What is Octave Fuzz And How To Use It 

My family didn’t play music. So I feel like you’re like my Guitar Dad. Thanks again Dad.

Love these videos guys...

So much respect for how you give so much praise to other pedal companies despite having your own. Keep it up with the amazing content

The year was 1967, a Serviceman neighbor sold my Dad a Telefunken console stereo he brought back from Germany. This had glorious electronics and some of the beefiest 6X9 speakers ever created. This stereo rocked. I stopped at Ben Franklin and got my first of many copies of Are You Experienced. I ran home, cranked the Telefunken, dropped the needle and was forever changed. I guess I got Experienced. My Mom came home during my 10th listen to the album and started screaming that I had blown up the speakers, I had to explain to her, it was supposed to sound like that. I like to crank my Strat through an Experience Pedal as often as possible, Mines got the cool tie dye finish.

I really find this channel helpful because it's not cramming JHS's products down our throats. Not that JHS stuff isn't awesome. It really is but Josh does a great job of just going into what is worth mentioning and sometimes JHS products fall under that and sometimes they don't. That being said, my JHS wishlist includes the quadraPOG, the shamrock, and the colour box.

I'm not an octave fuzz guy. With that being said, I loved this episode because I learned so much about the history, the innovators, and the design. Thank you for helping me appreciate the effect, Josh!

around 1979 I went to a rummage sale and picked up my first pedals, a mxr dyna comp, an eh microsynth, and a mxr bluebox. The sounds i could make were freaky, none of my friends wanted to play with me because my sound was so crazy.

I was in the 11th grade when, one day, my English teacher scheduled a "Show & Tell" day. I brought nothing but my ears were always with me so, when some kid I didn't know put on his brother's brand new "Are you Experienced" LP the teacher grimaced and my eyes at first crossed, and then popped wide open. I spent the rest of the school day trying to process what had happened, and what that might mean for me. I was already playing guitar and still do - but I never try to sound like Hendrix. I guess I may have what could be described as Post Hendrix Trauma of some sort, but I will not call it a "disorder".

The solo on QOTSA's Little Sister is an obviously great modern use of octave fuzz. I was lucky enough to find an Experience pedal a few years ago at a good price, and it's phenomenal.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue on Black" was the first song I heard that REALLY grabbed my attention - I was learning the solo, but I had no clue why it didn't sound like the recording. Then I realized he was using an Octafuzz. Ever since then, I've been fascinated by univibes and octafuzzes. Great video!

Cactus "Evil" - holy cow! Loved it. Energy just jumping out of the speaker - and that DRUMMING!

Favorite track ever with an octave fuzz is "Fool In The Rain." Favorite Zeppelin song, too, and maybe favorite song ever. Got a Blue Box just because you, Josh, taught me that that effect is what Jimmy used on the song. Now if I can learn to set the pedal right and play the solo...all will be well in the world.

My favorite episode until now! I absolutely love Octafuzz. Go Josh

My favorite track ever with octave fuzz on it is "Little Sister" by Queens Of The Stone Age. I love Josh Homme's sound.

My days off are Fridays and Saturdays and every Thursday evenings I get this sweet notification from JHS Pedals reminding me that it's the week end and I could not be asking for something better to watch and relax and forget about work. Thanks a million for that!

