Best Bass Octave Pedal To Enhance Your Music Tone

1. DONNER - BEST OCTAVE GUITAR EFFECT PEDAL

Donner’s digital octave pedal which offers good features for less money. Harmonic Square 7 has a metallic build which makes it durable. There are different modes which you can easily switch to by using the three-way toggle. There are three modes- Sharp, Detune and Flat.

Upon choosing your mode, you can use the wet and dry knobs to adjust how sharp your tone will be. There is a bigger knob in the centre of the device which you can set the octave to 7 different modes- ±2, ±3, ±4, ±5, ±7, ±12 and ±24 semitones. There is a true bypass button which you can use to switch the effects on or off.

It lets the original signal pass through when the effect is deactivated. You might expect to get limited control functions for such a small pedal, but it is surprising how Hamonic Square 7 is compact without compromising functional utility. On the downside, it does not come with its power supply, the DC 9V adapter.

Harmonic Square 7 comes with pitch shifting and various octave effects. The best part of the Donner digital octave is that the tracking ability of the device is top-notch. It lets the output signals be in sync with the original signal of your bass guitar.

This is a unique feature, considering the low-cost. So, if you are looking for a good bass octave pedal at a reasonable price, check out this one!

2. JOYO JF-12 - BEST BUDGET BASS OCTAVE PEDAL

Basslines sound awesome with some fuzz. Joyo Octave Fuzz comes with three main knobs, comprising tone, volume and fuzz. Additionally, there are two stomp switches, one normal or mid-cut switch and one true bypass knob. The fuzz knob allows you to adjust the distortion level of the output.

The tone allows you to adjust the brightness of the tone and the volume knob controls the loudness of the output signal so that you can adjust the volume of your bass according to other instruments.

Honestly, this bad boy can put higher-end pedals to shame. It has a durable build, allowing some rough handling and intensive use. The case of the pedal usually comes in neon green with a logo of a ram. It looks wickedly cool, in my opinion. It has a double-effect feature which allows you to use one effect at a time or use both simultaneously.

Incorporating both octave and fuzz feature into one pedal is beneficial for those who want to save the cost of buying these separately or those who want to experiment with various effects to create unique basslines.

The Joyo Octave Fuzz pedal also provides two footswitches dedicated to the respective effects. This is especially useful for those who perform on-stage frequently. I would highly recommend this octave pedal for bassists who want to use both octave and fuzz effects in their music.

3. BOSS OC-3 - BEST BASS OCTAVE FOOTSWITCH

Boss produces one of the best effect pedals out there. The OC-3 is a diverse pedal which is compact and surprisingly affordable. It also proudly claims to be the world's first polyphonic unit, providing poly octave effects. Polyphonic octave pedals allow you to add octave effect while playing a chord.

Once you look closely at the controls, you will notice that the pedal provides a wide range of functions. You will find an input for bass guitars, specially designed to modulate the octave signal for bassists. Therefore, it is undoubtedly perfect for bass guitars.

There are four main knobs. The Direct level adjusts direct input of the octave effect. The Octave 1 Level knob is used to adjust the basic octave signal. The third knob from the left changes its functions based on the modes. The 'Drive' mode adds distortion or overdrive to Octave 1 input signal.

It adds a gritty and dark effect to your bassline which is perfect for rock and grunge music. The Octave 2 mode provides three signals comprising the two separate octaves below and the original bass input.

Finally, the third mode is the Poly Mode which allows you to choose the cut-off note for an octave effect. This means that you can concentrate the octave effect to lower strings while leaving your higher notes unaffected by the effect. I could not recommend it enough. It offers quality at a reasonable price and is suitable for both beginners and professionals.

4. DigiTech Whammydtv-01 - BEST DROP TUNE PEDAL

The DigiTech Whammy DT is a pedal-operated pitch-shifting device, first released in 1989. It is a veteran among the wide range of octave pedals and was used by legendary bands like Pink Floyd and Rage. The 2011 release retains the former glory and is easily one of the best octave pedals for bass guitars.

The Whammy DT comes with a whopping ten effects. It allows you to bend notes, depending on various interval levels. You can also choose between detune, harmony and whammy modes. The nine harmony settings let you create harmonies over your original signal.

The detune option lets you subtly raise or lower your tone to create a trilly sound. The shallow and deep settings adjust how subtle or overemphasized the output would be.

The highlight of the new generation Whammy is perhaps the drop tuning option. This unique feature allows you to raise or lower your instrument's signal, one octave at a time until you are in a different octave altogether. The feature does not rely on the expression pedal, so you will receive instant results once you hit the footswitch.

Moreover, the drop tune effect can be activated or deactivated by using the drop tune footswitch. There are a lot of functions so it is not exactly user-friendly. But once you read the manual and get the hang of it, it will be easy to operate. If you are a person who wants to get creative with their music, this one is for you folks!

