General Guitar Gadgets TOCT (Dual Switch) Tycobrahe™ Octavia™ Replica Demo

[jlondon53]

This is a great pedal - and I don't even know if I have a correct build! Like another poster, if I turn both the pre-gain and intensity all the way down, I get no sound even with the volume all the way up. But when I turn the pre and intensity to when it's just at a point that it's getting sound, adjust volume as needed, turn on my wah to a lower/mid frequency, and play on my neck pickup, I get the most awesome Kenny Wayne/Hendrix sound. Love! So I haven't taken the time to check for errors.

[jwyatt4]

@jlondon53: Awesome... With the pre-gain all the way down, it is normal to have no sound. It would work the same on an amp with pre-gain.

[primeVibe]

Nice Gadget



[MrKevnzero]

I just got one of these off ebay for about 60 bucks. This thing is awesome. I have a fantastic fuzz pedal already, but I wanted to try and duplicate the dual-channel sound that Devi Ever does with some of her lineup, so I picked this up. What a great, beautiful sound it gets. If you kick in some more fuzz from a stronger circuit, things get even better.

[jwyatt4]

@MrKevnzero: Yes... great pedal!

[shango02005]

Dude! Great demo of a great pedal! I've built a lot of the GGG kits and every one of them has stayed on my board. I was going to do the Green Ringer, but this seems way cooler! Rockin paint job, too! :)

[jwyatt4]

@shango02005: Thanks!

[13shahin]

HI i f i would but this pedal where we can order it ? i live in Vancouver i ll be thankful bro.

[jwyatt4]

@13shahin type in general guitar gadgets in your search engine and you can order it there.

[tonne2009]

a friend of mine assembled it for me. Sounds as expected, but hard to tweak volume levels, so I have a quest: all the knobs on my unit act as a volume, meaning that going CCW, there is a point where no sound is audible any more which is new to me. I expected two of the knobs to reduce effect, but not the entire signal. Now, can you verify this behavior or is there an issue with my TOCT?

thanks, tonne

[jwyatt4]

@tonne2009 There may be an issue with how the knobs got wired. I will check mine and see if it does the same thing. If so, I will let you know.

[tonne2009]

@jwyatt4 thank you- i would be happy if there was any issue, but GGG said all is well, and i dont think that my friend did something wrong, except he switched the position of the knobs. i really wonder about this, please verify if its normal or not, would appreciate, thanks again

[tonne2009]

very cool fuzz...awesome...

i like the octave when played with two notes at a time, which emphasizse these sick octave howls!.. .

maybe a neck single coil with slightly reduced treble pot brings out the octave even more?

i own an Octafuzz from Fulltone wih a 9V reverse mod and a Strat that seems to do this.

but i like this one better! MUST HAVE !

nice demo, thanks a lot!

[jwyatt4]

@tonne2009: Thanks for the positive feedback.

[kaiserwilhelm]

can you buy this as a kit without the box?

[jwyatt4]

@kaiserwilhelm: Yes. On the GGG site, you have the option to order without the box.

[AlfaDove]

Jeez! Please keep talking. Those who don't want to listen to your very informative explanations can skip ahead! The GGG kits are terrific and your demos are equally worthy. Please keep up the good work!

[jwyatt4]

@AlfaDove: Thanks!

[jwyatt4]

@BluesKidDude Thanks, BluesKid

[tysonschmidling]

Talk too much!

[MrBingping]

too much bass! if the eq is all at 12 o'clock, it does a better job of showing how the pedal effects the eq section

[mathiasliciouss]

Too much talk! Play !!

[jwyatt4]

@mathiasliciouss It's an educational session not jam session. If I didn't explain certain things, I'd get a million questions about it.

[mathiasliciouss]

@jwyatt4 allright ;)

[dylmorizer]

you talk so much!!!!!

[Ombrenuit]

got it to work, there are some shorts when I move it a certain way (need to figure out how to correct those), but other than that it sounds awesome!

[jwyatt4]

@Ombrenuit Sometimes you need to bend the tabs of the jacks down a bit to make sure they don't touch the cover. The shorting tells me there may be a loose joint or likely something touching. GREAT job though! Pretty bold as a first build. You've got sound so just trace all the steps and see where the problem(s) is/are. Let us know when you get it all figured out.

[Ombrenuit]

finished populating the circuit board this morning, can't wait to finish wiring this thing up this weekend

[jwyatt4]

@Ombrenuit Awesome...did you get it done?

[Ombrenuit]

@jwyatt4 No, unfortunately not yet. This was the first pedal I've ever attempted, and let me just say that is not a recommendable build for a beginner, like myself. Populating the board was not hard, but the wiring on this pedal has been challenging, especially because I misunderstood some advice and attempted it first with the knobs / switch already in the enclosure. Very difficult to work like that..Work and other distractions have made progress slow, maybe 90% done. I'm just praying it works!

[unclerberniebs]

Sometimes my "mouth" gets in the way of me appreciating things from other viewpoints. Sorry if my comments were a little harsh...guess it's just not really my bag o doughnuts.

[jwyatt4]

@unclerberniebs No worries. If everyone had the same taste in tone, music would be dull and uninteresting.

[Ombrenuit]

Ordered one, can't wait to get it

[unclerberniebs]

Ugh....that pedal sounds dreadful...totally synthetic, manufactured, fizzy tones.

[unclerberniebs]

Jesus, I didn't hear a single setting that didn't sound anything but synthetic and neutered.  Maybe a result of the video sound capture? I don't know but that thing sounds amateurish as hell to me.

