Official Joyo Club Part 2: Beyond Thunderclone

[Humberto Silva]

Hello good people. Did anyone ever used the Vintage Overdrive on bass? That one Tube Screamer clone that, for a reason that I fail to grasp, they decided to put yellow knobs on a green case?

if so, what settigs can draw a usable tone with bass?

 

[lark_z]

First impressions - California Sound (CS).

I've been using the American Sound (AS) for months now. It's always on, generally with drive at 10 o'clock, all tones at 12, level set so volume is equal that with pedal bypassed and Voice adjusted to guitar/room as needed (generally 2 o'clock).

I knew from the few YouTube videos I could find to expect more bass response. This is certainly true. So far, I really like it as about the same settings as the AS (drive and level around 10 o'clock, tones flat, voice 2 o'clock).

To my ear it's doing more distortion in the lower frequencies than the AS. Whether that's a good thing once I get into a room with a guitar is unknown at this point. With the AS, when the drive is low, I sometimes feel like I need to play a double stop so I can hear the distortion. Not so with the CS, it's definitely there.

The CS seems to be much more responsive to Voice changes. The knob is incredibly interesting on both, but wow on the CS it can really tweak the volume and drive.

After a few hours, I'm loving it.

 

[Parzival]

Love my American Sound. Thinking about trying the California just for a change of pace every now and then.

 

[boristhespider7]

First impressions - California Sound (CS).

I've been using the American Sound (AS) for months now. It's always on, generally with drive at 10 o'clock, all tones at 12, level set so volume is equal that with pedal bypassed and Voice adjusted to guitar/room as needed (generally 2 o'clock).

I knew from the few YouTube videos I could find to expect more bass response. This is certainly true. So far, I really like it as about the same settings as the AS (drive and level around 10 o'clock, tones flat, voice 2 o'clock).

To my ear it's doing more distortion in the lower frequencies than the AS. Whether that's a good thing once I get into a room with a guitar is unknown at this point. With the AS, when the drive is low, I sometimes feel like I need to play a double stop so I can hear the distortion. Not so with the CS, it's definitely there.

The CS seems to be much more responsive to Voice changes. The knob is incredibly interesting on both, but wow on the CS it can really tweak the volume and drive.

After a few hours, I'm loving it.
View attachment 5059919

From the YouTube videos it sounds quite a bit darker than the American and British sounds (i have both). Would you say?
Can you dial in much top end?

 

[lark_z]

From the YouTube videos it sounds quite a bit darker than the American and British sounds (i have both). Would you say?
Can you dial in much top end?

I would have said dark also from the videos. In person, it just sounds more "bassy". You can certainly boost the Mids and Treble. You can raise the Voice, which is pre-distortion, which will add more mids and significantly change the character a lot. The Bass/Mid/Treble controls are all post-distortion. There's a quite a lot of room here to brighten it up. It is a cheap pedal and you will add noise if you overdo the Drive and/or Treble. Probably not any different than the AS or BS.

 

[Parzival]

I would have said dark also from the videos. In person, it just sounds more "bassy". You can certainly boost the Mids and Treble. You can raise the Voice, which is pre-distortion, which will add more mids and significantly change the character a lot. The Bass/Mid/Treble controls are all post-distortion. There's a quite a lot of room here to brighten it up. It is a cheap pedal and you will add noise if you overdo the Drive and/or Treble. Probably not any different than the AS or BS.

How is the clean? It sounds like it keeps the bass well, but like others said, from the videos it doesn’t have an open sound, little bit of a wet blanket effect. If I feel sure that EQ can open it up more on a clean setting, I would for sure try it out.
And I’m not looking for it to be a totally clean preamp, I do want some of that character/color.

 

[lark_z]

How is the clean? It sounds like it keeps the bass well, but like others said, from the videos it doesn’t have an open sound, little bit of a wet blanket effect. If I feel sure that EQ can open it up more on a clean setting, I would for sure try it out.
And I’m not looking for it to be a totally clean preamp, I do want some of that character/color.

So far, I'm liking the clean sound on the CS more than that on the AS. Clean being - Level max'ed, Gain on maybe 7 o'clock (set to match bypassed volume), Voice and Tones set as desired. It's got a bit more oomph/shimmer going on than the AS there. I have seen the same videos, so I think I know what you describe as "wet blanket". I'm not hearing it in person, but I'm no expert. I was on the fence about buying it, fearing that I was just GAS-ing. But for $40, it's not much of an investment.

 

[Parzival]

Perfect.

 

[lark_z]

How is the clean? It sounds like it keeps the bass well, but like others said, from the videos it doesn’t have an open sound, little bit of a wet blanket effect. If I feel sure that EQ can open it up more on a clean setting, I would for sure try it out.
And I’m not looking for it to be a totally clean preamp, I do want some of that character/color.

Forgot to add earlier...
The CS seems to have a much more sensitive Voice circuit.

Point being - that side-by-side video with the knobs all set identically - yes the CS does sound muted. Tweaking the Voice opens it up.

On the AS, I routinely run my ceramic P with the voice at 10 o'clock to get it to sound closer to my Alnico P (Voice at 2 o'clock). Can't do that on the CS, to me any Voice below noon is too dead sounding.

Image attached with settings I'm loving at the moment.

 

[Parzival]

Pulled trigger on California. Nothing to lose really. Send it back if I don’t like it. Fingers crossed. Will report on it in a few days and compare with my American.

 

[lark_z]

After a few more days with the California Sound, a few more insights. Note that I'm using two basses, both P's, strung with flats, one Alnico, one ceramic. Both fingerstyle and pick.

