The GUP Tech Bloup! Octavia Fuzz Tribute is an octave fuzz pedal, an homage to the Roger Mayer build of 1967, tweaked around the TycoBrahe Octavia revision with a proper transformer to bring the Octave Up effect1. It is built by GUP Tech in Saguenay, Québec, Canada, runs on 9Vdc at 3mA, and carries Volume and Boost controls1. The maker is upfront that it takes some work to dial in: "It's not an easy fuzz, you'll have to goof around different pickups, guitars and amps to find the perfect way to use it"1.
The Roger Mayer circuit behind it
The Octavia was designed by Roger Mayer, who later pitched it to Jimi Hendrix after a gig in 19672. Guitar World's Paul Riario has described it as "the octave fuzz effect (also known as the 'Octavia,' designed by Roger Mayer)"3, and MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen notes Billy Gibbons' introduction to the effect came "in the form of Roger Mayer's Octavia"4. The original was battery powered5.
The circuit has been cloned and modified many times since. Coda Effects lists the Fulltone Octafuzz, the Catalinbread Octapussy and the Electro Harmonix Octavix among its descendants6. GUP Tech's take is one more entry in that line: "This particular fuzz has been made again and again, and here's our tribute"1. For another GUP Tech approach to octave effects, see the GUP Tech Bouh-Nana Octave Machine, and for more on the effect family see Octave & Pitch Pedals and Fuzz Pedals.
Controls and the Octave Up mod
The Bloup! keeps the control set simple, on classic 9Vdc power1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level1 |
| Boost | Boost control on the maker's spec1 |
| Octave Up mod (switch) | Removes the octave when switched up, for what GUP Tech calls "Beefier tones ahead"1 |
The maker's addition is the Octave Up mod, which removes the octave when switched up. As GUP Tech puts it, "we even the Octave Up mod to remove the Octave when switched up (Beefier tones ahead)"1. That means a player can get the full octave fuzz character, or switch the octave out for a thicker, straight fuzz voice from the same pedal.
Power and practicalities
The Bloup! runs on 9Vdc and draws 3mA1, a small draw by pedal standards that any standard 9V DC supply handles easily.
What the maker says about the pedal, in brief:
- An homage to the Roger Mayer Octavia build of 1967, tweaked around the TycoBrahe revision1
- A proper transformer to bring the Octave Up effect1
- Built in Saguenay, Québec, Canada1
- Listed at £71.00 GBP1
The enclosure is a reversible octopus plushy design, and which one you get is random. GUP Tech: "They are all internally the same but externally different. And you won't have any control over what you get." Externally they vary as happy, sad, angry, blue, red, pink and more; internally every unit is the same1.
Videos
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Questions
What does the Octave Up mod do on the Bloup!?
The Octave Up mod lets you remove the octave effect when the octave is switched up, which GUP Tech says delivers beefier tones. In practice it gives the player a choice between the full octave fuzz sound and a straighter, thicker fuzz voice from the same pedal, without needing a separate unit.
What power supply does the GUP Tech Bloup! need?
The Bloup! runs on classic 9Vdc power and draws 3mA, according to GUP Tech's product page. That low current draw means almost any standard 9V DC pedal supply can run it, though the maker's page specifies 9Vdc rather than battery power.
Is the GUP Tech Bloup! based on the Roger Mayer Octavia?
Yes. GUP Tech describes the Bloup! as an homage to the Roger Mayer build of 1967, tweaked around the TycoBrahe Octavia revision, with a proper transformer to bring the Octave Up effect. The Octavia itself was designed by Roger Mayer, who pitched it to Jimi Hendrix after a gig in 1967.
Where is the GUP Tech Bloup! made?
GUP Tech builds all of its pedals in Saguenay, Québec, Canada, and the Bloup! is made there by the company itself, according to its product page.
Are all the octopus enclosures the same inside?
Yes. The Bloup! comes in a reversible octopus plushy design that varies externally, with faces and colors such as happy, sad, angry, blue, red and pink, sent at random. GUP Tech states that they are all internally the same but externally different, and that buyers have no control over which one they receive.
Sources (6)
- Bloup Octavia Fuzz Tribute, GUP Tech (guptech.ca)
- Josh Scott: The deleted scenes of guitar history, Guitar.com, 2022-01-24
- Dusky Electronics Augustus Octave Fuzz review, Guitar World, 2021-08-25
- Dunlop Siete Santos Octave Fuzz review, MusicRadar, 2019-06-30
- Octavia by Roger Mayer, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Coda Effects, Coda Effects, 2015-08
