This month’s theme was going to be “retro”. I’ve picked up one of the o.g. Klon klones from before they were a thing, and (effectively) a re-issue of the original Honey Bee circuit.
Then, towards the end of the month, I had the opportunity to get two more pedals from Origin Effects (the one brand that I planned to explore this year). That has added a distinctly modern vibe to go alongside the “retro” theme.
ARC Effects Klone v2
The Klone by ARC Effects is one of the original Klon klone pedals, released back in the days when Guitar YouTube wasn’t as much of a thing. I’ve always wanted one for the collection, and now I’ve finally managed to pick one up.
I instantly felt at home playing through the Klone v2. It’s got the same tone-shaping EQ profile as my Klon KTR, and exactly the same playing dynamics. A stark contrast to my recent revisit of my RYRA Klone (an excellent pedal, just different to my Klon KTR).
If I’d bought one of these back in the day (when I was hunting for a backup for my Klon KTR), there’s a good chance that I would have never bought any other Klon klone pedal. It’s that good.
Expect to see it featured a lot in the future.
BJFe Honey Bee OD Retro
I never ever thought I’d own an original BJFe Honey Bee OD. Rightly or wrongly, I’d want an early serial number example, and they seem to go for silly money (because there’s less than 200 of them).
While doing the background reading for the One Control Honey Bee ODs that arrived recently, I learned about the “Honey Bee OD Retro”. This is (effectively) a reissue of that early Honey Bee circuit by Bjorn himself.
I’d found one in the US, and was about to order it when one turned up on the UK second-hand market. My lucky day!
At first, I was worried that this pedal would be somewhat redundant. Surely this is already covered by the BJFe-in-your-hand Honey Bee OD that I recently picked up from One Control?
In practice: no. There’s a surprising number of differences between these two “early Honey Bee OD reissue” pedals, and not just because of the different EQ controls. Both are amazing in their own way.
And I’ve really fallen the Honey Bee OD Retro.
Origin Effects Halcyon Gold Overdrive
One of my goals for this year is to explore pedals from Origin Effects. Problem is, there aren’t many about, so getting them takes both patience and being able to jump on one when one turns up for a reasonable price.
Top of my list (after the Deluxe55!) is the Halcyon Gold, a faithful reproduction of Chris Buck’s own Klon Centaur. I’m curious to see if the Origin Effects switchable tweaks – such as the adjustable dry mix and the EQ that changes based on my picking – give me options that I can make use of (or not).
I’ve only had a bit of time with it (pairing it with Origin Effects’ Deluxe55); not enough yet for a full first impressions blog post. So far, it just hasn’t wowed me like the Klone v2 has. The MOD mode does seem to offer something a bit different. I’m looking forward to exploring that properly when I can give it my full attention.
Origin Effects M-EQ Driver (Boost / Overdrive Pedal)
The M-EQ is basically a Pultec EQ-in-a-box. I already have Pultec emulations for my DAW (big fan!), and the Axe-FX 3 is a fantastic EQ tool too (with the added benefit of digital convenience). So I was really on the fence about trying one of these.
It came down to timing. I found one of these on the second-hand market for a good price; and then I noticed that UK retailers seemed to be raising the asking price for brand new Origin Effects pedals. I figured it was worth a punt.
I’m not yet sure what to make of this pedal. I had it on the board for about an hour before I took it off again. While it wasn’t my main focus, I couldn’t find a sweet spot that worked for me. It has a severe bass cut, it’s boosting the treble as much as the mids, and the Cut control doesn’t seem able to offset the treble boost.
It’s a bit of a puzzle atm, and I’m going to need a bit of time to solve it.