Just a little explanation for everyone interested: The "Voice" knob lets you chose the basic amp model / generation. Turn it to about 9 o'clock and you have a Blackface amp (my favorite), around noon you are in Tweed territory and when you crank it further up you get one of those small, mid-rangy amps like the Champ. I recommend selecting the amp style first (Voice), then taylor the sound with Drive and EQ. Less is more! Oh, and the little box has two different Surf sounds to offer: Either Voice at 10:00 and little Drive to play Surf music - or crank all knobs except Level all the way up, then roll Level slowly up and down to hear the surf coming in! (In other words, with too much Voice and Drive you get a noise generator ;)
😮 you've got a notaklon!!! I just got mine in yesterday! So I'm moving my joyo AS to be an actual amp sim for when I play at church while the NaK will now be my stage 1 OD! This video is exactly what I needed to see! Thank you so much!
Much better to see someone talking about the clean tones - instead of destroying the sound with lots of distortion and overdrive. I think I'll still go for the Vox Amplug3 'American' model though - it fits my requirements for jazz and blues better, being seriously portable - and it sounds great!
I agree - I use the American as a direct in when I do not have my amp (also as a backup amp). I like your use of the direct box - I will be changing my setup to include that XLR idea. I like how the American pedal is pretty clean and has a great EQ to destroy the mud monster. AWESOME video!
Nice review! I just got my American Sound this week and started playing with it. And I too love my JHS Octave Reverb. Such a great pedal for a great price.
Keith, you're very down to earth and gave a good video. The ONLY thing I would change is if you explained better what you mean by Pedal Platform. AND The multi track guitar tune at the end was GREAT!! Really enjoyed it. Your Church is fortunate to have you!!
Got the " twin" pedal branded Harley Benton, it has changed the sound of my electric bouzouki, for 30 euros it has worth to buy it . Absolutely satisfied !
I actually agree, first time I saw this few years ago in the mall, I said oh some cheap pedals that will be discontinued soon, then recently I heard a friend of mine playing his guitar and saw he was using the AC Tone and I asked him where was that sound coning from and he said from this preamp Joyo. So now im watching videos to reconfirm and should buy 1 after hehehe
There´s a tutorial online to defeat the cab simulator on the joyo. I did it a few years ago and now i can use external impulse responses to taste. It really takes is to another level. I prefer this to any amp on the helix, it´s more pleasant and responds better with other pedals. You should try it... and make a tutorial, who knows! cheers
I have this Pedal. Its my back up for playing live. I use it as my pedal platform. So simple to get a decent sound out of it, my pedals needed very little adjustment. The best bit cost £30....
I have had this pedal for several months now based on other reviews I’ve seen on YT. And for what tone I wanted, it just fell flat. But now that you’ve shown this side of it on your pedalboard, I can see where it can be useful for multiple clean tones. Before I just hooked it up to an amp but like they say in church….”I have seen the light!”
I have them all. Love the American for its cleans. The California is my favorite though. Massive bass on the Cali. The AC and British are okay. The Orange is the one I regret getting. I have to set the treble pretty much at zero for it to be tolerable. Just too powerful and harsh. Not saying you can't get a good sound out of it but it takes a bit of work to do so, at least for me.
I DI the Joyo into my audio interface for all guitar on my backing tracks. Sounds great and works for me! It also sounds good as a cheap tone improvement for a solid state amp...
I have not tried it into my amps yet. I have an old Fender Princeton Chorus (solid state, poor man’s JC-120) that it might be interesting to try it through.
@@TheTapeFarmit's not a miracle fix, but you can get workable results. Also, I borrowed a Strymon Iridium from a friend and did a comparison with the Joyo. Of course, the Strymon is a better, more versatile product, but the end result - the recorded sound - there wasn't much in it to my ears. Amazing the Joyo can even compete!
Yeah I agree on the graphics. Makes it look cheap. What does Orange have to do with America? Their other pedals look and also sound great and I have some. But c’mon guys! So much you could do with the looks of this one.
i found mine at a used book store and its my favorite pedal. i use it to record direct to my phone or groovebox and on my pedal board into my amp as a boost
I bought the Joyo American Sound AND the Caline Americana (similar but not identical). I like the sound of the Americana better, although the output is lower. The graphics are nicer too.
