Hands On Review Of Joyo Digital Delay

Those that shop thrifty pedal know the Joyo brand. It's been years since I've played my first Joyo pedal. It was an Ultimate Drive. I didn't like it very much despite the fact that it's supposed to be an OCD clone. I've tried other offerings of their to varying level of, "Meh". But I saw a Digital Delay sitting in my local music store's used bin and I bit. I've been on somewhat of a delay search, so I decided this would be the black horse. Oh boy...



Right Off The Bat

I wanted this pedal to be more. I wanted it to defy the expectations that pedal snob would have for it. I love to find a sleeper pedal. Too cheap to appeal to the cork-sniffers, but those willing to get it a shot would know it is indispensable. This pedal, well, it's not that. As soon as I power-up and plug in, there is a very audible, screeching noise (and it's not even on!). I turn it on and it's deafening. I quickly turn it back off and contemplate the mistake I made when purchasing this pedal. However, I realize that the delay is dimed and the signal bleeds through while in bypass. Not a good start.



Not Much Else

So, there are the standard features of a delay of this type. It has about 600ms of delay and standard Time, Repeats, and Level controls. The repeats are the rather standard digital type, nothing special there.



Conclusion

I know that there aren't as many points as I usually have, but there just isn't that much more to say about this pedal. That's about the worst thing you can say about this pedal. It is exactly what you might think. It's super cheap and you get what you pay for. Actually, you probably don't get what you pay for because if you have this pedal in your chain then you are going to get unwanted noise. You'd have to put it in a bypass loop. The only application I can see for this pedal is a practice rig, or a paperweight.

Ugly Truth: Tom's Line Engineering Bluesy Vintage Overdrive

Weeks ago, I decided to splurge on some music gear. I've always seen the cheap pedals from china, but I hate buying something and waiting weeks for it to show up (if it shows up at all). Not to mention the poor customer service and quality control. I decided to roll the dice on these guys, I was able to put together an order for four pedals, all drives (go figure...) When they showed up, they were in a box very similar to the Outlaw Effect's. Included was a somewhat helpful foldout user manual and a piece of Velcro. Overall, it was polished and professional looking. So the packaging exceeded my expectations...(woopty-doo). We don't care about boxes, (unless you're like me and keep all the boxes your pedals come in) what does it sound like?

Using a P-90 equipped Telecaster, I put this pedal through a Vox Pathfinder 10 combo. My bedroom setup is modest, but it sounds great for it's size. Putting this pedal inline was a joy. I really liked the sounds that this pedal put out. There isn't a ton of gain in this pedal, but that should not be a surprise since it's described as a blues overdrive. There is a range of tones that please just about anyone (looking for a light overdrive). After testing out this pedal, I was able to run it into a Vox AC15 with both a Standard Tele and Deluxe Telecaster. These combos resulted in please sounds. The 'normal' and 'bright' settings came in handy, One to tame the spanky single coils and the other to brighten the split-coils in the deluxe. Whether you are finding a bluesy voice for you solid state amp or your looking for something to boost your tube amp into sweet breakup, this pedal can serve up some nice sounds. Listen to Shnobel:

But were aren't here to talk about the pretty things, Let's get ugly:

Let's Get The Obvious Out Of The Way

It's Chinese, It's Cheap, It's Tiny. All these things are scary. The last time I ordered a pedal from China, it was DOA. Thankfully, all these pedal came in working condition. The price I paid is not my concern. In fact, I thought that the price I paid was great. But it's the fact that I was able to buy a pedal for so little that makes me wonder about the quality of the guts. Ignorant of the insides, I do like the sounds. However, I hate tiny pedals. Why did I buy so many of them... They're cheap, that's why. I will say, it was smart to put the bar to protect the knobs. I've always thought they were in danger from people with heavy feet.

And That's It

I know this seems very favorable, but I really can't come up with anything more to complain about. It's a light overdrive that is flexible. It's cheap enough to bought with the change from your couch. It's not the fanciest pedal. It's a simple pedal that could fit on nearly any pedal board. If you watch that video above and scroll down so that you can't see the pedal and just listen, then you might just fool yourself into digging the tones that Mr. Shnobel is putting out.

