Get your Jimi On!

Does as advertised. Some great octave sounds with lots of tone shaping options

Great for Acoustic Guitars

Inspired by Mike Dawes, I tried using the Boss OC-3 for lower notes on the guitar. The poly setting allows you to apply effects to the lower notes on the E and sometime A strings. I wouldn't use this as a bass replacement, but it is a cool effect to create a dramatic sound. Highly recommend if interested.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Very Good

I own the OC-2 and the OC-3 and I prefer the OC-3. Sounds very similar to the OC-2 (octave 1 of the OC-2 mode)but with more volume and the tone is a little bit more sinthy. The octave 2 of the OC-2 mode is different, but I feel it's more usable since it has more clarity and midrange. The only complain about the pedal is some short delay when the effect is engaged. It's not a latency problem, it's not a tracking problem, there is no cut in the sound. The effected signal has a micro delay when the switch is engaged... I supose that the processor is in some sort of standby status in order to save batteries and when you press the switch the processor starts (the consequence would be this short delay). It's not a major problem, and 90 % of the time you simply won't notice anything... but I think that it's important to mention.

Anyway... I like the pedal a lot.

From Gear Setup

Great for getting that compressed crunchy octave sound

I got this pedal to try get something close to the CKY sound, but through use, trial and error, I've found that it's also great for getting some White Stripes and QotSA type sounds through using the drive feature on the second knob.

I don't really get what the poly setting does, and the OCT 2 option is a bit too much, but I'm sure it's what some people will want out of a pedal!

Average octave pedal

I use this on conjunction with the micro POG. It works ok however compared to the POG it doesn't have great tracking and can be hard to dial in the tone that you want. It is also sometimes unreliable and just wont turn on for a few minutes or will make some unusual sounds. My only other criticism is that the LED on the front is not bright enough to see in outdoor venues so its hard to tell wether it is on or off. Other than that it usually does its job as it should

Incredibly Useful

The knobs allow for easy modification of the sound of a guitar or bass in a straightforward and intuitive way. The sound is pretty digital (if you aren't into that don't get this) but still holds the tone of the guitar well.

Deeeeeeeeeeep

Ive not investigated any other octavers; back in the 90s this was hands down the one that tracked best- especially using a single coil guitar like I mostly do. Another solid pedal from Boss that werks good on bass or guitar- add in a envelope and you can fake some Stevie Wonder or P-Funk classics

Amazing tool

This effects pedal is a lot of fun to use! If you like tweaking your sound to something that is your own, than this can definitely help. I love the rich sounds that you can get, and that you can plug it into a guitar and bass amp at the same time to get some great tones. I have had lots of fun playing around with this unit, but haven't decided how it would fit into anything I play. I play Van Halen music mostly, and Eddie does use this effect occasionally, like on the outro for Drop Dead Legs.

Sounds a little unauthentic

This pedal does the job in a live circumstance, although I have found that it sometimes (with particularly high or low notes) sounds rather un-authentic and sounds too synthesised for my liking.

MAKE SURE TO HAVE A COMPRESSOR FIRST

If y're gonna get this (admittedly, very lovely) guitar device, I suggest that, if y're playing on any mode other than "Poly" AND using a compressor/fuzz/distortion, put this /after/ it, or you're going to get a sh*t-*ss nightmare squelch that sounds like a robot farting into a granular synthesis module.

Signal cleanliness: 4 "Poly" mode: 4 "Drive" mode: 3 "2 Oct" mode: 5

Overall: 4