Fall,1967: my 17 yr old uncle picks up the needle and puts it down on a 33 1/3 rpm disc, side 1, track 1. "You gotta listen to this loud" he says, turning up the stereo so I clearly hear the scratching of the needle in the grooves. It's my first exposure to Hendrix and the song is Purple Haze. I wait expectantly while the needle traverses to the opening ridges. The sounds that next emerge from the speakers immediately make my pulse race. Two bars of deliciously dissonant tritones play in octaves by bass and guitar. The drums come in with a spacey reverb and the bass continues driving along in rhythmic backbeat while the dissonant guitar notes are replaced with an alien sound I've never heard before. It's an ultra distorted guitar playing a lead line my 10yr old ears are straining to comprehend. By the 6th bar my heartbeat is racing, as though rhythmically entrained to the primal beat. So many new sounds, I feel I've entered a dream world where music has been given magical powers to overload my senses, pounding me into full body submission to what - I still don't know. What is that loud whisper or sighing sound on every 2 beat and offbeat? Sounds like "uh-oh", or is it "go back"? Oops, too late now - there's no going back! Now the guitar is playing chords, now it's not, it's doing little fills and going back to partial chords. What is this, rhythm or lead? Whatever it is, it's very cool. Jimi starts his vocal with words that have no meaning to me. But they paint a fuzzy abstract picture of something about his brain that I struggle to process into my own young mind. This is not The Beach Boys or the Beatles. It's 2 yrs before Led Zeppelin releases "Whole Lotta Love", and there is no precedent, no Sabbath, no Metallica, no genre called metal. This is cutting edge new sound - it truly is: an EXPERIENCE! Enrapt in the surreal world created in MY brain by this music, I float on every note and word until it starts spinning like a washing machine full of what remains of my neurons and synapses. Finally, I listen as the sustained guitar drones away to Jimi's voice moaning: "oh no, can't go on like this... purple haze..." Then silence - I'm momentarily stunned. Uncle lifts the needle and says "What do you think?" My immediate and visceral response is simple: "I think you need to play it again!"

Machine Gun by the Band of Gypsys! That live record was sick. That was what sparked my Octafuzz love!

I will never forget that On the purple haze vinyl I recall distinctly that I could hear the high pitched octave fuzz coming out of the record needle and it was louder than my actual speakers at the time. 😮

I picked up the Joyo Voodoo Octave on a whim and am pleasantly surprised with it. It's a pedal that is here to stay!

When I was 16, I spent one whole weekend (except for sleep and food) dropping the needle on Purple Haze to learn the solo. I learned it. I of course slowed the turntable speed down to 16 rpm, I didn't know about effects yet, When I finally played through an Octave circuit, I was blown away. Thanks Josh great blog, I'm learning so much

Little known fact about In Through The Out Door: on the inner sleeve there's a black-and-white illustration of a half-burned "Dear John" note in an ashtray, a shot glass, etc. sitting on a bar (presumably the note the man in the white suit and hat can be seen lighting on fire on the outer sleeve). If you took a lightly damp sponge or a brush with a little water and brushed this b/w illustration on the inner sleeve, it would become a color illustration! It's possible that whatever "invisible ink" that was used for this may have aged such that this trick no longer works, but if you have a copy, give it a whirl. It's fun. The album cover was designed by Hipgnosis (aka art director Storm Thorgerson and photographer Aubrey Powell), who were also known for album cover designs for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, UFO and many others. Josh, your videos are really helpful in navigating the vast world of pedals. Thanks and keep it up!

YES, finally a great video that features the Prescription Electronics Inc. Experience pedal. Don't forget about the PEI C.O.B. box.

Single coil front pickup, DISTORTED AMP. I can't stress this enough to anyone watching and wondering about octave fuzz. There are some cool sounds in this video, but in my opinion, the best ones have been omitted. Josh, love your videos and your stuff. Cheers.

I wasn't completely sold until you brought up Kid Rock and then instantly showing me a fuzzy fuzz pedal. Thank you.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd “Blue on Black” is what got me searching for the octave fuzz tone. That’s such a killer tone in that song.

Born in 57....you bringin it back. Been terrible on keyboards for 40 years, terrible on guitars for about 4. Just now getting my first pedals, after major nylon sidechain.....thank you Cordoba.

I remember way back n the day my dad decided that since he was an electrical engineer and I was a guitarist that building some pedals would be some great parent-child togetherness activities and we built an octave fuzz/autowah monstrosity that we never managed to get working the way it should. I used it to try getting Robert Smith tone without knowing that a flanger was what I really needed. It was good times but sadly the box never survived the 90s, dying along with my ladybug ibanez pedals at some house party in the rural midwest

Just picked up a 4 knob 1973 Fender Blender today...my first octave fuzz...couldnt be happier with it.

