Chicago Iron Octavian

Easy to use if you know a little about Octave sounds before you try it.If you are not familiar with the modulation it could be difficult to get a good tone from.I guess most people that go for this type of effect do so because of Hendrix,so they know what they are after.Simple set up-two knobs Volume and Boost.The volume can get very loud and push any amp's front end.Boost a little wild on full-up.Comes with the repro Tycobrahe manual,and an up to date version,giving good pointers on how to set up and use the pedal.

I am using this with Fender Strats and Teles,through Fender Bassman and Twin 65 reissue amps.Pedal board is big-- Rotosphere/deja vibe/choralflange/tremulator/chicago iron octavian/analogman sunface nkt275/hoochee mama/fulldrive 2/cesar diaz squareface fuzz/fatboost/clyde wah.I play in a number of different bands so need a variety of sounds.With my own stuff I go for the Hendrix pedals mostly.

Firstly,the Octavian is silent when on,no hiss or popping switches.I was interested in this unit because Doyle Bramhall 2 uses one,and he seems to get a great tone with his.I was using a Fulltone Octafuzz,but found it a bit too fuzzy,and limited to 12th fret and above.The Chicago Iron is more versatile,and works well on its own or when using with other pedals on the board.The octave tone is very similar to Hendrix,and its fairly easy to get that high octave sustain a la 'Who Knows'/'Purple Haze'/'One Rainy Wish'.Also,and what sold me on this unit,is that you can get some really useable dark tones at the first fret,where the pedal responds differently to the lower strings and upper strings.You really can use the pedal through out all neck positions,unlike other Octave effects.Watch Doyle Bramhall 2 'Live at The Great Wall of China'--'Chariot',where he 'plays' the pedal,and uses it not just as a one trick pony.It also sound great with Fuzz pedals and Vibe pedals.It has a warm,full and vibrant tone,much fatter than the Fulltone Octafuzz,and also much more authentic and 'real' sounding.

Have gigged with it,and not too worried about reliability as it seems to be extremely well built.Also Kurt is a great guy,and his customer relations are up there with the best.

Had some contact when purchasing the unit,but not needed since.Kurt is passionate about what he does,so I assume he would care greatly to accomodate his customers too.

I have been playing 21 years,semi-pro mostly.Looking to make a living playing,but not easy here in the UK.Play mostly blues/rock style,and also pop/rock/soul covers to make money in function bands etc.Am currently recording an album for small indie label,and looking to tour UK/Europe,so could be the start of something.This pedal will remain with me on gigs,and I am enjoying getting to find out more ways to use it as the nights go by.You have to learn to 'play' the pedal,and utilise all its sonic possibilities,not just copy Hendrix.If it was stolen I would buy another straight away.Sorry,cant give a ten--never know whats round the corner and a 10 would mean search over!

Its hard to get a good sound out of this thing because you have to adjust pick up, volume and tone controls on your guitar to dial in the effect.

wouldn't use it live because of the riga ma roll and hoop jumping you have to do to get a decent tone out of it. For the studio, its great.

its not like an original. but its not a bad pedal

It sounds great if you use your neck pickup and turn your tone way down and guitar vol down a bit. Also sounds great with a wah used to filter out highs. Better with a Strat, but humbucker guitar is okay too.

if you just flip it on with your bridge pick up it produces the most hideous, trebley, harsh, paint peeling, ear melting, crappy, sound i have ever heard. its so trebled out that you cant even hear the octave.

Don't get me wrong, you can get some really creative sounds out of this thing. but you must work for it.

well built, heavy.

I emailed them and they responded.
I knock points off because it doesnt sound exactly like an orginal.
but you can't really blame them for hyping their product.

You can get some amazing tones with this thing.
I got theTychobrae Artwork one which is cool but even more expensive.
It can also easliy sound like doo doo
it is WAAAAAAAY overpriced.

This pedal is pure professional grade. VERY easy to get several INCREDIBLE tones here. Manual and pedal are straight forward and easy to use in every way.....No upgrade....I own a Chicago Iron Octavian and the special release Octavia.

