Chicago Iron Octavian

1 Volume - 1 Boost- 1 stomp switch. There truly is a sweet spot for every pedal I own and finding it could take some time. But for this pedal, I pretty much dialed it in right away. It is not only the pedal you have to dial in, it is also your guitar tone knob and amp or distortion effects. If you know what this effect is supposed to do , you should have no problem.

I use a Bad Cat(HOT CAT) 30 watt 1-12 combo as my main amp and Bogner Shiva 1-12 combo as my second amp. I use the Bogner with all my modulation effects and I use the Bad Cat with the Octavian > Teece Wizard Wah > and Pharoah Clean boost. Guitars: Parker MidiFly with a s/s/h configuration >1983 Ibanez Destroyer >1963 Strat (all Original) > 1971 Les Paul Deluxe. Effects: I have too many to list! I have every octave effect you could think of and I still love and use most of them. I have A/B'd all of them with the Chicago Iron Octavian and I truly have to say, not only is it the best and most versatile octave pedal I've used, it is the most fun. There is no noise and it does not suck any tone from the amp when it is off or on for that matter. There has been no other pedal that can bloom into octave like this one can or my original Tychobrahe (which is now in the display box in my studio). My Fulltone Octafuzz is a cool pedal but is very tempermental in finding the sweet spot and when I do find it, there is almost wavey (in and out) modulation when it tries to bloom into the octave. My Roger Mayer is also a good octave effect on the fundamental note being played, but getting it to bloom into octave is like pulling teeth. The Chicago Iron can play a great octave on fundamental, but what really got me was that smooth transition into octave. And the fuzz is just so thick. The way this pedal blooms into octave has alot to do with the company matching the transistors. The pedal sounds great with all the guitars mentioned above but you really have to fiddle around with the tone knob on your guitar and how well you dial your distortion on the amp or pedal. I love this thing.

I have had the pedal for about 6 months now and have not experienced any problems. And I do use it without a backup. The pedal is built well and clean.

I have talked to the owner of Chicago Iron (Kurt) twice. The first time was when I ordered it, he kept me on the cell phone for 49 minutes and we talked about everything under the sun. He was truly a wealth of information. The second time I called him back to tell him he owed me money for the cell phone bill.

I am into alot of styles of music. I have been playing for 25 years. I have lately been writing my own material You can be extremely creative when using this pedal. The bloom , the octave, and the rich thick fuzz that this pedal is capable of is what sold me. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another one. As far as the reviewer below me, well, first off the Boss OC-2 is an octave down effect. Second: No, we will never be Hendrix, and to tell you the truth, I do not want to be him , he's dead. But, if someone is trying to get that sound, this pedal is the closest thing you will find to help you get there. Then, you need the amps and all of the other effects he used and maybe a couple of his sound engineers and then , maybe his fingers would help. There was alot of thought and hard work that went into this pedal in trying to recreate history. I believe Chicago Iron has done it. I give them an A+.

Easy as pie, but not as tasty

Sounds ok, nothing to justify its insane price. All of these stooged comparisons to old octavias is getting old. Why dont people want there own sound. If you want to sound like Hendrix, you cant so stop wasting your money. be yourself and you will be much happier. Also this thing dosnt track as well as the Boss oc2, but it is fuzzy, as if thats a tough sound to get, give me a break.

Seems very reliable

Never contacted, what would we talk about. The great history of the octavian, big whoop. anyont that ever used it and got famouse, would have been just as famouse without it.

I play mostly rock, usually original, but do a few choice covers. If your looking for the Hendrix sound, save a little money and get a fulltone octafuzz. Basically the exact same thing just cheaper. This pedal is way overpriced!

It only has two knobs, but they're very interactive. Also, it's not a set it an forget it pedal for all guitars. I've needed to tweak it depending on what guitar I'm using. Once you get used to the controls, you're able to dial in some great sounds.

I compared it to a number of Octave pedals - Fulltone, Roger Mayer, Voodoo Lab, but this one had a three dimentional quality about it. Also, it's fuzz wasn't as scratchy as the others and it was able to get a ring modulator type sound around the 12th fret. I run an SG into my Green amp (based on the Orange amps) and this is one of the few effects pedals I acutally use. It's a one or two trick pony (nothing you want to leave on all night), but it does those tricks better than any of the other pedals I've tried.

I've had it for about 6 months and no problems yet. I'm not a techie, so I can't attest to the build quality, but it seems solid and reliable.

I emailed Chicago Iron about this pedal and the Parachute wah. They emailed me back right away and were really helpful.

