The Jeds Peds Blue Beret is a DIY guitar effects pedal kit for an overdrive designed for bassists, as well as guitarists playing with slack, low-tuned strings1. It is sold as a kit you build yourself, with a PDF build guide and a support forum included, and it is priced at £44.00 GBP on the maker's product page as of 26 October 20261. If you would rather buy a finished overdrive, the site's Overdrive Pedals page covers ready-built options.
The controls
The Blue Beret has three knobs: Volume, Nature and Gain. Jeds Peds notes that the Nature and Gain controls are fairly interactive with each other, so the two work together rather than independently when you shape the drive character1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level |
| Nature | Shapes the drive character, interactive with Gain |
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive, interactive with Nature |
Kit versions and what each includes
The kit is sold in four levels, so you can buy as much or as little of the parts as you want1:
- PCB Only: just the plain PCB.
- PCB & Components: the PCB, onboard components and any pots and toggle switches.
- Full Kit: as above, plus an undrilled enclosure and the off board components: foot switch, jacks, 9V connection and LED.
- Full Kit & Drilling: the Full Kit with drilling added for a small surcharge. Drilling includes all the holes for a complete pedal, so the enclosure arrives ready to load.
The Full Kit's enclosure is supplied undrilled. If you do not add the drilling option, you will need to drill the JP1590B enclosure yourself for the switches, pots, LED and jacks.
Building it
The Blue Beret is a solder-it-yourself kit. Jeds Peds says it features a DIY friendly layout and board design, a detailed PDF build guide, top quality parts and the availability of a build support forum, which is where you would turn if a build does not work first time1. The kit fits a JP1590B enclosure, the standard compact pedal box size1.
The circuit it follows
Jeds Peds describes the Blue Beret as a kit that compares to the Blue Berry Bass Overdrive, presenting that as a comparison rather than an endorsement1. The Blue Berry Bass Overdrive itself has a good record among DIY builders: on the Guitar FX Layouts technical-analysis blog, one builder wrote, "I built the Blueberry Bass Overdrive and it sounds awesome"2. For other kits in the Jeds Peds range, see the Jeds Peds Weighty, Jeds Peds Nepotist or Jeds Peds Plexi pages.
Videos
Jeds Peds
Questions
Do I have to solder the Jeds Peds Blue Beret yourself?
Yes. The Blue Beret is a DIY kit, so you assemble and solder it yourself. Jeds Peds supports the build with a DIY friendly layout and board design, a detailed PDF build guide, top quality parts and a build support forum, so it is aimed at players willing to do their own assembly rather than at anyone wanting a finished pedal out of the box.
What enclosure does the Blue Beret fit?
The kit fits a JP1590B enclosure, which is Jeds Peds' version of the common 1590B pedal enclosure size. The Full Kit includes an undrilled enclosure, and you can add the drilling option to have all the holes for a complete pedal made for you.
What is the difference between the Full Kit and Full Kit & Drilling?
The Full Kit adds an undrilled enclosure and the off board components, meaning the foot switch, jacks, 9V connection and LED, to the PCB and parts. Full Kit & Drilling is the same kit with drilling as an optional extra for a small surcharge: drilling includes all the holes for a complete pedal, so the enclosure arrives ready to load.
Is the Blue Beret a copy of the Blue Berry Bass Overdrive?
Jeds Peds describes the kit as comparing to the Blue Berry Bass Overdrive, meaning the circuit follows that design. The maker presents it as a comparison rather than an endorsement from the original maker. On the Guitar FX Layouts forum, a builder of the original reported: "I built the Blueberry Bass Overdrive and it sounds awesome."
Does the Blue Beret come with a build guide?
Yes. Jeds Peds includes a detailed PDF build guide with the kit, alongside its DIY friendly layout and board design, top quality parts and access to a build support forum for help during assembly.
Sources (2)
- Blue Beret, Jeds Peds
- Guitar FX Layouts: Mad Professor Blueberry, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2015-08-04