5.  MXR M288 - BEST ANALOG BASS OCTAVE PEDAL

The MXR M288 is an analogue pedal, fitted with two-octave circuits. The bass octave has three knobs. The 'Dry' knob that controls your clean signal. The 'Growl' knob controls the level of an octave by amplifying or lowering the midrange sub-octave. The 'Girth' knob controls the smoothness of the sub-octave. The best part of the device is the Mid+ button. You can find it hidden away under the hood. It will boost your midrange by +14dB.

The sound of the output is awe-worthy. With few minor adjustments, you can reproduce groovy basslines notes without glitches. The MXR Bass octave can easily track down a note as low as F. The MID+ and the battery compartments have four screws that can only be opened with a screwdriver which I find cumbersome. One last downside is that the power supply input is located on the right side, next to the jack connectors that might clash with each other.

6. ELECTRO-HARMONIX PITCH FORK PEDAL

The EHX Pitch Fork is a polyphonic pitch-shifting pedal that lets you transpose pitch up to three octaves. It has three modes, namely pitch shift up, pitch shift down and dual. These can be selected using a three-way microswitch and the interval can be chosen using the 11-way rotary pitch control.

It contains the blend knob that lets you mix effects and adjust it between dry and wet effects. The Shift knob comes with 11 settings which include detuning.

There is a latch button that determines how the footswitch or an expression pedal would function. Enabling the latch option would sustain the pitch shifting effect when the footswitch is pressed and released.

Disabling the Latch would activate the pitch-shifting effects only when the footswitch stays pressed. It is impressive how the pitch smoothly shifts, without delay.

Its ability to transpose three-octave up and down, the EHX Pitch Fork is suitable for creating beautiful harmonies, 12 string emulations and detuned chorus. You can even simulate a bass with a guitar, in case you do not own a bass guitar. The pedal minimizes intrusive fluttering and adds an air of authenticity to the music. Sadly it is a not a true bypass and the buffer generates noisy hissing. 

7. TC ELECTRONIC SUB ‘N’ - BEST TRUE BYPASS PEDAL

The Sub' N' Up Octaver is a true bypass octave pedal which comes with simple controls. It has 'Dry' knob for controlling the volume and blending, 'Up' knob for raising the octave, 'Sub' knob used for lowering the octave and 'Sub 2'for lowering two octaves.

The three-way switch helps you to toggle between 'Poly' mode for polyphonic tracking, 'Toneprint' to use with a modulated preset or 'Classic' mode for monophonic octaves.

Toneprint is the highlighted feature. It adds a mid-tempo vibrato along with a heavily chorused effect, making your music sound heart-thumping intense. The classic mode lets you add an old school effect to the octave tones.

The polyphonic mode adds dark rumble to the music when the second octave is enabled. The output is grungy without being glitchy or crooked. In a nutshell, it is an alluring deal for the price and is suitable for both beginners and professionals.

8. ELECTRO-HARMONIX MICRO POG - BEST POLYPHONIC OCTAVE PEDAL

The EHX Micro POG is the epitome of minimalism. The control panel layout is simple and easy to understand. You get three knobs and a standard stomp switch. The knobs are labelled as 'Sub octave', 'Octave up' and 'Dry'. The best feature is that the output produced sounds very organic and therefore, can be used to simulate a 12 stringed instrument effectively.

The polyphonic pitch-shifting pedal allows you to play more than one note at a time without generating glitches. This makes it suitable to play complex basslines. I recommend this for people who own a guitar but want to simulate a bass.

9. MOOER PURE OCTAVE

The Mooer Pure Octave pedal offers precise octave effects without added distortion. It offers eleven-octave modes which you can adjust along with the upper, lower and sub-octave signals.

The tones sound natural and give rise to various effects. One octave down can generate a smoothly lowered octave. Lowering two octaves generates a deep and throaty tone that might be too low for many speakers and amplifiers.

It has high precision tracking that never feels out of pace. The notes sustain, stay open and decay naturally without glitching or sounding muddy. Although, you cannot strum hard since the multi-octave effect is highly-sensitive.

10. ANGUILAR OCTAMIZER

The Anguilar Octamizer is a really small device. Its size enables you to put in any right-angle jacks, regardless of the barrel size. It comes controls such as 'Clean Level', 'Clean tone', 'Octave filter' and 'Octave Level'. It features independent volume controls for both its tones. The Clean tone utilizes a full spectrum tilt EQ that lets you boost the treble and lowering the bass.

With such adjustment, you will get a clean sound that generates an octave doubling effect, suitable for funk and blues genres. The Octave Filter is a multi-pole low pass filter that allows the shaping of the octave sound according to your taste.