BJFE / BearFoot fx Guitar Effects Community

I was out of my office yesterday but when I got in today the Beest was waiting for me.



Great looking pedal Donner! I will be trying the pedal out at tonight's rehearsal with a guitar that has Lollar Imperial humbuckers in it through a Divided by 13 CJ 11, a big sounding Deluxe style of amp. The pedalboard I have tonight has the MG on it so I'll see how it feels between the two. Over the next couple of nights I'll put it up with some of the other BfF pedals I have. Friday night I'll gig with it. I'm lookng forward to trying it out.

Alan

Sounds like an SYODv1 -- HBOD Dlx hybrid



... ... ... ... ... ...




Looks like an SYODv1 -- HBOD Dlx hybrid




... ... ... ... ... ...




If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck... odds are...

Hmm... This one sounds like it'll be quite different than I was expecting. I guess I'll have to hurry and jump on batch two, since I somehow missed the first. D'oh!

Thanks Rock, that was a good description.....as i found myself visualizing somewhat in my understanding of your words.
meaning......nice writing.

Donner wrote:Rocker ~ thats a really good description of it ... what I liked was how the nature to the left is really usable since its overall more open --- kind of like the HB on many rigs is too bassy to be used with the Nature full counter clockwise, but the Beest is about normal there and is brighter (maybe too bright) on other rigs --- sort of covers alot of ground the HB doesnt ... but its not really like the HBDeluxe and may need to be tweeked back in that direction ..........

anyway lets hear what the other 3 guys think ......

Ok, Beest arrived today...Alan posted a nice pic, because this pedal is a looker, and I seem to recall Cliff posting somewhere in the past about wanting to see a HB with stripes, so there you go.

Was only able to get a quick 10-15 minute spin, and quick comps with the Deluxe Bee, SYOD V1 and SYOD V2(the earlier, darker sounding version), so I'll offer some first impressions and more detailed ones over the next day or two(comparing with Model G, Model H, DRD, SHOD as well).

Was playing through my Peavey Wolfgang archtop with buckers through my Matchless SC-30 head and 2x12 cab through channel one(12ax7) with EQ(Bass and Treble) set flat.

Clean tone is full, not too bright, not too dark, with the mid/upper mid presence these amps are known for.

Plugged the Beest in solo, nature at noon, drive full CCW and vol at near unity gain and immediately felt the slice and zing, and thought SYOD V1.

Right away I noticed that it has less sag than the Deluxe(before comparing), and more upper mid presence where the drive is focused. Very happening low gain sounds with some nice push behind single notes.

Kept the nature at noon and then incrementally upped the drive, and not surprisingly the tone got thicker as more gain piled up...from about 1:00 to full CW on the drive, there's more compression than actual additional gain, and not heavily compressed, just enough.

Now with the drive maxed I swung around the nature knob and heard the extra bite going CW from noon, then the added lower mid/bass towards the CCW end, but with the focus of the drive still Bee-ing in tact, which I thought was nice...the Beest does get bright, but I really liked how throughout the full swing on the Nature knob that the upper mid definition and clarity is still there through the CCW side..that's a plus.

Yes, added compression and sag most noticeably between 10:00 to full CCW(Nature), but it sounds like it's because of the introduction of the lower frequencies.

Gain-wise, I thought it might be a bit hotter, and when I did quick comps with SYOD V1,V2, and the Deluxe Bee(without engaging the BPB), that was confirmed. Certainly not weak by any stretch..solid medium gain. BTW, for the amount of gain, when maxed, and with these higher output buckers, the Beest is VERY quiet, and I'm ultra critical about that.

Quick comps:

Beest and SYOD V1...overall SYOD has even more slice and more gain, but is a bit noisier, and the Beest has more useable swing on the Nature knob, but even with all that slice, the SYOD has a bit more lower mids which made it sound fuller.

Beest and SYOD V2... V2 was darker overall(I have tried the later version of SYOD V2 as well, and is brighter overall compared to my earlier version), but still had a bit more gain(not as much as V1 which is pretty hot for an overdrive) and still sounded a bit thicker, again because of the slightly beefier lower mid presence, though again, overall the Beest's nature knob has more useable swing, though I like the treble knob and it's voicing on V2.

The drive on V2 is not focused as high to my ears as on the Beest, which accounts again for it's definition...actually the Beest's drive focus sounds closer to the DRD(from memory), though not quite as high in the mids(haven't comp'ed these two yet directly).

Beest and Deluxe Bee(gain maxed)...Deluxe Bee still has more overall gain(closer to the SYOD V1 difference), compression, and is thicker, darker, and more sag overall as well. From here just matching the nature knob setting on each pedal, the Beest has more clarity and presence and never gets near as muddy as the Deluxe Bee can get at the lower CCW settings.

Quick overall redux...The Beest has more sting and less "swarm"(thickness), and sounds closer to a less gainy, and bit thinner sounding SYOD V1 DIPPED in honey, and less "vintage" sounding than the Deluxe Bee.

My favorite setting was with the gain maxed(or really anywhere on the dial), and the Nature knob set between 8:30 and 10, and volume to taste.

I would offer that with some added lower mids and about a 15-20% increase in gain, but still keep the Nature knob voiced as is, this could be a pretty potent and amazing sounding overdrive, more like a modern sounding take on the Deluxe Bee.

Again, these are my initial impressions, and I will say there are a lot of nuances and characteristics(punchy and "flutey" come to mind if that makes any sense) about the drive that are pretty happening and that I want to explore further.

I will also try to do some audio clips over the next few days to further illustrate these impressions.