Saw Hendrix at the Whiskey the week after Monterey Pop Festival. He was already the talk of the town. They roped off the dance floor, and Jimi used the entire floor for his performance. Which meant he could get right in everybody's face. Every heavyweight in town was there, and Hendrix knew, like Monterey, this was a make your bones performance. He was absolutely astonishing. There were two Marshall stacks on stage (first Marshalls I ever saw) , and I wondered why he needed two stacks for such a small room. In the middle of the show his amp died, and the tech immediately plugged him into the other stack. Turns out the early Marshalls were completely unreliable, and every one had to have an extra stack. Which is why Jimi switched to Sunn. Recording studios were manned by dinosaurs in those days, and nobody was happy with the sound they were getting. We were very skeptical that anyone get Hendrix's sound in the grooves. Buck Munger from Sunn somehow got a test pressing of the album, and invited my band over to hear it. We were stunned by how good it sounded. Buck told us he had played it for Howard Robert a few hours earlier, and Roberts went nuts over it. So to answer your question - my favorite Octave-Fuzz - "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady". Why not?

I went to visit a friend who lived on a farm in the English countryside many years ago. He used to hang out in the haybarn with his friends and he had a Garrard record deck hooked up to a Vox amp so he could play his music loud. I bought “are you experienced” on the way to visit him, because I had heard “Foxy Lady” on the radio a few days before. We put the record on, and lay down in the hay to smoke. Must have shaken the whole village. Life changing experience indeed.

I love that you mention joyo and another time donner. Cheap or not you like what you like! :)

You got Jack White salivating in the corner don't you?

Probably the most inspirational pedal for me. From Hendrix to Homme I can't get enough. For some reason I can always hear some of that quality in most Brian May solos? My current favorite user is definitely Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Little Sister comes to mind amongst others. Thanks showing us some true legends.

This is a GREAT HISTORY episode and a reminder to me of my Early playing days. And why we abandoned alot of these and stopped using them, Durability was one reason, Battery only power on them, battery dies no Work. Alot of them I had for very Short times. Made us just simply go straight to amplifiers from guitars. I still have an aversion to pedals because of the electronics durability issue. I had a Dod Chorus in early 80's, never even went out of the house, all of a sudden it had no power, so that was like 70 dollars down a Toilet. I am floored by the amount of pedals and makers out there today.

i carried the experience album around with me for about a year. ' do you have a stereo? put this on.'

I recently had the urge to get a SG. This pretty much made me convinced. I NEED A SG

Unknown Mortal Orchestra ‘Honeybee’ has on octave fuzz solo. Its really good. Makes me happy hearing that tone again

Rowland S. Howard + Blue Box. Thanks for the great episode.

Octave fuzz. Plug in Octave Fuzz. Tune guitar to A#. Play Dopethrone. Profit. Also, fun fact about In Through the Out Door: When it was first out, it was sold in brown kraft paper wrapping. You didn't know which of the 6 album covers you were getting. And I think that's pretty neat.

Thank you for these videos and your channel. I'm 42 and I've been playing guitar since age 12. You are providing an invaluable resource for anyone interested in these topics. Love it. Thank you! Keep up the good work.

Never thought I'd hear my favorite band (My Bloody Valentine) mentioned in a video like this. Great stuff!

I was 10 in 1968 when my dad took us to see Jimi on his 2nd tour. Eric Burdon and the Animals were the headliners and Jimi came on after into a cloud of dry ice with purple lights playing Purple Haze. It was the first time I heard octave fuzz and I've never been the same. I bought a tele custom for $100 and a Princeton Reverb for $50 (sadly both sold years ago for not much more!) and I also had a cry baby and a Fender Blender and played Hendrix not badly until later that year when Led Zeppelin came out with Good Times Bad Times - first heard by me through a jukebox- and my mind was further blown. Here we are 50 years later and we're still chasing those tones. Thanks for this episode and everything you do.

Loved the episode! Great timing too, just got my Pigtronix Octava in the mail today. Enjoying it very much. Super awesome octave fuzz.

