Charge of the Metal Brigade:
Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger

January 28, 2026

1980s Heavy metal concert stage scene with band members and pyrotechnics.

If the 1980s had a specific sound, it was probably processed through a metal box with a catchy name. Enter the Ibanez MS10 Metal Charger. Part of the "Power Series" (the 10-series), this pedal is a cousin to the legendary Tube Screamer, designed with extra gain stages to give it that saturated, high-output bite.

The unit that landed on my bench, however, was less "Metal Charger" and more "Silent Weeper." It was missing nearly all its knobs, refused to run on battery power, and the Level control had a massive dead zone.

The "Ghost" in the Battery Compartment

My first mission was to figure out why this pedal was tethered to a wall adapter like an ICU patient. I opened the casing to find a fairly clean board featuring several op-amps and the usual passives. The pedal powered up with a 9V adapter (note the polarity is center positive) but I couldn't get anything on battery power.

Many pedals use the input jack as a "power switch" and plugging in a guitar cable completes the ground circuit to save the battery when it's unplugged. I inspected the 9V battery connector and it was in good condition with no corrosion. The battery leads to the PCB ended in some questionable joints so I reflowed these but still no luck with battery power.

I sprayed some DeOxit into the audio input jack and then exercised the internal connector by inserting and removing a 1/4" adapter several times. This helped to clear out some oxidation which had accumulated over the years and the pedal now worked on battery power.

Ibanez MS10 audio input and output jacks

The Mystery of the Missing Level

With power restored, I tackled the audio issues. The "Level" knob was acting very strangely—it was totally silent until 12 o'clock, then suddenly jumped into action.

I’ve seen dirty pots before, but this felt mechanical. After a full teardown, I found the culprit: the carbon track inside the potentiometer was physically cracked.

Level potentiometer from Ibanez MS10, opened

Level potentiometer opened

Top side carbon track of a potentiometer showing a crack.

Top side carbon trace

Underside of a potentiometer showing a large crack.

Bottom side

Finding a replacement was a little challenging. I spent quite a bit of time cross-referencing datasheets to find something in the right value, that fit the footprint, that was readily available. Eventually I found the Bourns PDB12 series.

While the PDB12-M would be preferred as a closer match I couldn't find them anywhere, so I settled for the PDB12-H which has the same footprint but in more of a 'WH148' style rather than the closed 'Alpha' style.

Part Specs:
Model: PDB12-H4251-103AF
Value: 10K Ohm, Carbon Log

Truth be told I had to order a version with a shorter stem because that it what was available, but the part number above would have been a better fit, but the stem had enough height to allow for installing a knob.

The number of cracked solder joints is too damn high!

Exploring the board showed a large number of cracked solder joints. I reflowed everything I could see that was cracked, as well as the larger components and connectors.

Close up PCB image showing a number of cracked solder joints.

Close up PCB image showing more cracked solder joints.

Ibanez MS10 with original knobs

Cosmetically, the MS-10 was pretty rough. Someone had taken a marker and blacked out the 'Metal Charger' label for some reason. A little IPA and some careful work managed to remove most of it. The shell also had a bunch of 'character marks' AKA paint chips. I wasn't going to go down the road of repaiting it, so I moved on to the more pressing issue. It was missing four knobs. Original Ibanez knobs are roughly 13mm in diameter with a 6mm D-shaft and they have a top pattern that is difficult to find in a replacement knob.

FreeCAD screen showing a modeled replacement knob.

I decided to model up a replacement in FreeCAD and use a 3D printer to get out something that was a little closer to the original style.

It took a few iterations to get the D-shaft tolerances tight enough so they wouldn't wobble. The green filament I had onhand doesn't perfectly match the 1980s "Minty Green" Ibanez accent color, but the final result is solid and keeps the vintage vibe alive.

The Metal Charger is back to its glory days. It’s got that classic mid-forward growl but with the added "charge" that distinguishes it from a standard screamer. With its rugged metal chassis and world-class heritage, this MS-10 is ready to hit the stage again.

But for those looking to go a little further and get a bring the level up from this pedal there are several mods which have been explored over the years. You can find some discussions of various approaches in the links here:

https://momentfx.blogspot.com/2017/11/ibanez-ms10-metal-charger-low-output-by.html

https://mirosol.kapsi.fi/2014/03/ibanez-ms10-metal-charger/

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=39236.0

https://www.harmonycentral.com/forums/topic/1683079-ibanez-ms10-mod/