I've always wanted to try the EBS, but they tend to be rare and expensive in Canada. There's only one on Reverb right now in Canada. It's marked "Used B-Stock," goes for US$300 and the seller has 50% negative reviews in the past six months.
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The OC-2 dilemma, again
- Thread starter Just Wrong
- Start date
I've always wanted to try the EBS, but they tend to be rare and expensive in Canada. There's only one on Reverb right now in Canada. It's marked "Used B-Stock," goes for US$300 and the seller has 50% negative reviews in the past six months.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
OC-2s are great but don't handle active basses well without distorting. Not true bypass either.
Another option is the Celebrity Pedals Taylor Shift / Sub-Zero (same pedal, different graphics). I love mine. Has a dry kill switch like the Octavbre. And a filter for the octave so you can get darker tones like the EBS.
https://reverb.com/shop/celebrity-p...s-share&utm_campaign=shop&utm_content=2391897
Another option is the Celebrity Pedals Taylor Shift / Sub-Zero (same pedal, different graphics). I love mine. Has a dry kill switch like the Octavbre. And a filter for the octave so you can get darker tones like the EBS.
https://reverb.com/shop/celebrity-p...s-share&utm_campaign=shop&utm_content=2391897
FWIW, I purchased the Subsonic.
The OC-2s aren't exactly local (1- to 2-hour drive), and I'm worried about the headroom. Also, the buffer.
I can't try the MXR Vintage Bass Octave, and I don't want to waste money on shipping if it doesn't work. MXR says the issue is fixed, and I wouldn't mind taking the gamble if I were in the U.S., but I don't know how old's the stock in Canada.
The Octabvre probably would've worked, but I don't know. Besides the headroom question — though I'm sure it'd be fine — it's at least US$150 more expensive than the Broughton. I probably wouldn't have much use with the tone function. I've also had to deal with Spencer for customer support before, and it was... something.
The MXR Bass Octave Deluxe probably could've worked, but the Subsonic wasn't much more expensive and can be powered at 18v.
Thanks everyone!
The OC-2s aren't exactly local (1- to 2-hour drive), and I'm worried about the headroom. Also, the buffer.
I can't try the MXR Vintage Bass Octave, and I don't want to waste money on shipping if it doesn't work. MXR says the issue is fixed, and I wouldn't mind taking the gamble if I were in the U.S., but I don't know how old's the stock in Canada.
The Octabvre probably would've worked, but I don't know. Besides the headroom question — though I'm sure it'd be fine — it's at least US$150 more expensive than the Broughton. I probably wouldn't have much use with the tone function. I've also had to deal with Spencer for customer support before, and it was... something.
The MXR Bass Octave Deluxe probably could've worked, but the Subsonic wasn't much more expensive and can be powered at 18v.
Thanks everyone!
I’ve owned a LOT of OC2’s over the years….i mean, not as many as Janek Gwizdala, but at my height I had 7 of them from various eras, probably 15 in total over time. They’re wonderful, I just recently sold 4 of my latest 5, retaining my May ‘82 boxed with manual.
My point being with the above is to say that I’ve known them for a while haha. One thing to say, old ones and newer ones all sound exactly the same, don’t get caught up in ‘oh the 80’s/japanese/Octaver ones sound better than a ‘97 Taiwanese’….I’ve gigged them all multiple times, and aside from a small unison level tweak that happened in the 80’s, tonally they all sound the same.
A couple of years ago, as much as I love them, they weren’t quite cutting it in the pop/rock/soul functions band I play in….so I switched to the MXR Octave Deluxe and it’s fantastic, different, not as synthy, but has a weightyness to it that lends itself to strengthening the mix, not just adding a synthy lower note.
So I’ll likely keep my last OC2 until I die, it is used on a second pedal board I have. But I highly recommend the the MXR Deluxe as a super solid (better in some situations) alternative.
Si
My point being with the above is to say that I’ve known them for a while haha. One thing to say, old ones and newer ones all sound exactly the same, don’t get caught up in ‘oh the 80’s/japanese/Octaver ones sound better than a ‘97 Taiwanese’….I’ve gigged them all multiple times, and aside from a small unison level tweak that happened in the 80’s, tonally they all sound the same.
A couple of years ago, as much as I love them, they weren’t quite cutting it in the pop/rock/soul functions band I play in….so I switched to the MXR Octave Deluxe and it’s fantastic, different, not as synthy, but has a weightyness to it that lends itself to strengthening the mix, not just adding a synthy lower note.
So I’ll likely keep my last OC2 until I die, it is used on a second pedal board I have. But I highly recommend the the MXR Deluxe as a super solid (better in some situations) alternative.
Si
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Marcus Miller has had the MXR BOD on his board forever. I saw him a couple of years ago, and it was on for most of the show. Rocco Palladino has had so many octave pedals on his board since he's been around (most of the time he has two), and the BOD has been there since day one. It probably would've been a great choice.