I just had to comment the shirt, N+1 bicycles! Brilliant, love it!

Rowland S Howard used the blue box and it was amazing

Easily one of my favorite effects pedals. My favorite for the last few months is the Fulltone Octafuzz. It just sounds absolutely awesome through the Fender Deluxe Reverb Amps me and my friend use when we write/rehearse every week. I was writing a syrupy Rhythm part with my walrus fathom and Earthquaker Levitation reverb. My friend was swapping around different pedals to find a perfect tone to compliment what i was playing, and once he swapped in the Octafuzz, the most perfect accompanying sound just flowed out his amp. I’m definitely interested in finding another great one, which is why these vids and channel is my favorite source for learning about all kinds of pedals. I love how with all the pedals Josh chooses to show, he gives history, demos, who used them on what songs/albums. Like so many other people have already commented, it’s really cool that so many companies are praised and recommend, while Josh has his own line of JHS pedals. That’s real, honest, pedal love, and I respect the hell out of Josh for doing what he does. Keep up the amazing videos, the pedals, everything you do, Josh!!!

Random, but very cool Hendrix story. Owsley (if you don't know who he was, you should find out) spoke to Hendrix after a show at Fillmore West. He told him that he'd like to record him on his own. They shared some party favors together, and then drove to another venue in San Fran. Owsley had a fender amp with him, and so they got set up in a room with a fireplace roaring, dosed themselves with something, and Owsley recorded Jimi doing his thing until sunrise.. and all was good! Afterwards, Owsley secured the tape, but Jimi grabbed it and tossed it into the fire with a smile on his face as it was destroyed. Some time later across the pond at BBC, Jimi was playing Day Tripper by the Beatles, and before a solo he can be heard saying "Oh, Owsley, can you hear me now?" :)

This is my absolute favorite Sunday morning coffee vlog. In a swamp of YouRube bro-pinions and overhype, your insane level of knowledge, low key delivery, and fanboy enthusiasm shine. For me, the epitome of octa-fuzz bliss is Doyle Bramhall II’s work on the first Archangels album (Prescrip CoB & Exp pedals), and Daniel Lanois’ epic “Orange Kay” from the Slingblade motion picture soundtrack. I recently picked up a “76” pedal from Solid Gold fx, hoping to recreate the mojo of those v rare and expensive pedals.

Funny, I was listening to Cactus last night and was just in awe with their fuzz tones. That whole album with Evil on it kicks ass. Would love to own the fender blender too.

I bought my Blue Box originally because of that record and learned to love it and still do. I don't have my original 70's one anymore, but I have the '95 re-issue and use it a lot still. Thanx.

Yeah so theres also an Indian-Bengali band called Cactus.. apple music doesnt know they're different bands.. so that's fun.. Woo! Super glad to see the Joyo Octave Fuzz in this video!

ProAnalog Ascension is the ONE. With input/output and power supply jacks on the back, I'm all in! Thank you for making these vlogs. Interesting, fun, informative, helpful.... What a guy!

High school dance, someone put Purple Haze on the record player. A kid, who shall remain unnamed in case he later developed taste and a soul, shouted "Sounds like purple s...t to me!" I was astonished, horrified, speechless: heartless barbarians were plundering my Rome.

I see I'm not the only one. Josh has followers and he shows us the way....I look forward to JHS Pedals THE MOVIE

Never thought I'd hear Josh say he likes how a Joyo pedal sounds; but he's right!

Super happy to find this fantastic dive into the history of fuzz pedals! Really great collection!

Chorus into Octave fuzz, into driven amp.. Then tone all the way off and neck pickup activated.. Thank me later

Visual Sound/TrueTone had a great octave fuzz called the Angry Fuzz. It had 4 knobs, Vol, Tone, Fuzz, Anger. The Anger knob allowed to dial in the octave. Legend has it, they were working on their own original fuzz circuit and the octave was an accident. They liked it, so they put a potentiometer on it so you could have the option. On single notes it produces an octave up. On chords it is less predictable.

