MXR M267 OCTAVIO FUZZ

TOTAL GUITAR FEBRUARY 2021
94
W
hile fuzz may well be
the most divisive of
the gain family, it’s
seen something of
a resurgence since
the early-00s garage rock revival
movement. From the wooly retro
sounds of vintage fuzz to the
all-out ripping Velcro of more
modern examples, it’s a mixed
bag that you either love or hate.
MXR’s Octavio pedal sits
somewhere between the two,
combining silicon fuzz with an
octave-up eff ect. It’s looking to
deliver a similar vibe to Hendrix’s
favourite fuzz/pitch combo, as
originated by eff ects wizard,
Roger Mayer with his Octavia –
that’s ‘a’ not ‘o’, as we have here.
MXR recreated Jimi’s original
pedals a while ago in association
with the Hendrix estate. Here,
the same circuitry is housed in
a simple white box as part of
MXR’s standard line.
Tonally, the Octavio is a bit
deceptive. On paper you might
expect this to lean towards the
gentle end of fuzz tones, with its
silicon diode-powered clipping
circuit. While that’s the case at
lower gain ranges, start cranking
and you’ll really notice this little
box start to clip and compress into
that modern, aggressive territory.
The octave-up isn’t quite as overt
as you might expect – there’s no
control for it for a kick-off , but this
subtlety actually makes it more
usable, with the eff ect becoming
more intense on harder-picked
single notes. Think Queens Of The
Stone Age at the medium setting
and you’re not far off . Wind it up,
and you’re in synthy, squared-off
territory: kiss goodbye to pristine
note defi nition if you’re playing
chords, it does get ugly!
The Octavio is a versatile fuzz
that has you covered for retro
jagged edges and more
contemporary sounds. Fuzz fans
will love it, but if you’re on the
fence then we’d suggest trying
one out fi rst.
Stuart Williams
TYPE: Octave fuzz
pedal
CONTROLS: Output,
fuzz, bypass
SOCKETS: Input,
output, power
TRUE BYPASS: Yes
POWER: 9v battery
or PSU
CONTACT: www.
jimdunlop.com
AT A GLANCE
A SIMILAR VIBE TO JIMI’S
FUZZ/PITCH COMBO
TH
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OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
USABILITY
MXR M267 OCTAVIO FUZZ
Get fuzzed!
£139
TGR341.gear_quick.indd 94 22/12/2020 17:05