MusicRadar Verdict
A versatile octave fuzz that can get quite extreme - try it out first!
Pros
- +
Wide variety of nice and nasty tones. Build.
Cons
- -
Definitely try before you buy...
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The Vox Tone Garage Trike octave fuzz delivers three different, additional octave sounds - one octave up and one and two octaves down.
A three-way switch selects which octaves you're after: all three or either the upward or downward octaves. There's also a volume control for the lowest octave, so you can blend in as much as you desire.
Straight out of the box, the Trike is a rather scary proposition, but stick largely to single-note lines and you'll be fine. Turning up the gain increases the fuzz and makes it sound harsher - we prefer it around 12 o'clock.
All three octaves together provide a complex sound to beef up leads and riffs, and there's plenty of variation on offer. However, the lower-octaves-only setting can be quite glitchy and on any setting, all but the simplest chords turn to white noise.
With some cool sounds and some nasty, this won't be to everyone's taste, so listen before you buy. Noiseniks only need apply.
Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.
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