The Joyo Bullet Metal, model JF-321, is a compact distortion pedal from Joyo aimed at metal guitar players. Its distinguishing feature is a built-in noise gate with an adjustable threshold, which Joyo says keeps the pedal silent between chords and single notes rather than letting high-gain hiss ring out1.
Joyo describes the pedal's character in its own words: "the bullet shoots out of the barrel to unleash a metal fury full of power and accuracy"1. As with any maker's description, that is Joyo's marketing voice rather than an independent verdict.
The noise gate
The gate is the feature that sets the Bullet Metal apart from a plain high-gain distortion box. Joyo's product page explains its purpose: "The built-in GATE function is great to make sure that there is no extra noise between the chords or single notes"1. For a player running heavy gain, that means the pedal can clamp down on hum and hiss during pauses instead of relying on a separate noise gate pedal elsewhere on the board.
Power and signal specs
The pedal runs on a DC 9V adapter only; Joyo lists no battery option, so it needs a mains supply or a pedalboard power output1. At 25 mA it draws little current, and its 1M Ohm input impedance and 10K Ohm output impedance are typical values for a guitar stompbox1.
No battery compartment is listed, so the JF-321 cannot run without a 9V DC power source.
Size and bypass
The Bullet Metal is a mini-format pedal, sized for small boards or for filling a gap next to larger pedals1. Joyo states it uses true bypass switching, so the guitar signal passes through unprocessed when the pedal is off1.
A manual PDF for the JF-321 is available as a download on Joyo's product page1.
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Questions
Is the Joyo Bullet Metal true bypass?
Yes. Joyo states the JF-321 Bullet Metal uses a true bypass design, so when the pedal is switched off the guitar signal passes through without processing, which helps keep your tone clean on a larger pedalboard.
Can the Joyo JF-321 run on a battery?
No. Joyo lists the power requirement as a DC 9V adapter only, with no battery option, so you will need a power supply or an isolated output on your pedalboard power brick.
How much current does the Joyo Bullet Metal draw?
Joyo specifies a running current of 25 mA at 9V DC. That is a modest draw, so it can share a spot on most multi-output pedalboard power supplies without issue.
How big is the Joyo Bullet Metal?
The pedal measures 73 mm long by 43 mm wide by 50 mm high and weighs 220 g. That is a mini-pedal footprint, so it fits easily into tight spots on a pedalboard.
Sources (1)
- JF-321 Bullet Metal_JOYO, JOYO, 2019-12-12
