Beetronics VEZZPA Octave Stinger Limited Edition Majin Bee

The Beetronics VEZZPA Octave Stinger Limited Edition Majin Bee is a limited-run finish of Beetronics' Vezzpa Octave Stinger, an octave fuzz pedal with two personalities. Beetronics describes the circuit as "a wasp, a nasty and aggressive one with an op-amp heart that can produce an extreme high-pitched buzz"¹. In FUZZZZ mode it is a big wall of fuzz aimed at riffs and power chords; in STINGER mode it brings up the high octave and cuts through the mix¹.

The Majin Bee edition is sold out at Beetronics' own store, where it carried a regular price of £154.00¹. Like the rest of the Vezzpa limited editions, it is the same circuit in a one-off paint job, so this page covers the pedal's sound, controls and power, and then the wider family of editions the maker has released.

Two modes: FUZZZZ and STINGER

The Vezzpa's split personality is the whole point of the pedal. Beetronics lays out the two modes plainly⁵⁶¹:

FUZZZZ is the thick, gated fuzz side, while STINGER is a searing high-octave fuzz that sits on top of the mix rather than under it⁷⁶⁵. For a player, that is the practical difference: one mode for rhythm weight, one for a lead voice that jumps out. Guitar World's coverage of the pedal noted the same two-mode design, adding that it also carries a sustain control for further tonal manipulation⁸.

The controls: Sustain and the multi-function switch

The Vezzpa keeps its panel minimal. There is one knob and one switch, and both do more than their labels suggest.

The SUSTAIN control is really a character control. At the low end you get sputtery, spitty textures where notes decay unevenly; turned up, the fuzz gates hard and the gain stacks up¹. That gated high-gain setting is what makes the FUZZZZ mode sit tight under fast playing, since the signal shuts off between notes instead of hanging over.

The multi-function switch is the more unusual feature. As Beetronics puts it:

Momentary access means you can hold the switch to jump into STINGER's high octave for a single phrase or accent and drop straight back into FUZZZZ when you release it, without tapping a mode switch twice mid-riff. Every Vezzpa edition carries the same control set, from the Redbee to the Great Pumpkin to the Memorial run⁹¹⁰¹¹.

Power and size

The Vezzpa runs on a standard pedalboard supply: 9V DC, center negative, drawing 36mA¹². That is a light enough draw to share an output on most isolated power bricks.

On size, the maker's own pages disagree. The Majin Bee page lists the pedal at 5.5" x 3.5" x 2.75" including knobs and switches, weighing 0.5 lbs¹. Other Vezzpa edition pages, including the Redbee and Great Pumpkin, list dimensions of 4 1/2" x 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" with a package size of 6.75" x 5.25" x 3.25"⁹¹⁰. Both sets of figures come from Beetronics, so treat the smaller numbers as the common Vezzpa size and the larger as what the Majin Bee page states.

The Vezzpa limited editions

Beetronics has released the Vezzpa Octave Stinger in a long string of limited finishes, each the same circuit in different paint. The editions documented on the maker's site include¹⁹⁶:

• Limited Edition Redbee⁹
• Limited Edition "Great Pumpkin"¹⁰
• Limited Edition "Memorial", a 10-piece run¹¹
• Limited Edition "Donatello", Lotus, Cream, WHITE, Blackbee, and others across the collection¹⁵⁶⁴

Beyond the named editions, Beetronics also builds Custom Shop Vezzpas with individual unit numbers, such as VZ3191, VZ2144, VZ2306 and VZ2521 through VZ2534¹⁶⁶. Several of the editions, including the Redbee and the Memorial run, are themselves sold out⁹¹¹, which is the pattern for the line: small batches, decorative finishes, and a store listing that flips to sold out once the run is gone.

The Majin Bee sits in that same family. Its name matches a finish Beetronics has also used on the Swarm Fuzz Harmonizer Limited Edition Majin Bee, and the pedal itself is one member of a much larger Beetronics fuzz lineup that includes the OctaHive, the WhoctaHell and the Tuna Fuzz¹.

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