Ocatave fuzz options...opinions needed.

[jmusser]

Yea, the French Toast is supposed to be a dead on clone of the FTM. I have never had mine apart, but I believe it's been said on here that it had Si instead of Ge diodes in it, and that was supposed to be about the only difference. It sounds close enough to me to the sound samples, that I don't think i'll ever build a FTM.

[oldrocker]

One of my favorites is the Neoctavia (home-wrecker.com).  I used the audio transformer sold at Radio Shack and si diodes and also TL082 which were the differences.  It's loud and has a stong octave up note.  I also like the John H.  Omni drive with the octave feature via toggle switch.  You can get some great fuzz along with the octave note with this.  All the LED's was a beautch though.

http://www.logmonster.com/images/full/?pic=omni2_1178296616-422-15046.jpg
http://www.logmonster.com/images/full/?pic=omni3_1178233945-422-15047.jpg

[tcobretti]

I don't know if you have been tracking my Octobooster thread, so I'm gonna drag it in here.  After some recent experimentation, I can now comfortably recommend my Octobooster as an octave pedal.  With very few parts, it generates a fairly clean octave so you can get that funky Hendrix octave thing going.  But then it also is great driving another fuzz.  So, if you have a Fuzz Face, just turn on the Octobooster and it becomes an Octave Fuzz Face.  Like most octave up circuits it introduces very little noise so can be stacked with just about any fuzz or distortion.  I didn't try it with my Metal Zone, but I'm pretty sure it would work!

Wow, that sounds like a sales pitch.  Act now for a special discount price!  I guess I just realized how useful this thing is, and since this was a Octave fuzz thread I figured I'd bring it up. 

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=46021.0

[g3rmanium]

Another tip, everyone should go out and buy the French Toast if you can afford it. So much fun in a tiny little box for so cheap.

Exactly. Most fun you can have for something like 35 EUR?

Anyway, I did a little octaver shootout that also includes the French Toast, the Dice Works Astronimus, my Atmos design, the Burford Mosquito and the Studio Electronics Helium. All good.

[newfish]

So - having built a Green Ringer and noticed that the octave up only comes into effect when I pick *really hard* with a booster placed before it in the signal chain, would this indicate that I have mis-matched diodes (Si 1N914)?

The only mod I've done is to replace the 6K8 coming off Q1's emitter with a 2K7 for a bit more gain.

Incidentally, if there are any UK posters on this list needing the 1K : 8 ohm Transformer for the Bobtavia, I've found some.
There's a shop in Devon "http://www.t2retail.co.uk/" - they stock old Radio Shack / Tandy parts - with the same numbers.

This weekend, I will mostly be building a Bobtavia...

[newfish]

...and the Bobtavia wins hands down.

It's a whole load of fun - and a simple circuit too!

[the_random_hero]

I can vouch for the Octobooster, after doing some diode matching the octave is MUCH more pronounced and sounds nice and dirty. It's more of a gritty booster than a fuzz though. I tacked a Ruby-styled input buffer onto the front because I was having some problems with sustain being killed when in octave mode. It's more uniformly gritty than just the stock version to my ears.

[petemoore]

I don't know if you have been tracking my Octobooster thread, so I'm gonna drag it in here.
  Sure did, thanks for putting it where I saw it this morning.
  After some recent experimentation, I can now comfortably recommend my Octobooster as an octave pedal.
  1 here
   With very few parts, it generates a fairly clean octave so you can get that funky Hendrix octave thing going.
  Funky Ring-octo-tone thing.
  But then it also is great driving another fuzz.
  With about any kind of 'help' it starts taking off better, and makes the tone thicker.
  So, if you have a Fuzz Face, just turn on the Octobooster and it becomes an Octave Fuzz Face.
  This happened to go DYNA>Wah>Rats>TBender>OCTO>Mu-tone control>Amp.
  Like most octave up circuits it introduces very little noise so can be stacked with just about any fuzz or distortion.
  N/P at all with noise here.
  I didn't try it with my Metal Zone, but I'm pretty sure it would work!
  Because I genly go from Fuzz or OD to octave, having an Octave which Octaves w/Fuzz "ON" simplifies the toe tapping necessary to do so, this also enables many different types of octave tones, Buffering, boosting, OD-ing, distorting, Fuzzing, Comp-ing, and...it all works very fine. The board is nice and small enough to go along the side, picking out a separate Boost/Voice/distorter to put on a 2 sw box [switches close enough to hit L or R or both at once], this will be a nice box.
Wow, that sounds like a sales pitch.  Act now for a special discount price!
  Yea, I happened to have a 42TMO22, chunk'o perf 'n socket, even the 100k and everything else [thanks to DiYSB contibutions], by this afternoon it was ready for a quick debug.
  I guess I just realized how useful this thing is, and since this was a Octave fuzz thread I figured I'd bring it up. 
  Works great, for cobbling 'yer perfect octave' this candidate offers super low parts count, EZ wiring, fine simple octave which responds well to being cajoled into heavier Fuzzy and Ringtone by other active circuits.

[tcobretti]

I'm glad you like it, Pete!  Thanks for trying it out; I think it works pretty well, especially considering how low the parts count is.

[petemoore]

especially considering how low the parts count is.
  Looking at what the tranny/diodes see in the Tycho, still a fave Oct.:

   http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/1355/tychobrahe.gif

  the 'octave input' at the tranny sees signal, ground, that's it.
  Right before that is a booster, which, like the Octo, takes it's input from..a fuzz.
  considering how many fuzzes I have around here and the *considerable benefits of Not having a fixed fuzz before the boost-octave arrangement a preferrend treatment IME.
  *Hitting one switch can take from Fuzz or OD to Octave, what is generally called for.
  *Allows a wide variety of Octo-Flavors for those with wide variety of Fuzz and other circuits.
  Low parts count and EZ build make this a great option for those w/Fuzz/OD, and countless electronic etcetera's.
  It doesn't look advanced, 'a simple, perfectly boiled down sauce for a wide variety of tasty, spicy recipes', ..like you need help with your sales pitch suggextions.. !!