Joyo Oxford

[stewblack]

11 hours ago, Bigwan said:

Yes! YES! And indeed YES! 

 

Brilliant pedal. Buy one NOW! 

Now that's my kind of review!

[Baloney Balderdash]

11 hours ago, Bigwan said:

Yes! YES! And indeed YES! 

 

Brilliant pedal. Buy one NOW! 

 

Can't wait for mine to arrive.

 

With a bit of luck I'll have it tomorrow with the mail, more likely and at latest Wednesday though.

 

You noticed any difference in how the Voice knob control works on this pedal compared to the other pedals in this series, as I mentioned in my previous reply having read some people mentioned on the internet, and if so, could you then perhaps in explain in what way (from what I gathered something about turning it above noon not only boosts the upper mids but also tightens the bass response somehow)?

Edited April 18, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[Bigwan]

33 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

 

Can't wait for mine to arrive.

 

With a bit of luck I'll have it tomorrow with the mail, more likely and at latest Wednesday though.

 

You noticed any difference in how the Voice knob control works on this pedal compared to the other pedals in this series, as I mentioned in my previous reply having read some people mentioned on the internet, and if so, could you then perhaps in explain in what way (from what I gathered something about turning it above noon not only boosts the upper mids but also tightens the bass response somehow)?

 

I think it's the reverse. Bellow about 10 o'clock there's very little bass and very little output (without adjusting the level and drive to compensate). All comes back in after that and starts to sound really obnoxiously loud and in-your-face beyond about 1 o'clock, so much so I had to adjust the drive and output to control it a little. It reminds me very much of the voice control on the JOYO Orange Juice I used to have. I can't really comment on whether it's different from others in the series beyond saying my VT Bass modded British Sound doesn't lose so much volume or low end with the dial low as the Oxford does, but it still gets pretty obnoxious in the upper mids when turned up. 

 

I think this is going to be my always on pedal now, which is what I'd intended the VT Bass modified British Sound to be. I'd considered the American Sound but I would imagine this is a little edgier, which suits me just fine! 

[dudewheresmybass]

That video really does do it justice - Indeed if you can find one - Do Definitely buy one!!

 

On a slightly different tack I did email both the UK distributor and the manufacturer asking about the leeds, and whether they had plans to release a clone. However, I've not yet had a response. On the basis of how they've done with the oxford, it should sound amazing

[Baloney Balderdash]

Just got mine earlier today, and have now had a chance to try it out properly, and I can only agree with what is said here:

 

Wouh, amazing, works exceptionally well with bass, as does the EQ, mind you'll have to turn up the Low EQ a bit and the High slightly down for it to work optimally, but on the other hand all the EQ points seems to be just perfectly chosen to make the right adjustments and to give a wide variety of tones, at least when used with bass, and it sounds really punchy, snappy and vibrant. 

 

I also think the range of clean, cleanish, overdriven and distorted tones available with the Drive knob works really well with bass.

 

Joyo really nailed it with this one, seems a step above all the other Joyo Tech 21 amp emulation preamp clones in the Sound series. 

 

Deserves more attention though, in my opinion it beats the American Sound which unlike the Oxford Sound, so far at least, have received a lot of attention and praise, and while that is without doubt a great pedal too, in my opinion the Oxford Sound is even better.

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[stewblack]

Wow! Better than the American Sound!! I gave gigged the American Sound as a preamp and it was fantastic. 

I shall collapse like a soufflé in a cupboard soon. Whether I can afford it or not

[Baloney Balderdash]

13 hours ago, stewblack said:

Wow! Better than the American Sound!! I gave gigged the American Sound as a preamp and it was fantastic. 

I shall collapse like a soufflé in a cupboard soon. Whether I can afford it or not

Well, no guarantee you'd like the Oxford Sound better, it does sound different, but in my personal opinion better, and as said the range of the controls, EQ points and how they overall reacts and interacts seems to work better for bass as well, at least as far as I am concerned.

 

To me it seems like it is a better pedal all together, and especially for bass, but all that means nothing if the American Sound fits you personal preferences better. 

 

Though regardless I'd say that you should definitely try it out, not sure about the return policy of the shop where you bought it, but in any case I would think you most likely would find a good use for it, even if it turns out not to be an improvement to you over the American Sound, if not as a preamp then at least as an overdrive or distortion, cause the overdrive and distortion tones is something else in this too, on bass at least, can get really snappy and grindy.

 

If you liked the Joyo Orange Juice or just like Orange type amps and the drive of them in general I am pretty certain though that you are going to love the Oxford Sound.  

