The complete amp was delivered here for under $25, earning it a “Bargain Studio Hacks” label (under $30). I just checked and it is up to $29.99 currently, still a deal.
WHY IT MATTERS
This little amp eliminates any excuse you have for not practicing your guitar. This portable wonder fits in a large pocket and is everything you need to practice. You can send it bluetooth backing tracks to jam along with or you can use it as a bluetooth speaker to listen to content. It has a rechargeable battery inside and it charges from any handy USB-C cable/charger. It plays for hours on a single charge. Convenience combined with accessibility, in a 6” x 3” x 3.8” package.
GUITAR AMP FEATURES
On the front of the amp is a standard 1/4” guitar input jack. The “clean” guitar sound is what you might expect from a little plastic box with two tiny speakers. It’s totally useable though and works with an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar equipped with an acoustic/electric pickup, amplifying either for jamming with loops or general practice. I auditioned a couple of Behringer synthesizers using the JA-02 amp and as you’d expect, not a lot of bass response but workable and useable.
Rechargeable Battery - I’m accepting these builtin batteries in products with less hesitation. Battery chemistry has improved so dramatically in the last few years, the life expectancy of these rechargeable’s may be five to ten years (only time will tell), While they may not last forever the convenience of not having to load and unload batteries is golden. I go for several days without recharging and the convenience means I can practice more often, fitting it in where I might have skipped it due to scheduling or the hassle of setting something up.
No Battery Charger Included — There is no battery charger included with the amp. The charging input on the JA-02 is USB-C so you probably already have a phone charger or maybe a computer with an unused USB port where you can attach this little amp. I’ve used a phone charger and USB port on my Macmini, both topped off the rechargeable battery in a couple of hours.
Overdrive Guitar Sound - I was playing a Les Paul Special equipped with Seymour Duncan humbucking pickups into the little Joyo amp when I tried out the builtin overdrive effect. It’s not my favorite distortion sound but again, the convenience of it being right there, builtin, included for no extra charge, it’s pretty awesome. There is a button right on the front to turn Overdrive on or off, and there is nothing to stop you from using a stompbox fuzz and reverb on the way into the Joyo input with it set to a clean sound.
Headphone Output - Don’t use your Sennheiser HD 600 with this output, but the Sony MDR-7506 and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones can get plenty loud and don't sound bad. The internal speakers turn off when headphones are connected.
Aux Input - Connect this input to the output of a portable CD player or some other media player, this allows it to either feed the amp or headphone jack (if you have headphones connected). In a pinch you could just use the little Joyo as a powered speaker with a stereo line input, use it to do a video camera confidence audio check.
Bluetooth 5 - I found the Joyo speaker to be easy to connect to my M4 Macmini using Bluetooth. There is a button for pairing on the front of the amp, after you press that you use the Bluetooth control on your phone or computer to select the Joyo as your Bluetooth connection. It has worked flawlessly every time I have tried it. It works the same on my iPhone (it’s great when technology works right).
LIKES
- Compact, lightweight, durable ABS plastic (like football helmets)
- It’s got overdrive builtin
- Rechargeable battery, plays for hours
- Uses USB-C for charging
- Bluetooth connection for jam tracks
- Aux line in on 1/8” connection
- Headphone Output jack on 1/8” connection
- Bargain Price
DISLIKES
- Sounds like a plastic box
- Wishing for better guitar distortion effect
EPILOGUE
I like this little plastic amplifier A LOT. I see it as an artistic tool you might use, on the way to creating something bigger and even more beautiful. The portability, usability and complete utility this little guitar amp offers, goes hand in hand with the amazing LOW price it sells for in the marketplace. I wish I’d had one of these back when I was 14, it would have allowed me to focus on playing more instead of trying to make my own amp (because I had no amp and I had NO money).
I hope that Joyo takes this portability concept and builds in some of their better distortion, reverb and echo effects (for a tiny increase in price ;-). This little guitar amp from Joyo is packed with features for an incredible low price. It’s a good time to practice your guitar.
Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!
©September 2025 by Mark King, it is NOT ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.
So, did you practice guitar or create anything beautiful today? . . . . . . . .
