BJF Baby Blue Overdrive is one of the most legendary overdrives of the 2000's. Baby Blue was originally released in the year 2000 with the name "Fuzz 1". It's sound and dynamics are perfectly between a dynamic overdrive and fuzz. Sound range goes from mild overdrive to singing lead sounds.
- Controls:
Volume: Sets output volume level.
Drive: Sets the amount of overdrive and the character of the overdrive sound. At around 7 o'clock you will get a soft overdrive which turns more compressed and sustained towards 5 o'clock.
Treble: Sets the amount of high frequencies. A good starting point is at 12 o'clock and depending on your amp and sound preferences you can go from the midpoint towards a darker or a brighter sound. - Power Requirements: 2.1 mm 9-15V DC centre negative power supply or 9V battery. 2 mA.
- True Bypass
- Handmade in Sweden by Björn Juhl.
Björn's description of the Limited Edition Baby Blue and the history of the model:
"The first Baby Blue OD’s were sold via Custom Sounds in December 2000. At 500 units I discontinued this model partly due to parts shortage but maybe more importantly because it was BJF’s most contradictory model. The first 250 units were made crudest possible with just the bare circuit that would do the sound and thus it had a rather high output impedance and restricted output. This showed that some really liked the smooth sound that the early units made with volume control about noon, while others wanted more output and more treble and that prompted the Version 2 and the first of that was made ou tof a modified unit from the first 200 for a photographer that played a 335. From demand V2 became standard from about unit 250 and V2 had an extra stage that brought up output and got rid of loading problems and there was also a version 2,5 and 3 that addressed some high end restriction as in the first units.
However the first units have to some a magic and so much believed that a customer asked to have his echo modified to make the same filtering. Now this effect was caused by the rather high value volume potentiometer when at noon would form a filter with cable at output just like a vintage Fuzz Face.
Today finally a mass produced version is available from One Control and the BJF handmade version celebrates this with a dozen custom coloured units that have a fixed filter independent of Volume control and so this version 4 gives the best of all worlds by combining the increased output with a fixed filter to react with cable at output. Run a standard cable after this BBOD to explore this filter and if you wish not to have this place a buffer right after this BBOD version to restore high treble.
When BBOD was discontinued at 500 units that was also due to end of supply of a component used. It was however so that about a month after BBOD being discontinued I happened to get the key to the cellar dungeons of the store where the original parts were bought as the store went out of business I found then parts to make a couple of hundred more BBOD’s but felt then this didn’t warrant a ressurection of model but it would be better to quietly just make the remaining units. Now as also these parts were coming to an end I felt it would be time to make a mass produced version and one that would catch the sound and feel albeit with modern components. So now this is the end and the beginning and I think fitting that the last units using the original parts be sold in a custom version from the store that once started selling the BBOD.".