The Bigfoot Engineering Octo Puss Prime is an analog fuzz pedal with an octave-up generator built in, which the maker labels simply a "fuzz octaver"1. The fuzz side is a specially voiced version of the company's King Fuzz circuit, tuned for fat lows, powerful mids and detailed highs, and the octave side uses germanium diodes and an audio transformer to get a vintage octave-up character1. Bigfoot names Jimi Hendrix, Jack White and Josh Homme as the players who inspired it1.
What it does to your signal
The pedal combines two things in one enclosure: a fuzz voiced from the King Fuzz, and an octave-up generator. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes the octave generator as using germanium diodes "for authentic vintage tones," combined with "a premium studio quality audio transformer" that RockBoard's PedalPedia says provides better frequency response and tracking than other analog octave pedals1. Because the whole path is analog, the octave effect comes from the classic diode-and-transformer approach rather than digital pitch detection, which is the traditional way octave-up fuzz sounds have been made1.
The same ingredients drew comment from MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen, writing about the original Octo Puss, who described "the use of original germanium diodes and a transformer" as the way the vintage character is recreated2.
The Octo Puss Prime and the Octo Puss
The Prime sits alongside the original Octo Puss, a passive octave-up pedal from the same West Sussex-based maker32. Both share the germanium diode octave generator and the audio transformer, and both run on 9V DC center negative12. The Prime adds the voiced King Fuzz circuit in front of that generator, so it delivers the fuzz and the octave together rather than acting as a standalone octave unit1.
"If you already have a favourite fuzz, stick one of these in front of it (but after a buffered pedal) for that vintage oc..."
That placement tip applies to the octave-up design generally: an octave-up unit like the Octo Puss works in front of a separate fuzz, but after a buffered pedal in the chain2. For players who already own a fuzz they like, that is the way the passive Octo Puss is intended to be used; the Prime folds the fuzz into the same box12.
Power and practicalities
The Octo Puss Prime needs a 9V DC center negative supply and draws 5mA1. That is a light load by pedalboard standards, so it sits comfortably on a shared supply output. MusicRadar's review of the original Octo Puss noted the passive design was "requiring neither battery nor adaptor," which reflects how little the circuit asks of a power setup2.
The 9V DC center negative requirement is the standard pedal polarity, but as with any octave or fuzz pedal, keep it on an isolated or adequately rated supply output rather than a weak daisy chain for quiet operation.
Where it sits on a board
As a fuzz with an octave-up generator, the Octo Puss Prime covers ground that players otherwise split across two pedals: a fuzz for the distortion voice and an octave and pitch pedal for the octave-up effect. Compared with digital octave units, the analog diode-and-transformer approach is the design Bigfoot points to for vintage-style octave fuzz tones32.
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Questions
What power supply does the Bigfoot Octo Puss Prime need?
The Octo Puss Prime runs on a 9V DC supply with a center negative plug, drawing 5mA. Because the pedal is a passive design in the manner of the original Octo Puss, which MusicRadar's review noted required neither battery nor adaptor, a standard pedalboard supply should handle it easily, and its low current draw means it can share a supply output with other low-draw pedals.
Is the Octo Puss Prime analog or digital?
It is an analog circuit. Bigfoot Engineering lists the circuit type as analog, and the octave-up generator works with germanium diodes and a studio quality audio transformer rather than digital pitch tracking. That places it alongside other analog octave designs rather than polyphonic digital pitch shifters.
What do the germanium diodes do in the Octo Puss Prime?
The germanium diodes sit in the octave-up generator. Bigfoot says they are there for authentic vintage tones, and pairs them with a premium studio quality audio transformer that the maker says gives better frequency response and tracking than other analog octave pedals. MusicRadar's reviewer likewise credited the vintage character to the use of original germanium diodes and a transformer.
How is the Octo Puss Prime different from the King Fuzz?
The Octo Puss Prime's fuzz section is a specially voiced version of the Bigfoot King Fuzz, tuned by the maker for fat lows, powerful mids and detailed highs. The Prime adds an octave-up generator on top of that fuzz circuit, so it covers both straight fuzz and octave fuzz duties in one box, while the King Fuzz is a fuzz on its own.
Which players inspired the Octo Puss Prime?
Bigfoot Engineering names Jimi Hendrix, Jack White and Josh Homme as the players who inspired the Octo Puss Prime, all of whom are associated with octave-up fuzz sounds in different eras of rock.
Sources (3)
- Octo Puss Prime by Bigfoot Engineering, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Bigfoot Engineering Octo Puss review, MusicRadar, 2013-12-04
- Octo Puss by Bigfoot Engineering, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