Of course my all time favorite without hesetation is the psychedelic Space Traveler himself. Jimi (no last name needed)The distortion WAILS, and the ring modulator is the best out there, PERIOD. I own about a doxen ring modulators, including two original Tycobrahes. This pedal sounds better than the originals just because the parts are coroding inside. This thing has the "bloom" down to incredible perfection. as you play two notes, and bend one up, you will actually hear 4 tones, the 2 originals, and the 2 modulated tones. You MUST hear this thing to believe it. It makes the Way Huge Platypuss sound very tame. This pedal is a lion. You can also bring it down to a whisper, and get human vocal-like sounds. Total Jeff Beck and pure Hendrix.....dare I say it: Better than the R. Mayer? I would prefer this one, just because I know they are hand built one at a time and the construction quality is second to none.
I have many amps, but play this with my 100 watt super lead, and it is guarenteed to put a smile on your face. Enjineered to the 'enth degree, and I would absolutely say the best sounding, best build and most solid Octave/Fuzz one could find. WELL WORTH the $300+ I paid.
Oh, it is not at all noisey. When engaged, it is very musical, though my Grandma would call it noise. To me the effect always sounds great. The fuzz alone, or the modulation set to on, there is no bad setting on this pedal. Get one you will NOT regret it!

Have NEVER had any problem with it. I would not hesitate to skip the back-up, even playing the Allstate Arena.

The guy who makes these is easily accessible, I have gotten him on the phone (the owner himself) and he has also done mods to some of my wah-wah pedals....called para-babies, and he was super nice to deal with lightning fast, and helpful in every way.
Never needed repair. There is now an upgrade called the Octavian+ which I am savbing up for. I don't know what the "+" is, but it must be off the hook. I just can't say enough good things about this pedal. It is Tycobrahe Octavia to a "T". Now, I can gig with my $1,000+ Tycobrahe safe at home, from bar-drunks and fast fingered a-holes...(my friend had an MXR script phase 100 stolen between sets. So, trust me, they're out there)

I play psychedelic blues/groove/jam/rock (think Hey Baby by Jimi)and it is a perfect match, no matter which amp I choose for the night. Been playing for 30 years and am a collecter with a sick problem: over 300 pedals...If it was stolen or lost, I would buy a new one the next day.
What I love most, and favorite feature is the octavia when soloing around the 12th fret. the only word to describe it is MAGIC. I don't know how it is done, but people will come up to me after shows and ask "what the HECK was that pedal....how did you get that sound?" I am always happy to tell them, "Chicago Iron, man. It will change your life!".
Get one. No other Octave pedal comes close, IN MY OPINION!!!!

Unless you're blind and missing your hands, you won't have any problem using it ! There are only two knobs: Volume & Boost. And there is of course an On/Off footswitch.

I play an alder body & neck Strat, equipped with rewound-to-vintage-specs-with-50-years-old-formvar-wire late 70s TOKAI 60s reissue pickups -> Fender PT-100 tuner -> 70' vintage v847 Vox Wah -> MJM Blues Devil -> Chicago Iron Octavian -> Vintage 1969 Fender Super Reverb.

The sound I can get by only switching the Octavian "ON" while on total clean is breathtaking. I haven't heard or played every single pedal claiming to be the clone out there (I think before investing money), but this DOES sound like the REAL DEAL and that's all I need to know.

The pedal is amazingly responsive to anything you change: from your guitar's knobs, pickup switch position, amp settings, pedal setting; you get a WHOLE new world. What impressed me the most was how it was responsive to the strenght of the pick attack. I usually pick rather hard, but when that pedal is on, if I pick lightly, I can get a whole new sound.

I unfortunately can't tell my position on this as I have not owned it for years, but trust me, just hold it in your hand, and feel the power. It's HEAVY ! It's totally built for the road. I actually wouldn't be afraid using it as an anvil. The metal is thick, and the beautiful blue paint looks solid as rock.

I can already be certain I don't need a backup. At all.

So yeah, I wish I could put another 10, but for the sake of telling the truth...

