BJFE / BearFoot fx Guitar Effects Community

mam8dg, one thing to look at is the different knob placement. On my BF MG the knobs sweep from 8 o'clock to almost 6 o'clock which is different from any of my other Bjorn style pedals and Bearfoot style. I do not know if this was an intentional change or has something to do with the Bearfoot knob shortage?

I didn't like the Honey Beeatch into the MG as I tend to use both of these pedals in the same way, so the EQ became too exaggerated with both on.

Maybe tomorrow I will have time to play with different Voltages!

thesjkexperience wrote:mam8dg, one thing to look at is the different knob placement. On my BF MG the knobs sweep from 8 o'clock to almost 6 o'clock which is different from any of my other Bjorn style pedals and Bearfoot style. I do not know if this was an intentional change or has something to do with the Bearfoot knob shortage?

That's a good point. It probably explains why I wasn't getting the same tones at the same settings.

Well, I can now confirm that the honeybee into the G is completely redonkulous. Big show tonight! Can't wait to hear this combo into the FoH.

First off, I am not a circuits/electronics guy by any means, but my ears are well-trained to decipher fine-tuned tonality and timbre. I am curious if adding or having the "dynamic" character in any pedal diminishes the ability to have other characteristics present (i.e. warmth, maximum drive/gain, EQ). The BF Model G is very dynamic, but I would give some of that up for more warmth on the nature control. In short, what compromise(s) exists by having a very dynamic circuit?

With regards to the pedal itself, it plays quite nicely, a bit different in character than my BJFE MG. Still, the tones are very Gibson-esque. I really enjoyed using it as a boost or base tone with the Nature and 'Celestion' knobs completely counterclockwise. The overdriven tones are very complex, clear and full-sounding. The tone feels real refined. As with my BJFE MG, I am not keen on stacking into the MG, but stacking out of it is great.

Enjoy.

rockeroo wrote:First off, I am not a circuits/electronics guy by any means, but my ears are well-trained to decipher fine-tuned tonality and timbre. I am curious if adding or having the "dynamic" character in any pedal diminishes the ability to have other characteristics present (i.e. warmth, maximum drive/gain, EQ). The BF Model G is very dynamic, but I would give some of that up for more warmth on the nature control. In short, what compromise(s) exists by having a very dynamic circuit?


Enjoy.

Good point - basically more dyanmics means less compression ...... and its way easier to add compression than take it out....

Yes the PGC and EGC are fine co-conspirators for the MG

And the dynamics is also key in successful stacking as compression builds up quickly and even multiplies ....

same thing running a compressed pedal into a compressing amp 'firehose of soup' ....

So yes dynamics favor being able to add things you may want, instead of being stuck with things you dont ....

I suspected that, Donner, but I was not certain about how it worked on a circuit-level. Would you say it is common for most manufacturers to introduce compression to their circuits to create a "final product", if you will (i.e. you can step on the one pedal and achieve the refined sound you are imagining)? Not that none of the pedals here are unrefined or finished, I am merely intrigued at the various approaches to the design process. I am very blessed to have the opportunity to play through such inspirational equipment -- a palette of tone, right? Having these devices opens up many new avenues that are not readily achievable elsewhere.

Back to jamming...

I just jammed on mine for a few more hours. Had some time to really mess with the knobs. I am definitely still loving it- sounds big and dense and complex without the airy-breathier-sagging-gooey-ness that the HBOD has at lower gain. The BF MG with the gain around 10:00 is just gorgeously slightly broken up gain while still tight. Actually reminds me of the grind on some of my Dr Z amps- most clean but just that hint of edge while still remaining tight and aggressive in its dynamics.

With both the Nature and C knobs counter clockwise the tone feels very saturated and tweedy- like a dimed Swart AST Pro or AST mkII. As the Nature goes up the EQ brightens in higher mids and tightens in the lows. The Nature knob really feels like it swings the overall scope of the focus. kinda like moving the Q on a parametric EQ to shift the focus of the overall mix. The C knob is a lot harder to describe because how interactive it is with the gain and Nature knobs. It sort of feels like presence control but not a treble control. More like the density of the attack in the high end. It really does sound to me like you are adjusting a mic closer and farther from a speaker.

