Boss OC-2 Octave

darn right! EASY

It's an effect. Not a precision octave creation. You either like it or don't buy it.

It's BOSS.

It's BOSS!

Bottom Line: I bought this 'made in japan' thing 25 years ago, brand new, expecting it to do something that it doesn't do. I goofed around with it and had a few grins...then packed it away in it's original carton. Flash forward to 2006!! I join a cawntry band that does straight pure 50's/60's honk-tonk...and I pulled this baby out and now it's my favorite pedal. Everyone whips around and jaws drop when I kick it in.

I use it with my 1960 Telecaster Custom and my 1983 SilverFaced Fender PRO-REVERB amp. Single note runs work best. Clean, clean, clean. Al Gore is an idiot. Who needs a baritone guitar? Who needs the hassle changing instruments between songs? I just stomp and go! Instant baritone that rules! Get one now, Holmes!

The OC-2 is my favorite octave pedal. I play fretless most of the time, and this is the only octaver that I could get almost a synthlike sound out of the tone by mixing the 1st octave just under the straight tone, and by cutting out the 2nd octave down out completely. The only negative I can think of is that there is some effect break-up in the low range of the bass, but other than that I would give it an 8.9, as it is an excellent pedal. One of boss's better effect's for sure.
1. Very easy to get a good sound. There are no patches, because it is a single effect pedal.Haven't seen the manual.Don't know firmware revision #, and my unit has not been upgraded.

Specter Bass? with Ashdown cab and Ashdown 300 amp. Not noisy effects sound clean and strong.(strange question)
I probably could as my rig is very flexible in terms of eq, etc; but I have my own sound. That I can get with no difficulty.
Favorite artists: (On Bass) Jaco Pastorious (the God of electric bass, of course) Victor Wooten, who I will be studying with this summer!!!, Bootsy,

Never had a problem. As long as you are smart enough to keep a fresh batterie inside it won't let you down. I literally have played hundreds of gigs over the last five years or so with my OC-2, and have never had a prob. with it.

Never have. No repairs ever needed, or customer service.

I think my overall was mistakenly written at the top.
In short, it is an excellent pedal which I would buy again if needed without a second thought. I have been playing professionally for 15 years now, and have been a teacher of private lessons for at least that long. I play Jazz, Funk, Blues and pretty much whatever comes my way.----So long from Austin Tx.!!

It's got three knobs... how hard can it be?

Now this is where we get down to what?s important. The OC-2 is a phenomenal pedal, if you take it for what it is: an effect. I use it to beef up single not rhythms and runs. There is a lo-fi quality to the tone that makes me smile. It?s fat, nasty and ugly! (In a good way.) If you?re looking for an intelligent harmonizer, then look elsewhere. What the OC-2 provides is a vintage effect. If you want to hear what the pedal excels at, check out the track ?Megaton? by the band DramaGods.

The pedal adds a layer that can be either in-your-face, or something three dimensional that you can?t really put your finger on. People will notice it, but won?t be able to tell you what?s going on. It?s like having a second bass player in your band with an OD running. It is also really nice for adding that extra something to solos.

You can get overkill with this unit. Too much is just too much. You amp will hate you, if you?re not careful. Used in moderation, it can be a very useful tool, to add something to your sound that not everyone else has.

My pedal is 20 years old. I think it will hold up another 20.

I've never had to deal with Boss, so...

This is a great pedal, if used correctly. Like others have said, it's not an intelligent harmonizer. If you hit two notes, the OC-2 will oscillate between the two notes. This actually sounds really cool. It?s an old school effect- very analog sounding. Which I really like. Would I recommend it to others? Absolutely! Would I buy another if stolen? Absolutely!

It is easy, just turn OCT 2 to zero, it is useless.

I wonder why this gets so bad reviews, because OC-2 is the best octave pedal I have tried. Far beyond Electro Harmonix Octave Multiplexer which totally sucked. And, again, of course you can not play chords with an octaver! Are you really that stupid? It is not meant for chords. Try a baritone guitar for low chords.

Bbboss quality.

Never needed.

It is cool in single string riffs both clean and with distortion. It is also fantastic with an autowah after it (clean). Way better than EHX, which was a real tone sucker. I think even Danelectro is better than EHX, which was also HUGE in size, but not in sound.

