Octavia (effects pedal)
Encyclopedia
The Octavia was an effects pedal designed for Jimi Hendrix
by his sound technician, Jim Morris of Kelsey-Morris Sound Co., London, in early 1967. It reproduces the input signal from a guitar one octave
higher and/or lower in pitch, and mixes it with the original and added distortion fuzz.
doubler, envelope generator and amplitude modulator, together with additional frequency-shaping filter circuitry. The effect generated varied depending on use. For example, a clean tone from an electric guitar produced ring modulated overtones (as heard on the guitar solo in "Who Knows
" by Jimi Hendrix.)
, and can be heard in guitar solos on the song "Purple Haze
". Hendrix preferred to call the device the “Octavio”, and it is often referred to as such.
After Hendrix's death in 1970 one of the original Octavias became the basis for the redesigned "Octavia (TM)", manufactured by Tycobrahe Sound Company in Hermosa Beach, California, during the mid-1970s. A limited number of the devices were produced, and today a used one in good condition sells for over $1,000 on eBay. Stevie Ray Vaughan owned nine of these devices.
The copyrights on the name "Octavia" that were originally held by Tycobrahe Sound Company were transferred to Chicago Iron, which still manufactures the Octavia with a faithful copy of the Tycobrahe circuit and component matching requirements, the real "secret" of the Octavia.
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
by his sound technician, Jim Morris of Kelsey-Morris Sound Co., London, in early 1967. It reproduces the input signal from a guitar one octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
higher and/or lower in pitch, and mixes it with the original and added distortion fuzz.
Effect
The Octavia consisted of an analog electronic circuit, which included a frequencyFrequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
doubler, envelope generator and amplitude modulator, together with additional frequency-shaping filter circuitry. The effect generated varied depending on use. For example, a clean tone from an electric guitar produced ring modulated overtones (as heard on the guitar solo in "Who Knows
Who Knows
Who Knows? is the first live Andrew W.K. DVD, released on February 7, 2006.The DVD contains 16 live songs, various strange clips, and bonus footage. There is some confusion over the DVD. Three covers exist. One has a blue tint, and says "Live 1992-2004". Another has the same blue tint, though...
" by Jimi Hendrix.)
History
The effect was used by Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, and can be heard in guitar solos on the song "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
". Hendrix preferred to call the device the “Octavio”, and it is often referred to as such.
After Hendrix's death in 1970 one of the original Octavias became the basis for the redesigned "Octavia (TM)", manufactured by Tycobrahe Sound Company in Hermosa Beach, California, during the mid-1970s. A limited number of the devices were produced, and today a used one in good condition sells for over $1,000 on eBay. Stevie Ray Vaughan owned nine of these devices.
The copyrights on the name "Octavia" that were originally held by Tycobrahe Sound Company were transferred to Chicago Iron, which still manufactures the Octavia with a faithful copy of the Tycobrahe circuit and component matching requirements, the real "secret" of the Octavia.