I imagine your going thru the house monitor, can you plug directly into a speaker cab with this pedal and make music,or is it just really a pedal,and not a micro amp,love the track building demo.
If I run it through my headrush,flat response it sounds great,up until you really start to drive it then it's horrible. I've had the best results going into a clean channel of an amp via my Nux MG 300( usually the Fender deluxe) and using the built in overdrives for solos.👊
@@TheTapeFarm I already have a Cuvave Baby, that has some cabinet Impulse response, and it has some amp emulation, but i am thinking that this pedal will work better as amp emulation instead the cuvave ones. Have you tried or know someone that use this kind of setup ? The point is that i want use my distortions pedals and i think that my pedals doesnt work better with the amp emulations of cuvave baby.
Hey just the demo I have been looking for. I had the flamma preamp for recording direct and sold it, and missing it. Thinking of getting the American sound. Big JHS fan myself.
Try both and see which you prefer. If you put a delay pedal (for example) in front, then the guitar signal and the delayed signal will be affected by the eq/tone settings on the Joyo. If you put the delay pedal afterwards, then the delayed signal won't be affected by the settings on the Joyo.
I almost bought one - but today I've been using my Cube Baby into the clean channel of my orange amp, with a Fender Twin IR - and it just rocks! With the pickup choices and properly balanced effects sections on the Cube Baby - I can cover jazz, blues, pop and rock.... I'd still like a real Fender amp - but this will do until I win the lottery - or buy a Tank-G!
@@rebeccaabraham8652 A 5 watt amp is half as loud as a 50 watt, 10w half as loud as a 100W. I have a 5 watt blackface Champ-ish diode rectified amp with a 2x12 loaded with 60s Heppner 12" alnicos that easily hits 105dB which I can't play without the outboard attenuator. Has boost and raw switches and an additional cascaded triode gain stage all which add to the tones available. With a Klon-alike or a Honey Bee, not to mention a Rat, without attenuation the neighbors would be dialing 911. A Deluxe or a Twin I'd be executed by an enraged frothing mob. Performing friends can't play Princeton Reverbs without an attenuator at bar gigs. Loud is out! I'm building a single ended 10 watt Tweed Deluxe-ish and I know I won't be able to play it at its own power anywhere but practice spaces or with it in an iso room at a studio or in a barn on some abandoned farm in the middle of nowhere. Also have a copy of the flea watt Gibson GA1-RVT in process, RMS will be around 2.5-3 watts and I know I won't really be able to crank it either. Pedals can be great emulating sounds but a real amp moving actual air is its own completely different thing.
Surprised you put the reverbs and dealt before the joyo. I use it as a pedal platform. I also use an old pod hd500x. Both are great DI options on a budget.
That's what I gave for mine' when I went to pick it up up he said' here' just take two for the price of one' when I got it home and hooked it up' it didn't work.
@@TA-kx5jm because I’m using it as an amp basically. So just like a regular amp would be after the pedals. That said, I would encourage people to play around with the order… if it sounds good, that’s all that matters.
Running a treble booster in front of Joyo's AC pedal reacts the same way that it would into a real amp. I suspect that these are clones of Tech 21's sans-amp pedal; and in the case of their California pedal, that's a good thing because Tech 21 no longer makes the California.
Mine arrived in a snowstorm. Not outside. The pedal is like a snowstorm when clicked on. It is so noisy it cannot be used. This is with the volume, voice and drive knobs all down at 9:00. The other pedals in the line are not like this, I have the AC Tone and the British Sound, both are whisper quiet by comparison. I looked on line and found hundreds of people complaining about this. Where were they before I bought this pedal?
I had the opposite happen. I got the AC Tone first and it was very noisy, I sent it back and they sent me another that was dead quiet. When I got the American Sound it was quiet.
