Beetronics Nectar

The Beetronics Nectar, sold as the Nectar Tone Sweetener, is a compact pedal that puts an overdrive and a fuzz in one box, with a single toggle on top choosing between them. Beetronics describes the two modes as "a focused, harmonically rich overdrive, and a tight, saturated fuzz with a contemporary edge"¹. It sits in the maker's small-format Babee range, and its format is broadly the same as the Beetronics Fatbee overdrive, with the same top-mounted controls plus the mode toggle².

The pedal was announced in late October 2023³² and carries a list price of $199, or £195 in the UK³². It is made in California⁴.

An overdrive and a fuzz with one toggle

The core idea is simple: one dirt box, two voices. The toggle on the top plate selects Drive or Fuzz mode¹, and everything else on the pedal works in both. Delicious Audio described the result as a high-end yet straightforward dirt box that, "with only 3 knobs + 1 toggle, delivers an incredibly wide and dynamic range of tones, from vintage tweed-style crunch to a full-bodied overdrive, and even a modern high-gain fuzz"¹¹.

Beetronics says the pedal is responsive with plenty of headroom, and that it enhances every nuance of your playing¹². Premier Guitar's reviewer heard the two modes as fuzzy overdrive and thicker, more overdrive-like fuzz, noting the ways overdrive and fuzz circuits can blur into each other³.

The controls

There are three knobs, one toggle and one footswitch⁹¹¹:

Beetronics pitches the control set as quick and musical to use, with no deep menus or guesswork⁵¹³. The single footswitch does mean you cannot switch between the two modes on the fly with your feet; Premier Guitar noted that "with just a single footswitch, there are limitations to Beetronics' take on the concept"³.

Power and size

The Nectar runs on an external 9V DC center negative supply only. Premier Guitar found no battery connection inside³, and Beetronics notes that a power supply is not included. Current draw is around 30 mA, so it is a light load for a pedalboard supply⁹¹⁰.

At 4.5" x 2.5" x 2.25", Guitar.com measured it as roughly the same width and about 20% smaller than a standard Boss compact pedal footprint². Guitar World listed the compact size among the pedal's pluses⁹.

Versions: Babee Series and Custom Shop editions

The Nectar is sold in two lines. The standard Babee Series version is part of Beetronics' compact Babee range¹⁶, and Beetronics also builds Custom Shop units, each with a serial-style designation such as NC0001, NC1301 or NC1326¹⁶. Beyond those, Beetronics has released small limited editions, including a Babee Blue version and a Moon Bloom edition capped at 10 pieces¹⁴¹⁵. Some editions have sold out¹⁶.

• Babee Series: the standard production version¹³
• Custom Shop: individual builds with unique finishes and NC-series designations¹⁶
• Limited editions: small runs such as Babee Blue and the 10-piece Moon Bloom¹⁴¹⁵

The circuit and controls are the same across these versions; what changes is the finish¹³¹¹⁴.

What reviewers said

Reviews were positive. Guitar Pedal X named the Nectar a pick in its roundup of the best new boost and overdrive pedals of 2023, calling it "My favourite Beetronics Babee series to date"¹⁷, and its reviewer listed the compact size as a reason to buy¹⁷⁹. Delicious Audio included the Nectar in its aggregate list of the best guitar pedals of 2023, covering new releases only¹¹.

Premier Guitar's reviewer found the fuzz mode broadly voiced: "It strikes me as voiced to appeal to a wide range of guitarists and playing approaches"³. The same review highlighted the pedal's decoration, noting a plastic plate on the face with a floral graphic and a PCB adorned with a similar floral design³.

Guitar World's verdict listed the compact size as a reason to buy, alongside the 9V DC power requirement of 30 mA⁹. On the launch, gearnews.com summed up the range of tones available from a three-knob pedal as "a lot of ground"⁷.

Where it came from

The Nectar comes from Beetronics, a builder whose pedals are all made in California³⁴. Guitar.com's 60 Seconds video describes it as the latest pedal from Filipe Pampuri, a Brazilian-born, LA-based pedal builder¹⁸. It carries a list price of $199², and it was included in Delicious Audio's aggregate list of the best guitar pedals of 2023, covering new releases only¹¹.

Within Beetronics' own line, the Nectar sits alongside the Fatbee overdrive, whose format it shares, and later dual-drive pedals such as the Wannabee Beelateral Buzz. For more on the category, see overdrive pedals and fuzz pedals².

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