 

Like the Orange Juice is to the Oxford Sound what those taste samples you sometimes get in supermarkets is to a full portion/meal prepared of/with the product, to be consequent and stick with the food analogy, not exactly an expert in soufflés though. 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[Baloney Balderdash]

For what it is worth these are the settings I found to work best, for me personally at least:

 

That is MID set at about 2 o'clock, LOW ever so slightly lower (as in CCW, ~ 1:30 o'clock), VOICE ever so slightly higher (as in CW, ~ 2:30 o'clock), HIGH just cut ever so slightly (as in slightly turned CCW, ~ 11:30 o'clock), DRIVE set to about 9 o'clock, and LEVEL set to just about unity (Edit!!!: The settings I eventually settled for are: Low: 1 - Mid: 2 - High: Noon - Voice: 1:30 - Drive: 9 (same)). 

 

And I use it first in my signal chain (so sort of functioning as if my bass had had an active onboard preamp), just after the compressor, and then going straight into a Boss LS-2 with an always on Joyo Orange Juice in one of it's effect loops, blended with about 45% clean signal (that is the Oxford Sound) or so, the Orange Juice set as follows: Tone ~ 11:30 o'clock, Drive ~10 o'clock, Voice ~ 1:30 o'clock.

 

This being part of my "always on" setup of  my "amp-less" setup, which ends with 2 tube preamps stacked into each other, both set at the verge of breakup, and placed right after my faux, EQ based, cab sim, set to what in practice equals an about 3.6kHz -12dB/Oct HPF, the second tube preamp having its 40Hz -12dB/Oct HPF activated.

 

Combined this gives me a quite punchy and really snappy kind of tone, with a nice amount of bite and tube like touch sensitive low to low medium gain overdrive grit and grind, but the Oxford Sound really being my main tone shaper in this setup (some additional EQ'ing does happen in between the [Oxford Sound -> Boss LS-2 =<={Oxford Sound->Orange Juice=|\\~ 55/45% Mix\\|=Oxford Sound}=>->] and the faux, EQ based, cab sim, but those are relative minor fine adjustments. But, as said, still the main character of my tone comes from the Oxford Sound)

 

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[soldersqueeze]

Just received my Oxford Sound today. 

 

Absolutely enormous sound, very powerful EQ. Definitely a keeper, a great pedal regardless of price. Taking the price into account it seems like a no brainer. Got mine from Amazon and it arrived in a few days.

 

Now looking at the other Joyo amp pedals, because this thing is spectacular. 

 

[stewblack]

37 minutes ago, soldersqueeze said:

Just received my Oxford Sound today. 

 

Absolutely enormous sound, very powerful EQ. Definitely a keeper, a great pedal regardless of price. Taking the price into account it seems like a no brainer. Got mine from Amazon and it arrived in a few days.

 

Now looking at the other Joyo amp pedals, because this thing is spectacular. 

 

I have the American and the Californian and I've gigged with both as pre-amps. They're very, very good.

[Bigwan]

Surprised they haven't released the VT Bass version... 

 

I made my own but prefer the Oxford! 

[soldersqueeze]

12 minutes ago, Bigwan said:

Surprised they haven't released the VT Bass version... 

 

I made my own but prefer the Oxford! 

 

I would love a VT Bass version, I used to have the Tech 21 original and it sounded awesome.

 

I looked at modding one but for all my soldering practice I've never been near SMD stuff... I should be happy with the Oxford for a while regardless!

[soldersqueeze]

15 minutes ago, stewblack said:

I have the American and the Californian and I've gigged with both as pre-amps. They're very, very good.

 

Would you say there's enough differences between the Oxford and these two to justify owning them all? I *will* try to avoid buying them, but i would appreciate your input just in case I falter

 

[stewblack]

I have yet to get my Oxford. went on an unplanned spending spree and am crawling towards my next money!

The two I have are different from one another so i say go for it.

 

[dudewheresmybass]

3 hours ago, Bigwan said:

Surprised they haven't released the VT Bass version... 

 

I made my own but prefer the Oxford! 

love my oxford still after 6 months+

would love to see the leeds cloned  

[3below]

6 hours ago, dudewheresmybass said:

love my oxford still after 6 months+

would love to see the leeds cloned  

Ditto with the Leeds clone, (I have the Tech 21 Leeds, just too scarce to risk losing it at a gig).  Mrs 3Below uses the American with her Telecaster direct into PA, very, very good.

[Baloney Balderdash]

I am also just as exited of my Joyo Oxford Sound as when I got it about a month ago.

 

Now, my always on signal chain in my "amp-less" setup is a lot more complicated and consists of quite a few more pedals and more EQ'ing, among those finishing with 2 tube preamp stages, but I believe I could get perfectly by with just the Mosky XP Boss (Xotic EP Boost clone), stacked into the Joyo Oxford Sound, at the start of my chain where they are positioned now, and then the 2 band bass parametric EQ model in my Zoom MS-70CDR, that is placed towards the end of my chain, right before ending with the 2 tube preamp stages currently, that I use to mimic an about 3.6kHz -12dB/Oct LPF, by having it set to [12kHz Q=1 -18dB // 20kHz Q=0.5 -20dB], that I use a faux cab sim.

 

That is:

 

Mosky XP Boost -> Joyo Oxford Sound -> Zoom MS-70CDR with parametric EQ mimicking a 3.6kHz -12 dB/Oct LPF, as a faux cab sim 

 

If I was only allowed to use 3 effects.

