As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine Issue 21 – Fall 2022
The Donner Harmonic Square Octave Pedal may be mini at only 42×93.5x52mm, but with seven shift types and three tone modes, this little guy packs a powerful punch.
I’ve played my share of octave pedals in the past and found that most are more “novelty” pedals vs. ones I’d want to use regularly. There may be one or two “cool” tones, but the rest are usually amelodic or unusable. That’s not the case with the Donner Octave Pedal. While some settings sound better and more melodic than others, and some are more conducive for leads vs. chords, I’ve found quite a few positions that are a blast to jam on. I’m more a fan of the lower octave tones, but there is certainly a time and place for the higher octave stuff — particularly when you’re in the studio. Let me tell you — it can get weird!
This pedal is also a fantastic option if you want to tune to a different key without changing strings or manually detuning. Because it doesn’t sound artificial or tinny, no one would know if you used the pedal or adjusted your tuning keys.
The 3-way toggle switches between “sharp,” “detune,” or “flat.” You can adjust the “wet” setting if you want to get more or less of the pedal effect and the “dry” setting if you’d like to define or muddle up the “stringy” sound of the guitar. Using the pitch shifter, you can shift up from +2 to +24 semitones and down from -2 to -24 semitones or detune from -30 to +30 cents.
Just one caveat (and they’ll even tell you on their website) — it doesn’t come with its own power supply. It’s very important you power your pedal using a 9V DC power adapter with a 500 mA current. If not, it could cause damage to your pedals. At only $50, I’d consider this a very small price to pay.
In short, the Donner Harmonic Square Octave Pedal is a complete no-brainer with its versatility, portability, and immense number of tones. If you want to add more color to your solos or beef up your overall sound (particularly if you’re playing a live solo gig), this is a super fun pedal to add to your chain.
Price: $55.99
For pricing, more information, and product specifications, visit https://shrsl.com/3neja.
