The Joyo R-02 TaiChi is an overdrive pedal that the company says captures the tones of the legendary Dumble Overdrive Special, the boutique amp behind a whole school of amp-like drive pedals. It sits in Joyo's R-Series, a line of compact pedals aimed at players who want a particular circuit without boutique prices, and it launched at NAMM 2019 with an RRP of USD 531.
What it does and how it is controlled
On the front panel the TaiChi carries the standard Volume, Gain and Tone controls you would expect from any drive pedal. What sets it apart is an added Voice control knob, used to tweak the gain limit and bass response. In practice that means the Voice knob shapes how hard the circuit compresses into drive and how much low end survives, which is where much of the Dumble-style character lives1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets overall output level1 |
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive1 |
| Tone | Standard drive pedal tone control1 |
| Voice | Tweaks the gain limit and bass response1 |
The R-series lighting
As with all R-series pedals, the TaiChi has an ambient lighting feature, which gearnews.com noted makes it easy to see on a darkened stage. For anyone playing dim rooms and club stages, that is a practical touch rather than a gimmick1.
Where it sits in Joyo's range
Joyo markets the TaiChi as an overdrive, and the reviewer's verdict was that it represents "value for money" at its price1. If you are browsing the wider category, the overdrive pedals page collects the type.
What reviewers said
Writing at launch, gearnews.com's reviewer weighed the TaiChi's asking price against its Dumble-style promise1:
"But at this price, I would take a punt on this if I was after that sound."
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Questions
What does the Voice knob do on the Joyo R-02 TaiChi?
The Voice control is the TaiChi's extra knob beyond the usual drive pedal layout. According to gearnews.com's launch report, it is used to tweak the gain limit and bass response, letting the player shape how much headroom the pedal keeps and how much low end comes through as the drive pushes harder.
What amp is the Joyo R-02 TaiChi modeled on?
Joyo says the R-02 TaiChi captures the tones of the legendary Dumble Overdrive Special, the boutique amp associated with players such as Robben Ford and John Mayer. The pedal is the company's take on that style of amp-like overdrive in a compact R-series stompbox.
How much does the Joyo R-02 TaiChi cost?
At its launch around the NAMM 2019 show, gearnews.com listed the R-02 TaiChi with an RRP of USD 53 (and GBP 49.95 in the UK). As a budget pedal, its street price may vary from that figure.
Does the Joyo R-02 TaiChi light up?
Yes. Like all Joyo R-series pedals, the TaiChi has an ambient lighting feature that gearnews.com noted makes it easy to see on a darkened stage.
When was the Joyo R-02 TaiChi launched?
The R-02 TaiChi was launched at the NAMM 2019 show, as reported by gearnews.com in January 2019.
Sources (1)
- NAMM 2019: Joyo R-02 TaiChi with Dumble tones for, er, $53!, gearnews.com, 2019-01-21
