The humble octave fuzz

VJIves

I've decided I'd like to own an octave fuzz. I have a Fender Blender but that's basically reserved for when I decide I don't like an audience, and that they need to be punished. I've got one eye on the Smallsound/Bigsound Buzzz (I like the idea of being able to drop the octave element in on a separate footswitch), but what do other people swear by? I know there's a hell of a lot of options!

GavRichList

Always thought the MXR Submachine looks superb. 

simonk

I had a Crazy Tube Circuits Pin Up for a bit which worked well.

VJIves

simonk said:

I had a Crazy Tube Circuits Pin Up for a bit which worked well.

First video result on YouTube for that one opens with them playing a Pixies song, so I'm already enjoying it.

ThePrettyDamned

The visual sound angry fuzz is a really nice one. It's a bit nasty, plays well with buffers and has its own good buffer inside. 

Switchable octave, though not on a footswitch. 

Deijavoo

If you can find one, get a DOD Buzz Box and get it rehoused like I did here:

jpttaylor

On the cheap side, the Tone City Fuxx Fuzz (aka the Movall Octapuzz) are mini-pedal clones of the Foxx Tone Machine - can't go wrong for £40, especially when they sound ace.

MrMusic

Roger Mayer Octavia, absolutely lengendary! Roger Mayer invented the octave fuzz effect for Jimi. I still haven't come across an octave fuzz pedal that comes anywhere close

johnhe

The best I've owned is the Roger Mayer, but I hated that enclosure. I now own a Fulltone Ultimate Octave, which has the two foot switches you mention, and in an outstanding pedal imo. Be careful about insisting on footswitchable octave though - in my experience, if you're using the fuzz without the octave, my settings are different than when I'm using the fuzz. So I would never switch between the two in a live setting without totally alterning the other settings. 

I also owned the Danelectro, which isn't bad. Horrible little enclosures though, and while the sound was good, it certainly was not as good as the others imo.

 I'm struggling for space on my board, so I recently bought a Tone City Fuzz Fuzz - that's what's currently on my board. It's pretty much as good as anything I've tried - wonderful wee pedal. The Fulltone and the RM might sounds slightly better, but there is incredibly little tonal difference between them and the Tone City. Cork sniffing difference only.

VJIves

johnhe said:
Be careful about insisting on footswitchable octave though - in my experience, if you're using the fuzz without the octave, my settings are different than when I'm using the fuzz. So I would never switch between the two in a live setting without totally alterning the other settings. 

Never would have thought of that, but you're absolutely right. Excellent point.

BoopDeWoop

I have the buzzz, it's very amazing. The footswich for the octave is fab, it adds nicely on top of the fuzz sound and doesn't require any tweaking. 

Lew

I'm using a Castledine Olympic Octave - Stu knows a thing or two about the Olympic Studios mic preamps and has the transformer built to the same Radio Spares spec and nos ge diodes

oktorockto

I have an EHX Octavix, finding it pretty versatile.

mburekenge

Love the fulltone octafuzz.

bbill335

BoopDeWoop said:

I have the buzzz, it's very amazing. The footswich for the octave is fab, it adds nicely on top of the fuzz sound and doesn't require any tweaking. 

The buzzz is a pedal I'd never flip, it's fukin brilliant. Everyone needs one.