Ibanez SM Mini Super Metal Distortion vs Ibanez TS9 40th Anniversary
The Ibanez SM Mini Super Metal Distortion and the Ibanez TS9 40th Anniversary are both pedals. The Ibanez TS9 40th Anniversary leans transparent and saturated. Current prices: $109.61 vs $207.01.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.22% — quite different
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$109.61via Reverb
$207.01via Reverb
The Ibanez Super Metal Mini is a compact mini-enclosure revival of the classic Ibanez SM9 Super Metal distortion pedal, one of the most celebrated vintage high-gain distortion designs from the 1980s. The SM9 Super Metal was known for its extreme gain and heavy metal voicing at a time when dedicated high-gain pedals were rare, and the Super Metal Mini reissues this circuit in a pedalboard-efficient mini format. Guitar World and vintage pedal enthusiasts have praised the SM9 character as a defining example of 1980s heavy metal distortion design.
The Ibanez TS9 40th Anniversary is a limited-edition version of the classic Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, celebrating 40 years of the circuit in a specially decorated enclosure with premium component attention. It retains the standard TS9 character in full: a warm, mid-forward, compressed overdrive with a distinctive midrange hump and smooth, natural saturation that turns thin single-coil tone thick and singing without harshness. Like the original, it produces smooth, natural overdrive suited to boosting tube amplifiers and to sustain-heavy blues and rock lead tones, cleaning up gracefully as guitar volume is rolled back. Tonally it is functionally identical to a standard TS9; the anniversary edition adds collectible presentation rather than a different sound.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Metal
- Blues
- Rock
- transparent
- saturated
- sustaining
- full
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Occasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.- Busking
- Live