Voodoo Lab Proctavia

Others had stated difficulty tweaking the right sound, but I didn't have that experience. I plugged it in turned the two knobs a little and it sounded great.

I play a tele-proc-fulltone70-wah-fulltonedejavibe-fulltonesupatrem-maxonAD80-MesaDC5. This pedal is so quiet! I have an early model with no Led, but I always know if it's on because the noise out of my rig actually Decreases! The effect does the Tychobrae thing perfectly, and sounds identical to the sound file for the Fulltone Octafuzz. As far as getting the Jimi and Stevie tones, it does. My only word of caution for those thinking of getting this or another like it is that you really have to play the effect, more so than any other type of effect I own. It does everything I wanted it to do perfectly, so I give it a ten.

One thing. I don't know why this is, but if I try and power this with my SKB pedalboard and it's plugged in the other effects-it shuts the whole thing off? As soon as I take the plug out of the proc everything comes back on. I doubt this is a common thing, and it's not that big of a deal to use a battery anyway. Otherwise a very sturdy pedal.

I play a little of everything, and I like to have multiple sounds at my disposal. Getting this pedal was very exiting for me and was a big step towards completing my sonic experience. I had also been wanting a ringmod and a microsynth, but the proctavia has enough of the characteristics of both of those to satisfy me. Try playing the low E string and the 14th fret D string E at the same time. It's one of my favorite sounds.

C'mon ! Two knobs can it be easier ?
Yes, because finding the sweet spot is a pain in the rear end.

I'm using the Proctavia into a CryBaby then into a Zoom 1010(used purely for noise reduction) which feeds a TS-9 Tubescreamer which feeds a Big Muff and gets boosted by a Nobels Pre-amp and thru a Boss HR-2 Harmonizer. My guitars a MexStrat and Ephi Les Paul, my amp a CWL CL-50. This pedal is one quiet muthafocka and it has that good ol' true-bypass. I use it only at lead stuff coz rithym stuff gets absolutely focked up. It's great coz the fuzz isn't overwhelming and the octave effect really kicks butt(it is not too trebbly). But it is not as user-friendly as a WahWah

Just Perfect.

I had trouble finding the right settings and coz I bought it second-hand there was no manual. I mailed them and they gave excellent advice and were pretty fast.

For a pedal thats worth about fl 350,- It sure is worth it. But again this isn't a overdrive or wahwah or something.

it comes in a box with instructions and a little history lesson.the tips they give on how to attack your guitar with the pedal ON,are pretty helpfull.it's got 2 buttons(volume,boost)very idiot proof.

i got a 1960 reissue les paul with 57plus pick-ups and a 78'les paul deluxe pro with p-90's.this goes into a vox wah,proctavia,ts9 and then into the bluesbraker marshall thing.i was trying to go for a lead tone i heard on Jimi's 'Who Knows' tune.THAT octave tone blew me away!now i know pedals don't give you "Jimi in a box",but this octave pedal does not totally blow me away.don't get me wrong it is a good pedal,it doesn't make much noise on the setting i used(volume full up and octave almost all down)but it seemed a little shrill.it does the octave overtones i want it to,but it's not big and thick like what i want it to do.i don't turn the boost full up,i find you loose most of that octave overtone thing(i've tried everything!)it sounds best with the ts9 already on and sounds really trebly and shrill on it's own,but the octave effect is there.i really like the way it feeds back into chaotic insanity when you sustain some wacked out notes or certain chords.real bypass is always a good thing too.but overall thin and shrill.

it is built pretty sturdy looking.alot like a mxr phase 100 type box but lighter.my universe would not be in danger if i didn't have a back up for a gig.

never spoke to mr. or ms.Voodo labs.

i've been playin' lots of groved out physical kind hardcore sweating funk to mellowed back jazzy kind of experimental blues rock jamming stuff for about 10 years or so.i got myself a univox super fuzz(even in the original tacky blueish cardboard box!)and even though it does't have nearly as much octave overtones as the proctavia,it will replace it til' i get the fulltone one.the proctavia does well in giving that octave thing,but to trebly,shrill and thin.too bad 'cause it's got every thing else i'm looking for in a pedal(true bypass is cool)i wish there was a extra knob that made it alot more fat.this thing is anorexic.

