The Beetronics Seabee Lite is an analog chorus pedal built on a bucket-brigade (BBD) core, a sibling to the Seabee Harmochorus that keeps the original's chorus sound while stripping the design down to labeled surface controls1. Where the Harmochorus layered pitch-shifting "harmochorus" modes and hidden secondary functions on top of the chorus, the Lite presents three modulation voices, 16 presets, MIDI and expression control in a simpler box12.
Beetronics describes its tonal range as running "from classic 80s-style chorus to flangesque tones, to lo-fi, tape-like wobble"1. The sound path is true analog bucket brigade, while the control side is digital, handling the presets, MIDI and extras1. The pedal launched in April 2026 at $249 in the US, £219 in the UK, against $349 for the original Harmochorus234.
At 250mA the Seabee Lite needs a proper power supply output, not a battery or a shared daisy-chain tap. Check your supply's per-output rating before plugging in13.
A bucket-brigade chorus with three voices
The Seabee Lite's three modulation modes each take a different approach to the same analog delay line1:
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Classic | Triangle LFO with 10ms delay time, a wide, clean, familiar chorus tone1 |
| Flangee | Leans into flanger territory with metallic resonance15 |
| Wobblee | Lo-fi, tape-like wobble1 |
A fourth position, Vibee, switches the pedal from chorus to vibrato. MusicRadar's reviewer found the chorus mode sits at roughly a 50/50 wet/dry mix, and noted that flicking the third switch from chorus to Vibee unlocks a fully wet signal for deeper pitch modulation3.
The Feedback control is the one that stretches the pedal beyond standard chorus. Delicious Audio describes it as controlling regeneration in the BBD line: low settings give subtle chorus, while high settings push into flange territory with metallic resonance5. Between that and the Wobblee mode, the Lite covers ground a single-voice chorus does not.
The controls
The Lite Edition uses only labeled surface functions, with no hidden secondary features2. The knob set is four controls plus tap tempo5:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Rate | LFO speed5 |
| Depth | Modulation intensity5 |
| Mix | Wet/dry balance5 |
| Feedback | Regeneration in the BBD line; low is subtle chorus, high pushes into flange territory with metallic resonance5 |
Tap tempo syncs the modulation to your song5. The two footswitches do more than just bypass: the left one taps tempo and, when held, ramps the Rate control52.
An input level control lets you go from instrument to line level without issues, which makes the pedal at home with keyboards, studio gear or amp effect loops as well as guitar1.
Presets, MIDI and expression
The Seabee Lite carries over the Harmochorus's workflow features1:
- 16 onboard presets, organized as 4 banks of 412
- MIDI control for presets and extras, through a combined MIDI/EXP port12
- Expression control through the same port12
- Two stereo output options: Dry/Wet, or a phase-inverted configuration1
The pedal is mono in, stereo out, with quarter-inch Left and Right outputs12. The Dry/Wet option sends the dry and wet signals to separate outputs, useful for recording or running into two amps; the phase-inverted option offers an alternative stereo image1.
How it differs from the Seabee Harmochorus
The standard Seabee, an analog bucket-brigade stereo chorus with digital control and presets, came out in 20234. The Harmochorus is a multi-chorus pedal: a bucket-brigade stereo chorus with a pitch-bouncing "harmochorus" effect on top, plus stereo I/O, tap tempo and the same 16-preset, MIDI and expression setup678.
The Lite keeps the analog BBD chorus core and the preset workflow but drops the pitch-shifting modes and the hidden secondary functions that Guitar.com's reviewer found fiddly on the original42. Guitar Pedal X called it "a fantastic take - which carries most everything which made the original great"2. The price difference at launch was $100: $249 for the Lite against $349 for the Harmochorus2.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed the Seabee Lite and rated it 9/10, concluding:
"It's a top-class chorus and much more besides."4
MusicRadar's review noted the Cream and Pink Violet finish options and the buffered bypass, and found the chorus mode's roughly 50/50 mix a starting point rather than a limit, with the Vibee switch available for a fully wet signal3.
Availability
As of October 2026 the maker's store lists the Seabee Lite as sold out; the store's UK pricing shows £163.00 on one listing and £192.00 on another1. Beetronics also offers a Custom Shop version of the pedal, listed as SL0089.
Videos
Beetronics FX
R.J. Ronquillo and Beetronics FX
Mark Johnston
Questions
Is the Seabee Lite stereo?
Yes, in its outputs. The Seabee Lite takes a mono input and offers stereo outputs, with two stereo output options: Dry/Wet, where the dry and wet signals go to separate outputs, or a phase-inverted option. Both outputs are quarter-inch TS jacks labeled Left Out and Right Out.
How much current does the Seabee Lite draw?
The Seabee Lite draws 250mA of current at 9V DC with a center-negative plug, according to Beetronics and MusicRadar's review. That is well beyond what a 9V battery or a small daisy chain can supply, so plan on an isolated power supply output rated for at least that much.
What is the difference between the Seabee Lite and the Harmochorus?
The Seabee Lite is a simplified sibling of the Seabee Harmochorus. Both share an analog bucket-brigade chorus core with 16 presets, MIDI and expression control, but the Lite drops the Harmochorus's pitch-shifting harmochorus modes and hidden secondary functions, keeping only labeled surface controls. The Lite launched at $249 against $349 for the original.
Is the Seabee Lite true bypass?
No. MusicRadar's review lists the Seabee Lite's bypass as buffered rather than true bypass. The pedal has two footswitches that do more than just bypass: the left one taps tempo and, when held, ramps the Rate control.
Can the Seabee Lite take line-level signals?
Yes. An input level control lets you set the Seabee Lite's input from instrument level up to line level, which makes it usable with keyboards, line-level studio gear or effects loops as well as guitar. The input itself is a single mono TS jack.
What colors does the Seabee come in?
The Seabee Lite is available in two finishes: Cream and Pink Violet. Beetronics also sells Custom Shop editions of the pedal, and the standard Seabee Harmochorus has appeared in limited editions such as the Orange Buzz and Beet Skull finishes.
Sources (9)
- Seabee Lite • Beezarre Bazaar • SL389, Beetronics (www.beetronicsfx.com)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-04-22
- Beetronics Seabee Lite review, MusicRadar, 2026-08-28
- Beetronics Seabee Lite, Guitar.com
- New Pedal: Beetronics Seabee Lite Chorus, Delicious Audio, 2026-04-21
- Seabee Harmochorus Custom Shop SB142, Beetronics
- Beetronics Seabee Harmochorus review, Guitar.com, 2023-03-31
- Seabee Harmochorus • Custom Shop • 8-Beet Skull, Beetronics
- Seabee Lite • Custom Shop • SL008, Beetronics