Just a little explanation for everyone interested: The "Voice" knob lets you chose the basic amp model / generation. Turn it to about 9 o'clock and you have a Blackface amp (my favorite), around noon you are in Tweed territory and when you crank it further up you get one of those small, mid-rangy amps like the Champ. I recommend selecting the amp style first (Voice), then taylor the sound with Drive and EQ. Less is more!
Oh, and the little box has two different Surf sounds to offer: Either Voice at 10:00 and little Drive to play Surf music - or crank all knobs except Level all the way up, then roll Level slowly up and down to hear the surf coming in! (In other words, with too much Voice and Drive you get a noise generator ;)
@@carstenhardt1589 awesome info. Thanks!
Yup, awesome, this is exactly how I use this pedal. Its stacks other pedals so well and underpins the whole thing with a vibe.
😮 you've got a notaklon!!! I just got mine in yesterday! So I'm moving my joyo AS to be an actual amp sim for when I play at church while the NaK will now be my stage 1 OD! This video is exactly what I needed to see! Thank you so much!
The notaklon is awesome.
Much better to see someone talking about the clean tones - instead of destroying the sound with lots of distortion and overdrive. I think I'll still go for the Vox Amplug3 'American' model though - it fits my requirements for jazz and blues better, being seriously portable - and it sounds great!
good review , thanks :)
i was looking for a pedal platform too and this is my choice and it was great to hear it being demoed in that perspective
I agree - I use the American as a direct in when I do not have my amp (also as a backup amp). I like your use of the direct box - I will be changing my setup to include that XLR idea. I like how the American pedal is pretty clean and has a great EQ to destroy the mud monster. AWESOME video!
Nice review! I just got my American Sound this week and started playing with it. And I too love my JHS Octave Reverb. Such a great pedal for a great price.
Keith, you're very down to earth and gave a good video. The ONLY thing I would change is if you explained better what you mean by Pedal Platform. AND The multi track guitar tune at the end was GREAT!! Really enjoyed it. Your Church is fortunate to have you!!
I love mine! Been using it for over seven years as an amp would to pic but know how to. Blessings.
The look was my first concern 😂
Thank you for this review! Finally discussing the clean uses!
It is dang ugly, but effective… much like myself.
Got the " twin" pedal branded Harley Benton, it has changed the sound of my electric bouzouki, for 30 euros it has worth to buy it . Absolutely satisfied !
I love the AC tone. It’s clean sparkles and its overdrive is great!
Just ordered 11/21/24 Amazon $31.99 Black Friday Deal Going to use it at Church and my solo senior living gigs both direct into PA
@@rcboals awesome. Thanks for doing those Senior Living facility gigs. Such an important ministry.
I actually agree, first time I saw this few years ago in the mall, I said oh some cheap pedals that will be discontinued soon, then recently I heard a friend of mine playing his guitar and saw he was using the AC Tone and I asked him where was that sound coning from and he said from this preamp Joyo. So now im watching videos to reconfirm and should buy 1 after hehehe
There´s a tutorial online to defeat the cab simulator on the joyo. I did it a few years ago and now i can use external impulse responses to taste. It really takes is to another level. I prefer this to any amp on the helix, it´s more pleasant and responds better with other pedals. You should try it... and make a tutorial, who knows! cheers
Sounds like which-craft to me… seriously though, that is very cool.
Shhhh! Don’t talk about the font thing. It keeps the price down!
@@kennethcohagen3539 good point…. I love that font!!!!
I have this Pedal. Its my back up for playing live. I use it as my pedal platform. So simple to get a decent sound out of it, my pedals needed very little adjustment. The best bit cost £30....
I have had this pedal for several months now based on other reviews I’ve seen on YT. And for what tone I wanted, it just fell flat. But now that you’ve shown this side of it on your pedalboard, I can see where it can be useful for multiple clean tones. Before I just hooked it up to an amp but like they say in church….”I have seen the light!”
My work here is done.
I have them all. Love the American for its cleans. The California is my favorite though. Massive bass on the Cali. The AC and British are okay.
The Orange is the one I regret getting. I have to set the treble pretty much at zero for it to be tolerable. Just too powerful and harsh. Not saying you can't get a good sound out of it but it takes a bit of work to do so, at least for me.