Okay, two potentiameters to adjust the boost (effect) and output volume. These are as the Tycobrae which I happened to have owned many years ago. Its simple to use if this is the sound you want.

I've used this unit with several different amp setups and through both tube and solid-state, works well with little added noise. I prefer to use the guitar volume to tweak between its two many sounds:
a nasty overdrive and a harmonic "ringing" effect. I tried to emulate
Satriani's Cool #9 interlude towards the end and it accomplishes this.
The SS amp was a Crate GX-140D with delay and chorus expanded. I ran that into a Crate 4X12 cabinet with a Leslie 60s circuit I installed.
Currently, I am using a Yamaha T100 w/an old Fender 10 inch speaker.
It still sounds great and not noisy, but in retrospect the Crate flex-wave was a better overdriven sound in general.

I've toured with this pedal several months and still am using the original battery. I use this effect sparingly and this probably accounts for extending the battery's life. I just grabbed it out of my gig-bag today to crank it up and it still works well. My original Tycobrae had been in a flood, but survived! I don't know if the Voodoo Lab would and can't recommend trying this since $100 bucks is still $100 bucks!

I haven't dealt with Voodoo Labs but love their name!

As someone trying to "cop" Satch's sound-it works perfectly! But in all honesty, its an effect that is best used as a novelty. If you are going for that "Purple Haze" solo, this is the only thing that can come close to Hendrix's sound. I understand it uses Germanium crystals or resistors and is a faithful reproduction of my sturdy Octacia.

Like others have said, this thing takes some time. Take the afternoon off, grab a cold Colt 45, and play.
While I understand that putting a status light in an effect necessitates the use of components that may effect the amount of noise, it can be a pain not having one (the Proctavia doesn't), especially if you use a lot of effects and things get complicated.
I bought this used, but in pristine condition with the manual, which is about as helpful as it can be.

I'm using this with guitars equipped with EMGs and Mesa/Boogie amps.
This unit is VERY quiet. Without a status LED, it's hard to tell if it's on or off when I'm not playing! The bypass is crystal clear--bless their Voodoo hearts! To me, this adds points in the category of "sound quality."
The effect is not what I expected. The octave effect is not strong, and it reacts to my playing dynamics. It was built to be a replica of the Tychobrae Octavia; I never tried one of those, so I don't know if it's a good copy.
I dig the sound, after giving it a chance. The fuzz is really nasty, and warbles when a note is held.
I've tried running it before and after a Ross Distortion (similar to MXR D+). Put before, the sound is pretty cool, but with the Proctavia after the distortion, the sound is amazing! Give this thing a dirty signal to play with and it cuts loose. The harmonics scream and the fuzz is the aural equivalent of biting on a wad of tinfoil! THIS is the "Purple Haze" sound!

This is a solid unit. Thick metal casing. The battery is accessible by four screws -- I wish these boutique FX companies would figure out a solution where there wasn't the possibility of loosing parts in a dark club! It also takes a 9v, ?" adaptor.
I am not worried about this box failing me on a gig.

I have dealt with Digital Music Corp and have found them to be very friendly and helpful. They stand behind their products and the artists who use them.
The Web site (www.voodoolabs.com) has sound samples of the effects, descriptions, pictures, and even the list prices.

I play a lot of weird, experimental music. The "boost" knob on this effect covers a wide range of sounds, from slight octave effect to heinous, octave-tinged fuzz. I love it.
I've been playing for 20 years and have used scores of effects. The Proctavia's construction is of the highest quality, and the bypass is a godsend.
If this were stolen, I would get another one in a heartbeat.
The only thing I wish this effect had is some easy way to access the battery without screws.
The average retail price of the Proctavia is $99. This is a great deal. I would have paid full price for a new one if I wasn't such a cheap bastard.

