Foxrox Captain Coconut 2

The Foxrox Captain Coconut 2 (usually called the CC2) is a three-in-one analog pedal that puts an octave, a fuzz and a vibe in one box. Designed by Dave Fox of Foxrox Electronics and sold through Analog Man, it duplicates three classic circuits: the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face, the Tycobrahe Octavia and the Uni-Vibe¹. The pedal is no longer made: Analog Man's page notes that as of August 2006 the CC2 was no longer available, because it was too much work to build¹.

The three sections are laid out as separate effects. The Fuzzfoot section covers the Fuzz Face side, the Octave section covers the Octavia, and the Provibe section covers the Uni-Vibe¹. Dave Fox described the appeal of the project plainly:

Octave, fuzz and vibe in one pedal

The CC2 follows the formula of the original Captain Coconut: an Octavia, a Uni-Vibe and a Fuzz Face in a single unit, as Analog Mike described it in a 2001 ToneQuest Report interview²¹. Vintage Guitar, reviewing the original in its February 2001 issue, characterized the pedal as faithful reproductions of the vintage Tycobrahe Octavia, Unicord Uni-Vibe and Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face circuits, with minor alterations to improve performance and cut noise³.

The Fuzzfoot section adds something the original Fuzz Face did not have: an extra tone shaper called "grit," which Dave Fox describes as very interactive with the gain and volume knobs¹. The vibe section, called the Provibe, offers the most control of the three sections³.

The controls and FuzzCard

Each of the three sections has its own controls, as laid out in Vintage Guitar's review of the original Captain Coconut³:

The CC2's distinctive feature is the FuzzCard. The FuzzCard is a plug-in circuit board that contains all of the fuzz circuitry¹. Because the entire fuzz section lives on a removable card, the fuzz circuit can be swapped for another card rather than rebuilt, which is what makes the CC2's fuzz modular.

The CC2 can also use any control pedal for external control: an expression pedal rather than a volume pedal, though a volume pedal works with a Y-cable¹. The original Captain Coconut had a separate jack for a pedal to operate the Provibe's Speed control externally³.

Power: 9V AC, 500mA or more

Each CC2 shipped with a 9VAC adapter for 120V USA power¹. The original Captain Coconut also operated on AC power only, per Vintage Guitar³. Because the supply is AC, there is no polarity to worry about, but the current requirement rules out small adapters.

From the original Captain Coconut to the CC2

The first Captain Coconut appeared around 2000⁴. Dave Fox made the original for about a year before introducing the CC2 in 2001, describing the follow-up as having a new enclosure and a new circuit board with changes and enhancements¹. The original came in small batches: the first batch of only ten units was black, a few more were made at the end of the run in black, red and light blue, and a second batch was painted a rich burgundy¹. The second batch measured 8 3/4" wide, 5 3/4" deep and 3 1/4" tall including feet and switches; the CC2 is larger at 10" wide and 7" long, and heavier at about 5 pounds thanks to its steel enclosure¹.

Vintage Guitar's reviewer recommended the pedal for players into the sounds of the original boxes, or those who could not get past the noise of vintage units³. Analog Man's page summed up the value proposition at the pedal's $400 list price:

Analog Man also noted that a Teese RMC wah with the Foxrox Wah Retrofit, feeding a Captain Coconut (1 or 2), was, in the maker's words, guaranteed to deliver great wah, fuzz, vibe and octave sounds⁵.

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