Boss OC-5 Octave Pedal

Octave pedals of the past 10 years have presented guitar and bass players with a tough decision: Are you searching for that classic OC-2–style octave effect — the sound most of us guitar and bass players associate with the octave pedal — to add weight to your leads and walking lines? Or do you want modern tracking and polyphonic capabilities to help flesh out chords in a solo setting? Well, with the BOSS OC-5 Octave pedal, now you don’t have to choose. Whether it’s thunderous mono sub-bass or strum-enriching root enhancement you’re after, the OC-5 has you covered. The OC-5 sports an all-new tracking engine based on some of BOSS’s top-tier effects floordboards. The result is one of the smoothest, lowest-latency octave effects you’ll ever experience. In addition to the classic -1 and -2 octave controls, the OC-5 gives you a +1 octave dial for achieving faux 12-string textures and screaming classic lead lines. A dedicated instrument switch tailors the OC-5’s tracking for either electric/acoustic guitar or bass, while a parallel Direct Out dry path preserves your input signal for running into a dedicated amp or PA. If you’ve been waiting for the next evolution of the BOSS Octave sound, the OC-5 is where it’s at.

Ever since its 1982 debut, BOSS’s OC-2 octave effect has left an indelible mark on the guitar and bass market. The great news is that the BOSS OC-5 delivers the classic OC-2 mono sound in a big way, and better than ever thanks to its improved tracking engine. Dedicated controls for your dry tone and each of the two octaves down help achieve synth-like sub-bass and tight octave lead crawls without any fuss.

The BOSS OC-5 picks up where the OC-3 left off, with a smart polyphonic sub tracker that’s able to flesh out power chords, open chords, and barre chords with bass-like root notes. It’s the last piece of the puzzle for the solo acoustic performer. The OC-5 gives you a Range knob to help restrict octaves to exactly where you want them.

A new +1 Oct control on your BOSS OC-5 Octave pedal unlocks 12-string textures and classic fuzz solo tones. Best of all, this control can be used with either Vintage or Polyphonic mode’s -1 Oct and -2 Oct controls for a thick, impenetrable tone.

The BOSS OC-5 Octave pedal’s brand-new tracking engine promises low latency, high expression, and zero dropped notes. And whether you’re running it in mono or poly modes, this means better performance across the board, even for vintage octave enthusiasts.

A dedicated switch on the side of your OC-5 lets you tailor this octaver’s tracking response for guitar or bass. So for the price of one pedal, you’re effectively getting two powerful octave effects that you can transplant onto any live pedal rig.

Whether you’re running a wet/dry amp rig or you want to send a clean bass signal to front of house, the BOSS OC-5 has you covered. Its Direct Out retains all the character of your dry instrument tone, which means endless possibilities onstage or in the studio.

With a modest 55-milliamp current draw, the BOSS OC-5 is able to give you around seven hours of run time off a single 9-volt battery. This makes it a great option for players who love the sound of alkaline or carbon-zinc. For modern pedalboards, a standard center-negative wall supply works just fine.

Tech Specs:

• Pedal Type:Guitar/Bass Octave
• Effects:Octave-up, Octave-down, Poly Chord Mode, Vintage Mode
• Inputs:1 x 1/4″
• Outputs:1 x 1/4″ (main out), 1 x 1/4″ (direct out)
• Bypass Switching:Buffered
• Power Source:9V DC power supply required (sold separately)
• Power Usage:55mA
• Batteries:1 x 9V
• Height:2.32″
• Width:2.87″
• Depth:5.07″
• Weight:0.97 lbs.