I get it… i really do
As a guitarist, you are looking for cool new gadgets that you can use to spice up your guitar sounds and make them come alive.
Well, allow me to introduce you to the wonderful joys of the octave pedal.
With an octave pedal you have control over modulation effects that were simply impossible a couple of years ago.
An octave pedal is simply and effects that when added to your guitar rig helps to increase or decrease your sound by an octave.
This is a pretty nice trick and effect that can give your guitar sounds that added effect and wow your audience.
Choosing the best octave pedal is something that you need to consider before you make a choice.
There are some factors you need to consider before you buy your next octave pedal.
In this article, we will be looking at the top 5 best octave pedal for bass or acoustic guitar so you can make a quality choice, things you need to consider before you make a choice and how to get the best from your latest purchase.
Our Top 5 Best Octave Pedals 2018
- Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork Effect Pedal – Editors Choice
- DigiTech Whammyv-01 Effect Pedal
- Mooer MOC1 Pure Octave Effect – Premium Choice
- Boss OC-3 Dual Super Octave Pedal
- MXR M288 Bass Octave Pedal
What is an octave pedal?
An octave pedal is a device that creates an octave effect in your sound.
An octave effect is a situation whereby a sound effect is modulated either by increasing or decreasing the octave.
An octave pedal when used correctly can add a lot of distinct effects to your sounds. Here are some of the advantages of using a pedal when next you play your guitar.
- It adds a pitch shifted copy of your signal to the source by changing the octave either higher or lower.
- It can expand the voice of your regular old and rusty guitar sound to a dramatic and nice sounding tune.
- They can easily mimic 12 string guitar harmonies without you having to spend any money getting one
- It can be used to make your tunes sound more aggressive or to add more bass to it.
Things to consider before you buy an octave pedal
1. What is the strength of the octaves?
This simply means that you want a pedal that allows you to at least be able to adjust the octaves of your sounds easily.
So basically you want to have your original note, the sound at an octave up and at an octave down at minimum.
This will help you easily control the output of your sounds.
2. How many pitch intervals does it have?
Also you need to make sure that it can accommodate a certain number of pitch intervals going either up or down.
This will helps you determine the amount of effect that you can add to your sounds.
3. How versatile is it?
Also you want something that is very versatile and can last for a long time.
While octave pedals use fuzz to modify the octave on which the song is played, a versatile one will last for years to come.
Also you want something that has a metal casing to help prevent it from breaks and damages.
Our Top 5 Best Octave Pedals
1. Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork Effect Pedal
This is probably the most common and widely used octave pedal in the market today.
It has the ability to modulate your sound by plus or minus 3 octaves. This means that with this pedal you have a lot of creative effects that you can apply to your sounds.
It has an 11 position shift knob which helps you easily select the transposition interval to apply to your sounds.
With its EXP input, you can easily control the pitch shift or glissando
It has unique latch and momentary modes which affects the way the footswitch and EXP input behaves.
It can be easily powered using it’s packaged adapter or using a 9V battery.
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. It is very versatile and can be used for a wide range of effect
2. It has very unique and easy to use controls and knobs 3. It can be used on bass and acoustic guitar |
1. It can be a little too much and change your sounds
2. The bypass is not as effective |
2. DigiTech Whammyv-01 Effect Pedal
This is an octave pedal that has the unique and classy whammy effect that adds spice to your sounds.
It comes with the chordal whammy pitch shifting and true bypass which helps in giving your sounds a unique and pleasing effect.
It has a large expression pedal which gives you as much creative freedom to get the whammy effect that you like.
It has 10 whammyv-01, 9 harmony and 2 detune settings to ensure that you never run out of options for your sounds.
It can be easily powered using the standard 9V DC adapter.
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. It can be used with other effects to get a wide range of sounds
2. It has beautiful and nice sounding chorus effects 3. It has an effective true bypass |
1. It has a little delay that can easily adjusted by moving the pedal closer to you while playing |
3. Mooer MOC1 Pure Octave Effect
This is a guitar octave pedal that delivers precise polyphonic octave effects without any distortion.
It comes with 11 different octave modes which gives you as much choice to select and tweak your sounds.
It comes in a full metal shell which prevents it from damaging and breaking making it very durable.
It is very small and can be easily moved about from one place to another.
It has three knobs which helps control the octave settings and how it affects your songs.
This is a very simple octave pedal that matches the big boys in performance and effect quality.
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. It is very simple and small
2. It has a nice build quality 3. It can be used on your bass and acoustic guitars |
1. It has weak and cheap looking dials and knobs |
4. Boss OC-3 Dual Super Octave Pedal
This is one octave pedal that has a lot of amazing effects and interesting features.
It can deliver true polyphonic effects that gives your sounds an amazing quality
It comes encased in a standard metal casing that prevents it from breaking and damages.
It has separate inputs for both bass and acoustic guitar which makes it super simple to switch between modes when playing.
It has a unique drive modes which helps to add distortion and make your tunes fatter and more aggressive.
It has its unique OC-2 mode which is capable of producing notes two octaves up or down.
It has a poly octave effect that you can adjust to play specific notes and ranges easily
It comes with limited 5 year warranty which should definitely set your mind at ease if you decide to go with this pedal.
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
| 1. It is a versatile and well made octave pedal
2. It is great for working with bass and acoustic guitar 3. It is a good pedal for the money |
1. It may take some tweaking and fiddling to get it working initially |
5. MXR M288 Bass Octave Pedal
This is one octave pedal that is well suited for bass players.
This is because it has a nice modulation effect that works well with bass guitars.
It has Constant Headroom Technology (CHT) which provides you with exceptional headroom and tracking.
It has an organic analog tone which is good for getting that true sound effect that you like
It has true bypass which is ideal for easy tracking
It has 3 knobs which helps in tweaking and adjusting your settings to get the effect that you need.
Pros
- It has incredible tracking
- It is durable and very versatile
- It is ideal for bass players
Cons.
- It has a limited number of knobs and dials
How to use an octave pedal
If you are just starting out, then here are some tips to use and make sure you get the best from your octave pedal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz4EbzXiIEY
Conclusion
If you are looking for the best octave pedal, then the ones mentioned in this article should give you the best choices.
An octave pedal is a nice addition to your guitar rig and will definitely improve your sound effects.
They are there to do a specific job when playing and when it all comes together, it can produce some of the most beautiful sounds ever.