Conclusion

Having said all those nice things, I probably won't be putting this on my board. My dislike for this tiny pedals and the wide range of low-medium gain pedal that I already have make it hard to find use for yet another. What I might do is put together a small 'travel size' pedal board. It could be fun to go through these little cheap pedals and put the good ones together on a board. Then putting that board against my main board. Not so much to see which one is 'better', but if you can put together tiny pedal to do most of the job of a typical-size board fill with 'full-sized' pedals.

Are Joyo Pedals Worth It?

No one wants to overpay for anything. I often look for bargains when shopping for music gear. I regularly check the Stupid Deal Of The Day at Musicians Friend. (not a sponsor) I keep tabs of craigslist. I'm a member of Facebook pages were locals post music gear. I'm always on the lookout for a good deal/trade. So when looking at pedals of EBay, one will notice pedals with bargain basement prices. Joyo is probably the most talked about brand in this category. That begs a question, are these extremely affordable pedals worth it? Let's see.

Just like any other pedal brand, no pedal will suit every player. Joyo has amassed a line of pedals long enough that they is sure to be a pedal that is at least appealing to most any player. Many of these pedals are clones, or at least close facsimiles of others. The ones you see mentioned in the forums the most are the gain pedals. Ultimate Drive, Vintage Overdrive, AC Tone, and the Hot Plexi are praised by many. Two of these (the Ultimate Drive and Vintage Overdrive) are 'clones' of an OCD and TS-808 respectively. I've owned an Ultimate Drive (due to a fulfillment error) and gave it a run through. It wasn't a bad pedals at all, but not something I was looking for. However, according to a credible source, my beloved EHX Glove OD is a Ultimate Drive clone!? The latter two pedals are pedals that are voice like a Vox (AC Tone) and a Marshal Plexi (Hot Plexi, duh). All these pedals are spoken of favorably by many.

There are many videos of Joyo pedals, but anything you find on YouTube, and other sites like it, is compressed. You can heard minor differences sometimes, but definitive answers are not found in these videos. I've personally owned several and have tried many of these pedals. I've found that their construction and reliably are solid. But the main aspect to any effect is the sound. In every case, I've found pedals that I've preferred to the Joyo pedals. Joyo fuzz fell to a Big Muff, Joyo Comp yielded to a vintage Ross Comp clone, Joyo Ultimate Drive... well I don't remember because it was replaced by something else... maybe a modded Blue Driver. The following is not an original thought: The difference between Joyo pedals and the ones that may be preferred to them will/can not be heard by the average audience member.

There is a certain effect that brands of pedals like Joyo have. Joyo pedals are extremely affordable and prolific. They are mass produced and many guitar player have come across or used one. But the fact that they are prolific and affordable make them like desirable. There are some exceptions. Lots of people have said that prefer a cheaper pedal to a more expensive one, but this may just be this principle in reverse. There is a certain desirability of an obscure or price exclusive piece of gear. We see pros play guitars with unfamiliar names and shapes. Boutique builders have been capitalizing on this effect for as long as there has been boutique gear. Mods were once a rarity, Analog Man had a huge waiting list on his King Of Tone pedal, and can you say KLON. All these had a allure (or hype) about them due to their unavailability. Joyo has the opposite. A Ultimate Drive might be the same as my Glove OD, but I'll prefer my Glove. Sure Its a cheap pedal, but it's not that cheap.

In Conclusion, Joyo pedals are a affordable option. Just like any other pedal, you have to play them to know whether or not you like what they do. They good thing about Joyo is that picking one up just to try won't drain your bank account. I've read reviews saying that where people have received the wrong people. I can also confirm that this happens, as its happened to me. Besides that, I haven't heard anything about Joyo pedals failing to work. So it seems that they are reliable. Are there pedals that sound better than Joyo pedals? Sure. Are there cheaper pedals? Not many. Can you find decent pedal that for reasonable price? Well, give it a try.

Fulltone OCD VS Joyo Ultimate Drive

From time to time I hear the comment that the Joyo Ultimate Drive is a clone of the Fulltone OCD pedal. Some have gone as far as to say that they are the same pedal with different paint jobs. This is a very enticing rumor. Would you like a $130 pedal for only $40? then just buy it from Joyo instead of Fulltone. I wanted to test this out for my self so I acquired both pedals are ran a simple test.

