Really well done comparison. I was thinking of going Zen, but now I’m thinking I’m just gonna have to practice my tai chi. 😂
@TomaszCzajka8011 ай бұрын
Wow! They sound pretty much identical! Thank you Andrew! We definitely want more of those comparison videos.
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Crazy, hey?? I've got more of these on the way. Thanks for watching 😊
@TomaszCzajka8011 ай бұрын
I've just ordered the Taichi, can't wait to get it😊
@kkkrich10 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for the review. You saved $200 for me
@andrewclarkeguitar10 ай бұрын
Hey that's awesome! 😀
@joemato5 ай бұрын
Even the knob positions were the same, amazing!
@TheJonci03223 ай бұрын
They are virtually the same! Great comparison video. I got the Taichi and I'm so glad I have it. Thanks
@bramletr111 ай бұрын
I love these comparisons. Well done.
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@iagobroxado11 ай бұрын
What an excellent demo. The only difference I noticed was a bit extra brightness from the Zendrive at the same tone knob settings.
@mikepretorius635011 ай бұрын
Just bought the Taichi, never mind for the money, its an excellent pedal, good demo !
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Totally agree! Thanks for watching.
@chenrunzhi68254 ай бұрын
Been having taichi for like 2 months, very happy to have it. The only thing I hate is the printing (labelling) is really difficult to read from certain angles, but once having the knobs memorized, not that annoying.
@JonWickensMusic6 ай бұрын
They may sound very much the same on KZbin, but how do they compare in terms of feel? I.e. compression, touch sensitivity under the fingers etc? You can make a lot of things sound the same, but to feel the same is a whole other story.
@mindfield983220 күн бұрын
The same.
@Mr.D348 ай бұрын
Zendrive sounds slightly clearer but you can definitely dial in the same tones with some knob or eq tweaking. Other than that they're really close, almost identical. Joyo R Series pedals are really amazing. Thanks for this great video.
@danielcgomez8 ай бұрын
yea ...differences could be down to Pot taper variations.
@vwccrline5 ай бұрын
Thanks for the great comparison, you just saved me $200!
@andrewclarkeguitar5 ай бұрын
Glad I could help!
@stonocz11 ай бұрын
It seems to me that the Zen drive has got a slightly cleaner tone. Especially when picking individual notes. It could be probably tweaked with some knobs though. I believe that not many people can actually distinguish the difference, especially in a live setting, which makes the Joyo a bargain. :)
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
It's very very close. But there is a slight difference. But is that difference worth almost $200? Not too sure, haha. Thanks for watching!
@kenster8653 ай бұрын
If cost is an object for you, then the Joyo is the way to go. If I were to buy one of these, I'd go with the original Zen drive. They spent the $$'s to do the development, testing and 1st run manufacturing. That's a chunk of change, no doubt. To now go with a cheaper alternative doesn't sit well with me. I'd get the original Zen drive or perhaps the Warm Audio WarmDrive that is mentioned elsewhere and also has a lot of merit.
@tw0pointoh6546 ай бұрын
The Warm Audio WarmDrive is even better than the Zendrive. Love that pedal, it's never off my board.
@andrewclarkeguitar6 ай бұрын
I haven't tried the Warm Audio one. But it looks and sounds awesome from what I've seen!
@lablespaul561010 ай бұрын
You really know how to compare pedals properly. Thank you so much for very informative comparison review. I've just ordered Taichi. What a bargain! Also, Joyo looks better imo lol
@juanduran77573 ай бұрын
Many thanks Andrew !! very cool review .
@sebastiangomezmusicАй бұрын
That’s a huge shock how close they sound! Have you compared with the Donner dumble pedal?
@wardengrn11 ай бұрын
Definitely like petal videos. Starting to look again. Had a big muff pi and a daddyo distortion. Looking for next one
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Nice! Lots more on the way. Thanks for watching :)
@Samana00911 ай бұрын
The only thing better on the Zendrive is the graphics (and not by much). Other than that, both pedals are virtualy the same.
@KoaCharvel11 ай бұрын
Circuits and schematics (for the most part) can not be copyrighted. So ANY company could copy a circuit 100%. There is literally no difference if that is the case. I would be interested to open up both and see what's under the hood.
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
I believe the Zendrive has all mounted components and the Joyo is likely a PCB. Can't say for sure though as the Joyo is built in a way that makes it very hard to get to the circuit board.
@samyose38826 ай бұрын
Joyo make good pedals I own 6 of them at last count. I recommend them, they've been fun to use
@YellowBrickFloyd11 ай бұрын
Great video. Funny, I had just spent the last 2 hrs. prior to sitting down with You Tube...researching information on the component differences between these 2 pedals. Now, before I get pummeled with comments...I may have a component name incorrect or the nomenclature. With that said the only difference I could find in MAIN components was that the Zen uses BAT41 diodes and the Tai Chi uses BAT46. The only difference there is the forwarding voltage .25v bat46, / .4v bat 41. That may account for the differences in clarity, clipping? They both use N7000 MosFET, and N5532P Op amps. I am no electrical engineer. ...just comparing apples to apples in layman terms. Is it worth the extra $$$ . Up to you...I have both with my Zen being the Red Dot variety. Happy Hunting...just wanted to share. Also, take a look at the Zen by Warm Audio. Price wise, it sits between the 2 but looks VERY much like the Zen and uses many if not all the same components according to the data. Thanks for tweaking the knobs and explaining throughout the vid.
