The Barber B.U.S.S Five Watt World edition is an overdrive pedal from Barber, a maker based at 5 Summit Rd, York, PA 17403. The B.U.S.S is dedicated to the circuits of the B-Custom Super Sport and the Barber Burn Unit, and the Five Watt World edition uses those circuits to celebrate historic tones and textures, including those created by Alexander Dumble's ODS amp and Eric Clapton's Beano album1. It sits in Barber's overdrive line alongside pedals like the Barber Direct Drive and the Barber Electronics Gain Changer, and is part of the Five Watt World collaboration that also produced the Barber FWW Plus.
The two modes
A toggle on the left of the pedal selects between the two circuits, each with its own character as Barber describes it1:
| Toggle position | Mode | What Barber says it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left | Super Sport | Classic British and high-powered tweed sounds that can get aggressive1 |
| Right | Burn Unit | Louder and very punchy, giving Dumble-like thickness to the bridge pickup and warm, flute-like textures on the neck pickup1 |
Barber notes that it is normal for the left toggle to pop when switched1.
Power
The pedal runs on a 9 to 18 volt DC adaptor, which must be negative tip (center)1. The 9 to 18 volt range means the pedal can be run at higher voltages than the bottom of its range, but any adaptor used must have the negative center tip polarity.
For readers comparing Barber's overdrives, the Barber Compact Direct Drive, Barber Gain Changer SR and Barber fww BUSS HG are related pedals in the same line, and the overdrive pedals page covers the type more broadly.
Videos
Barber Electronics
Barber Electronics
John Nathan Cordy
Sources (1)
- FWW_BUSS_KW_EDIT.pdf, Barber Electronics