Kurt is a very self-giving guy, and always took time to answer my questions. He also offered to help me if I had any other question or anything at the end of every e-mail.

Thanks man !

I play Blues/Rock, mainly. Maybe a bit more agressive. It's obviously a very good match as I count among my influences Vaughan, Hendrix, PHILIP SAYCE, Jeff Healey, etc.

If that pedal gets stolen, I'll obviously buy it again after a lot of cussing and swearing.

I fell in love with Chicago Iron the minute I saw the beautiful "Chicago Iron" encraved redwood box it comes in. You slide the top open, then put aside the amazing stickers, business card, very small yet so clear manual, and finally the foam top that keeps you from the box's treasure. There it is, the massive blue Tycobrahe Octavia. I thought I was a wuss when I tried to lift it, because I didn't expect it to be heavy at all. Ok, it's not THAT heavy, but it's suprising.

I actually bought the Octavian PLUS which comes with a second footswitch for a powerful FUZZ. I actually consider using that fuzz as my main overdrive.

Anyway, all this to say I'll tell every guitar player I meet that it's the ONE pedal to rule them all.

Nothing improved from the original. Still have unscrew all 4 feet to switch out the battery. Time consuming. Same controls, so easy of use has not changed since the 70s.

The reason why I give this pedal a 1 is for the reason that the owner of this company claims this is an authentic copy, and its trully not. I am one of the few people in this world that is fortunate enough to own the real Tycobrahe Octavia. Which is a really rare pedal. So I can understand how easy it is for Chicago Iron to claim they have a real clone of this pedal, because most people can't get a real Tycobrahe Octavia to compare it with. I do have both, and both of these pedals are totally different in tone. I have owned all the Octavia clones out there. There is no copy of the Original, if so, they wouldn't be worth $1400+ in todays market. The original has more Octave presence than The Chicago version, or any version, fulltone, voodoo lab, etc. The original is more musical, warmer, and better sounding and funner to play. Nobody has a real clone of this pedal at this point in time that I know of... Cosmetically, this pedal clones the real pedal. But sound, parts, transformers is a BIG NO and you buyers, like myself have been hyped and suckered for $200 for a $50 or less pedal.. The original has a better, more costly transformer that makes a difference in the octavian sound..Has totally different parts than the chicago iron and has point to point wiring..The most obvious thing you we see in comparison with a Chicago Iron and a real Octavia is the "el cheapo" transformer and cheap parts...Which in turns gives you a false clone version and brittle bright sound....If you ever get an opportunity to own or have the real Tycobrahe Octavia in your guitar playing hands, then you know I am speaking the truth. I can't believe what some people in this world will do to make a buck. Just horrible, but I must say, I have been suckered from hype.

Never would gig with it, because it doesn't sound like the real deal.

How can you have customer support from a person who makes false claims?

I play blues rock and original rock music. Not a good match for a tone head like myself. I have been playiny seriously for 16 years. I own a 61 pre cbs strat, groshes, nashes, suhrs all strats, carr, fender amps. If this was stolen, the thief did me a favor. I compared this with the real Tycobrahe octavian. I wish there was somebody out there who when claims that they have a 100 percent clone of an original speaks the truth and works so hard to really make a clone, not profit $$$$$. SAD

How much easier can you get than TWO knobs?? Having said that though....if you are not familiar with octave up pedals as I was
.....YOU NEED TO CONSULT WITH THE CHICAGO IRON WEBSITE AND READ THE MANUAL!! When I first got it I was not satisfied with its tone....I referred to the tips page and manual for the details on these finicky little beasts and voila mind-boggling tone. Now dialing in stunning tones is a breeze.

Having only played for 10 years it appears I am the lone "newbie" (other than the emo character who obviously did not read the manual or visit the website!!) reviewing I cant make comparative remarks re. other octave up gear.
What I can say is that the sound of this thing is like a thick delicious sonic milkshake made with heavy cream. When run through my Keeley Ts9 it gently massages my tone in strange and wonderful ways. Slide into a note and sustain it and the bloom that looms into the tone is absolutely inspiring. Skulk around above the 12th fret and there is that Mr. Hyde "alter-note" following you around that can sound playful or creepy depending on what your doing.

