GEAR SPOTLIGHT
BLACK CAT
PEDALS
BEE BUZZ
REVIEW BY IAN GARRETT
STREET PRICE $210.00
Today there are
literally hundreds (if not
thousands) of different
fuzz pedals to choose
from, with different tones
and features and price
points, and even forums
dedicated to just fuzz. If
you are a fuzz junkie, it’s a
great time to be alive. But
many fuzz freaks, still swear
by some of the unobtanium
vintage fuzz pedals, and
finding that vintage fuzz
pedal for your collection
can be difficult. If you find
one in mint condition, it will
cost you and arm and a leg
(and maybe another arm),
and many older fuzz pedals
had issues even back in their
glory days; excessive noise
52
issues, pedal placement,
and reliability were
often factors.
Enter the Black Cat Bee
Buzz—a recreation of the
famous mid-‘70s fuzz from
Japan—the Roland Bee
Baa. If you are not familiar
with the Bee Baa, it has two
distinct fuzz circuits and a
treble booster. Black Cat,
amp maker extraordinaire,
started the Bee Buzz as
a request to one of their
distributors in Japan.
A short run of 20 pedals
were quickly sold out,
which led to 50 more,
which led to . . . well it’s
a full time thing now.
How
To
Black
Master
Cat Your
Pedals Jazzmaster
Bee Buzz
TONE SPOTLIGHT
GEAR
TALK // //
I have never had a chance
to try out an original Bee
Baa, but after playing the
Bee Buzz, I can see what
all the buzz is about, pun
intended. Instead of an
exact clone though, Black
Cat set out to recreate
all of the good things
about the Bee Baa, while
minimizing its shortcomings
at the same time. Higher-
grade components
throughout make the Bee
Buzz quieter and more
reliable. Additionally,
Black Cat tweaked the
treble booster—a common
complaint of the original—
to make it more useful.