Joyo Dark Flame vs Uzi shootout: which is the best cheap high gain overdrive pedal for you?

[@RichWordsMusic]

Time for timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and what we’re doing today 01:25 Today’s rig and plan 01:56 Joyo Uzi info 02:11 Joyo Dark Flame info 02:46 Modern hard rock/metal loop (Drop D tuning) 11:19 Classic 80s hard rock loop

[@wickedmetalhead]

Which one do you prefer?

[@emiliano9321]

Something that doesn't translate over KZbin: Does the Dark flame have more Presence? None of those have a knob and the UZI is severely lacking on presence (I own one).

[@Deckardkane420]

I have them both and they are good but the JOYO is not voiced to a Revv G4 (not sure why everyone thinks it is), i have a real REVV G4. The darkflame is tighter and less saturated and the Low knob could use a little more bass (thin sounding). The UZI has a better overall distortion as it has more saturated gain and has a little bit more bass available vs the Darkflame. I own both of these and they are good for the $ money and i have REVV G4, Diezel VH4 and the Heavy Menace but if your like me and love playing old-school KoRn or 1999 slipknot self titled album or similar the steer clear of the dark flame as it's way to tight and to thin of a low end for my tastes and i thought the new JOYO RIGEL pedal would replace my Darkflame but the same with that pedal, to thin and lack of any lowend. Hope the JOYO chopper Z will be what the darkflame isnt (more saturation and more lowend options)

[@wickedmetalhead]

@@Deckardkane420 thanks for the comment. Very useful information. I think I'll order the Uzi now. I hope it's not too digital sounding as pointed by a guy in comments.

[@emiliano9321]

@@Deckardkane420 thanks for the details! For me it's all about the presence. A little of that high end connects me more to the guitar and amp than all the gain/volume if it's dull.

[@Lamz..]

Great comparison! In a blindfolded test I don't think I could easily tell them them apart. if at all. They have a lot of common ground, depending on the EQ settings, IMO.

[@RichWordsMusic]

Cheers! Yep, in this context very hard to tell apart, and it is easy to make them sound almost identical in some settings. It’s the extremes where they start to differ and the Dark Flame gets tighter and less bassy, etc. Both nice pedals to have around, of course ;)

[@Infotek97]

I have both pedals and they both sound great! Currently have the Dark Flame on my board which has a ton of gain on tap.

[@RichWordsMusic]

Nice, glad you are enjoying yours too! I actually find the Dark Flame little easier to dial in than the G3 sometimes, even with all that gain 😅

[@TheJofrica]

Also got both, the Dark Flame is much louder like when they’re both set at noon everything

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

I read cheap pedals I click 😂

[@RichWordsMusic]

Ha ha, me too! Can’t get enough of those things ;)

[@IamCceeLL]

this guys demos are the best. you earned a sub

[@RichWordsMusic]

Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed and welcome :)

[@gabillos]

Really cool pedals and great demo! Thanks!

[@RichWordsMusic]

Thanks Gabriel, I 100% agree and I’m really happy you enjoyed the video too 😊 Rock on!

[@larrysims7235]

I have the Uzi and I also have a G4. They sound quite different into the front of a clean tube amp. Love them both. G4 is brighter and tighter, use the Uzi for old school stuff, G4 for everything else

[@RichWordsMusic]

Yep, they're great pedals (I own the G3 but have tried the G4 numerous times as well) and I can totally get behind the way you're using them! The Uzi is just great for all the classic stuff, while the G4 (in my case G3) gets the modern stuff done! Rock on!

[@kenttanguan8036]

Great video/content sir 👏 , I just bought that uzi and I really like it especially in my genre Alternative rock and ballad songs. Thank you sir. Godbless! Greetings from the Philippines!

[@TheJofrica]

Mabuhay! I have the Uzi too and it rocks! Very heavy stuff brad

[@elmienizam78]

I have a Joyo Chopper Z and its sound good, I want to add the gain pedals, I was confused to choose between UZI and Dark Flame before, but after this review my choice fell on UZI, but I will buy Dark Flame and Hot Witch because Joyo pedals are cheap, thank you for this good review😅❤

[@KipCount]

I have both of these and they are awesome. I totally preferred the Uzi over the BE-OD, which I've owned a handful of times. Easier to dial in a range of gain levels on the Uzi and the mid knob make a big difference. Don't miss the presence knob from the BE-OD at all. Just isn't necessary on the Uzi.

