Beetronics Wannabee

The Beetronics Wannabee, sold in full as the Wannabee Beelateral Buzz, is a dual overdrive pedal that puts two of the most copied drive circuits in one box: a Marshall Bluesbreaker-inspired circuit on one side and a Klon Centaur-inspired circuit on the other. Beetronics describes it as "a dual overdrive inspired by the Bluesbreaker and Klon," with "two distinct circuits with complementary voices, one smooth and dynamic, the other tight and punchy"¹. Vintage Guitar called it simply "a two-in-one overdrive pedal modeled after two classic circuits"².

What sets it apart from most two-in-one drives is its routing system. The two circuits can be stacked in series or run in parallel, and in series mode you can choose which circuit comes first. Each side also has its own footswitch, so you can use either drive on its own or both together. It launched in April 2024 at $299³⁴.

A Bluesbreaker and Klon-style drive in one pedal

Guitar World's reviewer Trevor Curwen mapped the layout: "The Bluesbreaker inspiration is to the left and is called circuit #0," while "the Klon-style is to the right and is called circuit #1"⁵. Both sides are independently footswitchable, so the pedal works as a single Bluesbreaker-style drive, a single Klon-style drive, or both at once.

On how the two sides behave, Curwen found that "both drives definitely reside in the ballpark of what you'd expect from the pedals they're based on, and either can be c"alled up from a mild boost to fully driven sounds, with practical top-end adjustment through the Taste tone knobs⁵. Beetronics itself characterizes the pair as complementary: one smooth and dynamic, the other tight and punchy¹.

The controls

Each circuit carries the same three knobs, with bee-themed names, plus a three-way voicing switch whose job differs from one side to the other⁷⁵.

The voicing switches are where the two sides diverge. On the Bluesbreaker side the switch shapes the low end, with Guitar World describing a low-end boost offering "full-fat warmth" alongside a midrange boost and the flat setting⁵. On the Klon side it sets the clean blend, with three distinct options including two different amounts of clean signal mixed in⁵. MusicRadar's launch coverage described these as "mid boost, flat and low end boost voicings" on circuit #0 and "switchable no clean blend, medium clean blend and full clean blend flavours" on circuit #1³.

Series and parallel routing

The routing system is the feature Beetronics leans on hardest. As the maker puts it, you can "stack them for saturation, or run them side-by-side in parallel for wide, articulate tones"⁷. In series mode the signal order can be switched, so you choose which circuit feeds which⁸⁹¹⁰.

Parallel mode is the rarer trick. MusicRadar noted you can run both circuits in parallel and mix them using their respective volume controls³. Guitar World's reviewer found this "not only opens up a whole new range of edgy dual textures to be explored but also offers a completely natural way t"o stack drives, and suggested "perhaps running the Klon as an always-on tone conditioner and bringing the Bluesbreaker in for some occasional extra who"mp⁵. In series, by contrast, Curwen found you can "push things into some particularly choice, throaty distortion"⁵.

Custom Shop units and limited editions

Alongside the standard pedal, Beetronics sells the Wannabee as individual numbered Custom Shop one-offs, each with its own serial number, with units listed from WB0001 through WB981⁷¹⁰. There are also Limited Edition runs, such as the Leeloomiai Bee Stock version¹¹. Electrically these carry the same circuits, controls and routing as the standard pedal; the difference is the finish and the numbering. Custom Shop units have carried different prices from the standard model, and Beetronics lists a 14-day money back guarantee on its product pages⁷¹⁰. Many listed Custom Shop units show as sold out¹⁰.

What reviewers said

Published reviews have been positive, with one recurring reservation about the looks.

• Guitar World (Trevor Curwen, 2026): a "stalwart pedal with a ton of functionality," with Beetronics having "tweaked and combined them into something greater than the sum of their parts." Reasons to buy included "two classic drive circuits in one pedal"; the listed drawback was that "side-mounted jacks won't be everybody's preference"⁵.
• Guitar Pedal X (Stefan Karlsson, 2024): named it among the best new boost and overdrive pedals of the year, writing that "both circuits are among the best of those respective genres, and the additional EQ Modes really elevate this pedal"⁴.
• Guitar Pedal X (Stefan Karlsson, 2025): looking back, called it "a genuine surprise" that was better than expected⁶¹².
• Guitar Pedal X (Stefan Karlsson, 2024): at launch, felt "it seems a little vanilla to be a full-fat Beetronics style pedal, but there are several smart touches here which make" it worthy¹³.
• Vintage Guitar (August 2024): reviewed it as a two-in-one overdrive modeled after two classic circuits, priced at $299²⁵.

For players comparing dual drives, Guitar Pedal X has also grouped the Wannabee Beelateral Buzz among compact, stackable dual overdrives alongside other two-circuit pedals⁶. If you are weighing it against single-circuit options, our overdrive pedals page covers the broader field, and Beetronics' own Nectar Tone Sweetener is a different take from the same maker, pairing overdrive with fuzz instead of two drives.

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