My honeybee story - just got my sixth version

[Donner]

Well I have a good one every now and then lets see what happens - but it sounds like its possible from Bjorn and Ill do my part......so lets put it in the queue ~ Ill do a batch and give you guys first crack at them, maybe a little research is called for

[thesjkexperience]

How different would the older Bee sound compared to the versatility of the Beeatch? I am enjoying that pedal more every day.

[Donner]

How different would the older Bee sound compared to the versatility of the Beeatch? I am enjoying that pedal more every day.

the older Bees are darker rounder sounding - dont know what the Beeatch control will do --- will be fun to find out ?!!??!

[hawaii121]

This thread hits home... I have had 4 different HB (2 were BJF and 2 were BF) and really enjoyed them all. I'm quite sure I will have another one at some point. The last one I had was my favorite of them all. The coolest part is that the prices on these have come down to a point where it isn't too hard to find a good deal on one.

I am also about to receive my 5th Mini Vibe... I've owned 2 SBMV, 1 MGMV, the BF MV, and now the Orange one that was on TGP is on it's way. To me, the three best vibes I have tried are the BJFE, the Halophaze, and the Castledine. All of them are terrific, but the BJFE is the easiest to dial in for what I like so I think this one is probably going to be my last vibe switch.

[tonewave]

donner!
a HB with a dial to go between old and new would be a dream come true for me
the old eq of the early HB's with its chewy mids is really addictive
yes it rolls off your highs quite a bit, but the overall effect makes it worth it

anyways, if and when you do a run of these old/new HB's, please put me on the list

good thread

[stonepicking]

Not actually got a Honeybee yet, its still on order with Custom Sounds. When did the sound change? I was under the impression that they were still pretty dark sounding?? Are the newer HBs bright and transparent??? I'm confused!!

[rockeroo]

Not actually got a Honeybee yet, its still on order with Custom Sounds. When did the sound change? I was under the impression that they were still pretty dark sounding?? Are the newer HBs bright and transparent??? I'm confused!!

Welcome to the forum, Stonepicking! I have an old one (#02X) <<**EDIT** to my knowledge (which may be misguided) the sound was changed very early on in the circuit. I believe in the first handful, and then around 100-or-so another "brightening" took place>> and a current one (#5XX), and I find the old Bee is much warmer than the newer one. The newer Bees have a bit more top-end bite to them as well. They both retain a similar "cranked small amp" character, but in a slightly different way. I wouldn't say that your adjectives "dark sounding", "bright" and "transparent" are negatives of either rendering; however, they describe nuances in character. BOTH are very transparent (like a cranked amp would be).

I hope this is presented and received clearly. Please ask questions should you have any.

Cheers and welcome!

[stonepicking]

Thanks. Looking forward to getting my HB. Been on order a month or so, so will probably be a couple of months yet. I'll mainly use it to kick a cranked smallish class a amp with a boost in front. Should be a fine match.

[Hulakatt]

I've had a Bearfoot Bee and now have a BJFe Bee (639). I don't see my little bee flying off anywhere anytime soon! It's still not a bright pedal by any means, it's just right. I do tend to run mine with the nature control around 9:00 though, I like it kinda loose and dark.

[rasputin1176]

My HB is early #400's
My feeling is this; the really early HB's just sounded rounder & fatter, just different.
I would say with the newer releases they are dark but certain amplifiers show this quality more.
The other thing I notice is when you turn the Nature knob CCW to darken, it does but the high notes have a less smooth treble on them. When you turn Nature knob CW to brighten, it does but the top end sounds smoother...
Therefore with certain amps if the top end was a little harsh I would turn Nature CW to smooth out but then you lose the fat bottom, one of the things making the HB special.
Normally it plays nice with amps though. But I really do like the older Bees better, I like a fat tone with the top end very smooth. Any harshness really cuts my ears ya know.
You really can't go wrong with any Honey Bee though, the Nature knob, the touch responsiveness, stack ability, & natural amplifier like drive are hard to beat.
But hey why not Bee picky, if I can I'd take the one from first 100 made...