Wish I could hear the SYODs and a HBOD Deluxe. I am very interested to know what those sound like.

Thanks for your thoughts and comparisons.

I hope to do some more exploring myself.

Cheers.

Here are a few initial thoughts. I used the Beest at rehearsal with my Divided by 13 CJ 11, (kind of a big Deluxe on steriods) and my pedalboard with a MG on it. I used my Forshage Ergo with Lollar buckers on it that are tapped. Later in the evening after getting home I rigged up board with my HB, a MH v2, and the Beest with a Divided by 13 9/15 using 6v6's and a PRS 5310.

My biggest reaction is that it is a brighter pedal than the other three. There is not a lot of low mid emphasis in this pedal so it has less fullness compared to the others. I always am striving to push low mids and pull back highs especially playing live and hearing my guitar tone through inner ears and monitors with horns. And the sound guys are continually wanting to brighten up the guitar tone. I like the nature knob fully CCW to about noon. There are more mids present there in that range. Past that adds more thinning of the tone. For those of you that have experience with the HB the Beest's gain knob at about 10:00 approximates the HB gain knob maxed. Interestingly with the gain fully maxed there is a push in lower mids again and I liked it at that setting. However, the gain has a grainy edge to it which I don't like as much. I could see this pedal really cutting through in a live mix in a large band. But with a rock trio I would probably go to something else with a fuller sound.

I like my HB and I always thought a great pedal would be an HB (with its warmth and fullness) with more gain on hand. The Beest has the gain but if there was a way to pull back some high end and add a bit low mids back it could be more useful to me.

This pedal seems to be one that needs to be mated to the right amp. I would also say the my Divided by 13s' tend to be a little brighter and the CJ 11 is not a pedal friendly as the 9/15 is. Tomorrow night I'll be gigging with a Badcat Classic Cat, which is very dark and the Beest may be a great pedal for the way that amp is voiced. I'll also be using my 62 Jazzmaster with its single coils and see how the Beest reacts to those pups.

It is a pedal that will require more exploration and I'll continue to dig into it over the next few evenings. I'll do a few more direct pedal comparisons too. I've enjoyed reading everyone else's comments so far and look forward to seeing more thoughts.

That's all for now.

Alan

With the increase treble presence and gain does the pedal sound even more "open" when the nature is turned CCW? I love both my bjfe and bearfoot bee's but I always gravitate towards the CCW spectrum of the nature knob. Even if its a bit more "open" sounding w/ a touch more gain i'm sold 100%!!

sonictroubadour wrote:Well, these reviews have taken the "sting" out of not getting in on the initial issue, as I'm now not even sure if I need/want to buy one if it is sonically slotted near the HBOD DLX and SYOD, which I already own!

This line, in particular, really makes me question my desire/need for a BeeST: "...less gainy, and bit thinner sounding SYOD V1 DIPPED in honey, and less "vintage" sounding than the Deluxe Bee." If that's accurate (and I have no reason to doubt his impressions/descriptions), I'll stand pat on the hand (SYOD and HBOD DLX) I'm already holding and use my limited gear funds to move on a certain MR I've been working on securing.

I thought it being pretty gainy was one of the main points?!? Perhaps, I misunderstood?

Yea I'm surprised by some of the reviews and descriptoins. I expected something thicker, fuller and for lack of a better word "ballsier" than the HBOD but still in that grindy darker saggy HBOD vein. Sounds like it was made brighter with less (no) fuzz in the low end and more of the distortion and EQ focus in the high end.

Neat but not what I was expecting at all. I was hoping for something that took the HBOD and actually thickened it up more and added some more gain. Maybe a little tighter in the low end too. That's what I was anticipating anyway. And brightening it up a hair wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing but, to me, it sounds like it was brightened to the point that it doesn't really fit in the same nitch the HBDO did. All I know is all this talk makes me miss my old HBOD's

cajone5 wrote:

sonictroubadour wrote:Well, these reviews have taken the "sting" out of not getting in on the initial issue, as I'm now not even sure if I need/want to buy one if it is sonically slotted near the HBOD DLX and SYOD, which I already own!

This line, in particular, really makes me question my desire/need for a BeeST: "...less gainy, and bit thinner sounding SYOD V1 DIPPED in honey, and less "vintage" sounding than the Deluxe Bee." If that's accurate (and I have no reason to doubt his impressions/descriptions), I'll stand pat on the hand (SYOD and HBOD DLX) I'm already holding and use my limited gear funds to move on a certain MR I've been working on securing.

I thought it being pretty gainy was one of the main points?!? Perhaps, I misunderstood?

Yea I'm surprised by some of the reviews and descriptoins. I expected something thicker, fuller and for lack of a better word "ballsier" than the HBOD but still in that grindy darker saggy HBOD vein. Sounds like it was made brighter with less (no) fuzz in the low end and more of the distortion and EQ focus in the high end.

Neat but not what I was expecting at all. I was hoping for something that took the HBOD and actually thickened it up more and added some more gain. Maybe a little tighter in the low end too. That's what I was anticipating anyway. And brightening it up a hair wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing but, to me, it sounds like it was brightened to the point that it doesn't really fit in the same nitch the HBDO did. All I know is all this talk makes me miss my old HBOD's

My feelings as well. I was expecting it to land somewhere between the HBOD and the MHvT. Since I play single coils only a thin pedal is the last thing I need.

You can see my chain below and my two main dirt pedals are the two that have trimmers and I use the HBOD more as an EQ than dirt.

Can anyone compare the BEEst to the MP SHOD?