Boss announces OC-5 octave pedal with Vintage and Poly modes

July 5, 2023 · 4 sources

Boss announced the OC-5 Octave on September 17, 2020, describing it as the latest generation of its long-running OC series of octave pedals for guitar and bass¹². The pedal was priced at $129.99 and slated for release in late September 2020¹³.

The OC-5 adds a Vintage mode that Boss says delivers the mono sound of the OC-2, the octave pedal introduced in 1982, with improved response from a new tracking engine¹². Its Poly mode is an evolved version of the smart Poly mode first introduced on the OC-3 Super Octave, and lets players apply octave effects to full chords¹². A Range knob limits the effect to the lower notes on the instrument, and at its "Lowest" setting it isolates the octave effect to the bottom note of a chord¹².

A new octave-up effect is available in both Vintage and Poly modes through a dedicated +1 OCT knob¹². Dedicated level controls are provided for the -1 and -2 octave effects and the direct sound¹². A switch optimizes the tracking engine for guitar or bass, and a Direct Out jack routes dry and effect sounds to separate destinations such as two amps or discrete mixer channels¹². Guitar Player reported that the pedal runs on 9V or battery power and is housed in the OC series' dark bronze enclosure³.

Boss said the pedal offers "smooth, accurate playability with no latency"¹². A July 2023 article described the OC-5 as an evolution of the OC-2 and listed a Boss five-year warranty among its features⁴. The OC-5 sits in Tonebox's octave and pitch pedal category.