Tru-Fi Octavia Fuzz

The Tru-Fi Octavia Fuzz is a handmade fuzz pedal that recreates the Tycobrahe Octavia, the 1970s octave-up fuzz circuit most associated with Jimi Hendrix and "Purple Haze." Tru-Fi describes it as huge sounding, with the octave tracking as it should, and as aggressive while also being chimey and chiming¹. A switch on the pedal turns the octave off entirely, so it doubles as a plain 70s fuzz¹.

Tru-Fi also builds the same circuit in a smaller, more modern enclosure as the Tru-Fi Compact Octavia, which carries the same octave-off switch and the same power setup².

An octave fuzz after the Tycobrahe Octavia

The original Tycobrahe Octavia was a fuzz and octave divider pedal that provided an octave-up effect, one of a run of pioneering effects Tycobrahe released in the 1970s alongside the Parapedal and Pedalflanger⁴. Guitar World's reviewer characterizes it as a '70s high gain fuzz with a well-pronounced high-pitch octave, and notes it was the circuit the original Beetronics Octahive was based on⁵. Tru-Fi is direct about the lineage: "This is based on the Tycobrahe Octavia," a design the maker says "goes all the way back to Jimi and Purple Haze"¹.

For a player, that lineage means one specific sound: a fuzz with a ring-modulated upper octave sitting on top of the note, the effect heard on Hendrix's late-60s recordings. It is not a pitch-tracking octaver of the modern kind. Dr. No Effects makes the same distinction for its own TVL Octavia, noting the Octavia is "not to be mistaken by an Octaver"⁶.

Tru-Fi builds the pedal with what the maker calls the right transistors and the right transformer inside, and finishes the enclosure in paint applied to closely match powder coating so it is tough and durable¹.

Octave on, octave off

The single most practical control on the pedal is the octave switch. In Tru-Fi's words: "You will also see a switch on it so you can turn the octave OFF, and get just a cool 70s Fuzz Tone"¹. The Compact Octavia carries the same switch².

That on/off choice is a common feature across modern Octavia-inspired pedals, and it is worth knowing how the Tru-Fi compares:

The Vahlbruch approach is the closest parallel: its Octavia V2 has a toggle for OctaFuzz and Fuzz modes, and in the Fuzz setting it can be used as a pure fuzz without the octave-up⁷. Vahlbruch describes its pedal as creating "exactly the wild and ring modulated 'octave-up/OctaFuzz' sounds"⁷.

Power: 9V negative tip

The Octavia Fuzz runs on a stock 9V negative tip power supply, the same standard as most modern pedals. Tru-Fi's maker explains the internal arrangement: "I set it up so the circuit is negative 9V as it should but you can use a stock 9V Neg Tip PS supply"¹. The polarity is flipped at the plug rather than in the circuit, so no special adapter or polarity converter is needed. The Compact Octavia is set up the same way².

Handmade build and price

Tru-Fi positions the Octavia Fuzz as a true handmade pedal, built with the correct transistors and transformer for the circuit¹. The list price is $199.95 USD, as given on Tru-Fi's own product pages³.

Within the wider Octavia-style field, that price sits above the budget end. The GUP Tech Bloup! Octavia Fuzz Tribute, a comparable handmade tribute with an octave-removal mod, lists at £71.00 GBP⁹, while mass-produced options like the Behringer Octavia Octave Fuzz bring the sixties sound in at a lower cost still.

Where it sits in the Tru-Fi range

Tru-Fi's catalog is built around recreations of vintage fuzz circuits, and the Octavia Fuzz is the company's take on the octave-up side of that history. Players comparing Tru-Fi fuzzes can also look at the Tru-Fi Zosa Fuzz, the Tru-Fi Zonked Machine, and the Tru-Fi Compact Octavia, the smaller-enclosure version of this same circuit².

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Questions