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Ibanez Tube Screamer MiniIt’s hard to imagine an age B.T.S. (Before Tube Screamer.) True, there were fuzzes and distortions, many of which could reasonably function as overdrives. But the Ibanez TS family changed the very meaning of the term overdrive, spawning legions of low- to mid-gain imitators. Both boutique builders and large manufacturers (including Ibanez) based an industry on alleged TS improvements. But to many in the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” camp, the classic Tube Screamer is still “the one.” For these purists, Ibanez’s latest creation, the Tube Screamer Mini, may be the only Tube Screamer that represents an actual improvement—not in sound or functionality, but in size. It’s a mere is 3.5" long and less than 1.5" wide.Made in Japan, the Tube Screamer Mini is driven in part by the JRC4558 IC chip found in original TS-9s. The Mini’s controls are crammed into a green enclosure decked out with TS-808-style graphics. There’s a button-style footswitch, one big knob for drive, and two smaller knobs for tone and level. The small format means there’s no room for a 9V battery—you must us an AC adapter. (Given how many players rig their pedalboards with daisy-chained power supplies, this shouldn’t be a problem, unless you have an Eric Johnson-like fixation with battery types.)