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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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$31.35
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8.0
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Description:
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JF-12 Effect Pedal Ultimate Octave
Features:
Fuzz, Tone, Mid Cut Switch, Octave Up, and Volume. 9V Standard DC In. Metal Case, True Bypass.
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Author
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MuthaFunk
Registered User
Registered: May 2007
Location: GTA Ontario Canada
Posts: 1225
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Review Date: Tue September 20, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $32.69
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Price, Sound, Versatility, True Bypass, 9V DC in.
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Cons:
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Some components may not hold up to Pro Level Gigging.
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I have often ran distortions/overdrives/fuzzes throughout the 17 years I've been playing bass. I've tried many from the likes of Boss, DOD, Fulltone, Catlinbread, Fender, Creation Audio Labs, MXR, Dunlop, and Electro-Harmonix.
To kick this off, here is a somewhat long sound clip of me noodling around with the Joyo Ultimate Octave!
http://soundcloud.com/muthafunk-1/joyo-ultimate-octave-demo
I got this pedal along with a Joyo Ultimate Drive (Fulltone OCD Copy) for an amazing price new. I must say this pedal holds it's own when compared to the boutique pedals available today. I'm not going to tell you it's built as well as them but it's functions and sound are very close to what else is out there. It came in a nice box protected by simple bubble wrap. The metal case is very nice and the switches feel great. The backplate shows some consesions that were made to keep the price down. Small screws and a plastic battery cover are the giveaways. The input and output jacks are also of the budget type as they secure to the box by screwing the a metal outer 1/4" threaded nut through the box and into the board mounted plastic female threaded jacks. The plastic threads are what led me to take off a point in my rating as this will most likely be a point of failure in a pro gigging life. No doubt the metal nut will come unscrewed one day and someone will over-tourque the plastic threads ruining the jack and the added support for the board. The metal box, pots , knobs and toggle switch all look to be adequate for this application.
I used the Ultimate Octave (JF-12) with my Boss power supply and it was perfectly silent. No added noise that I could detect. The controls of this pedal are all very responsive. I was pleased with the range of tones I was able to conjure up as there is typically only so much one can do with Fuzz. The Octave feature is interesting on bass. I believe this feature is most likely best on guitar for solos but it's unique signature could be of use to some on bass. The Fuzz sounds are great! I especially liked the heavy metal tones I could get with the mid cut switch on, tone around 10:30 and the gain at 9:00. It was very clean and mean at the same time. With the mid switch set to "Normal" the JF-12 was surprisingly true to what bass I used. It had it's fuzz there but I could definitely hear a difference when I switched basses. The lowest gain setting is subtle but never clean. I only have active basses and never got a un-fuzzed sound out of it but the little bit of fuzz that was present was good. At this setting the tone knob showed it's limitations as some of the natural bass tones were attenuated no matter where I put the tone knob. With the gain knob maxed there is plenty of searing fuzz that will delight even the terror noise junkies out there. Merzbow anyone??? 
In a comparison with some of my other fuzzes on hand I thought the JF-12 held it's own and didn't sound quite like any of them. My Green Russian Big Muff had a deeper low end but comparatively sounded squashy. The JF-12 never seemed to lack low end and I preferred the added control it seemed to impart with heavy fuzz. The JF-12 was much more bass friendly to my Fuzz Face Clone as the JF-12 had more versatility in tones.
All in all, it's amazing to find that one can have a pedal like this for under $40 new. It's sound and use would have you wondering if you ever really need the added heavy duty construction of true boutique pedals as the cost is so much more. You could almost buy the whole Joyo lineup for the price of one boutique pedal. If your on a budget or just want to make wild fuzz tones for fun without putting out >$50 this pedal is worth the buy. I can't imagine what they would sell for used but your couldn't loose too much even if you sold it right after buying it.
If you haven't already clicked the soundcloud clip near the beginning of this review please check it out. It went on a little longer than I had planned but there are so many variations on the tones I was able to squeeze out of the JF-12...
*Edit - Here is a link to a post I made with pics of the pedals:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/jo.../#post11509972
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www.quadrafonics.com
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tracer03
Registered User
Registered: April 2009
Location: Eagan, Minnesota
Posts: 205
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Review Date: Thu September 29, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $30.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Price, Sound, True Bypass, 9v works with OneSpot/Godlyke.
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Cons:
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The 'Octave Up' setting can get a bit harsh
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Great budget fuzz - not quite a 'one trick pony', but not 'multi-dimensional' either. It does fuzz - subtle to harsh, with a decent range. The Octave Up setting gets a bit out of hand, but it's nothing that some EQ'ing can't mitigate.
Construction is okay - not cheap, but I would be concerned if I used it for heavy gigging. The battery door is the biggest concern - it's sturdy enough plastic, but the tab that locks it into place looks like to could easily break if you're not careful. Since I use it with a Powerall, I'm not concerned.
If you can pick it up cheap, it's a fun pedal.
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Way Huge #27
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