JAM Pedals releases Octaurus octave fuzz Custom Shop edition

December 12, 2023 · 2 sources

JAM Pedals released the Octaurus, a limited-run octave fuzz pedal from its Custom Shop, in December 2023. Guitar Pedal X reported the release on December 12¹; MusicRadar reported it on December 15².

The Octaurus uses turret point-to-point construction and a quartet of early 1960s NOS silicon transistors made by Transitron or General Instrument, described as similar to 2N335/336 types¹². It also uses a tropical fish capacitor and can run on an optional 9V battery¹. MusicRadar reported that it runs on 9V from a pedalboard power supply, is true bypass, and ships with an aluminum plate to ease mounting². Guitar Pedal X reported that the circuit is not based on any specific octave fuzz but draws on vintage octafuzz designs¹.

Controls are Level, Tone and Gain knobs, plus two toggle switches: Voicing (scooped or full) and Clipping (asymmetrical or symmetrical)¹². Guitar Pedal X described the scooped setting as giving a more industrial fuzz feel with a more pronounced octave, and the full setting as a full-range voicing with a singing fuzz quality¹. It listed symmetrical clipping for tightness and definition and asymmetrical clipping for a looser, more dynamic feel¹.

Guitar Pedal X gave a US list price of $419¹. MusicRadar also gave $419². Guitar Pedal X reported that the first batch of 30 sold out immediately on the pre-release announcement and a follow-up batch of 30 sold out moments later, with 50 going to dealers and a third batch to be confirmed¹. MusicRadar reported that initial batches sold out direct from Jam Pedals, with more planned and expected to ship by the end of February 2024, and that some might be found via select retailers².