Boss OC3 Problem

lincolnblue

I have a Boss OC3 which I've used for quite a few years and 99% of the time only use it in the Polyphonic mode to get a lower octave on the E,A & D strings when fingerpicking on acoustic.

I've been playing around lately with it and using it to add bass lines to some loops.

I've noticed that when I have it in normal octave or the distortion mode and play certain notes it fluctuates between the lower octave and the original note (almost like a whammy pedal does).

Anyone know what might be causing it?

fretmeister

In OC-2 mode?

That is just what OC-2 models do. Warbly, glitchy and apparently that's why they have a character!
I have no idea why the OC-2 is loved so much.

lincolnblue

fretmeister said:

In OC-2 mode?

That is just what OC-2 models do. Warbly, glitchy and apparently that's why they have a character!
I have no idea why the OC-2 is loved so much.

In "Oct 2" mode, yes. Ah ok, if it's meant to do that, that's fine but just assumed it was faulty. Seems an odd characteristic of a pedal.

fretmeister

It's just recreating old tech. The OC-2 is a very old pedal.

The "Oct 2" mode is a copy of the old OC-2 pedal, hence I called it that.

You can help it track better by putting a compressor in front of it, but many OC-2 lovers claim the glitchy stuff is part of the charm.

ICBM

fretmeister said:

In OC-2 mode?

That is just what OC-2 models do. Warbly, glitchy and apparently that's why they have a character!
I have no idea why the OC-2 is loved so much.

Because they do that .

Like a lot of technically bad sounds it can be useful when you get familiar with them - you can usually get it to do it, or not, depending on how you pick and where on the neck you're playing.

lincolnblue

Thanks for the info. I'm only really going to use it on the poly mode so it's not a big issue but good to know it's not faulty. Thanks!

cbilly22

ICBM said:

fretmeister said:

In OC-2 mode?

That is just what OC-2 models do. Warbly, glitchy and apparently that's why they have a character!
I have no idea why the OC-2 is loved so much.

Because they do that .

Like a lot of technically bad sounds it can be useful when you get familiar with them - you can usually get it to do it, or not, depending on how you pick and where on the neck you're playing.

Like Neil Young ?

ICBM

cbilly22 said:

Like Neil Young ?

Exactly .

It’s worth remembering that feedback and even distortion were once considered unmusical problems with amplification, until players learned to use them creatively. The OC-2 is just a bit more unpredictable.

lincolnblue

Thanks all. At least I know the pedal isn't faulty.