Beetronics launches Abelha Tropical Fuzz pedal at NAMM 2024

January 16, 2024 · 4 sources

Beetronics announced the Abelha Tropical Fuzz on January 16, 2024, timed to NAMM 2024. The fuzz pedal is available now for $289¹. Guitar Pedal X reported the standard edition at $289 and Custom Shop Editions at $349². Gearnews listed an MSRP of EUR 349³.

The Abelha, Portuguese for "bee," is inspired by Brazil's Tropicália movement of the 1970s, which Guitar World describes as bringing together popular and avant-garde music genres¹. Gearnews describes it as a musical current of the late 1960s in which traditional Brazilian styles merged with psychedelia, pop and rock³. Beetronics founder Filipe Pampuri, who was born and raised in Brazil, said the pedal aims to capture the country's unique 1970s fuzz tones¹.

A central toggle switch selects three modes. Guitar World describes Polen as "sagged and spitty," reminiscent of a dying battery on a germanium fuzz, Nectar as a more rounded gain tone, and Honey as adding even more gain¹. Gearnews describes Honey as delivering moderate gain³. Four knobs control Buzz (fuzz), Loud (volume), and Hi and Lo EQ¹²⁴.

A multi-function footswitch engages the effect with one tap, switches to a hidden Tropical mode with two taps, and holds for momentary engagement or a mode switch depending on bypass state¹. Tropical mode applies a high-pass filter²³⁴. The speed of momentary changes can be set to Immediate, Medium or Lazy¹. Guitar Pedal X describes a 3D-printed surface and an oversized enclosure². Gearnews says each pedal is made in California³.

Guitar Pedal X reported the pedal available from the Beetronics webstore and its Reverb.com store².