The Roger Mayer Purple Haze Octavia is a limited edition octave fuzz pedal from Roger Mayer, the designer behind the original Octavia circuit Jimi Hendrix used to record "Purple Haze." Released in July 2021, it incorporates a hand-wound ferrite transformer of the kind featured in Hendrix's original pedal, and Mayer describes it as identical to that pedal in terms of sound, with a recording studio-quality output stage added1.
Only 100 units were made, each signed by Roger Mayer, and they were made available to musicians, engineers and producers worldwide at £1,440 (approximately $2,000)1.
The hand-wound transformer
The defining feature of the Purple Haze Octavia is its ferrite transformer, hand-wound by Roger Mayer himself. Guitar World notes that Roger designed and custom-winds these transformers as per the earliest examples used by Jimi Hendrix, and that this is the first time the transformer has been incorporated into an official Octavia design1.
Mayer explains why ferrite matters:
"They are more hum-resistant and offer a superior high-frequency detailed response than standard audio transformers."
It is also the first time since the Hendrix era that Mayer has built an Octavia in a wedge-shaped enclosure, as he pointed out in the same interview1.
What it does to your sound
Although the Octavia is often lumped in with fuzz pedals, Mayer considers that too generic a label, describing it as a wave-shaping octave pedal. The Octave knob controls the wave-shaping properties of the harmonics1.
Mayer's own description of the effect:
"The sound of an Octavia is about mirror imaging; you've got twice as many [wave] peaks as you would normally have, and that's what gives the frequency doubling effect."
In practice, that frequency doubling puts an upper octave on top of the distorted signal, the effect heard on Hendrix's "Purple Haze" recording1.
Power
The pedal runs on a battery, and it also accepts an external DC supply of nine to 24 volts. Mayer put it directly: "But this one doesn't just use a battery; it also takes nine to 24 volts DC"1.
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Questions
Does the Roger Mayer Purple Haze Octavia take a battery?
Yes. Roger Mayer told Guitar World that the pedal uses a battery, and that it also accepts an external DC supply. He put it this way: "But this one doesn't just use a battery; it also takes nine to 24 volts DC." So a player can run it on a battery or power it from a DC adapter within that range.
What voltage does the Purple Haze Octavia run on?
The Purple Haze Octavia accepts nine to 24 volts DC from an external supply, according to Roger Mayer in his 2021 interview with Guitar World. It also runs on a battery, so it can be powered either way.
How many Purple Haze Octavia pedals were made?
Just 100 of the Roger Mayer-signed Purple Haze Octavias were made. According to Guitar World, they were made available to musicians, engineers and producers worldwide.
How much did the Purple Haze Octavia cost?
Guitar World reported the price as £1,440, approximately $2,000, when the pedal was announced in July 2021.
What is an octave fuzz pedal?
An octave fuzz generates harmonics that double the frequency of the notes you play, producing an upper octave on top of the fuzzed-out original. Roger Mayer describes the Octavia's sound as being about mirror imaging, with twice as many wave peaks as normal, which gives the frequency doubling effect. He considers "fuzz" too generic a label for it, calling it a wave-shaping octave pedal.
Who designed the Purple Haze Octavia?
Roger Mayer designed it. He also custom-winds the ferrite transformers used in the pedal, built as per the earliest examples used by Jimi Hendrix, according to Guitar World.
