And I haven't seen any reviews of the Queen Bee yet.
I'd like to know how it stacks up against the 3BOD Futura.
I'd like to know how it stacks up against the 3BOD Futura.
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Blueberry BOD Alternatives
- Thread starter RudyTardy
- Start date
While not a formal review, THIS THREAD has a lot of thoughts on the Queen Bee from a handful of owners.
I haven't owned a Futura, but had a recent 3-knob BJFe Blueberry and the Queen Bee stacks up well to the BJFe. It has the added option of adding in the highs with the treble control (which I assume is the same with the 4-knob Futura).
I was able to dial in the same settings that I liked on the BJFe and was happy enough that I sold the BJFe. I recorded both pedals and the differences are minimal, pushing live air even less noticeable. I haven't tried it in a live band context yet, but I know I won't worry about messing it up or losing it on a gig. I may even grab another as a backup.
My understanding:
Futura is a Blueberry with a subtle Treble control that opens up the highs.
Subtle can be a HUGE difference with bass pumped through it and amplified though.
Not sure exactly what the Treble on the Queen Bee does, so it may be "the same" as a Futura but I wouldn't bet heavily on that.
The Blackberry is a Blueberry/Futura with the highs full-up and a Mids control that's ideal to get bass heard clearly in a mix.
Futura is a Blueberry with a subtle Treble control that opens up the highs.
Subtle can be a HUGE difference with bass pumped through it and amplified though.
Not sure exactly what the Treble on the Queen Bee does, so it may be "the same" as a Futura but I wouldn't bet heavily on that.
The Blackberry is a Blueberry/Futura with the highs full-up and a Mids control that's ideal to get bass heard clearly in a mix.
So I broke down and got in on the preorder for the Queen Bee.
She just came in today.
I threw her on the board, but I haven't had time to put any sound through her.
I will in just a bit, though, and I'll get back to you.
Fair warning: I have zero experience with the 3BOD or any variation thereof, so take everything with a grain of salt.
She just came in today.
I threw her on the board, but I haven't had time to put any sound through her.
I will in just a bit, though, and I'll get back to you.
Fair warning: I have zero experience with the 3BOD or any variation thereof, so take everything with a grain of salt.
Attachments
So my quick and dirty review of the Queen Bee is thus:
I friggin' love it!
It's got that nice growl and slight grind of a power tube section working hard.
It's transparent, and it uses LEDs for clipping, which I always like.
I tried it at 9V & 12V, and the 12V really gave it a lot more life.
At 9V, with volume all the way up, I had to put the gain at ~9 o'clock to get unity volume.
At 12V with gain all the way down, unity volume on the volume knob is around 3 o'clock, so 12V gives it more volume as well as clean headroom.
It seems fairly neutral in its tone, so it's perfect for my purposes.
It's pretty much exactly the tone you feed it, except with some hair on it.
I friggin' love it!
It's got that nice growl and slight grind of a power tube section working hard.
It's transparent, and it uses LEDs for clipping, which I always like.
I tried it at 9V & 12V, and the 12V really gave it a lot more life.
At 9V, with volume all the way up, I had to put the gain at ~9 o'clock to get unity volume.
At 12V with gain all the way down, unity volume on the volume knob is around 3 o'clock, so 12V gives it more volume as well as clean headroom.
It seems fairly neutral in its tone, so it's perfect for my purposes.
It's pretty much exactly the tone you feed it, except with some hair on it.
Nice one! I also have the Fifth Gear and Queen Bee right next to each other and I find they are terrific complements to each other. I haven't tried the QB at 12V yet, that's next on the endeavor list. At 9V, it really does have that overdriven 6L6GC vibe.
I can’t believe you have to crank the volume so high!
Same here! At a full band rehearsal last night my Queen Bee volume (running 9V) wasn't turned up past 9-11.
No.
I have one before the Fifth Gear and Queen Bee, but I turned it off for most of the time I was testing the QB.
My Queen Bee never goes past 11 or so to get me to unity.
Spent a lot of time recently with the Bearfoot Blueberry, Bearfoot Queen Bee, One Control Blackberry, and BJFE Blackberry.
So much of this is personal, what you play, through what you play it, the band mix, and what you do with the mids/Body control, but keeping in mind I'm strictly low gain, so never Drive at 9 o'clock or above, in general I found:
The biggest leap is from the Blueberry to the Queen Bee in terms of different sound and clarity. The Queen does have the Blueberry vibe with more treble and more range on the lower Drive settings. It sounds dry by comparison, so you're giving up some character in the mids.
