The Voodoo Octave pedal
review
If you are anything like me, you will always be on the lookout for new gear and new companies that can add a nice tweak to your pedal board. Of course, you're looking for a pedal that won't ruin your tone or break the bank, Joyo has the answer.
Joyo are a relatively new company from china that are slowly getting a following in the world of music electronics. With a stall at this year's 2014 NAMM show, you know they must have something unique and interesting to offer. Due to this event and appearance, a variery of stock has recently hit the uk amongst others outside of their home country. The JF-12 voodoo octave is a fuzz octave pedal and in essense is a clone of the Fulltone USA ultimate octave pedal.
This subtle octave is great for me as I am not one to set effects to 10. However, some of you out there might want a dial or control for the octave, which this pedal unfortunately lacks. The construction is sturdy and with a relatively small enclosure (about 2cms wider than a stand Boss pedal), it will slot in nicely to any pedalboard without too much drama. The Joyo voodoo octave pedal is well built and sounds great. It utilises a brilliant, raw fuzz tone that handles working in isolation or coupling with the octave function greatly. However, the real plus point that draws you into this pedal rather than the Fulltone USA pedal is the price.
The Fulltone USA ultimate octave in the uk retails around £160 while the Joyo will only set you back a mere £30. Sure the Fulltone might come in a sturdier enclosure and have a marginally better sound, but I am still yet to find out how it can retail £130 more than a pedal that mimics it ... near enough for a fifth of the price.
I can highly recommend this pedal to all guitarists and bassists looking for that cool fuzz and octave effect and at £30 what is really stopping you
It utilises a dual footswitch for independent on/off selecting of the octave and fuzz functions as well as having a normal mid cut switch which is identical to the Fulltone.
The fuzz on this pedal sounds great and gives out a real raw and meaty tone that breaks up nicely, working well on either a clean or an already overdriven channel. the sweep on both the gain and tone knobs give the pedal a massive range that can be easily dialed to any particular sound you want/need. With a little fine tuning when engaging the octave you will find that the effect doesn't overpower the tone of the pedal and provides a nice subtle octave that works well in all registers.