The Drunk Beaver Okhtyrka Honey Bee Overdrive is a limited-run overdrive pedal and the maker's Pedal Drop #32: Vitalii's take on the BJFE Honey Bee, the Björn Juhl design inspired by the sound of a heavily beaten-up 60s Supro amp. It was launched on September 27, 2025, in a run of 25 units priced at $150 through the Drunk Beaver Rocks webstore1.
The circuit it comes from
The original BJFe Honey Bee was, according to Guitar Pedal X, "based on the sound of a massively beaten up and maltreated 60's Supro Amp"1. Delicious Audio describes the BJFe design as "Björn Juhl's Supro-amp-inspired" overdrive2, and Aion FX credits Juhl as "the original designer" of the circuit3. Aion FX also notes that multiple versions of the Honey Bee exist, "not just component variants, but actual schematic differences"3, which is worth knowing when comparing takes on the circuit. Drunk Beaver's own page for the BJFe Honeybee Overdrive covers the original design separately.
Clipping, gain stage and controls
Vitalii's version builds its character from a specific parts list:
- A NOS Tesla MAC157 op-amp, the Czech version of the CA3130, for the gain stage1
- A germanium plus LED combo for clipping1
- NOS Telefunken SAY-12 diodes for hard clipping1
- A Modes switch that changes EQ behavior: in the upper position it increases low end, and in the lower position it acts as a lowpass filter1
Availability
The Okhtyrka Honey Bee was a limited edition of 25 units, offered at $150 as the Guitar Pedal X review went live on September 27, 20251. It sits in Drunk Beaver's numbered Pedal Drop series alongside other limited runs such as the Kherson Drive Retro Edition, the Kharkiv Supercharged CMOS Overdrive and the Olbia Overdrive, and among the maker's overdrives alongside full-release pedals like the Kavun MOS Drive and The Forest Song v3.0. For where an overdrive like this sits next to other drive circuits, see the site's Overdrive Pedals page.
Guitar Pedal X's reviewer, Stefan Karlsson, summed up the maker's approach: "Vitalii definitely has a knack for extracting maximum flavour out of these classic circuits overall"1.
Questions
What circuit is the Okhtyrka Honey Bee Overdrive based on?
It is Drunk Beaver's take on the BJFE Honey Bee, the overdrive designed by Björn Juhl that Guitar Pedal X describes as based on the sound of a massively beaten up and maltreated 60s Supro amp. Vitalii's version keeps that Supro-inspired character while adding its own component choices, including a NOS Tesla MAC157 op-amp gain stage and a germanium plus LED clipping arrangement with NOS Telefunken SAY-12 hard clipping diodes.
How many Drunk Beaver Okhtyrka Honey Bees were made?
The Okhtyrka Honey Bee Overdrive was released as Drunk Beaver's Pedal Drop #32 on September 27, 2025, as a limited run of 25 units. Guitar Pedal X reported that the 25 pedals went on sale through the Drunk Beaver Rocks webstore as soon as the review article went live.
How much did the Drunk Beaver Okhtyrka Honey Bee cost?
The list price was $150, according to Guitar Pedal X's September 2025 review, which noted the pedals went for $150 on the Drunk Beaver Rocks webstore at launch.
What clipping diodes does the Okhtyrka Honey Bee use?
The pedal uses a germanium plus LED combo for clipping, and the hard clipping diodes are NOS Telefunken SAY-12, as described in Guitar Pedal X's review of the Pedal Drop #32 release.
Who designed the Drunk Beaver Okhtyrka Honey Bee?
The pedal was designed by Vitalii of Drunk Beaver as his take on the BJFE Honey Bee, the circuit originally designed by Björn Juhl.
Sources (3)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-09-27
- Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive Handwired, Delicious Audio, 2026-06-02
- Tracing Journal: Revisiting the Original Honey Bee FSB Trace, Aion FX, 2023-11-23
