Joyo R12 Revolution Series Band Controller 10 Band Graphic EQ

An invaluable (but under-rated?) tool

By: Alan on 17 February 2021

Most guitarists, its seems, are either not aware of the advantages of multi-band EQ, or perhaps dismiss such a tool in favour of numerous other “effects” units. For me, however, if I had to pick just one pedal, it would be a good EQ, because you can sculpt your sound very effectively if you take the time to experiment. On my main pedalboard (which I use for a variety of gear like guitar, mando, uke, baritone guitar, etc.) I in fact have a horribly-expensive Boss EQ-200 10-band, because it allows me to store many different EQ settings, and instantly switch between them when swapping instruments. However, I have recently set up a smaller pedalboard for times when I’m playing just bass (depends on the gig), and I simply couldn’t justify (to my wife!) spending around $400 on another EQ-200 for that second board. And that’s where this Joyo R12 came in — having bought from AG many times over the years (and often Joyo products), I didn’t hesitate to give the R12 a go. PACKAGING: Was adequate, which was just as well, as it looked like the couriers placed something rather large on top of it, somewhat crushing one side of the box; fortunately, no damage to the unit itself. DOCUMENTATION: Minimal (just a small leaflet), but again adequate — there’s not a lot that needs to be written about such a relatively-simple unit. DESIGN: You’ll never be unsure as to whether your R12 is on or off, as the nice bright green lights on front and back, and again on the sliders themselves, will light up your life. Fortunately, you can select (via a three-way switch on the base) which level of lighting suits your taste. And that brings me to my one (minor) criticism of the design ….. Unlike some other pedal makers, they wisely chose to provide the rubber feet for the box separately, just in case you want to apply Velcro to attach it to your board — smart move. So, why, then, did they decide to site that three-way lighting switch UNDERNEATH the R12, thereby requiring you to cut your Velcro around it if you want to maintain access to the switch?!? ….. Apart from that one minor quibble, the design is pretty much standard for 10-band EQs — frequencies ranging from 31.25 HZ up to 16K more than cover any guitar or bass, and there’s also a separate volume slider (red light to distinguish it from the frequency sliders). A power requirement of just 30mA is easily accommodated by the average 9V pedalboard power supply. (There’s no option for batteries.) SOUND: No complaints here. No extraneous noise, and a few minutes of experimenting with my 5-string gave me every tone from dull thump to punchy. (And, in a brief try-out with my baritone uke, it also delivered.) It’s True Bypass, if that’s your thing. SUMMARY: For me, this unit is a keeper. No, it’s not as feature-laden as, say, my Boss EQ-200, but then the Boss costs more than three times the price! (Incidentally, IMO, the R12 stacks up very well against the equivalent MXR offering, which sells for around $100 more.) So, notwithstanding my minor whinge about the design, I still give it five stars for features and value-for-money. With a 3-year AG warranty, I’m happy with this one. (And apologies to Artist for yet another of my long-winded reviews on their site! I should have just said, “Hey, the R12 is good!” ☺)
(5)

By: Artist Guitars

Thank you very much for your awesome review for the product and our service. We really appreciate it. Cheers!

Very impressed

By: James on 28 October 2020

Bought this to finally give an EQ pedal a go in my FX loop, and all I can say is wow! Was delivered extremely quickly, the pedal is great in the loop and straight into the front of an amp, giving me tons more options in shaping my sound. Also works great as a mid or clean boost, so impressed I ordered 3 more pedals! Would highly recommend Artist guitars for their service and Joyo/Nux pedals for their sound.
(5)

Great cheap eq pedal

By: Don on 2 December 2019

Got this as a cheaper option to the MXR eq. Must say I’m very happy with it. Not noisy, great amount of control and this thing lights up like a space craft (you can also turn most lights off). It’s a perfect addition to any pedal board.
(5)