The Joyo Vintage Drive, also sold as the Vintage Overdrive or JF-01, is an overdrive pedal built on the circuit of the Ibanez Tube Screamer, one of the most copied drive designs in the business. Delicious Audio describes it as "an incredibly affordable Tube Screamer clone delivering more defined mids and a wider gain range"12. At a list price of $35 USD as of January 2024, it sits at the very low end of the drive pedal market3.
What it does
Like the Tube Screamer it is based on, the Vintage Drive pushes the mids and clips the signal softly, so it can either add grit on its own or drive an already cranked amp harder. MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen described it as "a representation of the classic Tube Screamer" and found that "the Vintage Overdrive delivers plenty of variation on a nice smooth overdrive"4.
The three controls cover the usual ground for this kind of pedal5:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level |
| Drive | Sets the amount of overdrive, from clean boost to full drive |
| Tone | Shapes the treble response |
Pedal of the Day's reviewer Mike B mapped out how far the Drive knob reaches: all the way down it works as a clean boost, around 12 o'clock it gives what he called a classic driven boost, and from 3 o'clock upward it produces "raging sounds that drive the amp"6. Used as a clean boost with the Tone at about 1 o'clock, he described the sound as "crisp and light with a touch of heat"6.
What reviewers said
The consistent theme across reviews is value. Mike B at Pedal of the Day summed it up: "you are basically getting one of the classic drive pedal sounds for less than thirty dollars, and it can also be used as a clean boost"6. MusicRadar's Curwen made a similar point, noting the pedal "has the advantage of taking care of the overdrive and amp-driving duties for under 30 quid, even if the design is highly derivative"4. Delicious Audio added it to its roundup of the best Tube Screamer pedals, clones and variants3.
Where it sits in Joyo's range
The Vintage Drive is one of many drives in Joyo's lineup. If you want a different flavor of overdrive from the same maker, the range includes the Joyo Sweet Baby Overdrive, the Joyo Green Legend, the Joyo JF-02 Ultimate Drive and the Joyo Baatsin, which packs eight drive circuits into one pedal. For more on how Tube Screamer-style pedals compare with each other, see Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer.
Videos
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Sources (6)
- 7 Of The Best Tube Screamer Clones, Variants And Reissues In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-04-17
- JF-01 Vintage Overdrive by JOYO, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2024-01-22
- Joyo Vintage Overdrive review, MusicRadar, 2012-07-11
- 11 Best Overdrive Pedals For 2026 (Includes Budget Options), Tone Island, 2026
- Joyo JF-01 Vintage Overdrive Pedal, Pedal of the Day, 2014-06-02
