Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

[Dave Locher]

I was looking for something else on eBay and stumbled across the Joyo "amplifier simulator" pedals. I am intrigued, but confused: what the heck is an "amplifier simulator" pedal, and how is it different from an overdrive pedal?

I have totally ignored stomp boxes for the past 25 years and apparently I have a LOT of catching up to do!

[devastone]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

They are copies of the Tech 21 Sansamp pedals - http://tech21nyc.com/products/sansam...terseries.html

Basically they are ss (not digital) simulations of an amplifier, from preamp to speakers so you can run them direct. They also sound good running into a power amp and speakers, I've never tried one into front of an amp so I can't comment on that. I've used the Tech 21 Leeds and British and both sound great IMHO, of course, I'm not in a situation that I can crank a tube amp, I haven't been able to do that for years.

[Dave Locher]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

If I understand correctly, the demo I just watched on YouTube was running directly into a clean amp.

So...is this basically a really sophisticated overdrive pedal? Good enough to mimic an amp if you run it direct into a PA? Or is there some specific difference that I'm not aware of?

[devastone]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

Actually, it's more correct to think of it as a preamp.

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

What Devastone just said. They (the joyo amp simulators and the Tech 21 pedals they are based on) are intended to be preamps for direct recording or going direct to a PA system. You can use them as a traditional overdrive pedal in front of an amp, but they sound best directly into a pa, recording console/interface, or bypassing the internal preamp of an amplifier and going direct to a power amp.

I had the Joyo California Sound, which is supposed to emulate Mesa Boogie amps. It did impart that sort of character typical of a Mesa Boogie and does it very well but I would say it's not exact. That said, between this pedal and trying actual Mesa Boogie's I decided u didn't really dig that sound and was more of a British amplifier fan.

The Joyo British Sound is on my wish list after trying it at a friend's house as well as a Marshall DSL15H to go with my Laney Cub 12R. I do still crave an American voiced high gain amp sound too, but Mesa is not the sound in my head. I'm thinking a Soldano based sound would be great.

[dominus]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

I'm thinking a Soldano based sound would be great.

Grab one of the S pedals from AMT. (S1, S2, or S-Drive, depending on what you want to use the pedal for. Preamp, Preamp/Drive, or Drive only.)

[Dave Locher]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

So AMT calls these "distortion pedals" in their descriptions, so I guess that sort of answers my original question.
I can definitely see the appeal of something like this.

[NotCardio]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

Grab one of the S pedals from AMT. (S1, S2, or S-Drive, depending on what you want to use the pedal for. Preamp, Preamp/Drive, or Drive only.)

Ot a Wampler SLOstortion. Tech21 also makes a US Metal, if that's you're thing. These types of pedals are what's referred to as AIB, or amp-in-a-box. Aside from going direct to a mixer (PA or recording) or a power amp, they are usually pretty good in front of a CLEAN tube or even SS amp.

[ehdwuld]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

I have the British and American pedals
Marshall and Fender respectively
Straight into a powered speaker and they are impressive
Needs a reverb pedal for authentic Fender twin

[Mincer]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

Amp sim pedals are not just overdrives, as they were designed to plug direct into a PA or recording device (no amp at all). They are designed to 'fee' and react like an amp, though. I use a few, and have for years- the ech 21 Blonde and FlyRig5 as well as the Fractal AX8 all do the amp sim thing well. These days I don't lug an amp to live gigs, and it is easier to mix sound up front without competing with stage noise.

[devastone]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

The AMT series 2 pedals can be used as distortion pedals into a clean amp, but that's probably not the best way to use them(?). They have 3 outputs, one with a cab sim for running direct, a preamp out to run straight to a power amp or into an amps effects return bypassing the amp's preamp, and an output for running into the front end of an amp. The 1 series have a cab sim out and a preamp out to run to a power amp. IMHO, the 2 series are worth the extra $, they have a very nice clean channel too.

[warner-211]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

my brother had a california sound pedal and every musician i knew aggreed they didnt like it. However ive had good experiences with joyo so i cant say

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

Line 6 made one for a while called the AM-4, using the same housing as their DM-4 and other xM-4 pedals (not really sure what all they have, but I know there's a green one and a blue one). Word is they dropped it quickly because it was basically the amps from a POD without all the extra stuff. Or they figured they couldn't get all the other amps they wanted into it without going with the POD format. Something like that.

At any rate, it's not a bad pedal at all, but then, I'm not swimming in the vintage and boutique amps they claim to model with it to say whether it's accurate, and off-hand I can't recall what specific models they were going for. I like it though, especially mixed with my rack preamps feeding into a mixer. It's definitely far more than a distortion pedal, though. As was stated already, these are "preamps with an emulated power amp and cabinet". Of course the sound of a miked head and cab will always be different from the real thing, so it might be more accurate to say they simulate these particular amps as they would sound in another room, which was soundproofed, and miked.

And unlike the ones mentioned above, the AM-4 features several amps, not just one. You can assign the 4 footswitches to a given preset, and of course you can create your own presets, merely by turning knobs on the unit. Supposedly there's extra functionality available through the USB interface, but I haven't gotten into that.

[devastone]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

The Line 6 one is also digital, the Tech 21/Joyo ones are all analog FWIW.

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Joyo amplifier simulator pedals? (Or "amplifier simulator" pedals in general?)

I almost pulled the trigger on a Joyo British Sound last weekend. Maybe next time.

Or, I may just save up and get myself a Marshall DSL-15 head.

Depends whether I get word my contract gets turned into a full time gig or not. The wife will be a bit hard to convince I deserve a new amp as long as my jobs have definite end dates. @%#* I hate contract work.