Next biggest leap is to the OC Blackberry. I prefer it for copping the Blueberry sound with more highs or presence, and a much more subtle Drive.
Smallest leap is between the OC and BJFE Blackberry, but it's a noticeable difference in sweetness and character. It has the most treble, though there's less range on the subtle side of the Drive vs. Queen and OCBB.
The cost/reward ratio probably maxes out between the Queen and OCBB. For me the BJFE is totally worth it.
I also demo'd the One Control Crimson Red along with these, which is its own thing. Thick in the low end yet tight, with a slight sparkle in the highs (Brilliance dimed). It's not an actual overdrive pedal, so this might be the best bet for those who love the Blueberry vibe but want little or no dirt when really digging in.
So much of this is personal, what you play, through what you play it, the band mix, and what you do with the mids/Body control, but keeping in mind I'm strictly low gain, so never Drive at 9 o'clock or above, in general I found:
The biggest leap is from the Blueberry to the Queen Bee in terms of different sound and clarity. The Queen does have the Blueberry vibe with more treble and more range on the lower Drive settings. It sounds dry by comparison, so you're giving up some character in the mids.
Next biggest leap is to the OC Blackberry. I prefer it for copping the Blueberry sound with more highs or presence, and a much more subtle Drive.
Smallest leap is between the OC and BJFE Blackberry, but it's a noticeable difference in sweetness and character. It has the most treble, though there's less range on the subtle side of the Drive vs. Queen and OCBB.
The cost/reward ratio probably maxes out between the Queen and OCBB. For me the BJFE is totally worth it.
I also demo'd the One Control Crimson Red along with these, which is its own thing. Thick in the low end yet tight, with a slight sparkle in the highs (Brilliance dimed). It's not an actual overdrive pedal, so this might be the best bet for those who love the Blueberry vibe but want little or no dirt when really digging in.
These are the overdrives I’ve owned so far:
Tech 21 VT Bass
Bearfoot Blueberry
Fairfield Barbershop
TC Electronic Spark Drive
Creation Audio Grizzly
Way Huge Pork Loin
Southampton 5th Gear
Source Audio Aftershock
Mozztronics BOD-1
Damnation Audio MBD-2
Amptweaker Bass TightDrive Jr
I currently have the Free the Tone “Bass Blaster” BB-2, and it’s best of the best, in my opinion. It ended my search for the perfect mild overdrive pedal. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a great low-gain overdrive.
Tech 21 VT Bass
Bearfoot Blueberry
Fairfield Barbershop
TC Electronic Spark Drive
Creation Audio Grizzly
Way Huge Pork Loin
Southampton 5th Gear
Source Audio Aftershock
Mozztronics BOD-1
Damnation Audio MBD-2
Amptweaker Bass TightDrive Jr
I currently have the Free the Tone “Bass Blaster” BB-2, and it’s best of the best, in my opinion. It ended my search for the perfect mild overdrive pedal. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a great low-gain overdrive.
It's a pair of the Bearfoot Queen Bees that did it for me. It's nice that you can get the Blueberry circuit at so many different price points and "flavors" these days. A couple of years back I thought I'd never get my hands on one, and now I have tried a half dozen of the different iterations just this year. There's now an accessible version for everyone that wants the Blueberry vibe.
These are some of the others I tried (thanks @Killens84 for the idea):
Bearfoot Blueberry
Fairfield Barbershop V2
Creation Audio Grizzly
Amptweaker Bass TightDrive
BJFe BlueBerry Bass OD
Bearfoot Queen Bee
Mr. Black Bass OD (though I still have and use this one)
Fuzzrocious Dark Driving (have another of these on the way again)
These are some of the others I tried (thanks @Killens84 for the idea):
Bearfoot Blueberry
Fairfield Barbershop V2
Creation Audio Grizzly
Amptweaker Bass TightDrive
BJFe BlueBerry Bass OD
Bearfoot Queen Bee
Mr. Black Bass OD (though I still have and use this one)
Fuzzrocious Dark Driving (have another of these on the way again)
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Out of curiosity, where do you find yourself setting the Body on the Blackberries? With my lower output P basses, I find the drive to be extremely subtle and the body knob to make things a bit honky anywhere past 9:00.
Have you tried rolling off the tone on your P bass in conjunction with boosting Body on the Blackberry?
With a P bass, I too prefer Body/mids on the lower side. Depending on style, strings and the bass or its settings, I've enjoyed it from rolled off to full on.
