Review

HAVING SPENT THE LAST 15 YEARS
building a solid reputation for its bass
heads and cabinets, Aguilar Amplifica-
tion has begun to broaden its product
line to include stompboxes. Aguilar’s
Octamizer and TLC Compressor are the
latest addition to hit the streets, joining
the company’s outboard preamp/DI, the
Tone Hammer.
Both the Octamizer and TLC Com-
pressor utilize analog circuitry and are
housed in identical steel boxes. Tight q”
instrument and DC jack placement
allows the two pedals be set side-by-side,
but I found the jacks’ close placement a
bit irksome when using right-angle
instrument and power cables on my ped-
alboard. Four rubber feet give each pedal
solid traction, and included neoprene
pads aid in pedalboard mounting. The
heavy-duty switches had a smooth and
solid foot-feel. For battery access, Aguilar
opted for a sliding drawer. It’s a slick
system that’s quick, sturdy (no flimsy
plastic covers), and doesn’t require any
tools. However, one of the Octamizer’s
short battery cables detached from the
9V connector pad during a battery swap,
requiring me to use DC power.
OCTAMIZER
Had Aguilar’s Octamizer been around
for the roundup of octave pedals in our
Special Effects issue (December ’06), it
could very well have blown the curve
for the others. Simply put, this is one
badass octave. The Octamizer utilizes
two distinct level knobs—
OCTAVE LEVEL
and CLEAN LEVEL. On the CLEAN side, the
TONE control utilizes a full-spectrum tilt
EQ; twisting the knob clockwise boosted
highs while simultaneously attenuating
lows, and twisting it counter-clockwise
bumped up the bass response and cut
the highs. I appreciated the ability to
have a crisp, clean signal with a deep
octave effect. On the
OCTAVE side, the
FILTER knob controls the low-pass filter’s
Aguilar Octamizer & TLC Compressor
BY BRIAN FOX
AGUILAR OCTAMIZER
SSttrreeeett
$159
PPrrooss
A mean and meaty octaver offering
superior control
CCoonnss
Battery wire detached during testing
AGUILAR TLC COMPRESSOR
SSttrreeeett
$199
PPrrooss
Flexible studio-style compression in
stompbox form
CCoonnss
None
MMaaddee iinn
U.S.A.
WWaarrrraannttyy
3 years
CCoonnttaacctt
aguilaramp.com
TECH SPECS
CCoonnttrroollss
Octamizer:
OCTAVE LEVEL, OCTAVE
FILTER
, CLEAN LEVEL, CLEAN TONE;TLC Com-
pressor:
LEVEL (–∞ to -3dBu), ATTAC K (10ms
to 100ms),
THRESHOLD (variable from -30 to
-10dBu),
SLOPE (variable from 2:1 to ∞)
PPoowweerr
9V battery or DC with optional AC
adapter
SSiizzee
5w" x 2y" x 2q"
WWeeiigghhtt
1lb, 2oz
SOUNDROOM
FEBRUARY 2010 | BASSPLAYER.COM 53
Originally printed in February 2010 issue of Bass Player. Reprinted with the permission of the Publishers of Bass Player. Copyright 2008 NewBay Media, LLC. All rights
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