Jimi began using the Octavia pedal around January 1967 after meeting Roger Mayer, an acoustic engineer working for the British Admiralty who designed and built effect pedals for guitars as a hobby—at a time when such devices were still virtually unknown.
For those unfamiliar, the Octavia pedal, in Roger’s own words, “produces a sound that is an octave higher than the note you are presently playing.” The effect is somewhat subtle, but with a few YouTube videos, you can pick it out. A good starting point is this ProGuitarShop demo.
Jimi meets Roger, ‘Are You Experienced’
Roger Mayer recalls meeting Jimi at the Bag O’ Nails club in central London, likely in January 1967. This timing is important because Jimi had already released “Hey Joe” and was about to release “Purple Haze” and “Fire.” While these tracks were mostly finished, Jimi was so intrigued by the Octavia that he decided to overdub the solos.
I first met Jimi a few days after my 21st birthday, after one of his shows at the Bag O’Nails club in Soho, London. […] He invited me along to a gig the following week, which is where he first listened to the Octavia backstage on a small amp. He was so impressed and excited with the new sounds he invited me along to the Olympic Studio later that week to overdub the solos on his second release—”Purple Haze”—and “Fire.”
Hendrix, Page, and Standing Out in a Crowded Effects Market: A Conversation with Roger Mayer
According to Roger, Jimi used an early version of the Octavia on these two tracks. This version included a separate fuzz box for additional drive, but after the recordings were finished, it was never used again.
This Evo1 unit used germanium transistors and a ferrite transformer and also had limited drive capabilities. It was used in the recording of “Purple Haze” and “Fire” with another custom driver in a separate enclosure that also used germanium transistors. This driver was placed in front of Evo1 to give enough drive and extra EQ to satisfy Jimi and produce the sound you hear on the recordings. After the Purple Haze / Fire session recordings, Evo was never used again in its original form and I consigned it to the trash bin.
Roger Mayer – Octavia
The rest of Are You Experienced is somewhat of a mystery when it comes to the Octavia effect. If you have a good ear and a solid sound system, give it a listen—you might spot it elsewhere. Personally, I haven’t been able to catch it on any other tracks.
Axis: Bold as Love
Roger and Jimi collaborated more closely during the recording of Axis: Bold as Love, with Mayer handling the setup for Jimi’s effects. By this time, the Octavia had gone through several updates and improvements.
Later in 1967 after we began recording sessions for the second album “Axis Bold as Love” which used the latest Evo of Octavia on several tracks and if you listen carefully the clarity and detail of the Octavia effect was much more defined. Of course, at the same time, I was updating, building and customizing the distortion units to complement the latest Evo of Octavia being now used.
Roger Mayer – Octavia
The Octavia effect was reportedly used on several tracks from the album, including “Machine Gun,” “Little Wing,” “One Rainy Wish,” and “Little Miss Lover.” This is all based on Roger’s accounts. More detailed research will be done at some point, but for now, we’ll leave it here.
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