There's going to be a lot of buzz about the new Beetronics Octahive V2 High-Octave Fuzz pedal

Beetronics
(Image credit: Beetronics)

Beetronics never let us down on two fronts; its pedals always look great, and they bring something different to the table. Can they deliver with an update of a '70s-inspired fuzz pedal in the shape of the Octahive v2?

The new version looks great and we know the original was a strong and relatively simple circuit – especially compared to the company's previous Seabee pedal. The new pedal has two switchable modes with Buzzz and Octave. The former offers "ferocious high-gain fuzz for powerful chords",  while Octave mode "takes you on a mind-bending psychedelic journey" that sounds very much in keeping with the Beetronics reputation.

You can switch between the two modes with a quick double tap and also customise the momentary switching speed with three footswitch profiles.

It will retail for $199 / £215. More info at Beetronics

Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.