The Similarities




The pedals have similar layouts. Three knobs and a mini toggle. Everything seems to be in the same places. They both are light to medium gain pedals. They have similar soft clipping circuits, not to say they sound "the same", but one can tell that they both try to fill the same spot.




The Differences




The PCBs are not the same or even close. The UD has less mids and more gain. This might appeal to some. The OCD does a good job of cleaning up and being more transparent. I don't always like the more expensive pedals. I use a EHX Glove OD that "clones" the OCD (or does it copy the UD?) as well. This and EHX East River Drive (a TS-808 clone) are my main dirt pedals in my set up. The OCD is just a more tame-able pedal. There are good sounds in the UD. They are just harder to uncover (to my ears).




Conclusion




Both of these pedals are worth a look. If you are looking for a great gain pedal, then check both of these guys out. They have their own sounds and respond a little differ from one another, so take a little time to get to know them. They are endorsed by many, however I don't see my self giving up a spot on my board for either one of them.

Ugly Truth: Boss CS-3

In an attempt to be a well rounded guitarist, I picked up a compressor. Many respected player have this tool in there effect chains. I've ran comps before, but I've never liked what they did. I've used Visual Sound, Boss, Joyo, and more. I've never really liked what they did. Most the time my sound got completely covered up. If I ran more gain on the pedal they became noisy and If I turned up the amp then the levels with the effect off were too mismatched. As far as I can tell these things are a "darned if you do, darned if you don't" kinda deal. They level out your highs and lows and make you single notes sound fuller. On the other side, they squash your signal and can effect your tone in a unfavorable way.

It's The Standard

If someone runs a compressor, chances are they at least tried a boss comp. I picked one up to get my bearings on what comps can do. Single notes are great but the pedal falls flat with using chords. Too much input into this and you can hear your signal get squashed. Even running this pedal first in your chain with hot pickups can cause some unwanted effects to you level. If you adjust the level on the pedal you can minimize this effect but it will still be present. Not to mention that your level is probably going to be one of those things that you'll want to balance out without having to worry about hearing a pedal chomp down on your tone.

It's Not Very Subtle

I did a review of the Joyo PipeBomb Compressor. It was a good comp, but the effect was very subtle. I found myself cranking it up just to notice the effect. That's not the case with this effect. Setting the levels very conservatively will still yield very noticeable compression. I don't like a lot of compression, but I do like the benefits from using one. The problem is that you can't switch the effect on and off without adjusting other setting greatly. If it could just jump in when playing single notes to make a fuller sound then that would be great. The effect can weaken big chords. The CS-3 is a pretty big offender.

In Short

Compression can be a great thing. It may be something you have to experiment with before you really settle on whether or not you like/need it. Some find the Boss CS-3 to be a great tool. These people may be able to better tame this pedal better than I, or need a big squeeze for their sound. There is a trade off when using compression. You might get better sustain, but you will lose some touch sensitivity. When using a wide range of dynamics, you might not want to use anything more than very subtle comp. As for the Boss CS-3 I can't find a place for it. Boss has done a great job of revamping some of there more iconic pedals (DD-500, RV-6, TU-3). Maybe they could put a little work into the CS-3.

5 Pedals That Every Guitarist Should Own

There are large number of pedal in this world. It is hard to know where to start. Basically, you have to find out what your needs are. But sometimes we need something that helps us expand our sonic range. If you don't have and use these pedals already, then you need to do your self a favor and look into them. They are pretty much awesome.

1)Wah-Wah

The mystic box of funky sounds. The most prolific of course being the Dolup Crybaby. There are endless varities and flavors of this effect. Most large pedal makers have an option. Some boutique guys have had a swing at making there own rocker pedals. Most of us have used if not own some type of wah. It is endlessly entertaining and super expressive. Its not so much which one your use, but that do use one. No two pedal use there wah the same. Find your voice and experiment. It makes you standout. If your play a set and employ this pedal, you'll always get a comment usually starting with "Whoa!"

2)Delay

Again, this is one of those pedal that people can use in countless ways. Some people just set it and forget. You can use it like a type of reverb, or help make your sustain sound endless. There are some genres that are built around this effect: Rock-a-billy and soundscape. Short, long, slap-back, infinite loop, they all have there place and you'd do you're self a favor by picking up one of these. You can get started with an investment of about $50. Behringer, Dan-electro, Rouge, or a use boss unit will be good bets to get you started. Currently I use a Boss DD-20 and it does tons of things, most I've yet to use live. Needing something to seriously expand you sound? Delay.

