The Beetronics Abelha, sold in full as the Abelha Tropical Fuzz, is a fuzz pedal from Beetronics, the Los Angeles based maker with roots in Brazil. Abelha is Portuguese for bee, and the pedal delivers what the maker calls vintage fuzz tones with a modern twist, from spitty and saggy to bold and biting1. It launched at NAMM in January 20242.
What makes it different from most three-knob fuzzes is its second layer. On the surface you get two knobs and a three-way toggle, but a double tap or a hold on the footswitch engages Tropical mode, a high-pass filter voicing that thins the sound into something thin, spitty and unmistakably retro3.
Three fuzz voices and a Tropical mode
The three voices are selected by a toggle switch at the pedal's center, labeled Polen, Nectar and Honey4. Each is a distinct flavor rather than a gain range:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Polen | A sagged, spitty tone reminiscent of a germanium fuzz with a dying battery; Delicious Audio describes it as a starved germanium fuzz circuit43 |
| Nectar | A round, huge-sounding fuzz with fuller tone and longer sustain43 |
| Honey | Slightly more contained gain with impressive versatility; a more controllable mode that can deliver a variety of classic fuzz tones43 |
Guitar.com summed up the spread as full-bore amp-slamming fuzz, lighter overdrive-like fuzz, and gated velcro fuzz, all on tap6.
Tropical mode sits on top of all three. It applies a high-pass filter and, as Guitar.com put it, even more spittiness to your chosen setting6. Beetronics describes it as recreating the sound of a fuzz pedal plugged directly into a recording console: bright, raw and edgy7. Internal settings allow three options for the mode's momentary functionality3.
The filter voicing is a deliberate nod to the pedal's Brazilian theme. Delicious Audio notes the Abelha celebrates the Tropicália movement founded by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil in late-1960s Brazil, and that the Tropical mode recreates a tone extremely popular among that movement's artists3. Guitar.com also reports the pedal's unusual shape is based on an obscure Brazilian unit6.
The controls: Buzz, Loud and the toggle
The front panel is deliberately simple. Two knobs, one switch, one footswitch:
- Buzz: adjusts the amount of fuzz438
- Loud: adjusts the output volume438
- Polen / Nectar / Honey toggle: selects the fuzz voice43
- Footswitch: bypass on a single press; a double tap activates Tropical mode, and holding it keeps the mode engaged momentarily9
Guitar World's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, noted the pedal's visual side too: an intricately engraved top surface, a large red jeweled bypass LED, and a ring of six smaller multicolored LEDs that light in different combinations to signal the various operating states5.
Beetronics says the Abelha's EQ and fuzz modes suit more than guitar, and that it works with bass, synths, drum machines and other instruments10.
Custom Shop editions
Alongside the standard editions, Beetronics sells Custom Shop versions of the Abelha, each an individually numbered unit. A run of Custom Shop units numbered AB01048 through AB01059 was offered, priced at £269.00 each, and some of those units have since sold out111. MusicRadar noted at launch that there are plenty of options for ordering a unit from the Custom Shop2.
The standard Abelha itself has also shown sold-out status on Beetronics' own store pages, so availability varies by edition9.
The Abelha requires a 9V DC center negative power supply, which is not included with the pedal4. There is no battery option, so it needs a spot on a power supply or an isolated adapter.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's Trevor Curwen reviewed the pedal and was positive about its range5:
"Beetronics' new pedal is an excellent fuzz for your 'board with wide-ranging tonal variation and performance tricks that set it apart from the crowd"5
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, covering the launch, called it another really smart Beetronics pedal that looks great and sounds great, though he found it a little over-sized for his preferences11. At 83 x 180 x 65 mm it is indeed a long enclosure5.
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called it a rather flexible fuzz, shining in delivering sputtering vintage tones3.
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Questions
What is the Tropical mode on the Beetronics Abelha?
Tropical mode applies a high-pass filter to your chosen fuzz setting, adding even more spittiness and recreating a tone the maker says was popular among artists of the Brazilian Tropicália movement. Beetronics describes it as the sound of a fuzz pedal plugged directly into a recording console: bright, raw and edgy. You reach it by double tapping the footswitch, or by holding the footswitch for momentary use.
Is the Beetronics Abelha a germanium fuzz?
Only one of its three voices is. The Polen mode is described by Delicious Audio as the spitting and sputtering fuzz of a starved germanium fuzz circuit, and Beetronics compares its sagged, spitty tone to a germanium fuzz with a dying battery. Nectar and Honey are fuller and more versatile fuzz voices that are not described as germanium.
What Brazilian pedal is the Abelha based on?
Guitar.com describes the Abelha as a strangely shaped pedal based on an obscure Brazilian unit. The pedal celebrates the Tropicália movement founded by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil in late-1960s Brazil, and its Tropical mode recreates a tone associated with that movement's artists.
How much power does the Beetronics Abelha need?
It runs on a 9V DC power supply with a center negative plug, drawing about 60 mA according to Guitar World's review. The power supply is not included with the pedal, so you need to supply your own.
Is the Abelha true bypass?
Yes. Both Beetronics and Guitar World's reviewer confirm the Abelha uses true bypass switching, which leaves your core tone alone when the effect is disengaged.
Sources (11)
- Abelha Tropical Fuzz • Limited Edition • Golden Honey (NEW), Beetronics
- NAMM 2024: “Brazil in the '70s had some genuinely unique fuzz tones, and that's what we've aimed to capture with this pedal”: Beetronics packs three classic flavours into the Abelha Tropical Fuzz, MusicRadar, 2024-01-16
- New Pedal: Beetronics Abelha Tropical Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2024-01-16
- Abelha Tropical Fuzz • Limited Edition • Garden Grove, Beetronics (www.beetronicsfx.com)
- Beetronics Abelha Tropical Fuzz review, Guitar World, 2024-04-17
- What I’d Buy This Week: It’s a pre-NAMM fuzz overload!, Guitar.com, 2024-01-17
- Abelha Tropical Fuzz • Custom Shop • 8-Beet Skull, Beetronics
- NAMM 2024: “It's a Beetronics masterpiece, showcasing what we do best”: Beetronics' new Abelha isn't your ordinary fuzz pedal, Guitar World, 2024-01-16
- Abelha Tropical Fuzz • Limited Edition • Telegenic, Beetronics
- Abelha Tropical Fuzz • Custom Shop • AB0851, Beetronics
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-17
