Fuzz can be one of the most exciting pedals on a guitarist's board. Here are some powerful recipes for combining it with other effects. Read more… Pedal Partners: Combining Distortion with Other Effects Octave pedals carve a path for guitarists to veer into synth tones and big bass riffs. Find out how to utilize this expansive effect. Read more… Five Creative Ways to Use an Octave Pedal for Guitar These figures will vary depending on the actual conditions of use. Accessories Leaflet ("USING THE UNIT SAFELY,""IMPORTANT NOTES," and "Information") So what’s new on the OC-5? For a start, it complements its suboctave range with a +1 octave-up control, available either on its own or in conjunction with the suboctaves. BOSS' OC-5 also boasts an updated version of the smart 'Poly' mode that first featured on the OC-3 Super Octave pedal. This allows you to play full chords with breathtaking octave effects!

if hard to hear, exaggerate bass volume by turning up the "-OctLevel" knob until you barely do hear it. The OC-5 is also better at subduing the momentary artefacts that could sporadically bounce to an upper harmonic octave or something else entirely, and emerge only if you hold a couple notes together – one after another – for the musical glitch to pop up. But I’m one of those players that finds this musically endearing. So… I suggest this basic starting point…if, like me, you seek to add a bit of base or low end to your solitary guitar playing. There's an art to assembling a pedalboard. Learn to perfect your effects signal chain and capture the tone you've been seeking. Read more…The BOSS OC-5 Octave Pedal is now available from Merchant City Music, the longest-established guitar specialist in Glasgow. We ship fast and secure to the UK, Europe and worldwide. BOSS OC-5 Octave Compact Pedal CONTROLS: Direct level, +1 octave level, 1 octave level, 2 octave level/1 octave range. Vintage/Poly mode switch, guitar/bass input selector switch. On/off pedal switch Phaser is a naturally versatile modulation effect. From overdrive to reverb, it can enhance, expand, and excite a guitar tone. Read more… Pedal Partners: Combining Octave with Other Effects

The compressor pedal is a brilliant tool to enhance a guitar tone. Learn to get the most from this dynamic pedalboard mainstay. Read more… Pedal Partners: Combining Phaser with Other Effects Blending all three octave voices in Poly mode can fetch super-plump organ textures and synth-like impressions as well. In most cases I find them useless, but the OC-5 could benefit from an included illustration of sample settings for guitarists new to the pedal, but this is a minor fuss for me.Expected battery life under continuous use: (Alkaline) Approx. 7 hours *These figures will vary depending on the actual conditions of use. Accessories: Owner's Manual, Leaflet ("USING THE UNIT SAFELY,""IMPORTANT NOTES," and "Information"), Alkaline battery (9 V, 6LR61 or 6LF22) If you start light as above as your base point…ratger than cranking things early—which WILL sound like poo…you will begin to see the potential here. The octave down on the OC5 in poly mode is so weak, it's barely even useable for what I do. (I like to run the effect out to a bass amp for low notes and run the direct out to my guitar amp to split the signals.) In contrast, the poly mode in OC3 is MUCH louder and sounds great through my bass amp when I split the outputs.

OCT RANGE = Smart 'POLY' setting first introduced in the OC-3 but somewhat significantly honed here - lets you variably control which strings / notes are targeted - so that in the 'LOWEST' setting only the very Lowest note on the lowest string triggers a Sub-Octave while the other notes of your chord pass through as unaffected. As you dial up the Range you include further Strings and Higher Notes in your Sub-Octave trigger. In Vintage Mode this knob simply controls the LEVEL of the -2 OCT. At the other end of the spectrum, the -2 octave was perfect in Vintage mode for adding meat to lines played high on the fretboard, shadowing the notes and adding dimension that helped them sound more substantial.A light enhancement can be truly rich…especially if you play alone…and maybe some chords or etc only use your higher strings snd feel thin. By lightly adjusting upward to include only what you want to add a wee bit of bass to, this unit is pretty dang sweet.

In comparison to my TC Electronic Sub 'N Up I actually prefer the slightly more organic sound of the Boss - particularly on the Vintage OC-2 Mode - and the RANGE element in Poly Mode is a real feather in Boss's cap too. RANGE (POLY) = Range / Cut-Off and Extension of Output Notes - CCW only Lower / Lowest note/s and strings, CW expands to higher strings and notes Later on, as Shoulder Pads started to become uncomfortable, BOSS released the OC-3, which featured a Polyphonic Octave option. This enabled users to play more than one note at the same time whilst using the effect; this created almost Organ sounds. It's quite an incredible and inspiring sound. However, all this romanticising about the old octave pedals sets the tone for the NEW OC-5 Octave Pedal from BOSS, which makes this one different and unique from the previous generations.

Again, the lowest note mode on the OC5 is great for chords, and frankly sounds better than the OC3, and I plan on using it for that, but I'll continue to use my OC3 for the poly mode. I'm going to run both pedals into a bass amp with two inputs and use the OC3 for when I tap between low strings and high strings and use the OC5 for chords. (I can't use the OC5 for tapping between low and high strings because when I tap the high string it applies the octave down because it is the lowest note in that moment.) I wasn't 100% clear on how the LEVEL of the -2 OCT was being impacted in Poly Mode with the dial set to LOWEST Setting. I think if there is a further iteration of this pedal I would make the last knob dual concentric - with LEVEL on the upper portion and RANGE on the lower. Other than that it's a breeze to use really. It's just a matter of selecting witch switch modes you prefer - Guitar/Bass and Vintage/Poly and then how you apply each of the 4 knobs - Direct signal plus 2 possible sub-octaves and 1 upper-octave. My Ibanez inexpensive solid body works well on all strings, but the EAD strings sound best. I suppose you could use the pedal and this style of guitar to fake a bass tone. I've seen it done well by the Bartron Tyler band. BUT… Keep in mind that your modulation settings, chorus, and distortion could requure even lighter settings on the added bass. Of course Use the Output Out from the OC-5 to feed into the rest of your setup/amp or oedal effects