ao link
Filter content by area of interest
Amps
Boost and Overdrive
Delay
Distortion
Fuzz
Guitars
Modulation
Pitch
Reverb
Utility
All
All

With the arrival of the Custom Shop Nectar Tone Sweetener Drive/Fuzz - my Beetronics capsule collection is now up to 9

ArpeggiatorBeetronics FXBitcrushing and Lo-FiBoost and OverdriveChorus and VibratoEnvelope Filter and Auto WahFlangerFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionHarmonizerModulation WorkstationMulti-FXOctave FuzzOctaverOddball ModulationOverdrivePhaserPitch-ShiftingRing ModulationSwellTremoloWah and Fixed Wah+-
Share to TwitterShare to Facebook
2023-GPX-Beetronics-Capsule-Collection-V2-700.jpg

When I first started doing the visual for this I thought I had amassed 10 Beetronics pedals to date - but it turns I’m one short of that milestone - it still kind of made sense to mark the occasion of the Custom Shop Nectar’s arrival - which is probably my favourite Custom Shop edition to date. I had to wade through 3 batches to pick out that one - I wanted metal knobs - and a pinkish hue to the core - and the one pictured really captured my imagination. I quite liked my SeaBee at the time of acquisition - while that is probably my least favourite Custom Shop edition to date.

 

Overall I have 6 Custom Shop Beetronics editions and 3 standard ones - the OctaHive V2, Swarm and Royal Jelly. In fact the Royal Jelly was my first Beetronics pedal - back in 2018 - before Beetronics really got properly busy or should I say buzzy - with Custom editions. I wish for that one that I had waited a bit as there are far better looking later editions - but I don’t mind it.

 

I probably should have waited a bit longer for the SeaBee as there weren’t any that really captured my attention in the first batch - but I wanted on quick. A lot of those had illegible labels - i.e. insufficient contrast to read the text - where I learned from the Zzombee that it’s important to be able to easily read what’s going on - especially as those two pedals are really very complex in use!

 

So the Royal Jelly came first in that pedal’s year of release, I then picked up a Custom Shop of the V1 Octahive - really did not like the standard version for that - I always loved my ’Arrows’ Octahive and it sounds magnificent!

 

I then wasn’t sure when the Babee Series first emerged - as I’m not typically a flat of top-edge mounted knobs (illegible). But I kind of warmed to the format - and grabbed a custom shop Fatbee at the same time as I got my Purple Vezzpa. Since then I’ve pretty much followed the path of release - and acquired each one in succession. I’m not really a Custom Shop junky as such - if the standard version is pretty enough I will happily get that!

All of these (obviously not specific custom editions) are available from the Beetronics Webstore - bar the Octahive V1 which has been discontinued.

 

Here is a general overview of my 9 Bees [by category] - with year of release (in parenthesis) :

 

BABEES

  • Fatbee Overdrive (2020)
  • Vezzpa Octave Stinger (2021)
  • Octahive V2 High Octave Buzz (2023)
  • Nectar Tone Sweetener Drive/Fuzz (2023)

ROYALS

  • Octahive V1 Upper Octave Fuzz (2016)
  • Swarm Fuzz Harmonizer (2019)
  • Zzombee Filtremulator (2022)
  • SeaBee Harmochorus (2023)

QUEEN & KING

  • Royal Jelly Fuzz/OD Blender (2018)

And here follow the individual details :

2023-GPX-Beetronics-Capsule-Collection-V2-700.jpg

Fatbee JFET Overdrive - $189 / $249 <

close
Beetronics Fatbee Overdrive pedal

Controls - Weight (Master Volume) Flavor (Tone), Honey (Gain).

 

Cool bluesy and fairly fat sounding JFET overdrive. Has a lovely breakup character to it - mid gainer typically!


Vezzpa Octave Stinger - $199 / $269 <

close
Beetronics VEZZPA Fuzz/Octave pedal | Custom Shop

Controls - Volume, Gain, Footswitch Mode : Fuzzzz / Stinger (Octave).

