Joyo Zombie Reviews

Budget Dual Rec?

Does this sound like a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier for a fraction of the price? Well, no. But it does sound good. And it's loud. Like, fuck off, sound guy AND drummer telling you to turn down loud. Which is funny, because the thing is super small. So perfect for gigs where you have to bring your own gear, double so if the venue got a cab.

Not the best amp for pedals in the front, but the loop is all right. All in all, it's an amp for filthy riffing, and it does that well enough.

Oh yeah, it also got a clean channel. For some reason. No idea how that sounds.

Fun little amp

I play metal. This is a tiny Mesa Boogie clone. It plays metal too.

Obvious jokes aside, this little thing is awesome. It's not a straight-up clone of the mkV. More like an ideal mix between a few boxes. Overall distortion has a boogie character but is tighter than you would expect. It really benefits from hitting the front with a boost. A clean boost preferably.

Materials feel sturdy. Nothing feels cheap ( except the comically large BT antenna I guess ). The serial FX loop works as expected. The direct ( cab emulated ) out sounds ... good enough. A raw output would have been nicer than an emulated one but it's built for headphone practice, not recording directly, ultimately.

It sounds fabulous on a Benton v30 and even better on more serious cabs.

Where it fails, and why it gets 5 stars for sound is how it handles harmonics. If your playing benefits from a ton of well-defined squeals and/ or natural harmonics, I'd recommend you stay away from this box. Can you pull them off here? Technically yes but they will sound somewhat underwhelming. No amount of eq will change that significantly.

I was entirely fine with pinch harmonics on all the amps I've had so far ( and on most direct out cheapo preamps too ) except this. It could always be that I got much worse at them but I doubt it since natural harmonics don't shine as they should either.

All-in-all I am loving this tiny lunchbox and don't see myself parting with it any time soon.

Although there is no equalization the sound and the gain type is just fine for me.

Little beast

Worth its weight in gold

Unexpectedly powerful

Would be nice to have a foot-switch option and separate volume control for the two channels...if you need that, get the new version 2 model.

Small package & huge tones

This little Zombie head maybe small but it has lots teeth and produces a deadly bite.

I bought this as a travel head as my band jams are a fair distance away.

So, using public trains to transport a full size head is a no go.

Light in weight and small enough to fit in the gig bag, no dramas.

Clean channel very pristine and useable not much else to say there.

The gain channel in incredible.

I was absolutely blown away with this little head.

Through a 2x12 or 4x12 this little monster can compete with a full band. Retains it's composure well and does not flub out when pushed hard.

I've also used it in my home studio too, from the fx loop send to my interface and using IR's to great effect.

My only gripe is the loud pop it sends through the speaker when you turn it on.

Not sure if this issue has been corrected in the Mk2 version.

Fantastic little head I would highly recomend it.

Blew my mind outa the box

This amp is pretty something else! I thought I was gonna hate this little thing like I hate the orange micro terror but oh no! it really surprised me how good the clean AND the dirt channel sound.

I only regret not getting the ZombieII for the footswitch capability.

but everything else is just splendid!

HAMMER

Personal prefference of course, but there is a point that is never described on youtube reviews.

The clean tones of this head are 100% decent.

- Warm and deep bass response?: CHECK.

- Rich mid tones?: Check

- Clear high frequencies?: Check.

- Clean Gain? CHECK.

Obviously, it relates to a MB headand therefor the overdrive distortion channel does what its supposed to. Heavy tones that can be modified with the Tone knob to bring up the treble or the bass. ITS EXTREMELY LOUD (I use it with a Harly benton G112) and it provides more than enough for a 30sqm room. Im using it on the 1, maybe 1,5 on the volume knob otherwise, its just too loud.

I have tried the Meteor on the same order (Orange) and I have decided for this one on every tone possible.

This one has a much more "Presence" on the tones (Clean and OD)

Cannot complain about the missing EQ knobs, as its lunch box head and i knew it didnt have those in advance, but it could be great to use an EQ pedal (yet not necessary at all to be perfectly functional)

TLDR:

-VERY USABLE CLEAN TONEESSSSSS

- Powerful gain and distortion channel

-Extremely loud.

- Cute to see over the amp.

- Low price for the quality

- More than enough to be used on a practice room and im sure in the open aswell

- Bluetooth connection

"Negatives" that are not really a negatives:

-The clean channel its just a bit less quieter than the overdrive, but that can be fixed by simply turning the volume knob by a millimeter.

- It might be that the Zombie 2 its a bit more practical as its has a double channel with a foot switch and independent knobs, but this could be only preference. This one its just more than enough.

Recommended

Nice Amp but Mediocre Headphone Out

My main purpose for buying this was to practice with headphones. It sounds ok with headphones but not great. It can be a bit muddled.

I tried connecting the effects send to the effects return on my Boss Katana 100 and used the headphone jack on the Katana and it sounds a bit better.

