JOYO Tauren Overdrive Guitar Effect Pedal - Revolution R Series

Product Information

What is a Tauren? “Tauren are huge nomadic creatures who live on the grassy, open plains of Mulgore in central Kalimdor. Tauren are large, muscular humanoids and bovine in appearance, complete with hooves and horns. Tauren stand anywhere from nine to twelve feet tall”-- so pretty much my height “--and they weigh 650 to 1000 pounds--” that's basically me in the winter.**

Now, for those of you feverishly flipping through your World Atlas, let me clarify: we’re talking about World of Warcraft here. Now, I'm hip. I know that's a video game. I haven't played it yet because I've played Fallout 4 for seven years, but let’s put our cards on the table: we all know this pedal is based around the Klon. And honestly? It does the Klon thing pretty dang well. Perfectly camouflaged as a Klone, this is actually a double fuzz. Don’t miss the manufacturer’s criptic introduction to the pedal, aimed at confusing and then surprising the Klone seeker. First off, this is so much more than just a pedal because it's a cab simulator/emulator and an IR loader. This is going to be a godsend for a lot of you. A lot of guitarists can't use a real guitar amp all the time. Maybe you need to play at home. Maybe you need some way to listen through headphones or run direct out into your DAW for home recording, or you play at venues where an amp isn't allowed because it's too loud in the Front of House.

Klon Centaur-based overdrive offering both a buffered clean boost with plenty of chime and a rich transparent overdrive for pushing your edge of breakup tones into singing lead. The voicing switch shifts the frequency range of the Treble control. In V3 a new selection of diodes adds a new tonal dimension to the higher gain settings and a bass control allows for a little extra tone shaping. You’re welcome to grab a glass of water, take a sip, and read that over again so you can spit out your water dramatically. Or you can just do that Chris Farley Folgers crystals thing where you're furious, you're flipping tables, making a scene. That works, too. These days a guitarist has so much choice when it comes to expanding their pedal board with stomp boxes. Pedals are rarely impulse buys and players spend time and research on choosing the next pedal to help them achieve the tone and effects they're after. Now we have some great budget, intermediate and boutique pedals, and a flood of brands to boggle the mind. Nordvang offers three dual-channel overdrives in which at least one side is a Klon-style circuit. The Wingman has two of them, so it’s technically a dual Klone. The three classic knobs (Gain, Tone, Volume) are integrated by a Ratio toggle switch that adjusts the OD’s maximum gain range. Internally a set of dip switches for each side allows you to extend the bass response. V2 introduces a TRS split function to use with pedal looper systems enabled via three internal dip switches.

The Klon Centaur is perhaps the most over-hyped guitar transparent overdrive pedal of all time. The thing is, though, they sound fantastic! The original Klon Centaur pedal sells for thousands of dollars on the used market. The Centaur hasn’t been in production for years, and the only re-release in recent times was the Klon KTR.

An “as close as we can get” simulation of the Klone, it adds a lo-gain Pre Drive toggle with a mid-frequency bump and asymmetrical soft-clipping that widens the tonal options. A 3-way toggle labeled “Clipping” lets you also select between Germanium diodes, Schottky diodes or no diodes in the overdrive stage for extra dynamic and tonal flavors. An exact, part for part, meticulously crafted replica of the infamous “transparent” overdrive pedal.” The enclosure is much smaller though, and the modern graphics arguably cooler. Refining perfection. A Klon-inspired overdrive with a broader gain range and an extra Bass knob that’s particularly effective in fattening up or thinning down the overdriven tone. The Wampler Tumnus features a gold mini-enclosure, which will save room on your pedalboard. In terms of how the Tumnus works with other pedals, it works great!

It’s great to see that Joyo has updated its pedal range recently. One of the inclusions into their lineup is the Joyo Tauren overdrive pedal. This pedal features the tones of the Klon with just a little bit of extra gain added to the mix. A Klone that attempts to enhance the original with higher voltage spread for more headroom, and two switches affecting the signal’s clipping. V3 adds an independent boost circuit and two diode flavor options: Silicon or Mosfet. Now you can buy Joyo products even cheaper! Only within the last 90 days we have lowered the prices of 14 Joyo products. It really becomes super cheap with our set offers and Creative Bundles in which further discounts are included. Look, I’m not saying I’m a Tauren, but I will ask you this: have you ever seen me and a Tauren in the same place at the same time?

Apart from being a well-made, great sounding pedal, this is really simple to use. I don't usually get along with pedals with hyper digital banks and categories and millions of choices. To paraphrase Ron Swanson, “I'm a simple man. I like pretty, dark-haired women, and user-friendly pedals.” Like any real man, I figured this out without the use of a wimpy manual, which pretty much says all you need to know. Since all the pedals listed nail or come very close to the Klon sound, how does one go about choosing? I wish I could answer this question, but it's really about what pedals you already have and how you see a Klon clone integrating in this context. Is it simply a case of want or need, and do you believe one of the above pedals will drive you closer to the sound options you're after. The EHX Soul Food has somehow doubled in price since its original release, but it does nail the tones of the Klon. One of the sad things about EHX pedals is their build quality. They use cheaply made potentiometers (pots) that can break easily if the pedal is dropped. One of the newest, affordable, three-knob klones from a reliable builder. It keeps things simple, compact, and – what’s important – delivers authentic tones. R series effect pedals with high quality precision components, deliver way more comprehensive tones and functions compared with other pedals, aluminium-alloy housing classic stoving varnish finish.