apierz
Active member
- Build Rating
I have learned a lot from @Chuck D. Bones ' posts over the years, but until now I've yet to try any of his mods or original designs. I loved the idea of a two stage overdrive and, having heard good things about the BJFe Honey Bee that this pedal takes some inspiration from, this one seemed like a good one to try.
SOUND:
I think the idea behind the original BJFe pedal was to make it a Plexi sounding drive. This pedal nails that sound for sure. I set everything at noon and was playing along with "It's a Long Way to the Top" right out of the gate, even on a Telecaster. I was a little skeptical of the idea of a boost that couldn't be used independently, but I honesty don't think I would use it on it's own and it works well as a solo boost. Don't sleep on this one if you are looking for a JTM45 drive.
BUILD:
I like to imagine Chuck's parts inventory as something close to the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but mine is much more meager so I had to do some hunting for the BA482s. The good news is I have plenty in stock now! The board has a nice layout and there wasn't anything to tricky except wiring up the boost switch, but that's only because I've been mollycoddled by always using breakout boards. Design wise, I'm not totally sure how I ended up here. I think it went Mojitos -> Go-Fast Boats -> Miami Vice -> Testarossa -> Kavinsky. I think it came out well and the metallic blue enclosure from Tayda looks awesome. I did my best to photograph it in the third picture but it looks way better in person.
SOUND:
I think the idea behind the original BJFe pedal was to make it a Plexi sounding drive. This pedal nails that sound for sure. I set everything at noon and was playing along with "It's a Long Way to the Top" right out of the gate, even on a Telecaster. I was a little skeptical of the idea of a boost that couldn't be used independently, but I honesty don't think I would use it on it's own and it works well as a solo boost. Don't sleep on this one if you are looking for a JTM45 drive.
BUILD:
I like to imagine Chuck's parts inventory as something close to the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but mine is much more meager so I had to do some hunting for the BA482s. The good news is I have plenty in stock now! The board has a nice layout and there wasn't anything to tricky except wiring up the boost switch, but that's only because I've been mollycoddled by always using breakout boards. Design wise, I'm not totally sure how I ended up here. I think it went Mojitos -> Go-Fast Boats -> Miami Vice -> Testarossa -> Kavinsky. I think it came out well and the metallic blue enclosure from Tayda looks awesome. I did my best to photograph it in the third picture but it looks way better in person.