I tested connecting the effects send to the input on my audio interface (Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen) and used some impulse responses, and this way sounded great! This sounded like what I was expecting! If you plan to buy this to record with it, I think this method works great and you'll be very happy with it!

Overall, it's a great little practice amp, I just wish the headphone emulation was better. I haven't actually used it with a cabinet yet so I can't comment on that but my expectation is that it would sound good through a cab, as so many videos on youtube demonstrate.

Cheap amp, great sound

I use this amp to practice and record my own music. I was looking for an affordable option that would give a nice tone and I found it.

I'd happily use this amp for gigs, it is very loud for it's small size and super easy to carry, besides it wouldn't hurt my wallet to replace it in case it "went missing".

I've never owned a tube amp before, so my opinion on that might not be very reliable, but I think it sounds great and a lot better than amp sims or digital emulation, that's for sure.

It only has one knob for shaping the tone, which is kind of like a low pass filter, it's not very versatile, obviously, but it gets the job done, as I said, it sounds great.

One of the things that I don't like, is the fact that it doesn't feel sturdy, it's just too light, and it can easily fall if bumped. The metal casing, however, feels like it can certainly take a fall but I don't know about the circuitry.

The bluetooth function is kinda cool to practice, however the sound quality depends entirely on the cabinet. Also I feel like the volume of the track playback is very low compared to the guitar, and it has no way to adjust it besides the phone's volume control

Raise the dead to bow at your knees

I'm not too fond of the clean channel. But really, that's not why you bought this amp is it? Quite the surprise from band mates when I rocked up to rehearsal with this tiny thing. It's simple, straight to the point. Loud and Mean!

Great find

Had to try this out for my first Guitar Head, the price was too good to turn down. And for the size, it has a very metal sound! Great paired with a Harley Benton Cab. Big recommend!

Super!

Very good amplifier for beginners. I`m connect it to the DIY cabinet with 4pcs 8" speakers (15W 16Ohm) and it sounds perfectly for home playing. I`m newer hear original Mesa Boogie head in real life, only in youtube records, but but a certain similarity in this clone can be heard IMHO. Bluetooth input is interesting addition for sound experiments. Don`r sure I will use it very often, but it is funny.

Amazing metal tone

Videos online don't quite do this justice. It sounds great, and I have no complaints whatsoever about the sound quality. I'm running it through a Harley Benton 1 x 12 with a Celestion Vintage 30 and the sound is incredible.

The only potential issues I have with it are how loud it gets with only the slightest adjustment on the volume knob. I am using it as a practice amp and with knob just above the 0 mark its can be heard everywhere in the house and even outside., making it quite hard to get a volume that's just right. Though generally how loud an amp gets is considered a positive.

This amp is certainly designed for metal music, so the OD channel may not work all that well for other genres of music, but the clean channel is very clean and I have heard that it runs pedals well.

This is insane

I use this through a Harley Benton 2x12 Cab.

For metal, this thing is insane and i'm in a constant sense of wonder whenever i play it.

It looks cute, but sounds awesome !

Amazing value for the price

I was looking to get cheap set up for my home studio for amateurish music production as I was tired of amp sims. This amp sounds so good and massive for this small size. Build quality is excellent, it feels good in hand. Big advantage is its portability.

Negative thing is the cab simulation that sounds terrible and also bluetooth is streamed in mono, not really great and kind of useless. So this amp must be used with proper cabinet through which it excels. Another inconvenience is replacement of the tube, but it is a minor problem as the preamp tubes lasts quite a long. Chassis screws can be reused twice, and must be handled carefully not to mess the holes. Also its sad that there is no footswitch jack, but for those who can solder, its easy to make it by yourself.

In conclusion, this amp is only amp and it does its job very well. All the additional functions are poor and pretty much useless.

Like a small Mesa Boogie Rectifier

The amp itself sounds amazing, the tone knob is very predictable and works as expected. The Gain is enough but needs a Boost/Tube Screamer in front if you want a real "High Gain" tone. Amazing amp for the prize!

Nice mini amp..

Verry good little practising guitar amp.. I like the simple lay out.. Nice clean and powerfool overdrive sound.. BT work flowlessly..

Simple practice or back up amp with a tasty metal tone

I've been using this amp with the Harley Benton Cab 112 and couldn't be happier with this combination.

This tiny amp packs an enormous power, with a metal tone - i play mostly trash and am really happy with what I get out of the overdrive channel.

The clean channel is... clean! Might work very well with pedals, but I'm not well versed in that subject.

You don't get much control out of this amp, but you can use preamp or overdrive pedal on the effects loop to change the tone a bit.

Bluetooth works well and it's very handy when I'm practising with my headphones.

Very satisfied with the purchase overall.

Great sound for not a load of money.

Combined with Harley Benton 212 Vintage you get set that gives amazing metal tones and can easily keep up with drums on rehersals and live. Lack of EQ other than one tone knob hurts it a bit but for the price it's not a problem.