The Big Joe R-402 Classic is an overdrive pedal from the Big Joe Stomp Box Company. Big Joe describes it as "your classic overdriven tube amp sound," with what the maker calls "9V Texas Flood style grit with thick, chunky harmonic saturation"1. The name points at the Stevie Ray Vaughan album, so players looking for that kind of pushed-amp breakup are the audience this pedal is built for.
Alongside its drive circuit, the R-402 Classic includes a speaker simulation toggle, which sets it apart from a plain overdrive box1.
Controls and features
The R-402 Classic keeps its control set small. Big Joe lists the following1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Output | Sets the overall level coming out of the pedal |
| Presence | Shapes the upper-mid and high-frequency content |
| 2-position toggle | Engages the speaker simulation circuitry |
The toggle is the pedal's distinctive control. Big Joe says it "lets you engage speaker simulation circuitry that models speaker box loaded with large drivers giving you a more smoothed out frequency response"1. In practice, that means you can run the pedal into a clean amp or a recording interface and still get some of the rounded, rolled-off character of a speaker cabinet. For more on this kind of circuit, see speaker simulation pedals.
Other features listed by the maker1:
- Status LED
- True bypass switching
- 6.3 mm mono jack input and output
Powering it
The pedal runs on either a 9V battery or a 9V DC power supply with a 2.1 mm x 5.5 mm barrel connector and negative polarity on the center pin1. That is the same arrangement as most modern pedals, so a standard pedalboard supply or daisy chain will work. Big Joe does not include a power supply with the pedal1.
The barrel connector is center negative. Supplies wired the opposite way, common with some older or off-brand units, should not be used with this pedal.
Where it sits in the Big Joe lineup
Big Joe makes a range of overdrive and distortion pedals, and the R-402 Classic sits among several siblings in the R series, including the R-401 Saturated, the R-403 Vintage, the R-404 Vintage II, and the R-405 Hard. The company also builds the B series, with pedals such as the B-301 Tube, B-302 Rock, B-309 Texas Screamer, B-402 Classic, B-404 Vintage II, and B-502 Empire.
Videos
Big Joe Stomp Box Company
QuilterLabs
Questions
Is the Big Joe R-402 Classic true bypass?
Yes. Big Joe lists the R-402 Classic as true bypass, so with the pedal disengaged the guitar signal passes through without the circuit coloring it. It also has a status LED so you can see at a glance whether it is on.
Does the R-402 Classic take a 9V battery?
Yes. Big Joe specifies power from a 9V battery or a 9V DC power supply with a 2.1 mm x 5.5 mm barrel connector, center negative. The power supply is not included with the pedal.
What power supply does the R-402 Classic use?
It uses a 9V DC supply with a 2.1 mm x 5.5 mm barrel connector and negative polarity on the center pin, the same arrangement as most modern pedals. That means it works with a standard daisy chain or isolated pedalboard supply.
Sources (1)
- R-402 CLASSIC (9V-18V), Big Joe Stomp Box Company