 

The Joyo Oxford Sound really being responsible for the primary character of my current tone.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[stewblack]

Mine has arrived, second hand from here. Not gigged it yet but had a play at home.

Different again from all the others in this series. Hard to describe a pedal with such a variety of sounds available.

It's not fuzzy, not ratty, more..throaty?

Either way another great Joyo pedal.

 

[Baloney Balderdash]

2 hours ago, stewblack said:

Mine has arrived, second hand from here. Not gigged it yet but had a play at home.

Different again from all the others in this series. Hard to describe a pedal with such a variety of sounds available.

It's not fuzzy, not ratty, more..throaty?

Either way another great Joyo pedal.

 

How do you personally like it compared to the American Sound, which I know you like a lot (if you have used the Oxford Sound enough to be able to make such an opinion)?

 

As I mentioned in a previous post in this thread personally I much prefer the Oxford Sound to the American Sound (but guess it will mostly be a matter of personal taste and preferences).

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

How do you personally like it compared to the American Sound, which I know you like a lot (if you have used the Oxford Sound enough to be able to make such an opinion)?

 

As I mentioned in a previous post in this thread personally I much prefer it to the American Sound (but guess it will mostly be a matter of personal taste and preferences).

 

The American sound is my 'always on' pedal of choice. I like the tone controls and the way it helps me sit in the mix. 

The Oxford I plan on using to kick things up to a more distorted, louder sound for filling beneath solos and such.

 

[dudewheresmybass]

'Throaty'

love that description - suits it perfectly!! @stewblack

[Supernaut]

How is the background noise/hiss on these? 

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 03/11/2023 at 19:30, Supernaut said:

How is the background noise/hiss on these? 

No noise to speak of, at least not as long as your bass is properly shielded, that you don't crank the Drive control, as with most dirt pedals really, and you otherwise feed it with a clean, properly isolated and filtered, power supply.

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 02/05/2022 at 18:02, Baloney Balderdash said:

For what it is worth these are the settings I found to work best, for me personally at least:

 

That is MID set at about 2 o'clock, LOW ever so slightly lower (as in CCW, ~ 1:30 o'clock), VOICE ever so slightly higher (as in CW, ~ 2:30 o'clock), HIGH just cut ever so slightly (as in slightly turned CCW, ~ 11:30 o'clock), DRIVE set to about 9 o'clock, and LEVEL set to just about unity (Edit!!!: The settings I eventually settled for are: Low: 1 - Mid: 2 - High: Noon - Voice: 1:30 - Drive: 9 (same)). 

 

And I use it first in my signal chain (so sort of functioning as if my bass had had an active onboard preamp), just after the compressor, and then going straight into a Boss LS-2 with an always on Joyo Orange Juice in one of it's effect loops, blended with about 45% clean signal (that is the Oxford Sound) or so, the Orange Juice set as follows: Tone ~ 11:30 o'clock, Drive ~10 o'clock, Voice ~ 1:30 o'clock.

 

This being part of my "always on" setup of  my "amp-less" setup, which ends with 2 tube preamps stacked into each other, both set at the verge of breakup, and placed right after my faux, EQ based, cab sim, set to what in practice equals an about 3.6kHz -12dB/Oct HPF, the second tube preamp having its 40Hz -12dB/Oct HPF activated.

 

Combined this gives me a quite punchy and really snappy kind of tone, with a nice amount of bite and tube like touch sensitive low to low medium gain overdrive grit and grind, but the Oxford Sound really being my main tone shaper in this setup (some additional EQ'ing does happen in between the [Oxford Sound -> Boss LS-2 =<={Oxford Sound->Orange Juice=|\\~ 55/45% Mix\\|=Oxford Sound}=>->] and the faux, EQ based, cab sim, but those are relative minor fine adjustments. But, as said, still the main character of my tone comes from the Oxford Sound)

 

 

Took it off my board eventually, but has just put it back on, last thing before the NUX Melvin Lee Davis Bass Preamp & DI (used with a digital emulation of an Aguilar Tone Hammer amp and an Ampeg SVT-212AV IR cab sim) of my "amp-less" setup, mixed at an approximate 50/50 ratio with "clean" signal, via a Boss LS-2, using the following settings: Low @ about 1:30 o'clock - High @ about 10:30 o'clock - Drive @ noon, and Level set to approximately unity.

 

Adds a subtle low gain but quite grindy overdrive, and some extra grunt, snap and bite to the overall tone, which it also brightens and tightens up a bit.

 

Still my favorite of Joyo's Tech 21 Character clones, Sound series of pedals, even if I admittedly have yet to try the AC Tone and British Sound, but I have listened to/watched a fair share of demos featuring those two pedals, and I do own both the California Sound and American Sound.

 

Likely getting the British Sound at some point though, to try out as dirt pedal.

 

 

 

Edited January 6 by Baloney Balderdash