Beetronics WhoctaHell

The Beetronics WhoctaHell is a low octave fuzz pedal with fully independent controls for the fuzz and the octave¹²³. Beetronics describes the sound as an overdrive/fuzz summed up with a gnarly squared wave low octave, resembling an 8-bit bass synthesizer¹. Where most octave fuzzes push the pitch up, the WhoctaHell drops it: a toggle switch selects an octave range of one or two low octaves below what you play⁴⁵⁶.

The pedal is monophonic, so it tracks one note at a time. Beetronics puts it plainly⁷⁸⁹:

That glitchiness is part of the design rather than a flaw: single notes come out as a synthesized-sounding square wave an octave or two down, and anything beyond single lines gets wild⁷⁸⁹.

What it does to your sound

The WhoctaHell runs two things in parallel: an overdrive/fuzz voice and a squared-wave low octave. Beetronics describes the result as "a overdrive/fuzz summed up with a gnarly squared wave low octave, resembling a 8-bit bass synthesizer"¹. In practice that means you can use it as a straight fuzz, as a sub-octave synth voice on its own, or as a thick, buzzy hybrid that reads like a bass synth under your guitar line.

The octave section has a range of one or two low octaves, selectable by a toggle switch¹. Guitar World's review describes the original's selector as up for one octave down and down for two octaves down³. On bass, Beetronics confirms the pedal works, noting that "the second low octave get's pretty insane as you can imagine"⁷.

Controls and footswitches

The original WhoctaHell keeps its control set small. Delicious Audio's writeup lists the first-octave-down control as the Hell knob¹², and Guitar Pedal X's coverage of the smaller Babee version names the full set: Whocta for one octave down, Hell for two octaves down, and Honey for fuzz level¹³.

The v2 changes the layout: it features a fuzz and two low-octave voices with independent volume controls, allowing you to blend the mix of all three⁷.

Footswitching is where the WhoctaHell differs from a simple fuzz box. There are two footswitches, one for octave on/off and one for circuit bypass³. Guitar.com's review notes that bypass is handled by the second footswitch, marked by a red/blue LED¹¹. Because the octave has its own bypass, you can leave the fuzz engaged and kick the octave in only when you want the sub voice¹⁴⁵¹⁵.

Power, bypass and size

The pedal requires a 9VDC center negative power supply, which is not included¹. No battery option appears in the maker's listings. The v2 draws 20mA, which Beetronics says means "pretty much any basic pedal power supply will bee fine"⁷.

Bypass is true bypass, confirmed by the maker for the v2⁷ and described as true bypass circuitry in Pedal of the Day's review of the original¹⁰. Physically it is a mid-sized pedal: 5.5" x 4" x 2.75" including knobs and switches, in a 5.5" x 3.25" x 2" enclosure, weighing 1lbs / 0.5 kilos¹.

History, the v2 and limited editions

The WhoctaHell has a particular place in Beetronics' story: it is the very first pedal the founder ever built, made for his own pedalboard while he was building pedals and modding circuits¹⁶. The company got its start when he sold a Whocta to a friend who kept asking for one, and before long his friends wanted one too¹⁶. Delicious Audio calls the pedal "a renewed take on the company's first pedal"¹².

The Whoctahell v2 Low Octave Beeast is a reimagined take on that first pedal, which Beetronics describes as now more versatile, compact, and affordable⁸. Its release was capped at just 300 units total, including 40 Custom Shop and 20 Limited Edition units, leaving 240 standard units, most distributed through dealers⁷. Beetronics has said that if there is enough demand from its hive members, it may consider another run in a year or two, possibly with new features¹⁶. The v2 is sold out at the maker's store⁷.

Alongside the standard pedal, Beetronics has sold the WhoctaHell through a Custom Series of one-off painted finishes, a practice MusicRadar notes applies across its line, with standard and custom series models of each pedal¹⁷. Custom Series WhoctaHells include the Khao San, Cross Path, Icelandic, Prisma and White Crosses editions, plus a Black Limited Edition¹⁸¹⁹²⁰. These finishes are largely sold out at the maker's store²⁰¹⁸²¹.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions