[IamWILSON]

Hahaha.... congrats Heady!  I'm glad you finally got to try one out.  I'm actually kind of surprised you liked it.  I know you've tried many of the modded ones, and you seemed hellbent on sticking with the AM silvers or that other dual one you got recently.  I think one of the more subtle things I noticed when I started buying the old original ts-9's (to replace my Keeley's) was how they just interact better with my gear.  Isn't it funny how much time and money you can spend looking for cloned or modded ts9s to realize all you've been longing for is the original?  IMO, probably the best designed effects pedal ever.  Now plug that Artinger into the ts9, crank the volume knob, put the gain on 9 or 10 o'clock, tone around noon, and plug it through your Ross comp and into your Mk III and enjoy!

Edit: Just wait till you finally get to try a vintage ts808!  It's the only thing better, especially if you desire a more pure overdrive.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Lol thanks man!

I agree the TS is the best pedal ever - I can't imagine ever selling the '83 unless I find another vintage that beats it

I did like the Silvers and those are the runner ups to the Vintage from what I have tried. I expected to like the vintage, but never owned one to compare directly to the Silver, so I never had enough motivation to pull the trigger, then I find one a few blocks away by accident with a 24 hour trial period!

Your right about the time and money when I (not other non-forum-member readers - stay away, I got dibs on the next cheap vintage) should have put my effort into finding a good original. I did look at feebay here and there and never found one that was exactly what I wanted - some sellers didn't know the chip, etc, or the price went up more than I could spend at the time.

The Dual is awesome too, but I ended up preferring the Silver over it, so I am selling that (and after a 14 month wait, now Dave is selling them $20 cheaper, so I have it listed pretty cheap on ebay - just want to get as much back on it as I can - if someone here wants to low-ball me, I won't be too offended). The midrange characteristics were just too different than what I was used to, though the texture of the overdrive was nice.

You know my settings for the TS brother, except I usually go tone at 2 As I am settling in with a good hollowbody and a consistent amp, plus a simpler rig, things are starting to sound good, lol.

Dude - don't tempt me on a vintage 808! If I have a sleep-deprived, hypomanic moment at the end of the semester I might end up spending my rent money and snuggling some little green pedals in the alley for a month. Honestly, I think I might prefer a second TS9, though I can't say for sure, but I thought it was perfect for lead and rhythm, while the 808 might be too dark (and I will keep telling myself that).

[Happyorange27]

Nice job Heady!  I knew Wilson would pop in on this thread. Wilson is the guy that hooked me up with my early 80's screamer and it was a free trial. I PayPaled him the same night I plugged in. I use mine for my dirty pedal and it's cranked for gain. I found some missing pieces of my Trey tone are hidden in there.

Side note: I have my silver at 12 volts due to limited power jacks and Poster sent me this 12 volt adapter. It seems fine for the silver for rhythm.

I need the replace the silver with a second vintage screamer!

[Heady Jam Fan]

Yep, I am trying to work out a deal on a pretty beat up one, but it is cheap. I just need to get the seller to confirm the production date and chip type (pretty much a pic of the guts will do it).

I also just talked to a guy about getting a Black Ross at a very nice price

Oh yea, and with the Lead channel on the Mesa, I found I have been using the more distorted TS much less.