[jwyatt4]

@unclerberniebs I don't know what to tell you other than it sounds the way it was intended to sound. Have you ever listened to or played through an original Octavia? Trust me, it sounds the same aside from the ability to adjust the pre-gain and to turn the octave effect on or off as with the pedal in the demo. It's a little messy or "dirty" for some ears but many love it for just that reason.

[Rootwitch06]

Hey - Great video. It encouraged me to buy one. Put it together yesterday, and everything worked on the first try. One thing though, I notice a drop in volume when the octave is engaged - I haven't stuck a db meter to it to see how much of a drop, but it's certainly noticeable. I was wondering if yours does the same thing.

[jwyatt4]

@Rootwitch06 Yes...it's normal for the octave to be lesser in volume. Mine does it too. The originals had a weaker-sounding overall output than does this pedal on fuzz only. I think this is because the octave was always engaged. What I really like about this pedal is you get the original sound and can create powerful fuzz sounds alone.

[Rootwitch06]

@jwyatt4 Thanks for the info. Bummer. Because yeah - It's got a great fuzz tone and I'd like to use it, and be able to kick in the octave for leads. I need to figure out how to add a boost to the octave switch. I also built the SBB kit, so I can use that to boost in the meantime.

[upc04539]

@Rootwitch06 Maybe the solution would be to modify the circuit and put a pre-amp section just like the Improved EA Tremolo from GGG. It would add a volume knob (could be a trimmer but I prefer the external knob).

[jwyatt4]

@upc04539 That's an excellent idea and I've definitely considered doing just that or experimenting with the input signal that drives the octave. When I've got the time to tinker with it, I'll give it a go.

[klingman308]

is this "octave up"?

[jwyatt4]

Yep...

[ryanintopeka]

Wow, another Humna with the Vintage 33. I thought I was the only one haha.

[jwyatt4]

We're of a select few...they don't make the '33' anymore...just a 50w version. I love that little amp!

[ryanintopeka]

yeah I found out the board I have is version three...which is literally the exact same as the Nomad, so it could be 50 watts.

I've been playing bar gigs regularly with the amp for probably 6-7 years now. My biggest issue is that it doesn't move enough air and doesn't have a lot of bass. If you check out my uplaods there's a few of me playing it in the band I'm in.

[jwyatt4]

When I play mine out, I crank the bass to 10! I also put it atop a now discontinued Carvin vintage 4x10.  That combo works well. I closed off the back of the cab and the bass response is great.

[tppod]

dude, thanks again for this video.

i just finished building mine, same as yours, with the additional footswitch - REALLY 2 pedals in one...

you didn't really show the true beauty of the pedal in my opinion - which is using it as a booster, and with the octave up - as a kinda ring modulator. (pre - 2.5 , intensity - 8.5).

great work, easy project, and love your videos.

[jwyatt4]

Thanks...very much appreciated. Yes, the boosting capability is very cool...such a versatile pedal. I am happy you chose it and glad you love it.

[Lambseye]

I think I'll rephrase my question. If I wanted to get this pedal, could I use the octave effect without the fuzz? In other words, does the fuzz need to be on in order to use the octave?

[adlankj]

@Lambseye why not just got an octave pedal then? lol

[Lambseye]

Because what if I liked the fuzz on the pedal and the octave, but just wanted to use one at a time or both?

[jwyatt4]

Got ya. Good question. With this pedal, it is not possible to use the octave by itself...only in conjunction with the fuzz.

[copilottheband]

@Lambseye: yes. this is an analog octave up. the circuit needs the fuzz to drive the octave engine part of the circuit hard. if you want an analog octave without the fuzz, try the Green Ringer design or grab a Foxrox Octron.

[mike4000]

Hey, great demo...Do you think this would be too difficult to build as a first pedal? All I've done so far was build a footswitch for an amp of mine, but no circuitry was involved. Thanks in advance for your answer.

[jwyatt4]

It might be a little tricky if you have limited experience with soldering. Otherwise (if you decide to go forward with it) be very patient and deliberate with each step. Go slow and triple check that each component is placed correctly, etc. Often beginners find projects don't work because polar capacitors, diodes, or transistors are facing the wrong way. You might try one of the kits GGG describes as as easier for beginners. Otherwise, good luck with your choice.

[mike4000]

okay, thank you very much.

[wayneyelverton]

Way cool...I just ordered myself this kit. Mind if I contact you for advice?

[jwyatt4]

Awesome...and no I don't.

[wayneyelverton]

@wayneyelverton

I built it...it worked perfectly, sounds just like yours!!! AWESOME!!

[Lambseye]

If I wanted to use the octave by itself, and added the fuzz later, would I be able to do that?

[jwyatt4]

There really isn't a practical way to only get the octave out of the TOCT but the GRO is great for the same effect. Later on, you could just add a fuzz pedal of your choice to couple with the GRO. You can check out my GRO demo to see if that's the sound you seek.

[gruveb]

I just built one and I love it.  Great pedal.

[jwyatt4]

Very cool...glad you like it. You just can't get that sound and versatility anywhere else. Truly an awesome pedal.

[jwyatt4]

If the octave effect is all you want, I recommend the GRO kit from GGG. It will give the ring-modulated octave up effect similar to that of the TOCT.

[sonofkikkoman]

so can i have only the octave effect?

[rousejeremy]

Versatile for sure. Sounds great.