I was not yet playing guitar when "Purple Haze" dropped into the universe, but it was still clear - even heard out of a transistor radio - that something unique was going on there. In the early 70's I grabbed a Univox branded SuperFuzz (the orange and blue style) and experimented from there. It was never very good for chord work, but there was certainly a "Live At Leeds" vibe when you'd riff through single note leads. I had to replace the broken on/off switch with a toggle ages ago, and therefore tear off the rubber footplate. Guess it will be coming out of mothballs for some nostalgic fun.

My husband hates pedal boxes so you are my pedal box husband. Thanks JHS !

Great to hear Cactus name dropped, amazing band! Love the video as always man :) Please keep em comin!

Great Video. Memories of an old guy: - Summer of 67, saw one of my older sisters friends outside her room, he was a jazz sax guy. He said "There's in there listening to that Jimmy Hendricks crap" (what I heard). I went in, saw that label spinning around and heard Fire. My mind was blown, never the same. - I had an original blue & red Univox Superfuzz. I loved it, except I kept the tone switch on the more normal setting and told folks trying it out "watch out for that switch - it's like the James Bond ejector seat button" - I had an original script mxr blue box. Had no idea what to use it for, til later in the 80's doing trippy fusion stuff I'd put it on just the sub octave and bend a lot.

You are a walking guitar effect encyclopaedia! As for the Green Ringer, Frank Zappa had one fitted inside his famous Baby Snakes SG

These episodes never date. Their capacity for enjoyment never diminishes.

Some great use of octave fuzz by Josh Homme on the Them Crooked Vultures record.

I'm really happy and proud to see brazilian companies such as GNI and Stomp Audio Labs in your videos. This country has lots of amazing gems willing to be discovered.

First heard Hendrix in the summer of 67. In 73 first band did 4 of 5 Hendrix songs. Just sold my black superfuzz a month ago.

The best octave fuzz effect in a tune , is "Who Knows?" off of the "Band Of Gypsys" live album !!!

Desert Sessions Vol. 8: Nenanda Love all the fuzz tones on this whole record, but this track sticks out. Also, that Foxx Fuzz is amazing!!!

I love octave fuzz. I have a Pigtronix Octava and a MXR Sub Machine. Thanks to Josh for sharing your pedal knowledge and collection with us in these weekly videos.

For me, when I think of octave fuzz, I think of Rowland S. Howard from the Birthday Party using the Blue Box on tracks like “Sonny’s Burning”

16:22 few guitar sounds have ever made me happier

Until this episode I never knew what octave fuzz was. Now I own 2 octave fuzz pedals, one of them being the MXR Sub Machine that took that little blue pedal and exploded it into fuzz awesomeness.

So happy you mentioned cactus and their song evil. Such an amazing band!

Blue box can’t be beat. I was starting to worry it wasn’t going to be represented. I always describe it as an 8bit standup arcade game dying.

Crazy. Just got in my Jext Telez Jext Foxx last night and plugged it in this morning (causing extreme joy, excitement and new riffs to pour out of me). I get done and BOOM! Here's this video on octave fuzzes!!! Too cool.

Another fantastic and informative episode. I'm not sure specifically about octave fuzz, but an album with just endless amazingly weird and fantastic fuzz tones is Los Lobos Colossal Head. A brilliant album all the way around. Thanks, JHS!

Wasn't planning to subscribe before, but then I noticed your trend of bike and cyclist T-shirts. Now I'm loyal cycling musicianly subscriber. Keep it up, and share you strava with us.

Frank Zappa had (among other mods) a Green Ringer-style circuit installed in his SG. You can hear that octave-fuzz effect on a lot of his solos.