How much easier could you want? Just the three knobs to set the levels of the 'unalaltered' guitar signal, 1 octave below and 2 octaves below.

There are several simple rules to follow when using an octaver like this that help you get the best sound possible. First try to use the neck pickup as much as possible, preferably a humbucker, this produces less harmonic overtones and lets the unit track much better even down to a low D (just). Only play single notes. Keep a check on long held notes, especially low ones.

This is my most used pedal by far and is the best octaver I have tried - I was very disappointed by the OC3. Used mainly for beefing up single note riffs, It works especially well with nasty fuzz. If you experiment with the levels you can get some nice synthey sounds.

Fair enough the tracking isn't perfect but it never is with octavers and the idea of using it with a bass as suggested in the blurb is frankly laughable.

Given a 9 because the bypass is a bit rubbish but otherwise just what it says on the tin.

Same as any Boss pedal, well made and seemingly indestructible, only have a backup as I use it so much and I'm paranoid!

No need yet.

Used with a Les Paul and SG it works perfectly for what I want, use the neck pickup and be precise = no problems - Oh, and it doesn't like old strings, so a good excuse to keep them shiny.

Give it a true bypass! Why aren't all pedals TB?!!

Pretty simple really. Just tweek the repective volumes to preference and you're good to go.

I think the reason why this pedal gets such low ratings is that people expect the octaved sounds to come out an exact replica of their guitar tone, but an octave or 2 lower. Well it wont.
The octaved signal is basically a square wave, like a synth, which is exactly what someone like myself would buy the oc2 for.

1) Yes, it wont track chords (tho 2 note harmonies are ok, cos the tracker will jump between the root and the harmony, so you'll get some wierd wobbly sound, which is nice.)
2) No, it doesnt sound like a bass, (i suggest that you take the first step in achieving this by playing some other place other than your bedroom) but it can get pretty close.
3) Yes, the tracking isnt that spot on, but its good enough if your playing is polished enough.
4) Please, put it first in your chain or your signal will not feed the tracker enough to get the right note out.
5) NO, it doesnt sound organic at all, if you want organic, you might as well plug your guitar into an apple, cos really, what on earth is organic ? natural ? natural like the amazon rainforest? yeah...
6) And yes, it goes well with other effects, very nicely in fact, unless you've got the imagination of a very organic plant. Then again, the only stomp box you've got would be some ts-9 that SRV supposedly used, as long as its organic to you, i guess.
7) And Yes. i like it.





Btw, this thing aint true bypass at all the highs get cut and the octaved signal bleeds in even when bypassed, but i put it in a bypass loop so its no issue to me. So i guess this bumps the score to 9.

i guess so.

no oppinion

I play a lot of styles (or pretend to at least), and i had this pedal when i was just getting into guitar, and sold it , and bought it again, put it on my board, took it off, etc etc....

but recently i took it out for a spin in the studio, and i never took it off my board ever since.

So, to wrap up, if you want a octave pedal that makes your guitar sound synth like or just to add some mud to the mix, or want to make wierd noises along with other effects, get this.

If you want a bassist to appear from this box, or a cellist, or a symphony, go hire a bassist, a cellist , or a symphony.
If you want something to play a replica of your notes 1 or 2 octaves down, buy an entire replica of your setup, then tune your guitar 1 or 2 octaves down, then clone yourself to play it.

Very Easy to use. Just 3 volume knobs for each pitch; original, one octave down, and two octaves down.

If you are expecting clean octave sounds that aren'y muddy and don't wobble, then you will be disappointed. However, I don't know of many octave below pedals there are, but I have tried a few, and this is by far the best one. There is no noticeable delay between the original pitch and the octaves below. The octaves below are loud, and are not overshadowed by the original signal. You can get some really neat sounds by removing the original pitch. I find that it sounds best when used with distortion, and preferabely before the distortion.

It's a tank.

I got this from a guy who obviously didn't know it's value, as he sold it to me for $25. They normally go for between $40 and $60 on ebay, and I would say that it is well worth that price. It will last you ages, and the value will not depcreciate at all if you want to resell it later (value will probably rise a lot, as this pedal has been discontinued). A good buy!

