NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

[Brow]

Hey guys.

I picked up 1 of these pedals a few weeks ago when I received an email for 20% off, so thought I'd give 1 a try.

I originally tried it with a Strat and a LP with my SLO Clone but I wasn't overly keen if I'm honest.

I wanted to give it another go though so this time I tried the Sweet Baby through my Matamp Little Rock (4w with 6V6s) and 1x12 cab with Celestion Classic Lead 80 today.

I tried it with my Jap Squier Strat w/ BKP Apaches and LP Standard w/BKP Mules with Clean amp, crunchy amp, and dirty amp settings:

On clean amp it was alright. When I tried the Sweet Baby on the SLO I noticed that even with the gain on the pedal at full, I was having trouble having difficulty telling if it was even switched on or not. With the Little Rock I still couldn't really tell if it was doing much at full gain with the Strat, it was just kind of a slightly dirtier Mark Knopfler/SRV kind of thing. Not unpleasant by any means, but still very tame. On clean amp with LP it was alot dirtier, almost like if Paul Kossoff in Free had a slightly heavier tone. As gain got pushed up it got fuzzier and I wasn't much of a fan.

On the ever so slightly crunchier amp tone it was a really good 'more' pedal. With a Strat it got very close to a Richie Blackmore 'Live In Japan' type of gain level, and with my LP it was Gary Moore 'Blues Alive' type gain levels. I even managed to do the long sustained bent note in the live version of Parisienne Walkways with it 

On the amps dirty channel I found the pedal to be a bit too much with the LP, it pushed alot more than I expected (even with gain and/or volume backed down) and I found it to be a bit too fat sounding for that use. With the Strat it was a bit more acceptable but still more than I really need from a pedal in that situation.

So for just over £30 I'm a fan. It's not going to kick the Boyes Boost or Catalinbread Naga Viper clone off my board for live work, but if/when I do something a bit more 'restrained' than I am now; it'll definitely see more use.

 

[Matt42]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I love my Sweet Baby. I run it in front of either a clean Mesa DC-5 or a clean 68 Bassman head, and with both amps it provides me with enough crunch and overdrive to do 90% of what I do. I have it on almost all the time. I like pushing it with a Tubescreamer for leads, or even just a clean boost pedal. It's also very sensitive to pick attack and volume knob tweaks.

 

[Aceman]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

Brow, this review sounds incredibly mediocre, and if the pedal wasn't so cheap you might be bagging it or selling it.

That said - you seem to have found a place for it. And I always say there is usually a time and place for every dirt box out there. They all have something to love. It may not be as your signature sound, but they all make some sort of joyous noise.

Good job taking the time to find the "Sweet" spot!

 

[Brow]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I love my Sweet Baby. I run it in front of either a clean Mesa DC-5 or a clean 68 Bassman head, and with both amps it provides me with enough crunch and overdrive to do 90% of what I do. I have it on almost all the time. I like pushing it with a Tubescreamer for leads, or even just a clean boost pedal. It's also very sensitive to pick attack and volume knob tweaks.

That's cool, glad you like it.

I tend to use my amps for Crunch and heavier OD sounds, so I haven't stacked the Sweet Baby with any other pedals yet. I did notice it being very sensitive of pick attack though, as you mentioned.

Brow, this review sounds incredibly mediocre, and if the pedal wasn't so cheap you might be bagging it or selling it.

That said - you seem to have found a place for it. And I always say there is usually a time and place for every dirt box out there. They all have something to love. It may not be as your signature sound, but they all make some sort of joyous noise.

Good job taking the time to find the "Sweet" spot!

Not sure which bit you're saying sounds mediocre: my review itself, my opinion of the pedal, the pedal itself etc but you're right to an extent. At 1 point I even contacted another owner of 1 of these pedals to enquire how much gain his had, as I honestly thought mine may be broken!

There's been very few pieces of gear I've come across that I can't get some sort of useable sound out of, so I wasn't going to quit and let it beat me until I'd atleast spent some more time with it. I'm glad I did to be honest as it's a very 'musical' Overdrive and it's also not like a TS/mid hump style sound, which is what I think may've been throwing my ear off to begin with; I was expecting something more TS-ish and it's just not that type of pedal.

 

[Matt42]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

it's also not like a TS/mid hump style sound, which is what I think may've been throwing my ear off to begin with; I was expecting something more TS-ish and it's just not that type of pedal.

It's very different from a TS type pedal. It's much more flat. It doesn't force it's own sound onto the amp, it enhances what's already there.

A TS type pedal infront of the Sweet Baby is great, it yields a super crunchy, sustainy solo tone. I also use mine in conjunction with my Mooer Hustle Drive (OCD clone) to get a bit heavier sound.

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I love my Sweet Baby...it is not a distortion and doesn't have that much gain...it also isn't very versatile....but it does one thing EXTREMELY well....lets your picking dynamics shine.

