Beetronics BeeBeeDee review – analogue delay pedals aren’t supposed to be this much fun
$299/£289, beetronicsfx.com
Guitar pedals skulk on the floor like rats and their only job is to sound good, so it really doesn’t matter how pretty they are… but holy guacamole, the Beetronics BeeBeeDee is a looker.
READ MORE: Gamechanger Audio Auto Delay review – a dynamic delay that lets you wire it up how you want it
Resplendent in metallic green, this is the California firm’s first venture into the world of delay, and it promises to unlock a range of sounds far beyond anything you might expect from an analogue pedal. The only question is, can it possibly sound half as delectable as it looks?
Image: Press
Beetronics BeeBeeDee – what is it?
They love their ‘bee’ puns at Beetronics – and as this is a bucket-brigade device, or BBD for short, the name must have pretty much written itself. There’s a modulation section for the repeats, so the obvious reference point is the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man; but with six knobs, two footswitches and two three-way toggles, you know this isn’t going to be a simple DMM clone.
First up, there are three operating modes: ‘classic’, with vintage-style modulation; ‘lo-fi’, with tape-like wobbliness and randomised tone filtering; and ‘pitch’, with repeats that skitter up and down at intervals of up to two octaves. Then there’s the second footswitch, which can be assigned to set the delay time, turn the modulation on and off, or switch to double speed.
All that’s on top of the usual array of controls – including one for tone, with the repeats turning murky to the left and thinning out to the right – while the bypass footswitch can be held down to max out the feedback. That’s good news if you fancy having a mess about with the Karma Police ending; maybe not such good news for the neighbours.
Image: Press
Beetronics BeeBeeDee – what does it sound like?
Analogue delays tend to be hissy, and this one is no different – and while you can turn the trails off, there’s no true-bypass option, so unless you use a loop you’re stuck with a bit of background noise even when the pedal isn’t on. But if you can live with that, you’ll be rewarded with some truly luscious delay tones.
The basics are sound, with the tone control offering everything from mushy washes to crisp-edged slapback, while the chorus-like modulation of an old DMM is super-easy to dial in – and even easier to switch off with a foot-tap if you’re in danger of being overcome by the heady perfume of its prettiness.
Switch to lo-fi mode and that vintage wobble is replaced by something really very interesting: Beetronics calls it ‘unpredictable’ and that’s exactly what it is, with a real sense of fragility to the repeats as they flutter in and out of the darkness. It takes some getting used to, but it’s strangely likeable.
You might find the pitch-shifting mode less easy to get on with, but at least you have a wide range of intervals to play with – and here’s where the second footswitch really excels, letting you turn the weirdness on and off at will. It’s also worth trying this switch set to its ‘2x’ function, so you can tap or hold to enjoy a momentary octave leap as the tempo doubles.
Image: Press
Beetronics BeeBeeDee – should I buy it?
When it comes to true analogue delays that build on the Memory Man formula, the BeeBeeDee is actually one of the more affordable options out there – and as well as nailing the sweet tones of the original, it adds something genuinely worthwhile in terms of both sound and functionality. And yes, looks-wise it is a total snack.
Beetronics BeeBeeDee alternatives
If you just want analogue delay with controllable modulation, you might as well get a DMM – specifically the Electro-Harmonix Nano Deluxe Memory Man ($213/£180), which is bang tidy. Beyond that, your options range from the Jam Pedals Delay Llama Xtreme (€349/£349) – the BeeBeeDee’s closest rival in terms of features – to the eminently tweakable Asheville Music Tools ADG-1 ($397/£419).
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