This is one of the most solidly constucted boxes I've ever seen.

I've been playing for 10 years and I play a very wide variety of things. What I love most about the Octavian is that it has caused me to shift gears in my approach. As other reviewers have pointed out, it is a unique box that really needs to be tinkered with to be understood. Once you learn how to use this thing it gives you new tones to work with AND as a result of having to "play" this thing, new techniques.

Does what it says, and sounds better than ALL of the rest!
I know I've owned most of them.

Perfect 10!
Seriously.........the bloom is exactly as they describe, and LUSH!

Am I a "newbie" who just bought a new toy and am all giddy?

Nope, I'm a 20+ year player who's done national tours with signed artists/bands, and the Octavian is the READ DEAL!

Built like a tank! Seriously.

Customer support......and then some!
Kurt you rock!

Chicago Iron CARES and goes out of their way, for complete strangers, people (like me) who they've never met.

This is how you do business!

I've played various styles of music, and recorded sessions in Nashville, and L.A.
Rock, blues, country, funk, "jack of all trades" kind of guitarist.

This pedal blows the others away....it doesn't sound "close" or better yet "feel" close (because you DO feel it) it has a power, and a certainty with each note that INSPIRES you to play notes in ways you wouldn't have done with the "other" Tycobrahe "style" pedals.

Operating the pedal is a breeze. However, unlike almost any other guitar effect, an Octave up needs to be played a certain way to get the right sounds out of it...and that takes a little patience and a little tweaking. But that's the fun part right?

Brilliant. This is the best Octave-up pedal made. No offense to the Fulltone people, but this thing BURIES their octave-up. I have owned them all, including an original and this one is by far the best.

Built like a tank. I wish all expensive boutique pedals came in a chassis this strong. Been touring with it for a while now and it's as sturdy as it gets.

Great. Have emailed a couple questions to them and received very detailed responses immediately.

This "emo" character below is a moron, ignore his weak and very un-informed review. Using an Octave-Up pedal has nothing to do with trying to be Jimi Hendrix. That is like telling people who buy a Les Paul to stop "wasting their money" trying to be Jimmy Page. Go see Michael Landau's band play and watch the guy keep an Octavian on through an entire song and milk tones out of that thing that you could never imagine. It's a really cool effect with many sonic characters that Hendrix, while using it brilliantly, barely even touched on. The bottom line is, this Octavian pedal is the best octave-up pedal that has been made so far. It's my favorite toy. Amazing.

This review is for the Octavian "Plus",still has two knobs,but two switches enable the fuzz to bypass. LED goes from red to green in case you're deaf. Fiddle around with it for about 10 minutes and you are going to find something to make you smile.

JEM or Strat/Budda wah/Octavian+/Fuzz Face/Uni-vibe/Marshall. You need to keep this close to the end of the line of effects. Distinctively authentic sound. Throw those Fulltone and Voodoo Labs boxes up on eBay, you will never use them again. Inspirational, Harmonic and magical.

Top Quality materials and craftsmanship. Steel enclosure. No backup required.

Bought direct. Kurt is a Magician and dedicated to his craft. These units are epic and future classics. Personal service.

Suitable for any type/genre of music. This version with the two switches is flexible, and the fuzz is surprisingly smooth,like a Bosstone or early Big Muff. It also enables you to utilize other OD's with the Octave effect. An hour out of the box it will render all other similar devices obsolete. It's really THAT good. Really.
It meshes perfectly with Vintage and modern devices. Some people may cringe at the price, but it's worth every penny in sound, mojo and vibe. If you're serious about tone you would gladly pay double.

