Joyo's R-20 King of Kings overdrive is an attempt to channel Analog Man’s King of Tone in a budget box

Affordable effects builder Joyo has announced the arrival of its latest overdrive pedal, the R-20 King Of Kings, which it seems is inspired by Analog Man’s revered King of Tone.

Featuring a 1+1 dual channel design (with independent clipping diodes on each channel), each side has its own Volume, Gain and Tone controls. Either channel can be used independently for overdrive or crunch tones, or placed in a series circuit to push things into more distorted territory. 

There are also two pairs of mini toggle-switches, which allow players to vary the clipping and feedback of each channel.

Attempting to produce a budget-friendly version of a boutique build always involves some trade-offs, but Analog Man pedals are famous for two things: their rock-solid builds and their waiting list.

The boutique pedal maker prides itself on the quality of its components and, of course, tones. King of Tone pedals are hand-built in the USA – there are no re-badged, pre-made circuit boards – under the watchful eye of effects guru Mike Piera and, as such, have an enormous waiting list – the Analog Man site says it is currently shipping KOT orders placed before October 14, 2017.

Prices for the real thing start at $265, so it will be interesting to see just how close the factory-made Joyo manages to get, particularly for an MSRP of €75 (approx. $86). 

Head to Joyo Audio for more information.