The Elysian Pedals It's Not Brain Surgery Octave Fuzz is an octave fuzz pedal: a fuzz and an octave and pitch effect combined in one enclosure. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in July 2023, called it "one that sounds killer on both guitar and bass", so it is aimed at bass players as much as guitarists.1
Controls
The pedal splits its controls between the two effects. The fuzz side carries the gain, tone and volume; the octave side carries the mix and the tone shaping for the octave signal.1
| Side | Control | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Fuzz | Level | Master volume1 |
| Fuzz | Fuzz | Distortion gain1 |
| Fuzz | Tone | High frequency cut/boost1 |
| Octave | Blend | Acts as a Wet/Dry mix1 |
| Octave | High Filter | Adjusts the higher octave frequency signal1 |
| Octave | Bass Filter | Adjusts the lower octave frequency signal1 |
Using the two effects together
Each of the two effects is independent, so either can be used on its own. When both run in tandem, a Fuzz > Octave / Octave > Fuzz switch determines the order they run in, which changes how the octave sits against the fuzz.1
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal, and their overall impression was warm: from the first moment they plugged it in, it had a special quality that made making the demo a real joy1.
Elysian Pedals describes the Blend control on the octave side (S1) as acting as a Wet/Dry mix, letting the player set how much of the octave circuit sits against the fuzz1. The maker's own materials frame the pedal around that balance, with the Blend knob as the control that sets it.
Pedal of the Day, 23 July 20231
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Pair of Pandas
Guy Incognito
Questions
Can the octave and fuzz be used separately?
Yes. Pedal of the Day describes the two effects as independent, so each can be used on its own as well as in tandem. When both run together, a switch lets you choose whether the signal passes through the fuzz first or the octave first, so the pedal can be set up either way without repatching.
Can the order of the octave and fuzz be switched?
Yes. A Fuzz > Octave / Octave > Fuzz switch determines the order the two effects run in when they are used together. Running the fuzz into the octave and the octave into the fuzz produce different results, and the switch lets you pick the arrangement that suits your sound.
What does the Modulate switch do?
The published review of this pedal does not describe a Modulate switch. The controls it documents are Fuzz, Tone and Level on the fuzz side, and Blend, High Filter and Bass Filter on the octave side, plus the order switch.
What does the Clean knob do on the fuzz side?
The published review of this pedal does not list a Clean knob on the fuzz side. The fuzz side is described as having Level for master volume, Fuzz for distortion gain, and Tone for high frequency cut or boost.
What does the Blend knob control?
Blend sits on the octave side and acts as a Wet/Dry mix, letting you set how much of the octave effect is heard against the dry signal. Alongside the High and Bass Filters, which shape the higher and lower octave signals, it gives control over how prominent the octave sits in the sound.
Sources (1)
- Elysian Pedals It's Not Brain Surgery Octave Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2023-07-23