JOYO Infinite Sustainer Guitar Strings Sustainer Device Handheld String Trigger Sustain Effects for Guitarists & Guitar Devotee (JGE-01)

I got he sound stone sustainer and immediately felt ripped off. It was terrible, unpredictable and for that reason unusable.About 2 years later I decided I wanted to try another sustainer but couldn't justify an ebow. After watching many reviews I decided to try the joyo. Its consistent and so much easier to use than the sound stone. It's more comfortable to hold and almost twice as large. I wish it was slightly smaller but it's a massive improvement to what I had. I'm still trying to figure out how I'll use it but it's versatile for ambient tones to play over especially paired with reverb, echo and looper pedals.I was worried that I'd regret no going with an ebow or that it would be a gimmick that I quickly became bored with. But I'm finding that I try to make use of it more.

It's nice that there is an option to the ebow as this joyo unit works just like an ebow. There is a learning curve to cultivating the touch you need to become good. I wouldn't expect alot without some major time spent so don't give up to quick. Never blame your tools.

I’m not an ambient player, as I come from the rock n roll side of guitar. However, I’m always looking for ways to fill out space, create continuity, or even double riffs in unexpected ways without always using synths. This solves a lot of those issues and is a blast to play around with. For sound reference- A LOT like the GeoShred guitar app from the keyboardist of Dream Theatre and much closer to a sustainiac pickup than a freeze pedal.I’ve never used an ebow in the past so can’t compare. I actually got this because I’m recovering from major wrist surgery on my picking hand and can’t pick for a few months. Surprised how fast I got the hang of positioning it over the DGB strings. If you’re a guitarist who picks up a slide or throws on a Qtron when bored, you won’t regret this. If you record or loop, get it.I’m excited to use this live once healed up.

I was able to get up and running with this unit right out of the box. It came preloaded with a 9 volt battery and there is another one in the box. I like the sound of both of the tone variations. The rear switch position is the basic tone and the front position is the "feedback" tone which adds higher pitched overtones to the sound. It does take a little getting used to playing melodies all on a single string but that isn't a major hurtle to overcome. Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase. I've wanted a similar device for a long time but could never quite justify spending the price of the well known brand (you know which one I'm referring to). This was easy on the wallet and gets the job done.

Compared to what I've seen from the classic Ebow, this one has channels for the strings and you basically have to sit it ON the string to get it to work.. I'll try with some higher end pickups later but working with Ernie Ball Cobalt 11-48s and a couple of lower end Seymour Duncs on a Frankenstein Les Paul... I'm getting about 3/4 of what I was hoping for with this one. But I got it on sale for half the Ebow Plus which is a plus. And it does put out some interesting sounds but it would be wayyyy nicer if it was more powerful. I'm gonna have to send this back and save up until next month for the EB+.But if you are aiming for really simple 1-string effects, you're in business.

YOu have to force it into the strings to pick up the sound. But by pushing on it hard you get unwanted sounds. I have used similar products that friends owned and they worked smoothly (I won't mention the brand because I'm not here to advertise).My friends also tried using the JOYO and they had the same experience. I looked online for reviews thinking maybe it was just a malfunction but basically they also complained about the same issue.It's a shame because I really like the look and has a shape that feels more comfortable to play with and can even hold your pick while holding it which isn't possible with the others. But it's all about the sound.If they fix this issue they will have a great product

While the eBow is the OG of this type of device, I actually prefer the JOYO version as it creates far lower output than the eBow. with my eBow, I often had to have my guitar volume barely up to match my normal output volume. The JOYO is much more relaxed in the pickups' magnetic fields and matches output from my guitars whether attacked with plectrum or fingers. It's actually a bit more comfortable to hold as well, and it's a lot easier to get timing correct with it, as I'm orders of magnitude less gentle with approaching the pickup to start vibration. with the eBow I always had to creep up on the pickups any time I started a line.

The product delivers, I just don't like what it delivers. No quality issues, easy to use, but I guess I was hoping to get some clean tones out of it but by nature it vibrates a string harder and longer than picking or strumming ever could, the ear is used to the attack and decay of picking a string and it ringing out slowly getting softer/cleaner. But this ramps up for a while and then stays aggressively vibrating the string, which it's doing its job, it's just not what I was hoping for. I think leaning into the grit and using it with a slide or something would really let this thing be what it is, intense/aggressive.