You have to give this device some time, what you put into it is what you get out of it, for what thats worth..here goes: to get a good sound out of the Proctavia you need to do a couple of things: 1. use the neck pickup(preferably with a single coil). Turn the gain knob on the Proctavia to almost off(about 7 o'clock). Raise the Volume level knob of the proctavia to match your guitars clean signal. Based on your pick attack as well as playing above the 7th fret will yield the best results from this pedal. If you want the proctavias gain all the way up to hear maximum fuzz, put it in front of another fuzz(it will make the zvex fuzz factory arppegiate) or overdrive pedal. Otherwise, everyone will hate your immitation of an electronic Icepick :) Long live Jimmy!

I use a fender strat with custom 50's into the PROCTAVIA and then to a modded Vox wah into a Zvex Fuzz Factory to my Mesa Tremo. while I don't feel this pedal really comps a true Hendrix thing(Fulltone's octifuzz is the bomb!) It is a very useful tool to keep other fuzz/overdrive pedals in your rig still exciting. Its definitely an auxilliary pedal for my taste, voodoo labs is a quality company making cool pedals for poor musicians who are addicted to boutique toys!

Totally dependable piece of equipment, works great when you need to chuck something at the freakin' drummer and his darn cymbals!

I was impressed with the actual ability to correspond with Voodoo Labs. They answered my email in 48 hrs. Even with my dumb questions for modding the treble range of my proctavia!

My music writing wasn't really enhanced by owning this pedal, but it was worth every penny to piss off the drummer, as well as make the neighbors dog howl!

I wanted to get the octave sound I heard on Purple Haze and some of SRV's live voodoo Chile performances, and this pedal gives you that is mostly the SRV sound. This pedal was supposed to be a tybrocaye replica and it sounds like it does that, however I don't think it's the best sounding octavia out there. Because it only sounds like an octavia at the 12 th fret and the neck pick up selection on a strat. It is definitely easy to use. I didn't get a manual and you really don't need one.

I use a Strat, texas specials, fender super amp 4x10 and a marshall JCM 900 retubed with custom tweaking( little warmer than a normal marshall). Itis a quiet pedal. The only thing I wish it could do is be capable of taking all the fuzz out and only here the octavia effect. I usually use this pedal in the conjuction of my TS-9 and the fuzz is just too much some time on top of my Ibanez tubescreamer. THe octave notes are not as obvious as they were in "Purple Haze". But like I said SRV octavia is definetly obtainable.

Is seems pretty strong.

Overall I really want to get rid of this pedal because I know what Octave sound I want and this isn't it for me personally. Also it sounds like crap if you don't put it above your distortion pedal in your chain.

The Proctavia is very easy to use. It did take me a little time to hear the tones this pedal is capable of. The manual doesn't offer much information about the pedal but that is a relatively small issue. Not to be petty, but couldn't they pick a better name?

With the Proctavia and my existing gear (Fender Roadhouse Strat & Groove Tubes Soul-o 75) I can awaken the Jimi in me. The tone can range from "mellow thick notes" to "over-the-top scream". This pedal sounds far less synthetic than other octavia effects I have tried. It has that organic wild vibe thang happenin' man.
When you don't feel like wiggin' out, the True Bypass will keep this dude silent. I have found that using a fuzzbox after the Proctavia fattens it up and accentuates the octave effect.
This pedal, like all octavia effects, only sounds musical with single note lines, it gets too weird with chords. The octave up tone is most pronounced when playing the higher strings between the 5th and 15th frets and using the neck pickup.

I have had no problems whatsoever with my other Voodoo Lab pedal, the Bosstone. So I have no reason to doubt this one.

Josh Fiden is really helpful. He is very willing to exchange e-mail regarding his products. I feel that his company would fully support their product if I ever needed it.

I paid very little and got a whole lot in return, great bang for the buck. If I needed to replace it I wouldn't hesitate to get the same one. For the price, nothing even comes close!

A very easy unit to operate, two nobs volume and boots, the manual descrives other effects made by Digital Music Corp.

I have a Roger Myer's Octavia, and the Proctavia sounds exactly the same with less noise.

A well built effect, metal case.

These are very easy to figure out, but if you have any questions, the folks at Digital Music Corp, are very friendly, and they will answer any question.

I love the graphics on the top of the effect. When I added to the effect chain, it worked better than the Roger Myers Octabia(I'm retiring the octabia).