It's just a great sounding octave pedal.

Two knobs (Volume and Boost), hand matched components, silent switch. Boost goes from blended octave to a doubling sound. Very easy to tweak in the sound you like.

I double set up with a strat thru a Bassman and my pedalboard, and a separate Les Paul hru a Marshall half stack. Tried the pedal with both. Not too noisy unless you push the volume switch. With the strat it's easy to dial in classic Hendrix or KW Shepard "Blue on Black". IMHO, the real magic is placing it in front of a Fulltone...or, better yet...between a Les Paul and the Marshall. The LP can sing or scream or go raunchy depending on your Boot settings and the tone setting on the neck pickup. I'll give any effect a "10" if it inspires a new way of playing or takes you somewhere you haven't been before. This gets a "10"!

The first pedal arrived promptly, looked fine, but didn't sound right...no power and really cheesy distortion. I e-mailed Kurt and he answered almost immediately. We tried various tone settings and tweaking, but something was just wrong. I sent it back to him and he turned around a new pedal to me the same day. The new pedal sounded awesome out of the box. Kurt reports that he has had very, very few returns. Just my luck, I guess.

Kurt gets back with you almost instantly, is available most days, takes a personal interest in your situation and makes it right. I usually return DOA merchandise for a refund. This guy seemed (and probably was) personally upset that the original pedal didn't work right. His attitude made me hang in there, and I'm glad I did.

In 35 years, I accumulated every conceivable type of pedal. Only a precious few travel with me. I play rock, blues, motown, swing and a little country. I thought this pedal would be a "one trick pony" for classic rock songs...but... if you kick it in while playing above the 10th fret, switch to the neck pickup and roll off the tone a little and pass it thru good distortion...it will make the guitar say things to you that it never did before. It's really that good. It reminds me of playing with an EBow...only without the limitations of the EBow.

Two knobs, turn them until you find the sweet spot.

Strat -->Teese Picture Wah--->TS9/808--->Fulldrive--->Chicago Iron Octavian--->Fulltone ChoralFlange--->Zvex SHO. George Ls connecting everything, planet waves for guitar to board, then board to amp (Super Reverb).

This pedal screams. Absolutely wonderful. It is one of those pedals that push you to play above your abilities. I can't say enought good things about it. Good Hendrix, KWS, SRV in that little box, but there are other great sounds as well.

Had it for a couple days. It's good so far. Comes with a little wooden box (just like Tycobrahe) to protect the little bugger.

Kurt seemed to be a very nice guy.

I play, primarily, blues. I throw rock tunes in there as well, but if I could get away with playing strictly blues I would. This pedal is an exact replica of the Tycobrahe Octavian that is so sought after. Wonderful pedal for $500 less than the original. Don't be scared people, this pedal is outstanding.

The pedal came with a manual but it is easy to use and only has two knobs so there is not much to it.

I use this pedal with teles and strats; humbuckers don't seem to work as well with pedal. The pedal sounds very good, much better then the fulltone pedal I compared it to. If I described the difference between the two I would say that the Octavian has more gain, better quality distortion and sounds richer, not as thin as the fulltone. The pedal also seems to get a bit louder at the end of the gain pot setting; much like the volume control on your strat. I really like how notes bloom as they decay into this clear ringing octave. This pedal just sounds so organic it really kills the fulltone and for $100 more is more than worth the difference in price if you need a warm high quality sounding pedal. I use this pedal on various solos and find it adds that extra dimension to a tune. It can be used when your playing chords but I found the best thing to do was to lower the volume on the guitar a bit. This tended to not push the pedal as much and kept the pedal from creating to much of a good thing, ie... crazy octave sounds. I did find that it can introduce weird overtones that may be out of tune with what your playing but I find that I like not being totally sure of what's going to come out. Before I chose this pedal I listened to it side by side with three other Octavian pedals. Each Octavian pedal sounded slightly different from each other but I chose this particular pedal because it sounded a little richer to my ears. I can't say with what amps this pedal will or not work I imagine it will depend more on the guitar not the amp.

I would think that I should be able to depend upon it because it does seem well made and cost a fair amount.

Chicago Iron is nearby so I shouldn't have any problems with service if I ever do have a problem with the pedal.

I would be lying if I said you can use this pedal for everything, it just doesn't have that kind of capability. It is an excellent very natural octave pedal with a good amount of distortion that really cuts through. I am glad I bought this pedal but I could probably live without it, although I would have a hard time when it came time to get really wacky. If you need something to add that cherry on the top this pedal can definitely do for you. Good job by Chicago Iron for reproducing an excellent pedal.