 

Cool dual mode fuzz with double-tap mode footswitch - slightly more scratchy octave fuzz than the more searing Octahive - a little more vintage sounding perhaps - both are great!


Octahive V2 High Octave Buzz - > $199 / $269

close
A NEW Look & More! Beetronics Octahive v2 | High Octave Fuzz

Controls - Pre (Input Gain), Honey (Output Gain), Volume, Footswitch Mode : Buzz / Octave.

 

The updated Octahive Format - now tilt Octave Effect on/off via the smart double-tap footswitch. Somehow my original Octahive sounds a bit more potent - but both are great overall!


Nectar

close
Beetronics Nectar Tone Sweetener | Overdrive/Fuzz

Controls - Volume, Honey (Gain), Taste (Tone).

 

Really versatile 2-in-1 Drive/Fuzz - sort of Tweed leaning - sounds fabulous - probably my favourite of the Babees!


Octahive V1 Upper Octave Fuzz - $230 / $280 <

close
Beetronics - OctaHive Demo

Controls - Pre (Input Gain), Honey (Output Gain), Volume, Octave Switch : Off/On.

 

One of my favourite Octave Fuzzes of all time alongside the Anasounds Crankled Bitoun. Both of those have been on the board an incredibly amount of times - my 'Arrows' version really has something special about it - it truly sounds immense. Somehow the newer smaller smarter V2 one doesn't sound quit so potent? I really like both - but this is the OG!


Swarm Fuzz Harmonizer - > $249 / $299

close
My Face Says It All! - Beetronics Swarm | Analog Fuzz Harmonizer Synth pedal

Controls - Queen (Higher Octave Level), Drone (Lower Octave Level), Species (9 x Harmonic Intervals), Flight (Depth of Modulation - Oscillation/Glissando), Sting (Speed of Modulation), Worker (Input Level), Master (Master Volume).

 

A long term favourite PLL style pedal - more recently usurped in my affections by the Acorn Amps ADHD and Tark Audio Squidink which both somewhat simplify the format, The Swarm is still a classic of its kind and was one of the first to deliver a really smart simplified take on the circuit.


Zzombee Filtremulator Analog Multi-FX - Filter / Wah / LFO / Tremolo / Swells / Sub-octave / Fuzz etc. - $349 / $449 <

close
Beetronics Zzombee Is a Wild Filtremulator Effect | Tone Report Demo

Controls - Filter Type : Ramp / LFO / Mad [PAR - X - BEE], Buzz : Dry / BZ (Overdrive) / BZZ (Fuzz), Parasite (Wet Signal) : Level / Mix / Tap Division / Ramp Up Speed, Wingspan : Depth, Bee (Dry Signal) : Level / Mix / Rate / Ramp Down Speed, Filter Mode : Octave / Off (Amplitude) / Honey, Presets : 1-5 + Live, Tap Tempo / Ramp / Momentary Expression Footswitch, Engage / Alt / Invert / Stop Modulation Footswitch.

 

In some ways probably my favourite Beetronics pedal overall - like the SeaBee this can be a little complex to use as there is such a broad feature set onboard - the kind of pedal where you definitely need to refer to the manual a lot - so many secondary and tertiary functions - and all manner of nuanced in-betweens. Certainly has a learning curve to it - but can do so many amazing things when you apply it properly. Somewhat usurped in my affections more recently by the Subdecay Prometheus 3 Dual Super Filter - which I find overall a little easier to use. I still really love the Filtremulator - its output can be wholly amazing - but it's rarely easy on the dial-in!