This pedal has a sweet spot...the tone control set between 8 and 10 o'clock will let the pedal become very amplike...pick light and it will stay clean, dig in and it gives you the goods. If you move the tone control higher it loses all the dynamics and is very average sounding.... also max gain is at about 1 0'clock on the gain control.

I like it a lot...makes my HRDX III a tweedlike tone

 

[Brow]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

It's very different from a TS type pedal. It's much more flat. It doesn't force it's own sound onto the amp, it enhances what's already there.

A TS type pedal infront of the Sweet Baby is great, it yields a super crunchy, sustainy solo tone. I also use mine in conjunction with my Mooer Hustle Drive (OCD clone) to get a bit heavier sound.

I may try some pedal stacking at the weekend. I might even drag out my favourite clean amp, 1970s Carlsbro 50-Top, to see what they really sound like. It's the most neutral sounding amp I've ever heard and it takes pedals extremely well.

I love my Sweet Baby...it is not a distortion and doesn't have that much gain...it also isn't very versatile....but it does one thing EXTREMELY well....lets your picking dynamics shine.

This pedal has a sweet spot...the tone control set between 8 and 10 o'clock will let the pedal become very amplike...pick light and it will stay clean, dig in and it gives you the goods. If you move the tone control higher it loses all the dynamics and is very average sounding.... also max gain is at about 1 0'clock on the gain control.

I like it a lot...makes my HRDX III a tweedlike tone

Oh yeah, I was well aware it's not a massively high gain OD or Distortion pedal before I got it. But I didn't expect it so be so low gain I sometimes couldn't tell it was switched on when playing a Strat with vintage pickups

I think I had the Focus knob set at about 10 o clock as that's where I thought it sounded best to me.

 

[Matt42]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I think it's a bit more noticeable with a humbucker guitar. The high output just pushes it a bit more.

Another thing that it does really well is take boost pedals. I run my Mooer Flex Boost in front of it all the time, and sometimes put my Joyo Roll Boost in front too. Playing my Tele with my g/f's 68 Bassman head and the Sweet Baby makes a great rhythm tone, and when I kick on the Roll Boost it pushes it into a nice singing lead tone.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

Mike Fuller hates this thread and your pedal.

 

[Aceman]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I was referring to your opinion on the pedal as being meh. As in this is a Meh pedal.

STill, very usable info. I think we are all on the page that it is a one trick box. If you dig that trick...

 

[Matt42]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I disagree with it being a one trick box a little. It just depends on how you use it. The picking dynamics are the big one, but it really responds well to different pickups, and to other dirt boxes used either in front of it to push it, or after it to beef it up. It works equally well in front of a clean amp or a dirty amp. I've actually used it to boost solos if I'm playing the rhythm part on my Hustle Drive (I put it before the Hustle with the volume set a bit higher than unity).

It's a fairly versatile pedal, IMO. I would say the Hustle Drive is probably more versatile though.

 

[Brow]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I think it's a bit more noticeable with a humbucker guitar. The high output just pushes it a bit more.

Another thing that it does really well is take boost pedals. I run my Mooer Flex Boost in front of it all the time, and sometimes put my Joyo Roll Boost in front too. Playing my Tele with my g/f's 68 Bassman head and the Sweet Baby makes a great rhythm tone, and when I kick on the Roll Boost it pushes it into a nice singing lead tone.

Yep, certainly a lot more noticeable with humbuckers. I really do like it with PAF style pickups too.

Mike Fuller hates this thread and your pedal.

Id've thought the guys at Mad Professor Pedals would hate it more than Mike Fuller!

I was referring to your opinion on the pedal as being meh. As in this is a Meh pedal.

STill, very usable info. I think we are all on the page that it is a one trick box. If you dig that trick...

Not 'meh', just not what I was expecting at 1st. That's my own fault for not doing a bit more reading up on it before I got it.

After watching a few vids of this Joyo and the 'real' Mad Professor pedal it seems that I may be missing out on a bit of gain by running the Focus knob fairly low. Not that I need any more from it, but it would explain why I thought my pedal was faulty and lacked gain.

 

[SouthpawGuy]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I would agree that this is a meh pedal. I was totally underwhelmed by mine.

I have three other Joyos, the vintage OD, US Dream and Ultimate Drive. Of the 4 I use the US Dream the most, as a low gain boost pedal, probably not it's intended use but it's actually very good as a boost.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: NPD: Joyo Sweet Baby OD

I love the sound of this pedal! Wouldn't quite call it a one-trick-pony, but neither would I say it's versatile. To me, it falls between the clean boost pedals (i.e. MXR m-133) and the lowest 'drive' setting of a TS-9. I use it and a TS-9 so I have the choice of two levels of drive with the touch of a toe. I have also used both at the same time on a select few songs with good results.