Beetronics VEZZPA Octave Stinger Limited Edition Redbee

The Beetronics VEZZPA Octave Stinger Limited Edition Redbee is one of many limited-run finishes of the 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. Guitar World, covering the pedal at its launch, described it as "combining digital controls with an analog fuzz circuit, the op-amp-powered Vezzpa packs two operating modes: Fuzzzz and Stinger"².

The Redbee edition is a cosmetic variant: same circuit, same controls, different finish. As a limited edition it is now sold out at Beetronics' own store¹.

FUZZZZ and STINGER: the two modes

The Vezzpa gives you two sounds, and the difference between them is the difference between a fuzz and an octave fuzz³⁴⁵.

FUZZZZ is the fuzz side. Beetronics describes it as "a big wall of fuzz, great for the coolest riffs and power chords"¹. Within that mode, the single SUSTAIN control sets the character: turned down you get a spitty fuzzing tone, turned up you get a gated super high gain fuzz¹. Gated fuzz, where the signal cuts off abruptly rather than decaying smoothly, is the sound the SUSTAIN knob's upper range reaches.

STINGER is the octave side. Beetronics says that in this mode "this wasp gets aggressive, bringing up the high octave and cutting through the mix", and sums it up in the product page's own words¹:

In FUZZZZ mode the pedal covers the ground of a classic fuzz, while STINGER mode takes a sharper turn. Beetronics describes STINGER as the setting where "this wasp gets aggressive, bringing up the high octave and cutting through the mix," with the maker's own summary being that "Harmonics on crack best defines it!"¹ In practice that means the octave voice sits forward and the effect stands out over a band rather than sitting underneath it.

For a player, that means STINGER is the mode for lead lines and accents where you want the note to jump out with an upper-octave edge, while FUZZZZ is the mode for chords and riffs¹⁴⁶.

The controls: SUSTAIN and the multi-function switch

The control surface is deliberately minimal. One knob and one switch cover everything.

The multi-function switch is the more interesting of the two. Beetronics describes it this way: "Its multi-function switch allows you to select between the modes or access them momentarily giving you multiple options to play with"¹. In practice that means two ways of working: you can latch a mode and stay in it, or hold the switch to dip into the other mode only while it is engaged, then release to return. That momentary access is what makes the octave sting usable as an accent rather than a full-time sound.

Power and size

The Vezzpa runs on a standard pedalboard supply: 9V DC, center negative, drawing 36mA¹. No power supply comes in the box, so you need your own 9V adapter or an isolated output on your power brick¹.

The Redbee and other limited editions

Beetronics has released the Vezzpa Octave Stinger in a long string of limited finishes, of which the Redbee is one. The pattern is consistent across them: the circuit, controls and power are the same, and the finish and run size differ. Editions documented on Beetronics' own pages include¹¹⁰¹¹:

• Limited Edition Redbee¹
• Limited Edition Majin Bee¹²
• Limited Edition Lotus¹³
• Limited Edition Cream¹⁴
• Limited Edition "Donatello"⁶
• Limited Edition "Great Pumpkin"⁸
• BLACK FRIDAY Limited Edition¹⁵
• The Blackbee Edition¹⁶
• Limited Edition WHITE¹¹
• Limited Edition "Memorial", a 10-piece run¹⁷

Beetronics also sells Custom Shop versions and a Babee Series version of the Octave Stinger through its Vezzpa collection¹⁸. Nearly all of the limited editions are now shown as sold out on their product pages, the Redbee included¹.

If you are looking for a Vezzpa today, the standard Beetronics Vezzpa Octave Stinger page covers the non-limited version of the same circuit. Players interested in Beetronics' other fuzzes can compare the Beetronics OctaHive, a high-octave fuzz, and the Beetronics WhoctaHell, a low-octave fuzz, both of which take a different octave direction than the Vezzpa's high-octave STINGER mode.

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