I DI the Joyo into my audio interface for all guitar on my backing tracks. Sounds great and works for me! It also sounds good as a cheap tone improvement for a solid state amp...
I have not tried it into my amps yet. I have an old Fender Princeton Chorus (solid state, poor man’s JC-120) that it might be interesting to try it through.
@@TheTapeFarmit's not a miracle fix, but you can get workable results. Also, I borrowed a Strymon Iridium from a friend and did a comparison with the Joyo. Of course, the Strymon is a better, more versatile product, but the end result - the recorded sound - there wasn't much in it to my ears. Amazing the Joyo can even compete!
Great review. And it sounded great at church too!!!
Yeah I agree on the graphics. Makes it look cheap. What does Orange have to do with America? Their other pedals look and also sound great and I have some. But c’mon guys! So much you could do with the looks of this one.
I enjoy watching the review... Thanks sir.. Bless you
i found mine at a used book store and its my favorite pedal. i use it to record direct to my phone or groovebox and on my pedal board into my amp as a boost
I bought the Joyo American Sound AND the Caline Americana (similar but not identical). I like the sound of the Americana better, although the output is lower. The graphics are nicer too.
I have their orange box, use it in very much the same manner.
I just got one for blues harp
Got great reviews
That’s awesome. I bet it’s perfect for that.
Turn Drive knob to 3:00 and also Voice to 3:00 and level to about 9:00 and it makes and ok overdrive. Just found that out.
I imagine your going thru the house monitor, can you plug directly into a speaker cab with this pedal and make music,or is it just really a pedal,and not a micro amp,love the track building demo.
We have in ear monitors and our separate mix boxes. It’s pretty awesome. But yeah, my signal it straight FOH, not stage volume at all.
If I run it through my headrush,flat response it sounds great,up until you really start to drive it then it's horrible. I've had the best results going into a clean channel of an amp via my Nux MG 300( usually the Fender deluxe) and using the built in overdrives for solos.👊
I use it for my bass guitar and it does the trick as well. I am using it as ampsim though..
I could see that being awesome. Kinda like a Sans Amp. Going to give that a go.
I liked so much your review. I was really thinking about get an ugly pedal for my pedalboard! But the sound is great. Thank you!
Best ugly pedal on the market.
@@TheTapeFarm I already have a Cuvave Baby, that has some cabinet Impulse response, and it has some amp emulation, but i am thinking that this pedal will work better as amp emulation instead the cuvave ones. Have you tried or know someone that use this kind of setup ? The point is that i want use my distortions pedals and i think that my pedals doesnt work better with the amp emulations of cuvave baby.
@@Edge_SHOT that’s how I’m using it, basically as an amp. So it’s last in the chain, just like an amp would be.
Hey just the demo I have been looking for. I had the flamma preamp for recording direct and sold it, and missing it. Thinking of getting the American sound. Big JHS fan myself.
I spray painted mine with silver paint and replaced it with Fender style knobs.
Nice
Where do you think modulation pedals like delay, echo etc. should be placed? In front of the pedal or after?
I treat like an amp, so before.
Try both and see which you prefer. If you put a delay pedal (for example) in front, then the guitar signal and the delayed signal will be affected by the eq/tone settings on the Joyo. If you put the delay pedal afterwards, then the delayed signal won't be affected by the settings on the Joyo.
@@DenariusHaveNarius agreed... lot of great church settings, they put the reverb/delay after the amp modeler, they sound so good
The California is amazing on bass. Try any of these with an IR into your p.a., the Cucave Cube Baby will do.
I almost bought one - but today I've been using my Cube Baby into the clean channel of my orange amp, with a Fender Twin IR - and it just rocks! With the pickup choices and properly balanced effects sections on the Cube Baby - I can cover jazz, blues, pop and rock.... I'd still like a real Fender amp - but this will do until I win the lottery - or buy a Tank-G!