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Very informative. Thank you so much for sharing!
@DDE_ADDICT11 ай бұрын
The Joyo is good, but it lacks clarity and definition when you play a chord, it gets flubby.
@iagobroxado11 ай бұрын
Propably slight real tone pot values, ex: the Zen uses a 10k por that's actually 11k when measured while the Joyo has a 10k por that reads 9k which will lead to different levels of treble when both pedals are adjusted the same. Best thing is to use your ears, not your eyes.
@davidwoods35811 ай бұрын
Close enough for my ears, certainly not a two hundred dollar difference (if any at all.) I always wanted an original Zendrive but they got way too expensive. I'd happily settle for the Taichi.
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Agreed! Almost identical to my ears as well.
@kimmolingonheimo11 ай бұрын
David: there are options: I have the 70€ 68Pedals Inca Kola, the IRIN Taichi 30€, ....
@kimmolingonheimo11 ай бұрын
after my dark strat jazz tone my ears need a bit of glassy( I have the Looking Glass) brightness, so I ordered the Joyo!
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Glassy brightness is what this pedal does best! Good choice 😁
@kimmolingonheimo10 ай бұрын
just tried it yesterday: aVERY NICE pedal, and not too bright!@@andrewclarkeguitar
@kimmolingonheimo5 ай бұрын
just upgrading to our finnish pedalmakers version(100€) with premium components and assembly: ZEN stays on!!!@@andrewclarkeguitar
@kimmolingonheimo5 ай бұрын
I really do like the Joyos bit more brightness, hoping the handmade finnish one would sit somewhere in between Joyo and orig.....anyway , a must have pedal for a strat!!! @@andrewclarkeguitar
@michael_caz_nyc11 ай бұрын
Great comparison. I do hear (ever so slightly) more individual string definition and presence with the Zen (but it's real close). My go to overdrive is The Barber Gain Changer SR = incredible unit. I also use a Fulltone OCD and a Thorpy Fallout Cloud. oNe LovE from NYC
@BrewerShettles5 ай бұрын
Great Video - what is the Loop pedal?
@andrewclarkeguitar5 ай бұрын
It's just a Boss RC-1
@muzikjay4 ай бұрын
Thanks for the comparison. It’s funny, but I could tell which pedal was which in the very first sound comparison. I actually thought it would be more difficult to hear the difference. I could hear the clarity of the Zen coming through. Which you prefer is subjective, although I do prefer the clarity of the Zen.
@ryanedwardmusic3 ай бұрын
Joyo a bit muddier/zendrive is clearer
@__Ben777__3 ай бұрын
What is the loop switching pedal called?
@andrewclarkeguitar3 ай бұрын
It's the JHS Switchback ☺
@BigGaBe1162 ай бұрын
circuits are circuits
@jacobbockover16288 ай бұрын
Ok. Befor anythings shown. I like A
@DDE_ADDICT9 ай бұрын
They do sound the same.
@DDE_ADDICT11 ай бұрын
I don't like either, but that is because it's not a tone I need. The Joyo is very usable for new players.
@andrewclarkeguitar11 ай бұрын
Fair enough! What's your go-to overdrive?
@DDE_ADDICT9 ай бұрын
Boss angry driver and Fulltone fulldrive 2 both are very expensive now. Joyo's got some great stuff going on. I actually have 3 of them. If I had a joyo back in the 80's it would have been a dream come true. @@andrewclarkeguitar
@OldTeaMate7 ай бұрын
A = Taichi
@23skidoo465 ай бұрын
it's hilarious all you guys say oh it's identical for less $ and yet you never see Joyos on any notable player's boards.
@zenlandzipline4 ай бұрын
Some people still have scruples and morals and would rather pay more and get an original, and have the money go to the person/company that originally developed the sound of a pedal/amp/etc. I understand if someone doesn’t have thousands of dollars to invest in their gear, yet they still want a good sound. I was poor (still kinda am) and young once, and being able to buy cheap gear from China and still get a great sound would have been something I would have partaken in. But I say this to those who can actually afford a real Zen yet want to cheap out and buy the Joyo: why don’t you just move to China, so you can buy everything cheap? Actually, you won’t have to move there, because eventually, China will take over the world economy and basically become an invincible superpower and pretty much rule the entire planet. It’s just a matter of time.
@l.a.covers84004 ай бұрын
Because guitar players are gullible idiots.
@mikeblue385Ай бұрын
the tai chi is muddy, farty, totally useless live. videos are a poor representation. save your money.
@5150powderАй бұрын
Proves what people? Proves that big name pedal manufacturers are ripping us the hell off with bullshit and snake oil. All pedals should be $50 bucks now. Full stop.