Japan 1986 - Limited Edition

In 1986, a legendary Japanese pedal brand released the TS10. Like the TS808 and TS9 before it, it featured that classic TS sound: mid-focused clipping and a cut in highs, producing its signature “mid-hump.” However, the TS10 introduced three subtle tweaks to the tone circuit that gave it a smoother, more melodic character. 

The JAPAN 1986 Classic Overdrive is our humble tribute to that release: faithful to the original circuit, including NOS components, with useful upgrades such as soft-switching true bypass and rugged, heavy-duty hardware.

But tone isn’t the only story. Stevie Ray Vaughan, who brought his Texas blues to Tokyo just a year before the TS10 release (Live in Tokyo, at the Shiba Yūbin Chōkin Hall in 1985), later embraced the TS10 in his search for searing expression. Decades on, John Mayer would refine the same lineage, using the unmistakable pedal and catapulting it back to the top of the scene. 

Each JAPAN 1986 (handcrafted in Spain and now housed in a custom-designed enclosure to echo the iconic shape of this classic overdrive) is wrapped in authentic Japanese fabrics, celebrating both the birthplace of the mythical pedal and its artistry, evoking the spirit of SRV’s floral shirts and kimonos, as well as Japanese-inspired tattoo motifs that John Mayer favors. 

At its core, it’s about tone. Around it, culture, craft and heritage complete the picture.