BOSS Oc-5 Octave Guitar And Bass Effect Pedal with Vintage And Poly Modes Plus 5-Year Warranty

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For ME… -The key to discovering this octave pedal's strength requires some restraint. I think a lot of people have come to expect the "middle" settings are a safe place to start with many things…and I'd wager that those who complain of terrible results with the OC-5 are very often misunderstanding how to really start with it. BOSS' OC-5 also boasts an updated version of the smart 'Poly' mode that first featured on the OC-3 Super Octave pedal. This allows you to play full chords with breathtaking octave effects! A light enhancement can be truly rich…especially if you play alone…and maybe some chords or etc only use your higher strings snd feel thin. By lightly adjusting upward to include only what you want to add a wee bit of bass to, this unit is pretty dang sweet. An octave pedal can be one of the most creative tools in your sonic arsenal. Explore the myriad possibilities of this remarkable effect. Read more… Pedal Partners: Combining Fuzz with Other Effects AC adaptor (PSA series: sold separately) Current Draw 60 mA Expected battery life under continuous use Alkaline: Approx. 5 hours

OCT RANGE = Smart 'POLY' setting first introduced in the OC-3 but somewhat significantly honed here - lets you variably control which strings / notes are targeted - so that in the 'LOWEST' setting only the very Lowest note on the lowest string triggers a Sub-Octave while the other notes of your chord pass through as unaffected. As you dial up the Range you include further Strings and Higher Notes in your Sub-Octave trigger. In Vintage Mode this knob simply controls the LEVEL of the -2 OCT. In the Poly Mode things become slightly more complex with the 4th : -2 OCT / RANGE knob where you can now play full polyphonic octave chords with the knob fully CW. While if you dial it down it starts to limit the octave effect down to just the lower strings, and in LOWEST setting - simply the lowest note on the lowest string. This setting is particularly good for playing walking bassllines on the lowest string while upper strings get passed through unaffected so that if you strike a chord - the lowest note will be octaved as such, while the rest will ring out as normal. This is something that is particularly handy to Jazz musicians and singer-songwriter types who are often fairly unaccompanied onstage. Octave pedals carve a path for guitarists to veer into synth tones and big bass riffs. Find out how to utilize this expansive effect. Read more… Five Creative Ways to Use an Octave Pedal for Guitar I wasn't 100% clear on how the LEVEL of the -2 OCT was being impacted in Poly Mode with the dial set to LOWEST Setting. I think if there is a further iteration of this pedal I would make the last knob dual concentric - with LEVEL on the upper portion and RANGE on the lower. Other than that it's a breeze to use really. It's just a matter of selecting witch switch modes you prefer - Guitar/Bass and Vintage/Poly and then how you apply each of the 4 knobs - Direct signal plus 2 possible sub-octaves and 1 upper-octave.

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If you start light as above as your base point…ratger than cranking things early—which WILL sound like poo…you will begin to see the potential here. CONTROLS: Direct level, +1 octave level, 1 octave level, 2 octave level/1 octave range. Vintage/Poly mode switch, guitar/bass input selector switch. On/off pedal switch There's an art to assembling a pedalboard. Learn to perfect your effects signal chain and capture the tone you've been seeking. Read more… Another noteworthy update for the OC-5 is the new octave-up feature, which can be engaged for both the 'Vintage' and 'Poly' modes. Bring in this sweet effect by turning the dedicated '+1 OCT' knob. You can even use the octave-up sound on its own, which is perfect for achieving 12-string-esquesounds. Alternatively, you could blend this with the '-1 OCT' and '-2 OCT' sub-octave effects for fat organ-like tones! Guitar/Bass Switch & Direct Out Set to Vintage mode, the OC-5 can play a vital role for adding a subterranean layer of bottom end or bellowing growl to basslines, and guitarists will find it an indispensable tool for providing massive rumble to power chords.

The OC-5 is also better at subduing the momentary artefacts that could sporadically bounce to an upper harmonic octave or something else entirely, and emerge only if you hold a couple notes together – one after another – for the musical glitch to pop up. But I’m one of those players that finds this musically endearing. The Boss OC-5 Octave Pedal builds on BOSS’s outstanding reputation for building world-beating Octave Pedals, cemented by the original OC-2 from the ‘80s. This latest OC-5 version includes the best of the original in its Vintage Mode, while adding a new Poly Mode for chord playing. A Mode Switch optimises performance for either guitar or bass, and a Direct Out allows for wet/dry setups. BUT… Keep in mind that your modulation settings, chorus, and distortion could requure even lighter settings on the added bass.

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At the other end of the spectrum, the -2 octave was perfect in Vintage mode for adding meat to lines played high on the fretboard, shadowing the notes and adding dimension that helped them sound more substantial. My Ibanez inexpensive solid body works well on all strings, but the EAD strings sound best. I suppose you could use the pedal and this style of guitar to fake a bass tone. I've seen it done well by the Bartron Tyler band. And for those who still loved the analog warmth of the original Monophonic OC-2 - the OC-5 delivers the very best digital replica take on that - where the engineers were really able to put the manufacturing delays to good use - and really hone the authenticity of the VINTAGE mode. Later on, as Shoulder Pads started to become uncomfortable, BOSS released the OC-3, which featured a Polyphonic Octave option. This enabled users to play more than one note at the same time whilst using the effect; this created almost Organ sounds. It's quite an incredible and inspiring sound. However, all this romanticising about the old octave pedals sets the tone for the NEW OC-5 Octave Pedal from BOSS, which makes this one different and unique from the previous generations. Expected battery life under continuous use: Approx. 7 hours (These figures will vary depending on the actual conditions of use.)