The gain range is best from 9:00-3:30. Beyond 3:30 the gain becomes fatter, a denser, and more aggressive then I was expecting. It does have some similarities to the EGDM but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. Sort of like the MG has the basic EQ and tonal ancestry of the HBOD but with the girth to the gain of the EGDM. Way less compression then the EGDM and it feels way more in control than the EGDM which feels like its going to explode at any moment.

The lack of compression and tighter responsiveness (re- less saggy) feel and tone leads to similar gain levels sounding cleaner and meaner while simultaneously more aggressive and clearer. It does have more gain that the HBOD, but I don't really like the HBOD above about 1:30 on the gain knob because the sagginess makes it feel overly condensed. The gain on the MG is useful at much higher gain levels due to this decreased sagginess. I also have dug the MG into the HBOD much more than the EGDM into the HBOD because the clarity and reduced relative compression allows the MG/HBOD to feel much bigger than the EGDM/HBOD.

As a side note, I only owned a MG for a short period of time, but I do remember that MG feeling a bit darker and dirtier than than the BF version. I don't think I prefer either version- I like the gain a bit cleaner in this version, although the nature knob on the BJFE seemed to leave more low mid warmth as it was turned up.

Number 4 has landed!


I've gotta say, it looks beautiful.... I won't be able to plug it in until a bit later, though. Full report coming up soon. Thanks again to DonneR and Bjorn for making this a reality!

Just spent some time on my tele with the Model G. I was working the gain knob all over the place and it sounded cool for a variety of tones. Around noon with the tele is a really rich but shimmering low gain tone. Sparkle, punch, and a bit of grit. Very classic sounding lightly overdriven tele tone.

Crank up the gain and that extra oomph over 3:00 that wasn't blowing my mind on my SG/LP becomes REALLY important for the MG single coil lead tones. With the gain dimed and the nature noon under noon there is definitely some smooth singing single coil lead tones to be had. With the tele I did feel like I could use a bit more gain. Didn't have my HBOD with me this round, but I think MG into HBOD with Tele is going to just blow my mind. Definitely could use a little something more for leads.

The MG is everything I was wanting out of the Honey Beest. Tighter, meaner, clearer, a bit more aggressive and sparkly. Cuts really well in a fairly dense mix. I do think I preferred it with my bigger amps- Budda SD18 & Z Maz JR NR as opposed to my Vibro Champ. The tight low end need a bigger speaker to really translate well.

Cool to see some of the impressions here...have had two Model G's from the beginning(very fortunate)...two, because it has been my absolute favorite low-med overdrive since getting the first straight from Bjorn...interestingly enough, I have owned quite a few GA-40's for many years before the Model G(and it's still one of my main gigging amps, and the BEST sounding vintage lower wattage(16-18) 1x12 combo IMHO after having gone through Deluxes, Supros, Magnatones, Guilds,etc, etc), and some here at the time thought it might have evolved from a request of mine...not the case, but for me, just great timing and appreciation without question...in fact, all the more impressive since Bjorn had told me the specific sound clip he used as a reference back then(and not a very great or representative one), not having a GA-40 in his possession.

That said, I feel there is an uncanny way he nailed the sound and vibe of channel's 1(bassier) and 2(lots of presence and fangs) that to me is represented in the sweep of the nature knob, and the way just past noon how the drive gets more focused, biting, louder and with more gain(without touching the drive control), that captures the early ZZ top, very Marshall-esque bark and clang that the GA 40 dishes out in spades(well technically the other way round as the GA-40 predates Marshall)....maybe he took a gander at the schematic, but still, pretty impressive.

So, I am certainly curious on the BF version, though held back on an initial grab, if only because I have the two already, and that's not to say I wouldn't want to pick one up down the line, so...

...was wondering if there might be a Tourbox any time in the near future with the BF G to test drive and A/B?