Rocket Science

WITH ITS FUZZY, synth-like octave-up sound, Roger Mayer’s Octavia pedal was one of the most radical guitar effects to emerge in the late 1960s. The pedal was made legendary thanks to its creative use by Jimi Hendrix, but the original device was never commercially produced at the time, existing only as a handful of custom-made units created by its inventor. Mayer’s reluctance to take the pedal into production left the door open for early ’70s imitators like Tycobrahe, a notable copycat who even cadged Mayer’s name for its pedal.

As it happens, Mayer’s roots go far deeper into