I'm finding the most usable clean tone with a hint of dirt with the Voice somewhere between noon and 3 o'clock and the Drive between zero (6 o'clock) and 10 o'clock. Then adjust Tone to ear and set level to parity with bypassed volume. I'm finding myself cutting Bass a tad and boosting Treble a bit.

Voice below noon is just too dark, Drive above 10 o'clock is too dirty. The Voice and Drive really interact a lot. I'd say more so than the American.

There is an interesting tone with the Voice max'ed and Drive just tweaked enough to get some volume. Still on the fence about it. Got some shimmer or something going on there.

 

[Parzival]

Been testing my California out and I’m not in love with it. Have to tweak it a lot to get a not so dark tone. I guess that is what they were going for. Didn’t like the drive. I can get it to an ok tone, but don’t love it enough to keep. I had Amazon gift card for this one so im going to trade in on the Oxford and give it a whirl.

 

[Parzival]

Anyone with any experience with the newer R-Series Joyos? Looks like they have a few bass pedals but I can’t find anything out there other than their videos.

R-28 Double Thruster Overdrive
R-27 Scylla Compressor
R-26 Monomyth Preamp

Looks like they just came out over the last couple of months.
The Double Thruster and Monomyth sound like they may be Darkglass type clones.

I’m going to be the Guinea pig for the compressor. I’ll report my findings.

 

[lark_z]

Quick report on the California Sound after a jam session. One guitar (some amplified acoustic, some electric), a bit of drums.

Really performed well. Nice sound. I was quite happy. Kept tweaking the Drive, trying to see if it reached an unacceptable level. Just like I've read here on TB, what sounds too gritty alone is just fine when blended with other players. Even at noon, which is way too gritty for me alone, it was fine.

Boosting the Mids considerably is key with this pedal, IMHO, to take out the "darkness".

 

[Parzival]

Quick report on the California Sound after a jam session. One guitar (some amplified acoustic, some electric), a bit of drums.

Really performed well. Nice sound. I was quite happy. Kept tweaking the Drive, trying to see if it reached an unacceptable level. Just like I've read here on TB, what sounds too gritty alone is just fine when blended with other players. Even at noon, which is way too gritty for me alone, it was fine.

Boosting the Mids considerably is key with this pedal, IMHO, to take out the "darkness".
View attachment 5066851

How do you like it now compared with California? I was able to dial in a few decent tones with the Cali, but it always had a little element of dark. And that’s not terrible as that’s what they’re going for, it just didn’t fit me. Plus I have a Mesa amp and it may have been overkill. I almost tried the Oxford again, but I have found I’m just not a huge fan of that gain sound, and with both clean and mids up like I like, it wasn’t different enough from the American to keep.

I think I may try that new preamp as well as the new comp that’s on the way.

 

[lark_z]

How do you like it now compared with California? I was able to dial in a few decent tones with the Cali, but it always had a little element of dark. And that’s not terrible as that’s what they’re going for, it just didn’t fit me. Plus I have a Mesa amp and it may have been overkill. I almost tried the Oxford again, but I have found I’m just not a huge fan of that gain sound, and with both clean and mids up like I like, it wasn’t different enough from the American to keep.

I think I may try that new preamp as well as the new comp that’s on the way.

I'm sure you mean American. The American just sounds more "open". I like them both, IF (and it's a BIG IF) the mids are boosted way up on the California. Where I have them set, they are really indistinguishable in a mix. I can hear the differences with the bass solo-ed, likely no one else would hear much difference.

Frankly, where I like them both is where they sound almost the same. If it was more expensive and not a minor hassle, I'd likely return the CS. I may just leave one at the jam location (where my second amp lives), so it's one less thing to haul.

I didn't like what I was hearing on the Oxford bass demo videos either.

 

[Parzival]

I'm sure you mean American. The American just sounds more "open". I like them both, IF (and it's a BIG IF) the mids are boosted way up on the California. Where I have them set, they are really indistinguishable in a mix. I can hear the differences with the bass solo-ed, likely no one else would hear much difference.

Frankly, where I like them both is where they sound almost the same. If it was more expensive and not a minor hassle, I'd likely return the CS. I may just leave one at the jam location (where my second amp lives), so it's one less thing to haul.

I didn't like what I was hearing on the Oxford bass demo videos either.

Yes, I meant compared to the American.

 

[Parzival]

The Monomyth is close to a DG clone. It was ok, but that’s not my sound and on the clean side it was good but nothing spectacular.
The Scrylla sounded pretty decent with lots of functionality. Didn’t wow me though. No noise from it until you really pushed the level/gain, whatever they call it. I think in that price range it is in, it’s much better than what else is out there.

 

[duke of earl]

The Monomyth is close to a DG clone. It was ok, but that’s not my sound and on the clean side it was good but nothing spectacular.
The Scrylla sounded pretty decent with lots of functionality. Didn’t wow me though. No noise from it until you really pushed the level/gain, whatever they call it. I think in that price range it is in, it’s much better than what else is out there.

I love my American Sound I was thinking about giving the California a try then joyo has released 3 newer pedals the DoubleThurster looks interesting anyone tried it out ?

 

[rjovin]

Anyone with any experience with the newer R-Series Joyos? Looks like they have a few bass pedals but I can’t find anything out there other than their videos.

R-28 Double Thruster Overdrive
R-27 Scylla Compressor
R-26 Monomyth Preamp

Looks like they just came out over the last couple of months.
The Double Thruster and Monomyth sound like they may be Darkglass type clones.

I’m going to be the Guinea pig for the compressor. I’ll report my findings.

Thanks to your post, I just ordered Double Thurster from Amazon with a 20% coupon.