3)Fuzz

Fuzz is one of the sounds that everyone does a little differently, but they all have very distinguishable sound. Fuzz is not shy or timid. Its made to be in your face. It says look at me. You kick it in when you solo, or want to sound like Jimi. You are basically making noise that is barely recognizable as music. It is the musically equivalent of a push-up bra. This pedal is very polarizing. Some people love it and other hate it. Some people spend their lives searching for the "Holy Grail". There is no such thing as a "bad fuzz". There is only a fuzz you don't like and ones that you do. Go find one that you enjoy, and use it when you want a little attention.

4)Tube Screamer (of some kind)

In a world filled with overdrives and distortions, there is one that spreads like a virus into almost every like of pedal. You can buy the real deal (reissue) for Ibanez, or buy any of the copies that are out there. You can even buy a kit to build your own. Basically a Tube Screamer is a symmetrical distortion with a boost to the mid frequencies. There are serval: Green Screamer, Bad Monkey, Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Route 808, Boss SD-1/BD-2(ish), EHX East River Drive. Everyone has their favorite one, but its fun to take that trip down the rabbit hole and see how far you can get. The best thing I can recommend is to go your your local music store and spend time trying there selection of these, and other, pedals. Have fun and get inspired.

5 Pedals That I Wish Actually Worked.

5. Boss DS-1

So I know what you're thinking. "But it does work!" To that I say, "Kinda." Yes, the pedal technically functions as designed. It does cause your guitar signal to distort. However, in it's stock form, it doesn't create a musical effect. The word, "fizzy" comes to mind when playing through this box. There is a lot of support for this pedal, but, in my experience, the only thing that this pedal does is make me sad.

4. Behringer NR-300 Noise Reducer

Behringer is known for making high quality musical products. Cheap. Cheap is what I meant to put there. Behringer is everyone's favorite Chinese importers. They have made knock-offs of other people's things and undercut said people. I've owned several pieces of gear from then from time to time. I've kicked all of it out of my set-up. The NR-300 Noise Reducer not only does a poor job at its primary function, but it ADDS NOISE. It does the opposite of noise reduction.

3. Joyo JF-12 Ultimate Fuzz

I wanted to like this pedal so bad. I thought it was a great combination of fuzz and octave. Fuzz is a very subjective effect. Its obviously an "over-the-top" type of effect. Octave is not very subtle either. I've played a few fuzzes. It seems like there are hundred of boutique type fuzz boxes. This is probably because a fuzz is a simple circuit. Just because it comes in a boutique box with cool graphics, it doesn't mean that they sound great. Just like not all obscure fuzz pedals make great sound, not all prolific. mass-produced units are sure bets either. The Joyo fails to impress on either side of the coin. The fuzz is mediocre at best, and the octave isn't controllable at all and too often covered up. It doesn't do either one particularly well and together they are just noise. Too bad really, Its a great idea.

2. Ernie Ball Volume Pedals

The original volume pedal is an amazing pedal. It has the best feel of any volume pedal that I've used. The Jr editions just aren't the same. I have a big foot, so I like a big pedal. So I picked up one of these and I really dig it, but the ugly truth about this pedal is that they are noisy. The design of these pedals are super-simple. They use string for goodness sake. The pots always go bad. This is a know problem and you can fix it by replacing the entire guts of the pedal. Oh yeah, its expensive too (about $20 a pop). That's what the parts cost. Not handy with a soldering iron? Might as well start looking for a new pedal.

1. Digitech Whammy

So I have a strong dislike for all things digitech. I've used a range of their products and I've been disappointed by all of them. They promise big and under-deliver. The Whammy is a fun effect, no doubt, but the tracking on the whammy is rough to say the least. Its not so much a pitch shifter but an effect of its own type. But as a pitch shifter with real time manipulation, its a fail. Fidelity is a grey area with any effect this type. Something that changes a part of your signal as integral as pitch is going to alter your tone. However, when the effect is off it still "sucks tone". As one of the only effect of this type, it hard to replace this pedal when its need, but for about the same money you can get a Boss pitchshifter and expression pedal. In my onion that is money well spent.