Beetronics Royal Jelly OD/Fuzz Limited Edition "Memorial"

The Royal Jelly OD/Fuzz Limited Edition "Memorial" is a small-run version of Beetronics' Royal Jelly OD/Fuzz, an overdrive/fuzz blender pedal. Instead of stacking overdrive into fuzz, it runs the two circuits in parallel, so you can blend them in any proportion or use either one on its own. Beetronics describes it as a pedal that "can cover any ground from overdrive to fuzz, running two circuits in parallel and giving you the possibility of blending it or having them separately"¹.

The Memorial was a 10-piece run, hand made in California, and Beetronics lists it as sold out¹. It carries the same feature set as the standard Royal Jelly, so this page describes the circuit as it applies to both.

Overdrive and fuzz in parallel, blendable or separate

Most overdrive and fuzz pedals chain their gain stages, so the fuzz colors whatever the overdrive feeds it. The Royal Jelly takes the other approach: the overdrive and fuzz circuits run in parallel, and a blend control sets how much of each you hear. Run it toward the overdrive side for a warmer, more compressed drive, toward the fuzz side for a full fuzz voice, or anywhere between for a hybrid neither circuit produces alone².

Two presets of the blend, called Queen and King, let you store two different overdrive/fuzz mixes and call them up as distinct voicings¹. Beetronics describes them as "two presets of the blend, called Queen and King"¹.

The controls the maker lists:

The EQ is a notable part of the design. Beetronics says "the Jelly's powerful EQ gives you 10dB of cut/boost for HI and LO making it possible to shape your tone in many different ways"¹. That range is deep enough to compensate for a bright amp or fatten a thin fuzz, not just trim the edges.

The BUZZ switch works on the fuzz side only. In the maker's words, "the BUZZ switch adds that nasty high end usually found on the vintage fuzz boxes to its fuzz circuit"¹. Other Beetronics pages describe the same switch as adding "a high-end boost to the fuzz for extra bite and presence"³. Either way, it is a voicing choice: off for a rounder fuzz, on for the spiky, raspy character of an old germanium box.

The DRY control blends your unprocessed signal back in. On guitar, Beetronics says it "is great to create unique clean tones with a fuzzy background"¹. Because the dry signal is untouched, the low end stays intact, which is what makes the pedal useful beyond guitar.

Power and connections

The Royal Jelly requires a 9V DC power supply with a center-negative plug, and no power supply is included with the pedal¹. There is no battery option in the maker's listing, so it needs a spot on a pedalboard power supply. At 2lbs / 1kg and 6-1/8" x 5-1/16" x 2-3/4", it is a medium-sized enclosure rather than a mini pedal¹.

The Memorial and other limited editions

Beetronics has released the Royal Jelly in a long series of limited editions, each the same overdrive/fuzz blender circuit in a different hand-finished enclosure. Alongside the 10-piece Memorial, the maker's pages list editions including the All Blue, the "Pomegranate", the "Plumbee", the "Donatello", the "Great Pumpkin", the Valentine Limited Edition, and Custom Shop builds such as the Custom Shop 420 and the RJ3247⁶⁷³¹⁸. All of them carry the same core description: two parallel circuits, Queen and King blend presets, the BUZZ switch, and the dry blend.

The Memorial's regular price was listed at £223.00 GBP¹. Beetronics backs its pedals with a 30-Day Hive Happiness Guarantee, with shipping not included; returned items in worn condition or missing accessories may face a restocking fee of 15% or be offered as store credit instead¹.

Questions