[@nmcgregor1990]

I think for sheer versatility, The Uzi gets my vote 🙂

[@RichWordsMusic]

Agreed! The Dark Flame excels at the modern metal thing, but the Uzi covers so much tonal ground, including metal. It's an awesome overdrive.

[@jnuhjnuh]

Get the "Double Uzi" (its just called The Fireman), and You will have the best rhythm / lead, or crunch ) high gain channels available in a pedal for the money.

[@emericbrun650]

I've both, I'm more using thé Uzi it Can match a lot of métal tones. Darkflame is juste better for some modern metalcore our such 90% of the time UZI, and derkflame for the rest. If I should keep only one I will keep the UZI

[@RichWordsMusic]

I think I'd agree with you there... the Uzi is really great for so many different styles, whereas the Dark Flame excels purely at the modern high gain stuff. Both great, but on pure versatility the Uzi wins for me.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

I’ve got the dark flame and love it

[@RichWordsMusic]

It's a great pedal, I agree!

[@SoldierOfSunrise]

Another nice comparison, thank you! But I'm still uncertain what to chose... I'm looking for the right overdrive solution, which is budget-friendly (hence I'm seeking within the JOYO lineup), and would fit the best for '80s metal & hard rock music. So the best for playing Van Halen, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, etc... I wonder if JOYO UZI, JOYO Dark Flame, JOYO Ironman Old School, JOYO Lion's Roar or JOYO Ironman Metal Head would be the best...!? 🤔 Could you please help?

[@warsawstudio]

And did You maybe had a chance to compare these to Joyo Chopperz too?

[@RichWordsMusic]

No, I haven't... in fact, until your message I didn't even know about the Chopper Z! That looks like a super cool pedal... I'm gonna have to check it out soon!

[@warsawstudio]

@@RichWordsMusic Do a clip with it if You do!

[@Andre-cm8xs]

Sensacional Review!!! 🇧🇷

[@RichWordsMusic]

Thanks so much! Rock on :)

[@Deckardkane420]

I have them both and they are good but the JOYO is not voiced to a Revv G4 (not sure why everyone thinks it is), i have a real REVV G4. The darkflame is tighter and less saturated and the Low knob could use a little more bass (thin sounding). The UZI has a better overall distortion as it has more saturated gain and has a little bit more bass available vs the Darkflame. I own both of these and they are good for the $ money and i have REVV G4, Diezel VH4 and the Heavy Menace but if your like me and love playing old-school KoRn or 1999 slipknot self titled album or similar the steer clear of the dark flame as it's way to tight and to thin of a low end for my tastes and i thought the new JOYO RIGEL pedal would replace my Darkflame but the same with that pedal, to thin and lack of any lowend. Hope the JOYO chopper Z will be what the darkflame isnt (more saturation and more lowend options)

[@RichWordsMusic]

Interesting points, thanks for sharing! I think the Dark Flame is voiced after the G3 and the G4 because Joyo told me it is… it’s closer to the G3 though. (I asked them when they sent it me originally.) In my other video I do an A/B with the G3 and it is very close. I totally agree about all your points re: tones as well. I think the Dark Flame is ideal for super tight modern metal sounds. It has a really quick response, and yes, hardly any low end. (This is my one grip with my Revv G3 as well!) This is the kind of sound I associate with players like Ola Englund, for example. The Uzi is much warmer and more rounded, and while it’s not as tight, it’s thicker and more classic sounding. I had never heard of the Rigel or the Chopper-Z… I need to check them out! Any idea what they are based on? Cheers!

[@Deckardkane420]

@@RichWordsMusic the rigel is suposedly based of a Ceres - 3ch Preamp Pedal but in a single channel form but has less lowend than the dark flame, the chopper Z is its own thing as far as i can tell

[@rosskrause3926]

I was wondering about the low end on the Dark Flame.

[@Deckardkane420]

@@rosskrause3926 very little, could use more with the bass pot

[@Funkfreed]

On the off setting of dark flame gain on 0 can it act like a marshall in a box?

