Tychobrahe nO-ctavia

[Guitar Dude]

Hey,
I just made the Tycobrahe Octavia from GGG. I've lusted after an Octavia for a long time so you can imagine my excitement when it actually worked (This is my 3rd attempt at it).

I played round with the controls a bit wondering how to get a cool octave sound happening...I played some Hendrix, just in case that's how you get it working...After about 10 minutes I gave up. Is this actually an Octavia 'cause it sounds more like some kind of crazy hyper-fuzz. I read somewhere to turn the intensity down, but it still doesn't get the octave sound.

I download a sound sample and mine sounds exactly the same, whilst it does produce a distortion sound that's alright in (very) short doses, it doesn't do what I want it to do...is it fixable, or should I just rip it apart?

Is there an Octavia on the internet that has a very strong octave effect? With no fuzz?

BTW, can you get pedals that remove the orginal signal and leave the octave down by itself? Kinda like the Jack White thing of playing the 'bass' on a guitar.

Tim

[Elektrojänis]

Hmmm... Isn't octavia supposed to be more like octave up effect (and not down)? Try using neck pickup and turn your guitars tone control all the way down.

[Guitar Dude]

Hey,
I know it's s'posed to do an octave up and I've tried the neck pickup/tone down thing on my Les Paul but I'm gonna have a go on my Strat.

Tim

[MartyB]

Your experience was the same as mine - too much distortion.  My next project was the Foxx Tone Machine which has a setting for fuzz and another for octave.  It's pretty flexible and sounds great.  I socketed the trannies and used germs.  It gets closer to the Hendrix octave sound to my ears, and definitely has less distortion.  Maybe to really nail the JH sound you might want to build a Roger Mayer clone.   Probably less dist. than others.   Alot of people seem to like the Green Ringer also.

[1wahfreak]

Watch your expectations of this pedal. If you looking for a exact reproduction of notes but an octave up, this is the wrong pedal. This is not a digital octave. I'm not a fuzz wiz or an electrical geek be any means but the octave effect comes from the type of clipping that happens in the fuzz circuit. It produces more of an octave "squeal" through distortion than a true ocatve sound. When the intensity is turned up, the effect should be more pronounced as should the fuzz. You certainly wouldn't want to use an Octavia through another fuzz (unless that's what you really want). Using your neck pickup and playing in the up register of your neck will bring out the effect a little more.