Two knobs: how loud and how much. Perfect. Fun to experiment with.

Very exciting. Wakes up the tone of the guitar. Very fat and cutting at the same time. I like all the different sounds it gets at various settings. No noise. Strat and LP guitars, Fender, Marshall and Boogie amps.

Looks and feels strong, but I won't know for many years. Inside, it's very neet and tidy. It came in a nice wooden box. Too bad I don't have a stash to keep in there any more.

Nice guys. I sent them money, they sent me a pedal, within a week. Other than that, I dunno. Nice website.

I play blues-rock music. Apparently, people who found these Chicago Iron guys before me like to write alot about how smart and knowlegeable and cultured and experienced and absolutely fabulous they all are. I'm not. I was web-searching Hendrix and SRV sites, learned about the Octavia, searched e-bay, found Chicago Iron. I read the blow-hard, er, user reviews here on H-C, and bought from the little guys. Super Product.

very easy to use,just two knobs

I have tried all the octave pedals out there,and this is the only one that cops the Tycobrahe sound exactly,I am using the pedal with vintage Fender and Marshall amps and Fender strats,teles,Gibson Les Pauls etc. the sound is very warm and buttery,and the octave works great!

built like a tank,I have only had it a few days but I am willing to bet I won't have any problems,the craftsmanship is amazing

Kurt was very helpful and answered all of my questions,sent the unit to me very quickly

I play blues,rock, I am into Jimi Hendrix,Stevie Ray,etc. and this pedal does that exactly,I have been playing 20 years,and if this were stolen I would definitely buy another,I have spent a lot of time and money researching octave pedals and this is definitely the best one I have found

I've owned most of the usual "Octavia" suspects...Fulltone Octafuzz, Roger Mayer Octavia (standard and optical switch), Foxrox, etc. I was in the market for a new Octavia and stumbled upon the Chicago Iron site. I'm glad I did.

Go to http://www.ntsys.com/parapedal/ for a rundown of the painsaking research that went into making this pedal. I ordered it from Kurt...recieved it, and I'm blown away with the super high quality of the unit. It is extremely well built...and the packaging with the original Tycobrah wood box is a nice touch. It feels like owning a collectors item...but the SOUND and TONE is what's important......so....
The way the notes sustain and bloom as they fade out is what seperates this Octavia from the rest. This is hands down the BEST of the Octavia clones I have used in over 30 years of playing. Kurt is very helpful...spent a while talking about the effort that was made into making this the BEST Octavia clone available. If you are looking for a great Hendrix Octavia tone...check out the website, talk to Kurt.
I am immediately ordering the Chicago Iron Parapedal as well, another high quality clone of a rare effect.

There are only two controls on this thing, volume and boost. As far as how easy to get sounds out of it, simple. I've found it very simple and it really boils down to your presonnel taste.

Kirt prides himself on the quality of his work. The pedal is flawless in its reproduction of a classic octavian. I've had no issues with the sound quality as yet. It's relatively quiet until youget up into the high volume and boost settings, much as any analog fuzz. I feel the sounds I get from mine are superior to ANY mass product and as yet I haven't heard any Octavian sound this good, including originals, remember they had looser tolerances and therefore you had to sort them. This won't happen with Kirt's products.
I'll list the rig in chain sequence. Fulltone dejavibe, C.I Octavian, pre-lambshead EH Big Muff, awesome, DOD Od250, C.I. Parachute, (Parapedal), George Dennis the Blue 100w head, Digitech S100 in the loop, and I use a Sennheiser wireless, the best money can buy.
The end result is Hendrix/ SRV with single coils and all the classic humbucker tones short of a rectified amp sound. I can get the most exacting Trower tones with this rig. And I just lost half of you.

Haven't had it all that long but once you look it over and inspect the guts you'll realize there just isn't really anything to go wrong. The case is very heavy steel. Charlisle switch and just plain good craftsmanship are all present.

I can't say enough about Kirt. He's always there with an email response usually within a day or two. He really wants you to love the products and he'll do whatever it takes to satisfy.

Kirt has faithfully done his homework and has outdone himself. He now ships all his pedals in wooden boxes, dovetailed joints, trim, padding and burnt in logo. Awesome. The pedals have a one of a kind appearance and sound, okay so they look like Tycobra, but if you have this in you chain, when other players hear them their ears perk up wondering how you did it.