Cracked the Code (NKT Bee)

Germanium fuzz tones for old school heavy minds.

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modeerf
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Cracked the Code (NKT Bee)

Post by modeerf »

Well I recently recieved one of the NKT blue and orange bees in the mail. After giving it a go I've decided I liked it but wasn't in love with it. It was like my older (psycho lime) bee only a touch warmer with less gain. Kinda goes from in-between grind to full saturation with nice clean up. A more modern approach to the '66 sound with a more well rounded eq'ing. Very different from my 1966 special and the vintage vox tonebender I recently bought, but one can easily see where its roots lie. It leads toward a smoother fuzz rather than a raspy one, but the realm is similar. Here I had used it into a clean ac-30 and a fender deluxe reverb with both a strat and a les paul.

Until....

I decided to crank the AC-30 with my Les Paul (everything to 10 on the bee). Pure Magic, it really transformed into something completely different. Almost into superfuzz territory. I rarely use fuzz into already distorted amps as they usually get too muddy and the definitive tone gets lost but in this case it really came to life. I'm really blown away by how great it sounds. Not what you'd expect from a tonebender type fuzz but the best attributes seem to be extracted and it has a much more crusty vintage vibe with no noise at all.

So I'm so inspired by this discovery that I wanted to share and urge any other NKT Bee owners to do themselves a favor and try putting it into a cranked amp with humbuckers. What you'll find is a fuzztone that is so satisfying that you'll be moved to create threads about it.
In some ways reminds me of this

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jetofuj
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Post by jetofuj »

My favourite The Black Keys' song :crackjam:

Thanks to this song I've discovered Ibanez Standard Fuzz!
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mjkk
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Post by mjkk »

Yeah the Bee through a cranked amp sounds great!!
"Yes I remember a brave guy named Roger dancing around musicians and cleaning their shoes. Occasionally we gave him our broken pedals for repair to get peace for some hours."
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The Captain
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Re: Cracked the Code (NKT Bee)

Post by The Captain »

Great words, man :tu: Maybe I should flesh out the words with the description on the site but I've always tried to point out the Bee is very much a modern day fuzz box. It doesn't suffer from the same gear specific traits as say the original Italian Tone Benders do. It stacks well, likes high gain humbuckers and will move considerable amounts of air if given the space to do so. Right on the money with both dials at 10 too. Same rules as with a large percentage of the pedals we make. Start flat-out then attenuate if/as necessary. I think the testament for me was when the Slomatics boys said they could happily roll out a kidney crushing fuzz tone with the Bee alone.

Reworking the words for the site if defo on the to do list early in the new year :party:
I am Incinerator
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Re: Cracked the Code (NKT Bee)

Post by I am Incinerator »

I may have to give this a try, once I get my speaker cab! I can't imagine a TV Jones powertron loaded semihollow body guitar into a my blue super bee into a 6G6-B type amp being anything less than civilized! Standard Fuzz toanz in teh 'Bee?!? :crackjam:

You may have killed a load of GAS for me...

I was actually worried that my Bee and my Sola MKII covered too much of the same ground. I love MKII's with the level all the way up and attack on "0", so I may try diming both controls on the bee!

STOKED now!
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SSgt93
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Re: Cracked the Code (NKT Bee)

Post by SSgt93 »

modeerf, since I am taking this Super Bee NKT off your hands, I hope to crack the code as well. I just got some seat time with my Analogman Sunbender today and it's phenomenal. I cannot believe hot good that pedal is for the money. Looking forward to a shoot out with the Super Bee Freaky NKT, Peppermint, Sunbender and London Fuzz. Should be pretty exciting. I need to get some recording equipment next. -Steve
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daCod
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Post by daCod »

will be a cool comparison, however, i'll have my money on the end-all-BEE-all fuzz of kings :tu:
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SSgt93
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Re:

Post by SSgt93 »

daCod wrote:will be a cool comparison, however, i'll have my money on the end-all-BEE-all fuzz of kings :tu:
I bet it will be close. Should be good. Can't wait.
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Scott
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Re: Cracked the Code (NKT Bee)

Post by Scott »

I got one of those SB pedals and i love those NKTs. I know all about cranking it into an overdriven amp. Sounds amazing!! Modeerf is right on the mney with this one. :crackjam: I think only 10 were made.
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SSgt93
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Re: Cracked the Code (NKT Bee)

Post by SSgt93 »

Scott wrote:I got one of those SB pedals and i love those NKTs. I know all about cranking it into an overdriven amp. Sounds amazing!! Modeerf is right on the mney with this one. :crackjam: I think only 10 were made.
To my knowledge you are correct. I bought his pedal and his, er mine is #10 of 10. I have mixed emotions about the colors on that pedal. My kids school colors are the same, which is cool, but I live in Fighting Illini (University of Illinois) country and can't stand that team, same colors. If I ever sell it, it will be for that reason :oldlol:
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