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Average Price: $40

Budget/Beginner

$80

$181+

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High-end

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Description

Elevate your guitar's sound with the Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion pedal, a staple for musicians seeking to add grit and punch to their tone. Designed for versatility, the DS7 delivers a range of distortion effects, making it suitable for a variety of music genres from rock to metal. What sets the DS7 apart is its Tone-Lok feature, which allows players to lock in their preferred settings, ensuring consistent sound every time you plug in. This pedal provides a straightforward interface with an array of knobs to control level, tone, and drive, offering fine-tuned adjustments to craft your ideal sound.

The DS7's rugged construction ensures durability on the road or in the studio. Its intuitive design makes it a favorite among both beginners and seasoned guitarists. Whether you're looking to add some subtle dirt or full-on sonic assault, the DS7 is equipped to handle it all. Plus, its true bypass feature ensures your guitar's pure signal passes through when the pedal is disengaged, maintaining the integrity of your tone.

Key Features:

  • Tone-Lok feature for saving your preferred settings
  • True bypass for maintaining signal purity
  • Range of distortion controls: level, tone, and drive knobs
  • Rugged construction for durability
  • Versatile sound suitable for various music genres

Product specs

Brand Ibanez
Model DS7 Distortion
Finish Grey
Year 1990s
Categories Distortion Pedals
Pedal Format Standard

FAQs

What type of sound can I expect from the Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion pedal?

The Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion pedal delivers a versatile range of distortion tones, from smooth overdrive to aggressive, high-gain sounds, making it suitable for various genres, including rock and metal.

Does the Ibanez DS7 Distortion pedal have a tone control feature?

Yes, the Ibanez DS7 features a tone control knob that allows you to shape the frequency response of your distorted signal, helping you achieve the desired brightness or warmth in your sound.

Is the Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion pedal suitable for live performances?

The Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 is designed with a robust build and a locking knob system to prevent accidental changes, making it reliable for live performances and heavy use.

How does the Ibanez DS7 Distortion pedal differ from other Tone-Lok series pedals?

The DS7 focuses specifically on delivering distortion effects, while other Tone-Lok series pedals offer different effects such as overdrive or modulation, catering to various sound preferences.

Can the Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion pedal be used with a bass guitar?

While primarily designed for electric guitars, the Ibanez DS7 can be used with a bass guitar, though it may result in a different tonal character and should be tested to ensure it meets your sound requirements.

Lucas LeCompte

Lucas LeCompte

Worst Guitar Pedals Ever: Ibanez DS7 Distortion Pedal

Video thumbnail for Worst Guitar Pedals Ever: Ibanez DS7 Distortion Pedal by Lucas LeCompte

Worst Guitar Pedals Ever: Ibanez DS7 Distortion Pedal

Lucas LeCompte

Lucas LeCompte

Video thumbnail for Ibanez DS7 Distortion (Stratocaster) by Cryptic Mask Guitar

Ibanez DS7 Distortion (Stratocaster)

Cryptic Mask Guitar

Cryptic Mask Guitar

Video thumbnail for Ibanez DS7 Distortion by Wall of Sound

Ibanez DS7 Distortion

Wall of Sound

Wall of Sound

Video thumbnail for Ibanez DS7 Distortion (Tone-Lok) : DEMO with a STRAT ! | No talking by Johan Joos Laur

Ibanez DS7 Distortion (Tone-Lok) : DEMO with a STRAT ! | No talking

Johan Joos Laur

Johan Joos Laur

Reviews

PROS

  • Versatile, able to emulate tones from various bands and genres

  • High gain capabilities, suitable for Nu-Metal to Doom/Stoner Rock

  • Solid build with innovative push-in knobs for settings preservation

  • Can achieve both distortion and overdrive tones

  • Suitable for a wide range of music styles including metal, blues, and rock

  • Unique ability to dial in fuzzy sounds for grunge, alternative, and shoegaze

CONS

  • Can't replicate the boost-with-minimal-distortion sound effectively

  • Becoming rare, making it harder to find

  • Circuit noise when drive and tone are maxed out

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion.

Features and functionality

  • The DS7's tone sweep becomes excessively "bee hivey" past noon, similar to the DS1, requiring careful tone adjustments for optimal sound.

    Source
  • The DS7's tone control features multiple gyrator circuits, offering a unique EQ section that deviates from typical single-tone controls.

    Source
  • Despite its simplicity, the DS7's circuit includes a bandpass EQ that impacts its tonal range significantly, setting it apart from basic distortion pedals.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • Despite mixed reviews, the DS7 is available for around $40, making it an affordable option for those on a budget.

    Source
  • There's a noted trend of increasing prices for the DS7 on Reverb, suggesting rising demand and potential future value.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • The DS7 can be creatively used for noise, feedback, and drone layers, though its practical use is limited in standard musical settings.

    Source

User experience

  • Initial impressions of the DS7 can be deceiving; it may sound better to those with less refined ears or when paired with entry-level gear.

    Source
  • Owners of multiple Ibanez 7 series pedals report that the DS7, among others, performs well in recording settings, indicating its potential utility beyond live performance.

    Source
  • Some users express regret after selling their DS7, indicating that the pedal might hold more sentimental or practical value than initially perceived.

    Source

Comparisons

  • The DS7's circuit topology shares similarities with the MXR Distortion + and DOD 250, with a single op-amp gain stage and hard clipping.

    Source
  • Its EQ section is likened to the Boss MT-2 or HM-2, with multiple bandpass EQ/gyrators running in parallel.

    Source
  • The DS7 is compared to other Ibanez 7 series pedals like the DE7 and FZ7, with some users favoring these models for recording purposes.

    Source
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4.0 out of 5

Based on 3 Reviews and 9 Ratings

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solusash

High Gain, and I MEAN High Gain

This is probably the highest gain pedal I've ever played. It's great for Nu-Metal (in fact, the Tone Lok line was "endorsed" by Korn, as I recall--then again, that's been near on 15-20 years ago, so I could be misremembering) sounds, but if you roll off some of the drive, and put an EQ in front of it, you can make this pedal really shine.

I'm a bit biased, as it's the first effects pedal I ever bought for myself. I needed a quick distortion pedal, and the shop I was in was out of DS-1s, so they said "Hey, this is close!"

No. No it is not. It is not even remotely comparable to the DS-1.

Still, it's not a bad distortion unit if you want super high gain that borders on fuzz. Actually, if you're looking for fuzz, this is probably a good way to get it. Because it's a very, VERY hard clipping pedal.

tomhood

Great range

The DS7 supplies a great range of Overdrive to Distortion tones.

The circuit is quite loud, when you put the Drive and Tone on 10 you can sually hear white noise, however it more than makes up for it due to its exellent sound! I can imagine this pedal can be used for many different genres, such as metal, blues, hardcore and rock.

Overall its a great distortion and I'd highly recomended it as a cheaper alternative to a Boss DS1.

ragnid

Great overall versatille distortion pedal yet very powerful on high gain/ almost fuzzy sounding

Really cool pedal can give regular overdrive but also good high gain with cranking amp, u can get also interesting fuzzy sounds (i believe it could work as good in grunge/alternative/metal genres as well as in shoegaze and experimental with some fuzz settings...)

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Jim Davies uses Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion

Jim Davies

Guitarist

The Prodigy

...
Verified via Photo

Mentioned in this November 2000 Guitarist interview

So what stuff gets you through those studio sessions?

In the studio I use so many pedals - the entire new Ibanez range, a micro synth, loads of old sixties pedals.

Genre Usage

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Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Ibanez Tone-Lok DS7 Distortion, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

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