There is no better way to add meaty heft to your guitar or bass signal than an octave pedal.
Of the many pedals available in this category, I really dig TC Electronic’s brand new Sub ‘n’ Up Octaver. The Sub ‘n’ Up is the latest addition to TC’s renowned TonePrint enabled compact pedal line (where you can beam custom made tones into the pedal via the free app) and delivers precise and glitch-free octave effects.
The Sub ‘n’ Up Octaver is true bypass and wonderfully simple to use with controls for Dry (volume/blend), Up (octave up), Sub (octave down), Sub 2 (two octaves down) and a three-way mini toggle where you can select Poly for flawless polyphonic tracking, Toneprint for a custom modulated preset or Classic for monophonic octave tones.
The pedal features a groundbreaking octave engine in polyphonic mode that allows fast and accurate tracking for complex chords and speed runs. But if you love the imperfection of monophonic analog tones, set the toggle to Classic to get some sluggish bass rumble.
The pedal’s TonePrint preset adds a heavily chorused, mid tempo vibrato to the overall signal that sounds wickedly intense.
Whether I’m blending in one or two octaves below, the Sub ‘n’ Up’s amazingly clear response and detailed tracking pumps out dense bass tones with massive body. The Up knob produces synth-like texture to your sound when combined with both Sub controls, which is spot-on for recreating Deep Purple’s “Space Trucking” organ tones.
STREET PRICE: $129.99 MANUFACTURER: TC Electronic, tcelectronic.com
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Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.
