The Roger Mayer Octavia is a Roger Mayer octave pedal, currently around $399. Close alternatives include the EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle and the Tycobrahe Octavia. It pairs well with the Fender Vibrolux 6G11 and the Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble.
Roger Mayer Octavia
Roger Mayer · pedal
The Roger Mayer Octavia is one of the most legendary fuzz and octave pedals in guitar history, created by British electronics engineer Roger Mayer, who designed the original for Jimi Hendrix in 1967. It combines fuzz saturation with an upper-octave doubling effect, generating a ringing overtone above the played note and blending it with fuzz for the singing, anarchic, ring-modulator-like overtones heard on Hendrix's Purple Haze solo and Crosstown Traffic. The effect tracks best on single notes, particularly on the neck pickup when picked hard, and responds strongly to playing dynamics. It remains one of the most historically significant and instantly recognizable guitar effects ever built, a specialized tool for psychedelic and classic-rock lead work.
What stands out
“The Roger Mayer Octavia is one of the most legendary fuzz and octave pedals in guitar history, created by British electronics engineer Roger Mayer, who designed the original for Jimi Hendrix in 1967”
— from the listing
“Limitations are inherent: octave tracking breaks down on chords and low notes, and”
— from the reviews
“Players treat it as a gig-ready take on the classic Octavia, valued for the searing octave-up fuzz that recalls Hendrix lead tones and cuts through a band mix”
— from the community notes
“The effect tracks best on single notes, particularly on the neck pickup when picked hard, and responds strongly to playing dynamics”
— from the listing
“The community consensus is that it sounds best on the neck pickup when you dig in, and that rolling back the tone control makes the bright upper harmonics far more controllable, while placing a fuzz in front emphasises the upper-octave doub…”
— from the community notes
- fuzz
- octave
- octavia
- mix
- overtone
- ringing
- psychedelic
- lead
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Roger Mayer Octavia is commonly used in
- Rock
- Electronic
- Classic Rock
- Swing
- Blues
- Blues Rock
Amps that pair well with the Roger Mayer Octavia
Fender Vibrolux 6G11
amplifier
28% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
The Vibrolux's warm, vintage breakup gives the Octavia's ringing, psychedelic octave-fuzz character a classic Fender amp voice to bloom through.
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble
Boss
27% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble's own modulated character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes later in the signal chain
Magnatone Super Fifteen 15W Head
Magnatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Magnatone Super Fifteen 15W Head after Roger Mayer Octavia
Magnatone 460
Magnatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Magnatone 460 after Roger Mayer Octavia
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp after Roger Mayer Octavia
Pedals that stack with the Roger Mayer Octavia
Walrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition
Walrus Audio
40% matchWalrus Audio EB-10 Black Edition leans toward clean boost, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Ibanez
32% matchIbanez Tube Screamer leans toward smooth, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Hungry Robot The Borderland
Hungry Robot
27% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
The Borderland's lush, shoegaze-voiced reverb tails give the Octavia's ringing octave overtones a wash of ambient space to decay into. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2
Hungry Robot
26% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
The Moby Dick's massive, lush ambient reverb gives the Octavia's ringing octave-fuzz overtones a huge space to bloom into. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp
EarthQuaker Devices
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp after Roger Mayer Octavia
Hiwatt WEM Copicat Boost
Hiwatt
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Hiwatt WEM Copicat Boost after Roger Mayer Octavia
Maxon DB10 Dual Booster
Maxon
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Put Maxon DB10 Dual Booster after Roger Mayer Octavia
Cheaper alternatives
EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle V2
EarthQuaker Devices
69% similarityShared character: each note, tight tracking, one octave
Fulltone Ultimate Octave
Fulltone
66% similarityShared character: neck pickup, bright, tight tracking
Behringer Octavia Octave Fuzz
Behringer
66% similarity“The Behringer Octavia Octave Fuzz is an analog pedal based on the Roger Mayer Octavia circuit, the original octave fuzz created for Jimi Hendrix”
Death By Audio Octave Clang v2
Death By Audio
53% similarityShared character: each note, original, tight tracking
Behringer Octave Divider
Behringer
52% similarityShared character: each note, tone control, tight tracking
Zvex Jonny Octave
Zvex
49% similarityShared character: neck pickup, tight tracking, one octave
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar character
EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle
EarthQuaker Devices
69% similarity“Produces the upper octave fuzz-octave character associated with Roger Mayer Octavia-style circuits”
Tycobrahe Octavia
Tycobrahe
67% similarityShared character: neck pickup, original, tight tracking
KMA Machines Mandrake
Kma Machines
51% similarityShared character: tight tracking, one octave
smallsound/bigsound Buzzz
smallsound/bigsound
50% similarityShared character: one octave, mix, fuzz
Walrus Audio Luminary
Walrus Audio
50% similarityShared character: tight tracking, one octave, lead
Death By Audio Robot
Death By Audio
48% similarityShared character: one octave, fuzz
See all alternatives to the Roger Mayer Octavia (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Roger Mayer Octavia?+
The closest matches in character are the EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle, the Tycobrahe Octavia, the KMA Machines Mandrake. Budget picks: EarthQuaker Devices Tentacle V2, Fulltone Ultimate Octave, Behringer Octavia Octave Fuzz. Boutique upgrades: Meris Enzo X.
What pairs well with the Roger Mayer Octavia?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fender Vibrolux 6G11, Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble, Magnatone Super Fifteen 15W Head — The Vibrolux's warm, vintage breakup gives the Octavia's ringing, psychedelic octave-fuzz character a classic Fender amp voice to bloom through..
How much does the Roger Mayer Octavia cost?+
Around $399 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).