Add depth, dirt and harmonics with the Dusky Electronics Augustus octave fuzz

(Image credit: Dusky Electronics)

The funny thing about octave fuzz is that it is a quintessentially retro effect, having helped soundtrack the nascent boom of classic rock in the late 60s. And yet, somehow, it always sounds contemporary

But maybe, just maybe, the Dusky Electronics Augustus really does represent a new breed of octave fuzz pedals. As Dusky says, it was created in the spirit of the old Roger Mayer Octavia units, but was based off no existing circuit.

The Augustus rectifies the audio signal that's being fed into it, "folding each wave in two to double its frequency, severely mangling the waveform in the process."

As with the most interesting octave fuzz tones, that sounds like an effect that resists easy descriptions, and also sounds very much like it will react differently depending on where your using single-coils or humbuckers.

Listening to the demo, there's certainly some of that Dalek ring-mod weirdness to the fuzz, and the two-band EQ should open up a some wild tone proposition

The enclosure has controls for Heat, Meat, Light and More. Meat controls how much bass is in your signal, Light is treble. Heat dials in how much fuzz you want and More is the output volume. There is a giant octopus graphic on the front.

Under the hood there are MOSFET input and output amplifiers for enhanced dynamics and responsiveness, and a high-impedance input buffer. Dusky says to use it with anything that makes an electronic signal. It'll take a 9V batter or 9-18V DC (9V recommended).

Priced $200, you can order direct from Dusky Electronics.

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.