Highly acclaimed among pedal connoisseurs worldwide — and personally one of my all-time favorite overdrive pedals — is the BJFE Honey Bee OD. The “Retro” version faithfully recreates the tone of the early production models.
The Honey Bee OD (hereafter HBOD) was released at the end of 2002. Since then, it has remained one of BJFE’s flagship models, produced in small quantities yet surpassing over 1,000 units shipped — a true testament to its popularity. The earliest versions in particular are known for their thick, rich tone, whereas later models gradually became clearer and more user-friendly. While recent HBODs are very appealing and easy to handle, at CULT we deliberately chose to order the more esoteric Retro version.
The HBOD was originally inspired by the tone of Supro combo amps. Though it doesn’t directly replicate that sound, it offers a wide frequency range from lows to highs, and delivers an exceptionally amp-like feel and response — far more so than most overdrive pedals. The perceived gain level tops out at roughly half that of a typical Tube Screamer. It’s often used like a preamp to add amp-style saturation, natural compression, and tonal cohesion.
As its name suggests, the HBOD Retro brings back the strong low-end character of the earliest units. However, by adjusting the Nature control, you can fine-tune that low end to taste — achieving not only the character of the very first HBODs but also the mid-period tone (around serial numbers 300–600) and even the drier texture of more recent versions. In fact, this Retro might just be the most versatile HBOD ever made.
It may not be ideal if you prefer bright-sounding overdrives, but for pedal geeks and tone purists, this is absolutely a sound you must experience at least once.
The unit supports standard 9V batteries (006P type) or properly regulated external 9V DC power supplies (adapters, power supplies, etc.). Do not use voltages above 10V, as this may cause damage.
※ Each BJFE pedal is entirely handcrafted by builder Björn Juhl himself. As a result, the color tone, texture, and surface finish vary between units. Paint variations, drips, or small chips may be present from the time of manufacture and are common to all units. Please note that returns cannot be accepted for cosmetic reasons.
