Maxon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maxon is the name used by the Nisshin Onpa company of Japan for its line of effects pedals designed for guitar and bass.

1 History
2 Breakthroughs
3 Current Famous Users
4 References

[edit] History

Maxon (Nisshin Onpa) started out in the mid 1960's as a guitar pickup manufacturer. In 1969 they became an effects pedal manufacturer, primarily as a producer of OEM products for other companies. During that time Nisshin Onpa was responsible for building a fuzz/wah pedal that was very popular, being marketed under a multitude of trade names including Ibanez. During the 1970's Ibanez became one of the company's main OEM customers. Nisshin Onpa designed and manufactured the now legendary TS-808 and TS-9 Tube Screamers for Ibanez, and many other models, including the FL-9 Flanger, CS-9 Chorus, and AD-9 Analog Delay. Nisshin Onpa also marketed its pedals under its own Maxon name during this time. When Nisshin Onpa and Ibanez parted ways in 2002, Nisshin Onpa began to more aggresively market its own line of Maxon pedals. Repositioning itself as a manufacturer of high-end mass-produced effects, Maxon expanded its line of analog pedals, using rare NOS components and classic circuit designs that are to this day highly respected and sought after.

Maxon continues to expand its product line. Although they produced digital delays and reverbs during the 1980's and 90's, they now concentrate mostly on "hard-to-find elsewhere" vintage type effects such as analog delays, analog choruses and flangers, and classic overdrive and distortion units. Most of the old Ibanez Nine Series is available in Maxon form these days, but the Maxon pedals now include true-bypass switching and circuitry equal to or in many cases superior to the Ibanez originals. The company prides itself on a reputation of quality over quantity.

Maxon's big break came when they began building the Ibanez Tube Screamers. Ibanez Tube Screamers were built by Maxon from 1974 until 2002. If you take the cover off any Ibanez TS-808 or TS-9, and other Ibanez pedals from this period, the Maxon name will appear on the circuit board. These Maxon manufactured Ibanez pedals became famous through users such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Carlos Santana and Gary Moore, amongst many other famous users. Ibanez still make these classic pedals but using different circuitry, thus losing some of the classic Tube Screamer tone, hence the Maxon models are so sought after. Maxon still makes these pedals today under their own company name (called the OD-808 and OD-9 as oppose to TS). However, supply of these pedals is very short and because of this, the Maxon pedals using the original Tube Screamer circuitry are little known and often overlooked. Currently, Maxon manufacture around 23 effects pedals for guitars.

[edit] Breakthroughs

The Maxon website claims to have made the following breakthroughs in the effects pedal industry. Firstly, that it made the first realistic tube amp overdrive. Secondly that it made the first compact analogue delay, thirdly that it made the first programmable effect and finally that they made the first multi effect unit.