“The ultimate dual overdrive”: Beetronics combines Bluesbreaker and Klon tones in its latest pedal – but there’s a clever twist

Beetronics has released the Wannabee Beelateral Buzz – a new dual-drive stompbox inspired by Bluesbreaker and Klon Centaur circuits that the firm has dubbed the “ultimate overdrive tool”. 

The company's previous creations – including the Abelha Tropical fuzz and Nectar Tone Sweetener – have focused on originality, but the Wannabee takes a different approach.  

Here, Beetronics is flying away from its hive to replicate the two oft-repeated overdrive circuits, which many of its staff – or “bees” – admit to loving, too. But this time, there's a twist.

The Queen Bee of the two circuits is the Wannabee's clever routing system. Its design allows players to choose the order the circuits run in, as well as blend them in parallel, in a bid to deliver “a world of tonal possibilities”. 

“When chaining one circuit into another,” says Beetronics, “simply crank up the volume on the first to push the second into a thrilling buzz of distortion.”  

Its Bluesbreaker circuit – Circuit #0 – looks to bring together vintage amp tones with “crystal-clear crispness” without losing its tube-like warmth. The Klon circuit, meanwhile – Circuit #1 – is all about transparent overdrive tones. 

Both sides offer controls for Volume, Taste (Tone), and Honey (Gain), alongside a three-way switch for players to experiment with a unique trio of flavors.

For the Bluesbreaker circuit, the switch controls what players can boost, with a Mid Boost, a Flat option, and Low End Boost all available. The Klon circuit's switch varies the clean blend, ranging from None to Medium to Full. Each circuit is also loaded with a dedicated bypass switch. 

“The Wannabee draws inspiration from our favorite overdrive circuits and then elevates them to a whole new level, enhancing its tone with a touch of honey and introducing innovative features,” says Beetronics.

“It unlocks a world of possibilities by blending both circuits in the most unique ways. We hope this can be your ultimate overdrive tool.” 

The Wannabee Beelateral Buzz costs $299 and is available to order today. 

Head to Beetronics for more information.

The gear world is populated with various Klon clones, and that corner of the market has only grown in recent months. Late last year, JHS Pedals issued the ‘build your own’ Notaklön. 

Notably, this isn't the first time the Bluesbreaker circuit has been paired with a Klon: Cornerstone recently attempted to pair them together with its own community-driven pedal.