Joyo/Harley Benton American Sound - for Bass?

[discreet]

Joyo/Harley Benton American Sound - for Bass?

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_american_truetone.htm

Just bought one of these little buggers for £27-ish (plus £7 postage) from Thomann... it's basically a clone of Tech 21's Blonde, one of the Character Pedal Series. Joyo make it and Harley Benton brand it for sale at Thomann. It's a Fender valve-amp simulator, specifically the Tweed type. There are a few threads and reviews here, on TB and elsewhere about using it for bass, the general consensus being that it loses too much bottom end and is not as good as a Tech 21 VT Bass.

Never being one to take any notice of what anyone says on the internet (and you shouldn't either), I bought one anyway and I'm glad I did. Yes, you do lose a little low end, but it"s nothing that can't be easily replaced by using your amp EQ (or pedal EQ). In fact the EQ on this pedal is very powerful. I get my fave sound with the 'Voice' control fully left (off) and the 'Drive' control between 9 and 12 o'clock, which warms things up very nicely. Any further and you are you're into Distortion Territory.

Tried it through my Rumble V3 500 Combo and as that amp is biased towards a warm, organic tone anyway, the American Sound adds some very pleasing valve-y break-up. A Fender amp simulator through a Fender amp? It works really well. A/B-ing it with my Behringer BDI-21 it definitely comes out on top soundwise as it just has more of everything (and a mid control). But it doesnt have a DI-out socket. So I'm still going to carry my BDI-21 in my gig bag as a last-resort emergency box.

It sounds absolutely incredible with my HB Strat, too. Which one would expect as it's ostensibly a guitar pedal and does everything the Tech 21 Blonde can do (it says here). I wouldn't know as I've not owned a Blonde (fnarr) but it certainly is a top-quality circuit - and at this price it would be rude not to buy one. Especially if you're a bass player who also (whisper it) plays g**t*r. I have owned (and regret selling - twice) a Tech 21 VT Bass, and the American Sound is not quite up to that level - after all, the VT Bass is a very good SVT simulator and the Sound is not, being much more Fendery - but if you like the sound of a Fender Bassman then you're going to find something you like in the American Sound. It seems to be particularly effective with my Jazz (strung with rounds), giving it a very solid authority - which I like a lot.

Edited August 30, 2018 by discreet

[ben4343]

I have one of these incoming too, actually as a cheap trial to give an octave-up a bit more character before it hits a guitar amp. However, I have heard excellent things about it as an all-round drive pedal for bass; a bit of googling re-found this review page (https://johnkvintageguitars.homestead.com/JoyoJF14.html) which is where I first heard about it I think. I'm looking forward to giving mine a whirl. Do you find it plays nicely with other pedals i.e. doesn't get all noisy and annoying?

[discreet]

1 hour ago, ben4343 said:

Do you find it plays nicely with other pedals i.e. doesn't get all noisy and annoying?

I can't tell you, sorry. I use it as an always-on preamp. I'm not much of a one for effects, generally.