The October Audio Junk Lantern is an octave-up fuzz with ring modulator character, hand-made in Richmond, Virginia by two friends who followed a joint path from being band mates to pedal builders1. Pedal of the Day describes it as a dirty octave up with fuzz overtones, inspired by quirky analog octave and ring modulation devices, and made with modern quality parts while still capturing the vibe of those old octave and ringer devices2. It belongs to the same family of octave and pitch effects you can browse on the Octave & Pitch Pedals page.
What it does to your sound
The base sound is a classic ringer-type octave up, the kind of tone old analog octave and ring mod devices produced, and both published descriptions agree it pairs well behind a fuzz or overdrive pedal. Delicious Audio names the October Audio Robotic Celebrity Head as an excellent choice to run it behind1. Under the hood, October Audio describes the circuit sauce as full wave rectification and a modernized matched diode array to produce vintage octave up tones1.
"Made with modern quality parts, it still captures the vibe of those old octave/ringer devices perfectly."
Controls
The layout is deliberately minimal. As Pedal of the Day puts it: "One knob. One switch. Pure tonal exploration."2
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume knob | Sets output level; unity gain is with the volume all the way up1 |
| ON&ON toggle, center | Produces the most pronounced octave effect1 |
| ON&ON toggle, up | Kicks in a full frequency gain stage, resulting in blown speaker chords and searing single note passages1 |
| ON&ON toggle, down | A high frequency gain stage that creates cutting, aggressive tones and cleans up with the guitar volume for metallic, slightly dissonant sounds1 |
The 3-way ON&ON toggle is what opens up the pedal's sonic palette, adding two frequency boost modes on top of the dirty octave up1. In practice that gives three distinct characters from one switch: the purest octave effect in the center, maximum aggression with the toggle up, and a thinner, more dissonant voice in the down position that responds to cleaning up with the guitar's volume knob1.
Placement on the board
Both descriptions point the same way on where the Junk Lantern sits: the base sound pairs well behind a fuzz or drive, meaning it goes after those pedals in the chain rather than before them12. Pedal of the Day also notes the pedal includes low pass filtering to improve signal to noise, which matters for a rectifier-based octave design2.
Videos
Buddy Blues
Pedal of the Day
Matt Foy
Questions
What does the October Audio Junk Lantern sound like?
The base sound is a classic ringer-type octave up, the kind of tone associated with old analog octave and ring modulation devices. Both Delicious Audio and Pedal of the Day describe it as a dirty octave up with fuzz overtones, and both note that it pairs well placed behind a fuzz or drive pedal. The toggle adds two further gain stages on top of that base.
What does each position of the Junk Lantern toggle do?
The center position produces the most pronounced octave effect, with unity gain when the volume knob is all the way up. The up position kicks in a full frequency gain stage, producing blown speaker chords and searing single note passages. The down position is a high frequency gain stage that creates cutting, aggressive tones and cleans up with the guitar volume for metallic, slightly dissonant sounds.
Where is the October Audio Junk Lantern made?
It is hand-made in Richmond, Virginia by two friends who, according to Delicious Audio, followed a joint path from being band mates to pedal builders. Pedal of the Day notes it is made with modern quality parts while still capturing the vibe of the old octave and ringer devices that inspired it.
Does the Junk Lantern work well in front of another fuzz or drive?
Both published descriptions say the opposite: the base sound pairs well behind a fuzz or drive, meaning the Junk Lantern sits after them in the chain. Delicious Audio names the October Audio Robotic Celebrity Head as an excellent choice to run it behind. Pedal of the Day makes the same recommendation about placement.
Sources (2)
- October Audio Junk Lantern Octave Fuzz + Ring Modulator, Delicious Audio, 2022-06-21
- October Audio Junk Lantern Dirty Octave Up Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2022-06-28