Its really a small learning curve for me to figure out any pedal, so Im really not sure how long it will take certian people to get a good sound out of this(my collection is into the twentys).Mixing the different octaves is rather easy in my opinion.Almost any sound out of it is good.
I didnt buy this so I really dont have a manual to go by, but I dont think i really ned one.

I have used this through a epiphone SG, a B.C.Rich warlock, a Jackson King V,and a jackson bass.The amp I most commonly use is a Kustom(a large old amp my sister found, so free is good for around the house), but I have played it through fender chorus amps and a marshall halfstack. I would have to say that distorted is the way to go, a clean channel doesnt give you the full effect.Your clean sound is weak and really adds more of a muddy sound then an octave change.A little bit of distortion and some tweaking can give you a thick and dark"boost".Ive never had any feedback from it, but it does create a very odd noise when an octave is put to high with another.The pitch seems to randomly "bubble" up and down with a held note.Lastly, chords are not this things friend at higher settings.The sounds start to muffle together and make a mish mosh puddle of your tone.Single stringin is where its at, and maybe some simpler power chords can get away with the best use of the sound.
I cant really comment on sounding like any specific musician, because the only one I know that uses an octave is CKY, and Im not going for that sound at all.

Built very well, its all metal-like all boss pedals really.

No clue.

Id like to comment about the price paid section before going on.This pedal was owned by a friend of mines bandmate, but he never used any of his effects, just distortion.So he talked him out of it and gave it to me cause he knows I love a new pedal.

Anyway, I love this thing.The sound is so odd, I use it to make a sort of horror movie sound.If you like pitch shifters, this would be its dark brother.Its in my current line up, and has been since Ive recieved it.I wouldnt try to add this to a flange/chorus/phase, to much goes on at once to really get a nice sound.Delays, reverb, and when at lower settings, a wah can add to it.the effect is just so strong it cant work with most pedal combos, which is sort of its downfall, but because its so strong its one of the best Ive used in its own catagory.
On a sidente, let me say that this is one of the few pedals boss makes that i actually like.I find their distortions and flanges to be utter garbage.This , along with a pitch shifter/delay combo are the only things I think they made well.I guess what their good at their great at.

Minimum of 30 minutes tweaking and your there! 3 knobs pretty simple.

This is the Made in Japan OC-2 (OCTAVER lettering) I compared this to a new Super Octave OC-3. I could not believe the sound difference between the 2. The OC-2 setting on the OC-3 still did not compare!
The OC-3 would get that digital scrambling (distort) sound if you do a chord. Nothing like that happend on the OC-2. Although the OC-3 seems a little more versatile I have to go with the OC-2 for sound and overall use of the effect. I was also surprised after setting my levels that I could not detect any signal loss once OC-2 was activated.

I was looking for that Satriani type of octaver sound. (He uses the OC-2) I wish I could compare it to the Taiwan model but from experience - better made (Better Components) = better sound
Totally satisfied with the sound.

Its a boss! Like everyone says "BUILT LIKE A TANK"

I have dealt with support (USA) and I believe the customer service was excellent! I would give it a 10 if I didnt have to wait! :P

I play rock, country and Teach guitar - all styles. If your looking for that Satriani octave then this is it. If you can get the Japanese version off eBay for less than $100 then get it. I did!

well, it's very easy unit, only three knobs and it's enough

I play fender guitars (strat & tele) through the valve head and cabinet with celesion speakers. I really like the sound with a little bit of 1 octave down. The second octave is usefull when you want to play a guitar and bass notes at the same time. Set direct knob full, 1 octave knob to 3 and finally 2 octave knob to 11 (without distortion), then play some Hendrix, f.e. "Who Knows" from "Band of Gypsys", isn't good?. Remember - it's not perfect pedal for everything, you have to play single notes and not very fast, then final sound will become more clear and good. With playing riffs this unit is useless.

It BOSS after all, never had problems with boss pedals

Never dael with Them

I like this pedal very much, it's very usefull for me, and I always have it on my pedal board.
When you want to add some interesting effect to your sound, this pedal is for you, when you play slow melodic solos, this pedal is fir you. If you want only play fast trash metal riffs wit a lot of distortion, you'll never happy with it