The BJFE in Your Hand series Honey Bee OD 4K is an overdrive pedal from One Control, built as what the maker calls "a faithful evolution of the legendary BJFE Honey Bee model"1. It carries Björn Juhl's Honey Bee circuit into One Control's original machined aluminum enclosure, with a hand-wired build using premium components1.
One Control describes the sound as maintaining "BJFE's hallmark soft texture, while delivering a clear and controlled tone that stands out, particularly in ensemble settings"1. The pedal is currently listed as sold out at its regular price of $279.99 USD, marked down from $349.99 USD1.
A BJFE Honey Bee in a machined One Control enclosure
The BJFE in Your Hand series was designed in collaboration between BJFE and One Control, and One Control says it "mirrors the iconic BJFE appearance and tone in every detail" with the approval of BJFE founder BJF himself1. The Honey Bee OD 4K is constructed using One Control's original machined aluminum enclosure, which the maker credits with "durability and distinctive style"1.
Each pedal is produced by skilled artisans with a hand-wired build using premium components1. The series also includes siblings such as the Dyna Red Distortion 4K, built in the same proprietary aluminum-machined housing2.
The lineage matters here. One Control describes the pedal as maintaining BJFE's hallmark soft texture while delivering a clear and controlled tone that stands out, particularly in ensemble settings1. The BJFe Honeybee Overdrive page covers the original pedal in more detail.
The controls: Volume, Drive, Bass and Treble
Four knobs govern the pedal, each labeled with a single letter. One Control's descriptions of what they do1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| V Volume | Adjusts the overall output volume. One Control suggests starting at the 12 o'clock position for a balanced tone. |
| D Drive | Controls the level of distortion. At 12 o'clock, you can vary distortion by altering your picking strength. |
| B Bass | Allows precise adjustment of low-end frequencies for a fuller tone. |
| T Treble | Fine-tunes the high-end pitch, letting you shape the top end of your sound. |
The Drive knob's behavior is worth noting for players new to low-gain overdrives: with the knob at 12 o'clock, the amount of distortion responds to how hard you pick, so dynamics from your right hand shape the breakup rather than the knob setting alone1.
Power and connections
The Honey Bee OD 4K runs on a 9V center-negative supply and draws only 3mA, which makes it easy on a pedalboard power supply1. There is no battery option; One Control's page notes that batteries are not included1.
Like most center-negative pedals with no battery compartment, the Honey Bee OD 4K needs a 9V DC power supply with the correct polarity. Its 3mA draw is low enough that it shares comfortably with other pedals on a multi-output supply1.
Input impedance is 370k and output impedance is 50K1. For comparison within the same series, the Dyna Red Distortion 4K accepts 5 to 15V center negative and draws 3.5mA, while the Shades Of Green O.D. DLX runs on 9V DC center negative at 7.5mA23.
How it differs from the One Control Honey Bee Overdrive
One Control has produced Honey Bee circuits before, and the Honey Bee OD 4K is a distinct product in the lineup. It is part of the BJFE in Your Hand series, a line designed in collaboration with One Control1, built in the original machined aluminum enclosure with a hand-wired construction using premium components1.
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Questions
Does the Honey Bee OD 4K take a battery?
No. One Control's product page lists the pedal's power as 9V center negative and notes that batteries are not included, so it runs from a 9V DC power supply rather than an internal battery.
How is the Honey Bee OD 4K different from the One Control Honey Bee Overdrive?
The Honey Bee OD 4K is part of the BJFE in Your Hand series, built in One Control's machined aluminum enclosure and handmade in Japan as a faithful evolution of the original BJFE Honey Bee. One Control's earlier Honey Bee Overdrive, introduced in 2017, offered Vintage and Modern voicing modes instead.
Who designed the Honey Bee overdrive?
The original Honey Bee analog design is by Björn Juhl, founder of BJFE, who first released it on December 4, 2002. The BJFE in Your Hand series version is approved by BJF himself.
Where is the BJFE Honey Bee OD 4K made?
It is handmade in Japan. One Control describes each pedal as produced by skilled artisans with a hand-wired build using premium components.
Sources (3)
- BJFE in your hand series Honey Bee OD 4K (OC-BIYH-HBOD4K), One Control USA
- BJFE in your hand series Dyna Red Distortion 4K (OC-BIYH-DRD4K), One Control USA
- BJFE in your hand series Shades Of Green O.D. DLX (OC-BIYH-SOGODDLX), One Control USA
