One Control Honey Bee Overdrive Pedal

The One Control Honey Bee OD is one of the most sought-after overdrives in the pedal market. There have been several versions of this pedal, made in collaboration with several manufacturers over the last couple of years. If you've been a long-time fan of Bjorn Juhl (BJF/BJFe) then you know that this is one of his best creations. One Control had the privilege of working alongside Bjorn to make the best sounding and newest version of the Honey Bee.

Get an overview of the Honey Bee in this video from One Control:


First released in 2002, the original Honey Bee OD was inspired by the sound of an old Supro amp. Although the Honey Bee OD has been in production for many years, every single revision has had improvements. It's important to note that basic tone color characteristics have not changed. However, depending on the time of production, players will notice subtle changes of certain characteristics.

The Controls

- Vintage / Modern: Switch between the sound of the original Honey Bee Overdrive (Vintage) and the sound of the current version (Modern).
- Volume: Adjust overall volume
- Drive: Strength of the distortion.
- Nature: Frequency range control that fine tunes the overall color of your tone. At the counter-clockwise position, the lows and low mids are more predominant. In the clockwise direction, a softer output is obtained.

The Design

The Honey Bee Overdrive is renowned for its warm overdrive crunch which is easily adjustable by a twist of a knob. Over the years, there have been several revisions of this sought-after pedal. It integrates flawlessly with other effects and distorted amplifiers, giving your overdrive a warm tone. What makes this pedal unique is the ability to change the dynamics so easily. Change from a clean to overdrive tone by simply twisting a knob. No matter what setting you prefer, enjoy the free headroom-ish response, just like your favorite broken-in amplifier.

One Control made it possible to select both Honey Bee OD "versions"

- Vintage Mode (Original sounding Honey Bee OD): With a mild and classic overdrive tone, expect a unique high frequency response.
- Modern Mode (Revision 2+3+4) is the sound of the current Honey Bee OD. Compared to the Vintage mode, you'll notice a gain increase, especially in the low ends. When Modern mode is selected, the 'Nature' control range becomes wider.

The Honey Bee Overdrive's distortion affects the overtones while keeping the core tone intact; realizing both enhanced gain and pure tone simultaneously without physically increasing the gain. For flat strings, mellow tones are obtained. For round strings, a light distortion of a vintage amp will be obtained. The Honey Bee OD can also be used by bassists.