During the Summer of Love in 1967, at a church run youth gathering on a Sunday evening, I heard an album that changed my life. We were listening to records on a modest portable record player. Into the room walked an older guy, more worldly (someone already in high school! - I was 12) with an album under his arm. He said the record was something everyone was talking about. He put the needle into the record's little black grooves and I heard something evolutionary but yet oddly familiar. At my insistence we listened to both sides straight through and as the album ended I said, "play it again, the whole thing." We did just that. The attention of most of the kids in the room drifted off to other interests even before we flipped the album over the first time. The record's owner talked of superficial things floating around the edges of the wondrous sounds that came out of the mono record player - I don’t think he didn’t really get it. But my focus was on the music stamped into those grooves. It's energy, the amazing beauty and graceful violence of the guitar playing I was listening to for the first time but hearing as if I was coming home after a long absence. I "got" this music instantly and deep inside my being. There was no period of acclimation. I required no training wheels. But as suddenly as this music opened something in me, the record left the room with this guy I did not know and would never see again. So the very next day I made my way to the hip little record store in my home town of Burbank, California and bought my first Jimi Hendrix album, Are You Experienced? And yes, I was "experienced" though it would be years before I realized I was also "beautiful." Thank for you channel, for sharing your knowledge, love of music and vinyl - you are both experienced and beautiful.

I love my MXR Slash Octave fuzz! It gives so many tonal options!

Having owned a Prescription Electronics Experience pedal I love this effect. Thanks for the history lesson. Again you know your business. That's refreshing.

Cactus' version of Howlin' Wolf's Evil is excellent.

My favorite videos are Josh just talking about pedals alone. Just him and his dry humor with some pedals. Even better when he’s building pedals and talking about the process. I would buy a pedal builder masterclass if it were JHS. But don’t ruin it with other people reading or commenting and stuff. Just Josh nerding out alone. That’s the bread and butter.

Not exactly an Octave Fuzz, but the MuTron Octave Divider has to be my favorite octave effect. It's more of an octave ringer, but I believe it's what Jeff Beck used on his first guitar solo in "Come Dancing" off the Wired album. Absolutely obsessed with that solo.

1967 I g0t Are You Experienced and it scared me! It was amazing, My Mom called him Devil. Jini changed my life. I love the Band Of Gypsys ocavia stuff. I am hooked on your Vlog! Thanks

I own the Joyo - Voodoo octave. It's an awesome fuzz.

i had a funny moment today, yesterday i watched a good chunk of this video and saw the Fender Blender, and while helping my brother move out i saw a 4-knob Blender in a guitar store that we happened upon. Was pretty cool!

The Psychedelic Machine looks like a very early multi-effect. Maybe a history of multi-effects would be fun?

You're awesome. I bet your inspiring so many people to experiment and find their sound.

There should be a fan shirt made that says “everything I know about pedals I learned from Josh Scott”. Thanks for these videos man!

I bought three pedals off this video and already owned two. Aside from already owning the Purple platypus and the joyo (still planning on doing the mod), I bought some fabulous pedals and got a great deal on all of them. The Danelectro, The Octafuzz and the fuzzmaster general all appealed to me. After receiving the Dan last night I wasn't thrilled with it, but it was late and I'll play more. Today the Fuzzmaster is out for delivery. So excited about this pedal. Thanks Josh. This pedal and the thorpy fallout have to be two of the most epic fuzz ever.

Now if i can beat the price bump on reverb

You,my man.. deserve more love and subscribers... Awesome content..

i put track one side one of are you experienced on and all i got was Foxey Lady ha ha oh and fav octave fuzz the criminally under rated roaring Rory Gallagher - Bad Penny

I dont even have a working amp, but I'm binge watching your backlog and telling myself I'm gonna buy all these different pedals lmao Love your passion for it!

A Gibson?! Wowowow also dope shirt ❤️

Never stop the vlog!

the fender blender tho...damn

I heard that sound at about 12 or 13, my neighbor was a British Airways Stewardess and her little brother lived with her and had a lot of british records. I heard the British Hendrix LP and was hooked. When I got older I was playing the harmonica and learning the blues style and something was missing using the mic input on a beat up old Silvertone 5 watt amp. I used the MXR octave fuzz and some reverb through my new Fender 1975 Deluxe Reverb, man I sounded like Canned Heat at Woodstock... in my head anyways. Fond memories of yesteryear, now where did I put my shoes?