SeaBee Harmochorus Stereo Chorus Harmonizer - $349 / $449 <

close
Beetronics Seabee Harmochorus Is A Chorus Like You've Never Heard | Tone Report Demo

Controls - Ramp / Tone / Pattern, Rate / Mix, Depth / Feedback / Harmonies, Ramp Shape : A stop B stop / Up-Down / Up Only, MODE : Dual / Arp / Mad & Roto / Depth / Sting, Effect : < Harmo / Chorus >, Tap-Tempo / Ramping Footswitch, Bypass / Ramp Direction / Alt Footswitch, Tap both Footswitches simultaneously to Access Presets and navigate Up/Down via 2 Footswitches, Press-Hold to save Preset.

 

Another totally killer pedal in a similar mould to the Zzombee - both are brilliant really - but cannot be operated without frequent access to the manual - just so much going on. By contrast the Jackson Audio New Wave does a lot too - but in a far simpler manner. That said - there is no Chorus pedal quite like this SeaBee - with some insane pitch-shifting and filtered chorus effects onboard. For whatever reason I found the Zzombee a little easier overall to dial in - this is another masterpiece of a pedal - but it can be somewhat tricky to deploy. I think you will be fine if this pedal is always on your board and you get properly used to it - but with how often I chop and change - this one's learning curve and 'refresher' cycle can be a little much at times. I still really love its output - but it makes you work quite hard for it at times. I found the Zzombee a little easier to get along with for some reason - would use this quite a bit more if it wasn't quite so complex - but that's part of its charm too!


Royal Jelly Fuzz/OD Blender - $289 / $350

close
Beetronics Royal Jelly Overdrive/Fuzz Blender | Reverb Tone Report

Controls - Lo (±10dB @ 80Hz), Hi (±10dB @ 2kHz), Queen Channel OD/Fuzz Blend, Honey (OD Gain), King Channel OD/Fuzz Blend, Dry Signal Level, Volume Output Level, Mode Footswitch (Queen/King), Buzz Footswitch (+High Frequency Boost), Bypass/On/Off Footswitch.

 

A really cool 2-Channel Fuzzy-Drive pedal - with lots of variation - but not quite as much 'Fuzz' as I expected initially. Never quite gets to that full sear as such - but sound really decent regardless. I expected there to be a little more gain on tap for both OD and Fuzz. The combination of controls gives you decent enough range - I just thought it would be a little higher on the gain side. This was my very first Beetronics pedal and acquired right at its original release in 2018. I kind of wish I had waited on this one - as the later versions are far more pretty - but it was a good couple of years before Beetronics fully got in the swing of its custom editions. I always felt that this could be made in a somewhat more compact enclosure too. Great pedal to start off the Beetronics collection though!


2023-GPX-Beetronics-Capsule-Collection-V2-700.jpg
Stefan Karlsson
Posted by Stefan Karlsson
PopularCommentsRSS FeedContent Subscriptions
Share to TwitterShare to Facebook
Add New Comment
You must be registered and logged in to comment
Profile
Stefan Karlsson
Stefan Karlsson
Guitar Pedal X
News Navigation






















































Paul Smith
Mastro Valvola In Memoriam
"Although a shame for the companies you have "...
3 days ago
Danny Weissfeld
A Brief Hobbyist Primer on Key Power Amp Tubes
"wow! great write up! thanks"
9 days ago
John Forrest
Some Thoughts on the Sheeran Looper+ and Looper X
"I recently bought the Looper + to see if it "...
10 days ago
Ingar Fosse
The Tanabe Zenkudo Dumble Drive is truly an inspiration machine full of verve and vibrancy
"Hi Stefan, I'm looking for some advice here. I"...
12 days ago
Stefan Karlsson
Some Thoughts on the Sheeran Looper+ and Looper X
"Hey Alev - indeed good call on the Boomerang - "...
15 days ago
Stefan Karlsson
Some Thoughts on the Sheeran Looper+ and Looper X
"For sure they may have released those pedals a "...
15 days ago
Stefan Karlsson
Some Thoughts on the Sheeran Looper+ and Looper X
"My understanding is that the Sheeran Loopers have "...
15 days ago
Waiting
By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to the use of cookies. Browsing is anonymised until you sign up. Click for more info.
Cookie Settings