JOYOJF-32 Hot Plexi Distortion Guitar Effect Pedal - True Bypass, DC 9V and Battery Supported

This pedal gave me that Marshall mid range frequency thing that I was looking for but at a budget price

I was looking for a Marshall/JCM800 pedal to make it easier to record into Logic Pro X without having to have a whole rig setup.The Hot Plexi out of the box is simple to use, hookup and get running. I am using power adapter straight from another Boss pedal in the chain. I placed it at the front of the pedal, to give that FX Loop vibe for all my effects. I play a lot of Tom Morello esque songs, and this fit the bill.The build seems good, very lightweight. The color is nice, like the original JCM800 grill color. Not sure what build this is modeled after, but seems "hotter" than a 2203 which is what i wanted, almost like a 2204/2005 (like T Morello) uses.For the price, seems like a no brainer to try for your usage.

I have to disclose that I'm a bit of a Joyo rube, as evidenced by the nearly dozen or so of them I now own. So given that I bought the pedal, and am generally very happy with it, it pains me to give anything other than a 5-star review. Still, they can't all be 5* pedals, so I think a 4* rating is more appropriate for this pedal that does one specific thing pretty well, but nothing else.My biggest gripe with the Plexi Drive isn't with how it sounds, but more with the fact that it's a sound that's readily available on dozens of other pedals, even those under $100. In terms of gain structure, it reminds me a little of the MXR '78 Badass Distortion, except that it isn't as hot/bright, and it offers a little more gain. Users of this pedal will find that it depends heavily on the quality of your amp's clean tone, which becomes increasingly true as you use dirtboxes with less gain/saturation (which tends to smother or "hide" the underlying tone). For this reason, subjective opinions on how it sounds may vary from rig-to-rig.But all that being said, the pedal does rock. Turn it on over as clean a tone as possible, and you can hit crunchy power chords with good mid-range punch and clarity. It also has a nice low-end presence that some other distortion pedals lack. The tone doesn't behave differently by changing the amount of gain, however. You get that vintage Marshall crunch with low gain settings, and then the same tone with more saturation as you turn it up. It does pair well with a good overdrive, such as the excellent Joyo Sweet Baby OD. Not necessarily good or bad, it just "is".The build quality is good enough for most people, but certainly not to the level of a BOSS, MXR, or even some Biyang and older Joyo pedals. Everything works great now, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of these Joyo switches fail in 5-10 years. At this price point, though, that's not an unreasonable risk to take.It was easier to purchase the Plexi with the prices falling to the $35 to $45 (U.S.) range, as opposed to nearly $60. But unlike the other Joyo products, which offer boutique-caliber clones, the Hot Plexi didn't "blow me away" as a unique value. But it sounds great, dials in simply and reliably, and is cheap, all of which make a great option for budget players or dirtpedal-obsessed hobbyists (raising hand).UPDATE (09/21/2013) - Re-visited my review; going to revise it to 3 stars, as much as that pains me. Perhaps I'm being too hard on this pedal but for me, the number one rule for any distortion box (and especially on specifically dedicated to hard rock, aggressive, distorted Marshall tones) is this: It can't get QUIETER when you step on the pedal. The whole point of distortion pedals is that you need it to be on unity gain or INCREASE your volume easily. I have this turned all the way up, and it's barely at unity gain on any setting. That's unacceptable. Did the side-by-size with the MXR '78 Badass again, and while the Hot Plexi has a great sound (arguably) even better, it's not useful to me once you perceive it to be "weak".This is not true example of the Joyo lineup, many of which are great products and have TONS of power on tap. The Crunch Distortion and Ultimate Drive have absurd amounts of output. This Hot Plexi is simply a near miss, and a slight disappointment.

I really like this pedal. It sounds great. Not too much, just right. Sounds vintage to me like early Black Sabbath or Judas Priest. I like the way it makes my SG sound and it really sustains for a long time. Playing it through 5 watt Kustom Defender head and cabinet so nice old vintage tube sound. Good price and great value for the money. Can't go wrong for $30. This one will be on my main effects board for a long time. Well constructed. Retro look with rounded edges. Just coolio daddio! I have a lot of Joyo pedals and I have really enjoyed most of them, this is a good one. A keeper.

When a pedal maker describes their product as a JCM 800 I have to assume that the pedal yields thick, saturated distortion with a Marshall flavor. This pedal does have Marshall voicing, but the drive is very weak. Maybe this was one of their low gain pedals that accidentally got put in a Hot Plexi enclosure. Who knows? I have a Joyo Deluxe Crunch that has plenty of distortion. If this pedal had that much distortion, it would be a good deal. But, it doesn't, so I'm returning it. VERY disappointed.