Tubesteader Beekeeper: Dumble ODS-Inspired Crunch From 'The New Kingsley'

Today folks, we'll be taking a look at a tube-based pedal that has really set some forums alight in the last year or so. Out of all of the legendary amplifiers that companies have tried to capture the essence of in an overdrive pedal over the years, few remain as revered - or critiqued - as the Dumble Overdrive Special.

Canadian-based Tubesteader - led by Olly Balan - has attempted just that, using high-voltage valve circuitry. Enter the Beekeper: a two-sided overdrive pedal based around the ODS topology, designed to capture Howard Dumble and lock him in a box! ;-) As in those original amps, the Clean channel is always active; and kicking in the Overdrive channel inserts the second 12AX7 after the first, cascading the two together. For this reason, where you position the Clean Vol knob determines both how gainy the clean side is; but also how hard the signal is slammed into the OD side.

You also get a 3-band EQ, a mid-boost switch (I guess this is modelled on the Rock/Jazz switch on the original amps), and also a boost that bypasses most of the tone stack for a fat, middly, gainy sound.

For me personally, the Dumble Sound is 'just' another flavour of overdrive...Dumbles aren't my entire world, and I don't spend my life chasing that one tone specifically, in a way that some do. And, it goes without saying that I've never owned or played an original. So...does the Beekeeper sound like an ODS? Let me know in the comments!!

Guitars are:
- Gibson SG Standard w/ OX4 A4 PAFs
- Fender Strat w/ Fralin Real '54s
- Heritage H-535 w/ Monty's PAFs

Recorded through an Orange Retro 50 Head into a Zilla Studio Pro 2x12 w/ Fane F70 & Celestion G12H Heritage Greenback speakers. Mic'ed with an Aston Spirit Condenser, '70s Sennheiser MD441 and sE RNR1 ribbon, with a Schoeps CMC6 vocal mic.

0:00 Intro
3:57 Clean Side EQ
6:03 Toggle Switches
7:38 Clean Side Crunch
10:15 OD Side
17:42 What Do I Think?
20:48 Strat Tones
22:55 Thinline Tones
26:17 Outro

[kirabarsmith]

Sounds great, I love the soft clipping of a real tube drive, and the feel makes me want to play longer. I have a Vahlbruch Kaluna and find it needs a little boost of the treble eq, so it surprises me to hear you say this one needed the treble turned all the way down. The difference I hear between the Kaluna and the Beekeeper is the Kaluna has more "roaring" mids. The Beekeeper is over $100 less expensive than the Kaluna, so that's a major plus. Definitely a winner when dialed in, thanks for the excellent demo!

[scottjua]

Well I ordered one based on this video. Thanks!

[scottjua]

It’s been a year with mine and I still love it. How about you Joe?

[kevinmusso]

Received it! Beekeeper is pretty cool. Highly tunable. Takes some tweaking, but great tones can be found. I used Humbuckers. No singles yet. It’s a bright pedal. Darker guitars shine with it.

[dannyhowell]

Sounds good, Joe. I’ve not seen your 330 in a while. I’m interested to hear how that sounds with the pedals you demo.

[teyink]

Were you running this into the front of your Orange amp? If so, maybe that is why it was so bright. Since this is a preamp pedal, the high end is getting boosted by both the pedal preamp and the Orange preamp. Would running direct to the power section of an amp via the effects return be a better option? Ignore this comment if that is what you were doing already. Thanks.

[timwhite]

To be clear, this is a preamp, not an overdrive. It's intended to be used as like a second amp or channels. So if you're looking for something like Klon or Timmy: look elsewhere.
I want one of these. I've never used any of their gear. I'm a bit skeptical just from the price point. $300 for a tube driven (actual tube driven, not just a gimmick of throwing a tube in filter highs like a lot of them are) preamp. The only decision is this or the single channel. There are times when I have to run my board from power bank using rechargable lithium batteries. The two channel Beekeeper is a pig: 12V @ 500mA...
That's more amperage than most modellers draw. The single used 250-300 which is a bit more reasonable. 😮

[monkeybrains]

I cant bear pedals with those tiny dials on, I think they look so cheap and are not as easy to see the settings

[yunketroniko]

In my personal experience, most pedals that can be used as a pre-amp are brighter than pedals that are desgined to be used only on the front side of an amp. Could that explain that "bright" character?

[Paulmccarthy]

Simons pedals sound a lot better. I have my Kingsley pedals on order.

[lucianmezinoi-qqzf]

so it didn't became the new Kingsley

[soundknight]

If I was chasing a fumble sound I would just buy a fumble clone amp or a fumble based amp circuit.

[mrmc]

Bright! have u seen a fucking orange. With an Come on bro