I tried the rumored JOYO BanTamP series! Part 1

Have you ever heard of JOYO's BanTamP series that Sound House has begun handling this year?
This is a head amp series released by the Chinese manufacturer JOYO.

Despite their small size (163 mm x 110 mm x 140 mm), most amplifiers weigh only 1 kg and are easy to carry. There are many types of amplifiers, with 13 models in the manufacturer lineups as of April 2024! Each amp has a different character and a different coloring, making them very collectible. The cute and stylish appearance is also attractive in my opinion.

The prices are very affordable, with head amps in the 20,000 to 30,000 yen price range. Furthermore, the BanTamP series are all tube amplifiers! It’s astounding that you can even get a tube amp in this price range! This series is revolutionary for its price.

I immediately went and got these and then tried several of the models!

Common Features

Before going into a detailed description of the individual amplifiers, let me explain some of the common features of the BanTamP series.
First of all, all amp heads share a common size of 163 mm × 110 mm × 140 mm and an overwhelmingly light weight of 1300 g, which is a very handy size. There have been amps of this size in the past, but to our surprise, all amps in this series are vacuum tube amps. There has never been a tube amp of this size before.
In addition, the rear panel has a send/return jack, which allows for parallel connection for effects like delays! Most tube amps do not have a headphone out due to their structure, but this amp has a built-in dummy circuit and can be played with headphones, which is groundbreaking for a tube amp.
Of course, Bluetooth compatibility is also possible! The bearing does not require any complicated operation, and you can easily play music from your smartphone or other devices by simply turning on the toggle switch!

Bluejay

This amp has a fat, warm, and clean character to its sound. I usually play jazz and this amp is perfect for my style of playing. Furthermore, when I turn up the gain, I get a natural drive, which allows me to enjoy a little bluesy guitar-like playing. This makes it suitable for a wide range of genres, from jazz to blues.

Also, the product name "Bluejay" is supposed to become your friend who you can enjoy playing the blues with. The lovely blue enclosure also fits the blues scene perfectly. This amplifier will truly be a reliable companion in the world of music!

Atomic

This amp has an old-school feel reminiscent of VOX. It can sound distorted in a nice way, and the clean is also very straight forward. It can be used in a band with acoustic guitars and you can get a nice sound when you strum along with them. The effects pedals are also very good, and although this amp does not distort that much on its own, the distortion is very good, so it is a good amp for hard rock and metal music.

Personally, I like to use the green Atomic alongside the green Ibanez TS9. The combination of their tones is really good.

Vivo

This is an excellent guitar amp that allows you to easily enjoy a distortion sound like Van Halen! Its overwhelming distortion is an ideal tone for guitarists seeking that American hard rock sound. Furthermore, if you use the SEND & RETURN function and insert a delay, you can play lead sounds more expressively. I was honestly surprised that a Peavey-style sound could be reproduced so well at this price point.

Also, the cool white design in the cute BanTamP series amp heads is very cool!

Tweedy

The Tweedy is my personal favorite head amp. The Bluejay introduced earlier sounds more like a Fender, but this head amp is exactly as the name suggests, a Tweedy! There are many digital amps that simulate the Tweed sound.
The dual channel design allows for two different sounds to be controlled with a footswitch. What's more, the Tweedy is equipped with a dedicated footswitch! What more can you ask for at this price? I can honestly say that I am very satisfied with this product.

Bantcab

The BanTamP series is an amp head that does not have speakers, so it doesn’t produce sound by itself. Of course, you can enjoy the head amp alone because it has a headphone out, but a cabinet is essential for rocking out to a powerful sound!
The Bantcab is compatible with all BanTamP series amps and is made with a flat cabinet so that the character of the amp can be fully utilized!

How was it?
The BanTamP series is priced at no more than 50,000 yen even when purchased as a set with a cabinet, but each amp has potential beyond its price. The products we have introduced here are just a small part of the BanTamP series, so we hope to introduce these really cute BanTamP series again in our next article.
Please check them out!