Beetronics VEZZPA Octave Stinger Limited Edition "Donatello"

The Beetronics VEZZPA Octave Stinger Limited Edition "Donatello" is a limited-run version of Beetronics' Vezzpa Octave Stinger, an octave fuzz pedal built around an op-amp circuit. Beetronics describes the pedal as "a wasp, a nasty and aggressive one with an op-amp heart that can produce an extreme high-pitched buzz"¹. It offers two modes, FUZZZZ and STINGER, selected by a multi-function switch, with a single Sustain knob shaping the fuzz character.

The Donatello edition is sold out on Beetronics' own store, listed at a regular price of £154.00¹. Like the rest of the Vezzpa limited editions, it was a small decorative run of the same circuit rather than a different pedal.

An op-amp fuzz with a high octave

The Vezzpa Octave Stinger is a fuzz with an octave-up component. Beetronics describes it as "a wasp, a nasty and aggressive one with an op-amp heart that can produce an extreme high-pitched buzz"¹. A review characterized it as "combining a most aggro op-amp fuzz sound with an octave-up fuzz that's full of harmonic drama"². The pedal's two modes split these characters: FUZZZZ mode gives "a big wall of fuzz, great for the coolest riffs and power chords," while STINGER mode gets aggressive, bringing up the high octave to cut through the mix¹.

Guitar World's coverage of the pedal noted the two modes and "a sustain control for further tonal manipulation"³. The octave-up voice is the pedal's distinguishing feature: where a standard fuzz thickens the note, the Vezzpa's STINGER mode adds harmonics an octave above what you play, which is what gives it the "high-pitched buzz" Beetronics describes¹.

The controls: Sustain and the multi-function switch

The control surface is minimal: one knob and one switch.

The Sustain knob is effectively a gain control with a wide character range. At low settings the fuzz breaks up unevenly, producing the sputtery, spitting texture Beetronics describes; at high settings the pedal becomes a gated, super high gain fuzz, meaning the signal cuts off abruptly when you stop playing rather than decaying naturally¹.

The multi-function switch is the more unusual feature. Rather than only latching between the two modes, it can access them momentarily, so a player can drop into STINGER's high-octave voice for a phrase or a single accent and return to FUZZZZ without bending down⁴⁵⁶.

FUZZZZ versus STINGER mode

The two modes are distinct voices rather than gain levels:

• FUZZZZ: a big wall of fuzz, which Beetronics describes as "great for the coolest riffs and power chords"¹. Other Vezzpa edition pages characterize it as a thick, gated fuzz ideal for powerful riffs⁷.
• STINGER: the aggressive setting, "bringing up the high octave and cutting through the mix"¹. Beetronics' other pages call it "a searing high-octave fuzz that cuts through any mix"⁷.

In practice, FUZZZZ provides a thick, gated fuzz ideal for powerful riffs, while STINGER introduces a searing high-octave fuzz that cuts through any mix⁸.

Power and size

The pedal requires a 9V DC power supply with a center-negative plug, and no power supply is included in the box¹. Current draw is 36mA¹, low enough for any isolated output on a typical pedalboard supply.

On size, Beetronics' own pages disagree. The Donatello page lists the pedal at 5.5" x 3.5" x 2.75" including knobs and switches, with a package size of 6.75" x 5.25" x 3.25"¹. Other Vezzpa edition pages, including the Redbee and Great Pumpkin editions, list the pedal at 4 1/2" x 2 1/4" x 2 1/4"⁶. The pedal weighs 0.5 lbs (0.25 kilos), and the packaged weight is 0.75 lbs (0.5 kilos)¹.

Limited editions of the Vezzpa

Beetronics has released the Vezzpa Octave Stinger in a long series of limited editions and Custom Shop variants, each the same circuit in a different finish. Named editions include⁹⁷⁴:

• Limited Edition "Donatello"¹
• Limited Edition WHITE⁷
• Limited Edition Redbee⁶
• Limited Edition "Memorial", a 10-piece run¹⁰
• Limited Edition Grasshopper bee stock¹¹
• The Blackbee Edition¹²
• Limited Edition Skeleta bee stock¹³

Beyond the named editions, Beetronics also builds Custom Shop units with individual numbers such as VZ3191, VZ2521 and VZ2533⁷. Several of these editions, including WHITE, Redbee, Great Pumpkin, Memorial and the Black Friday edition, are now sold out on Beetronics' store⁷⁶¹⁰.

Beetronics covers its pedals with what it calls a 30-Day Hive Happiness Guarantee, with shipping not included; returned pedals that are worn or missing accessories may carry a restocking fee of 15% or be exchanged for store credit, with refunds processed within 5 business days of the return¹.

Questions