The EEIDI FX beAst beWst Full Range Boost is a hand-wired, point-to-point, transistor-based full-range boost pedal, the brainchild of Will from Third Age Amplifiers. It keeps the whole frequency range of your guitar intact while adding level, with slight bass attenuation to tighten things up, and it shapes tone with a single knob. Pedal of the Day described it as a boost that "will give your sound some instant POP"1.
Circuit and design
The beAst beWst is a point-to-point, transistor-based circuit. Pedal of the Day's reviewer summed up its lineage plainly: "It's just an LPB-1 clone, but with a wider EQ range." The LPB-1 is a classic simple boost design, and here it is extended to cover a wider part of the frequency spectrum, which is what makes it a full-range boost rather than a treble booster1.
Construction is hand-wired point-to-point, using high quality components including CDE Orange Drop capacitors, Vishay BC 2 watt resistors, and Cliff parts. This particular pedal led to the final point-to-point design iteration of the circuit utilizing spiral power rails, with the heart of the circuit suspended inside the spiral1.
The enclosure on the reviewed unit was dipped by Monarch Enclosures1.
What it does to your sound
As a full-range boost, the beAst beWst pushes your amp or the next pedal in the chain harder without carving out the low end the way a treble boost would. The review notes slight bass attenuation to tighten things up, so the low end stays present but firms up rather than getting flabby. With one knob for tone-shaping, the pedal is about as simple as an effect gets: set the level and tone character, and step on it1.
For where a boost like this sits among gain stages, see Boost Pedals, and for circuits that push an amp in a more colored way, see Overdrive Pedals and Distortion Pedals.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the beAst beWst in May 2023. The reviewer's verdict tied the build quality to the sound1:
"High quality parts and great sound usually go hand-in-hand, and there's no mistaking that here with the beAst beWst Full"
The same review called it "a hand-wired boost [that] has a killer range, great tone"1.
EEIDI FX also makes the EEIDI FX beAst beWst Full Range Boost, which the same publication described as an LPB-1 clone with a wider EQ range1.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Who designed the EEIDI FX beAst beWst?
The beAst beWst Full Range Boost is the brainchild of Will from Third Age Amplifiers, according to Pedal of the Day's review. The pedal is built under the EEIDI FX name and is a point-to-point, transistor-based full-range boost, described by the reviewer as an LPB-1 clone with a wider EQ range.
Is the beAst beWst true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review notes that the beAst beWst features true bypass switching, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes through without the boost circuit in the way.
Is the beAst beWst hand-wired?
Yes. The review describes it as a hand-wired boost with point-to-point construction using high quality components, including CDE Orange Drop capacitors, Vishay BC 2 watt resistors, and Cliff parts.
What are spiral power rails in the beAst beWst?
According to Pedal of the Day, this pedal led to the final point-to-point design iteration of the circuit utilizing spiral power rails, with the heart of the circuit suspended inside the spiral. It is a construction detail of how the hand-wired circuit is arranged inside the enclosure.
Does the beAst beWst cut any bass?
A little. The review describes the pedal as a full-range boost with slight bass attenuation to tighten things up, so it keeps the low end largely intact while firming it up, rather than acting as a treble-only booster.
Sources (1)
- EEIDI FX beAst beWst Full Range Boost, Pedal of the Day, 2023-05-21