@@rebeccaabraham8652 A 5 watt amp is half as loud as a 50 watt, 10w half as loud as a 100W. I have a 5 watt blackface Champ-ish diode rectified amp with a 2x12 loaded with 60s Heppner 12" alnicos that easily hits 105dB which I can't play without the outboard attenuator. Has boost and raw switches and an additional cascaded triode gain stage all which add to the tones available. With a Klon-alike or a Honey Bee, not to mention a Rat, without attenuation the neighbors would be dialing 911. A Deluxe or a Twin I'd be executed by an enraged frothing mob.
Performing friends can't play Princeton Reverbs without an attenuator at bar gigs. Loud is out! I'm building a single ended 10 watt Tweed Deluxe-ish and I know I won't be able to play it at its own power anywhere but practice spaces or with it in an iso room at a studio or in a barn on some abandoned farm in the middle of nowhere. Also have a copy of the flea watt Gibson GA1-RVT in process, RMS will be around 2.5-3 watts and I know I won't really be able to crank it either.
Pedals can be great emulating sounds but a real amp moving actual air is its own completely different thing.
4:31 - I would place delay and reverb "behind" the joyo "amp"
Tenho um american sound, pretendo pegar um cuvave pra usar os irs testei gostei bastante
Surprised you put the reverbs and dealt before the joyo. I use it as a pedal platform. I also use an old pod hd500x. Both are great DI options on a budget.
I just ordered one for 25 new. Be here Monday. Mine is for church as well. We are trying to do away with amps.
That's what I gave for mine' when I went to pick it up up he said' here' just take two for the price of one' when I got it home and hooked it up' it didn't work.
I think Bugera has a couple, and of course the SR 15. I would getvthe head and work towards getting an alnico speaker later on when you can afford it
This is what a "D-Team" guitarist sounds like... but only in Nashville!
Yeah… they’re all better than me… which really isn’t a high bar clear.
@@TheTapeFarm It's a bar I'll never approach. Great vid, BTW.
I picked one of these up at goodwill for $4
@@TheJdmfreek dude!!! Nice. You win!
I’m going to upgrade to the Dream 65
@@Paulwilliamsukmusic I’ve seen some demos. Absolutely awesome piece of gear.
Graphic OK for me 👍
Any reason you’re not running your wet effects after the joyo?
@@TA-kx5jm because I’m using it as an amp basically. So just like a regular amp would be after the pedals. That said, I would encourage people to play around with the order… if it sounds good, that’s all that matters.
Running a treble booster in front of Joyo's AC pedal reacts the same way that it would into a real amp. I suspect that these are clones of Tech 21's sans-amp pedal; and in the case of their California pedal, that's a good thing because Tech 21 no longer makes the California.
Joyo American : clone of tech21 Blonde
Joyo British : tech21 British
Joyo AC tone : tech21 Liverpool
Joyo California : tech21 California
Did you add anything in the recording interface?
Nope. Just straight in, nothing other than what was coming from the pedal board.
whats the direct box for Keith ?
@@paulwilkinson6977 to run to the PA at church.
Mine arrived in a snowstorm. Not outside. The pedal is like a snowstorm when clicked on. It is so noisy it cannot be used. This is with the volume, voice and drive knobs all down at 9:00. The other pedals in the line are not like this, I have the AC Tone and the British Sound, both are whisper quiet by comparison.
I looked on line and found hundreds of people complaining about this. Where were they before I bought this pedal?
I had the opposite happen. I got the AC Tone first and it was very noisy, I sent it back and they sent me another that was dead quiet. When I got the American Sound it was quiet.
Mine is very quite unless you crank the gain way up, which is common with high gain stuff. Certainly no noise at 9:00.
The DI box is unnecessary in your chain. The TRS 1/4" out is cab emulated.
@@markredsicker9392 however it is necessary if I’m plugging straight into a PA system, which is what I was doing.
This is the cheapest good IR amp pedal out there. Keep it clean and put your other pedals before it straight into your DAW.
You'll love yours, until it stops working.
It’ll work until it doesn’t, like most things.
@@TheTapeFarm That's food for thought. 🤔
I've done all my backing tracks for the last 3 years using one! As reliable as anything, plus very cheap to replace anyway. No brainer!
@@ButternoteBackingTracks nice.
@@ButternoteBackingTracks Mine didn't last seven months, and I've gotten used to buying things that work. 😂