[@RichWordsMusic]

Yes, it can - but even at Gain on 0 it's pretty heavy. So if you're looking for lower gain MIAB stuff it might be worth looking at a Plexi pedal or somehting...

[@emilianox99]

Nice demo, do you think that one of these would sound good on my Marshall MG15 ?

[@RichWordsMusic]

Yes, both of these will give you some better high gain distortion than the amp itself… I would recommend them both!

[@emilianox99]

@@RichWordsMusic Thank you so much for your help🤘

[@guitareplayer7141]

Which one is more pro sounding?

[@RichWordsMusic]

Hmm, in the hands of a good player these will both sound more than good enough for anything! I'd split them more this way: for a great all-round drive I find the Uzi more practical and authentic sounding, whereas the Dark Flame excels at modern metal sounds.

[@user-ni1gq9hg5d]

Team uzi,,,for death metal and old school thrash.....and the joyo splinter for bass!!!

[@RichWordsMusic]

It's great for thrash I agree... I've never tried the Splinter but I just watched some videos and agree it'd be awesome on bass 🤘

[@user-ni1gq9hg5d]

@@RichWordsMusic the splinter is a fat rat clone I'm told,,,the two toggle switches for fat and mosfet settings make it a good pedal for distorted bass,,I must confess I only bought one because I watched a concert vid of mortician's will rahmer using one on bass.....but it is a good versatile clone,,the satone neotoma is a better fat rat clone though....and cheaper.

[@ryze993]

UZI mais versátil ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[@RichWordsMusic]

The Uzi is such a great pedal!

[@tarzanwambo2465]

I buy joyo dark flame pedal use and i dont very like it .... i prefer my old setting on my dime mxr distortion pedal

[@RichWordsMusic]

That's interesting - I am sorry to hear you are not enjoying the Dark Flame. It's definitely a very different sound to the Dime MXR... hope you can persevere and end up finding some sounds in in that you do like!

[@TheJofrica]

I enjoy my MXR Fullbore Metal pedal...it's just way heavy and EQ settings galore. EQ is key to metal sounds

[@TheJofrica]

@@RichWordsMusic Hey nice channel by the way, I subscribed!

[@tiago.2313]

Dark flame .....❤

[@RichWordsMusic]

It's a fantastic pedal for sure!

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

They both sound digital. A lot of clarity but they sound distant and have no balz. They sound like the most recent Vox pedals. The Vox got blown away by my Pro Co Rat.

[@Deckardkane420]

i own them both, they dont sound digital in my amp but i deff agree no ballz what so ever severely lacking lowend and depth

[@RichWordsMusic]

Yeah, I think these are both fully analog, but I know what you mean. They both sound a lot fuller going into a cab live in the room, but that’s something you can’t get over KZbin, sadly. Pretty much anything gets blown away by the humble Rat 😎 A Deucetone Rat is next on my list but they basically never appear where I live! I need to test out the Vox pedals too…

[@DenariusHaveNarius]

Build your own Rat, not that difficult.

[@RichWordsMusic]

@@DenariusHaveNarius I haven't dared to do that yet... maybe I should! How hard can it be? I can solder a bit...

[@DenariusHaveNarius]

@@RichWordsMusic Yeah, just use an ic socket, then you don't have to worry about damaging the ic chip and can try various chips to see which you prefer. From what I've read, the chip actually plays a significant role in the Rat's tone. The original used an lm308 which is obsolete. The replacement was the OP07 which is also obsolete (I think). Tayda carries op07 chips. Don't know if they're genuine but I built a Rat with one. Sounds fine but I've never used a Rat so don't know if it sounds like the real deal.

[@650thunderbird]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@RichWordsMusic]

Cheers my friend!

[@RomanShushkanov]

Не совсем корректно звук сравнивается. На одной из примочек громкость на 12ч. на второй почти 100%. Усилитель при большей громкости перегружается больше и даёт свой перегруз.

[@RichWordsMusic]

I'm not sure I understand the comment (I tried it in Google Translate!). I only used one amplifier for the video, and it is set the same for both pedals. And on the pedals themselves, I try to keep the volumes similar using the volume knobs...