if you know what an octavian does,then this one is easy to get a good sound from.it is the only one that i know of(other than original tycobre) that actually does what it is supposed to do

i use it with a strat and a100w marshall,4-12 bottom.the guitar to
Mike Fuller uni vibe,thru the octavian,into a analogman 808 tube screamer
it sounds good going thru the tube screamer as well when its on.
the sound of the unit is full,tight bottom,and the high end is not brittle.(in an octavian kind of way) i have many different octavians,some are so bright
that i can't use them live,some others are woofy in the low end and just
get lost when the band is rockin. the chicago ironworks sonics are just right.
it sounds great for recording,and is the best live.

it is built well,there is nothing much on the inside,but the box is sturdy
if i had to complain about anything,it would be that the little circuit board
on the inside is just sittin there,not tacked down in any way
no biggie

Kurt,has been more than gracious and professional with me just like all the other top pedal makers have been.it beats goin to GC in hollywood !!

i play all originals blues rock style,this pedal does alot of really cool things
it does more than just the jimi thing,with alittle bit of foolin around with it,
you can come up with great new ideas!
if you want a repro pedal that is just like the original,this does it .

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.

This is an octave pedal based on the original Tycobrahe Octavia. Only 2 knobs, volume and boost. Pretty simple. In my opinion the tycobrahe octavia is the most fun to play. Chicago Iron is the first company that I have seen who actually recreated this pedal just like the original ones. I have been using octave pedals for over 20 years. The tycobrahe can be found under the best players feet if they can get one. This sounds better than my original Tycobrahe Octavia - which I can now leave home. Manual? Octave pedals scare beginners but are a staple in professional lead guitar setups. This is now my favorite.

I use this pedal with all my guitars and amps. It sounds really cool with single coils and tubes but it wails on just about everything I tried it with. The pedal is very quiet. I am sending my original to Kurt for a tune-up since I got this. The Octavian has a lot of volume and can really push the front end of my Marshalls, Fenders and Boogies. It sounds great. It does Jimi, Stevie, Satch, KWS and just about any other octave players stuff that I can think of.

This Octavia clone hasn't burned out it's first battery yet. Dependable? It is built very well. Stronger than the other clones I have tried. If I threw this one at a wall, it will probably go through it! They used heavy steel just like the originals. Even the pot shafts are metal. Nothing really to break or bend. Would I gig without a backup? I will. I used the original for over 10 years, and looking at this one, it is the same in every detail. Nice_Job_Chicago_Iron! I trust it. It's built like a tank and nails the Tycobrahe sound.

I met Kurt at a Chicago guitar show. He had the biggest pedalboard that I have ever seen! In it were old tycobrahe and new chicago iron pedals, a lot of other pedals and wahs. He invited me to A/B them. I didn't have my pedals to compare and being from the area he told me to come over after the show. Come over to his house? When I was there he converted a guy from digital to analog by listening to his digitech floorboard settings and selecting the analog pedals to do the same. In over 30 years of playing I never had the chance to see this kind of sonic tayloring. I learned so much in an hour, and what a difference analog is! See 'ya POD. Customer Support? Absolutely Un-real. He showed me the difference between building with hand matched parts. We A/B'd them. I would have never thought - but you can really hear and FEEL the difference. He builds custom rigs for other players and I can see why. 100% attention to tone. This guy is a gigging musician and has a lot of the latest stuff in his rig. Nice guy to know!

I have played a little bit of every style I can think of. This is an outstanding octave pedal. Nice and wild just like the original. I'd buy it just 'cuz it's such a good job of remaking the Tycobrahe octave pedal. If the name wasn't different you would have to look pretty hard inside and out to find any difference between the original and the clone. They even got the wood box right! I have owned a lot of pedals, and though this pedal will not replace ALL octave pedals, it is a better choice for me than all the other tyco-clones offered. I just like the nasty tycobrahe octave sound. It seems hotter and darker than the fulltone too. Same octave response and feel as my original, with a great fuzz. Probably what my original was like when it was new. If it was stolen I would buy another. I love this thing for lead solos alone or with other pedals. The circuit that Chicago Iron makes seems to have a better fuzz to it than the others I have owned. It's even better than my original. Kurt says that matching the parts and the right transistors is the secret. The story is on their web site about how they did it at http://ntsys.com/parapedal check it out for yourself.