The SA Spectrum nails the OC2 sound and does a whole lot more. I can also get sounds similar to the Yamaha, Pearl, EHX, DOD/Digitech, MXR octavers as well as creating my own octave textures by adding a bit of dirt and even LFO....
The switches being too close together is very much an issue. It's also a bit more mid-focused than many other OC-2 type circuits.
If you're interested in the Octabvre for its function, try out the COG Effects T-47. Instead of a sub switch, you get an A/B with two complete channels of dry, octaver, and tone/filter. It doesn't sound exactly like an OC-2, but it's a high quality sound and the A/B thing is far more useful than the sub switch.
I have one of these, and comparing it to my MIJ OC-2, it is virtually identical in tone. -2 oct is not missed. The extra volume and headroom is nice.
Agreed. Having owned all of the Octabvre models, my favorites are the Tim-tuned mkI models, which is what I'm currently using, the mkII in Tim mode, and the Mini which reportedly is also Tim-tuned. These are all the least mid-forward of the bunch, but still have just the right amount of midrange to work in a live setting.
So your least favourite one is the MKIII? Just for the two switches being too close or also tone-wise?
Tone is of course wildly subjective, but most people who have played multiple iterations of the Octabvre say that Mk III is the least awesome of the bunch. The stomps-too-close has been a thing for a while now. Barefoot Buttons, specifically the tallboy variants, are good for dealing with knobs that are tightly squeezed.
The middle of these three stomps (the right-hand one on the Xerograph) is the one I use the least, so this tucks it largely out of the way from being causally stomped when trying to engage the big boys. It's not 100% foolproof, but it really made a huge difference in terms of stomp accuracy while mid-performance.
For me the answer is both. The footswitch spacing is too narrow for my size 12 shoes, and the tone is further from what I like, whereas the various "Tim" iterations absolutely nails it. All that said, if I had no option but to use an mkIII, I would stick a Barefoot Button Tall Boy on the main bypass footswitch and would get on with it. The tone is still excellent, just perhaps less excellent than the "Tim" models for my taste.
Having owned several Octabvre models and having heard a lot of demos, I think there is a bit of complication in comparing the tones. To me, there seems to be a bit of variation from unit to unit, more so than from one version to the next. I also find my Octabvre response a little differently to different basses, not just in terms of tracking and dynamics but in the tone itself.
I sold my MkII for a MkIII because it was too wide and I didn't want it to be taking up too much real estate. In retrospect I definitely should have kept it. I wish Spencer would just split the difference with a pedal that's in-between in terms of width.
I sold my MkII for a MkIII because it was too wide and I didn't want it to be taking up too much real estate. In retrospect I definitely should have kept it. I wish Spencer would just split the difference with a pedal that's in-between in terms of width.
While I do agree with this sentiment on principal, I think it would be hard for him to implement. He lives a couple blocks from me, and I believe he does all of the manufacturing out of his garage. It's probably tough to keep multiple sizes and shapes of enclosures given space limitations, hence his current line all coming in the same sized enclosure. I suspect that's where he'll stay for the foreseeable future, but that's just me speculating. I wouldn't mind seeing a Chromatron line come back into rotation.
None of those! Get the TC Electronic Sub-N-Up octaver pedal. The beauty of this pedal is the programming capability. When you hook to your computer using their free software, there are so many parameters you can tweak. I got it to sound just like my old OC-2 pedal. In fact I think it sounds better! Plus it is a mini pedal, so doesn't take up allot of room!
IME/IMHO:
The best OC-2 is a modified one. They all sound the same no matter where they were made. I'd get the older Japanese model only if I'd mod it because it's easier to replace components. Otherwise save your money and get the Taiwanese model.
The COG octave pedals are the closest to the OC-2.
Then comes the MXR VBO and the The MKIII. Markbass Raw Octave isn't bad either.
Haven't tried the Broughton.
The others sound less like the OC-2
The best analog Octave that does NOT sound like the OC-2 is the Aguilar Octamizer.
I don't like the digital octave down FX, but SA is a great brand if you do.
The best OC-2 is a modified one. They all sound the same no matter where they were made. I'd get the older Japanese model only if I'd mod it because it's easier to replace components. Otherwise save your money and get the Taiwanese model.
The COG octave pedals are the closest to the OC-2.
Then comes the MXR VBO and the The MKIII. Markbass Raw Octave isn't bad either.
Haven't tried the Broughton.
The others sound less like the OC-2
The best analog Octave that does NOT sound like the OC-2 is the Aguilar Octamizer.
I don't like the digital octave down FX, but SA is a great brand if you do.
The sub switch was the reason I went back to the big white and red mkI version. For me it’s a necessity on gigs. Without it I’d need to run a pair of them, or bend over and change settings between tunes.
