Electro-Harmonix POG2 Settings Guide

For Blues: Filter Freq 7/10, Filter Res 0/10, Dry 8/10, Sub Oct 0/10, Oct Down 2/10, Oct Up 4/10, Attack 0/10. Subtle octave-up addition to a clean blues tone adds a 12-string-like shimmer without dominating. Oct Down at 2 adds a hint of octave-below depth. The POG2 in this setting enhances the natural guitar tone rather than replacing it — useful for fingerpicking chord parts where extra harmonic richness helps.

For Rock: Filter Freq 5/10, Filter Res 0/10, Dry 6/10, Sub Oct 3/10, Oct Down 5/10, Oct Up 2/10, Attack 0/10. Low-pass filtering on the octave signals (Filter Freq 5) combined with Oct Down at 5 produces the organ-bass simulation sound. This setting can approximate a bass guitar line when playing low notes on guitar, or add a powerful low-end doubling to riffs. Used in contexts where a bassist isn't present.

Filter Freq: Low-pass filter cutoff applied to the octave signals — rolling off the high frequencies of the generated octaves produces a rounder, more organ-like quality. (Low to High). Filter Res: Filter resonance — adds a slight emphasis around the filter cutoff frequency. At high Resonance, produces a synthesizer-like effect. (None to Maximum). Dry: Level of the original, unaffected guitar signal in the output mix. (Silent to Full). Sub Oct: Level of the 2-octave-below signal (sub-bass octave). Useful for bass emulation and extreme low-end weight. (Silent to Full). Oct Down: Level of the 1-octave-below signal. This is the most musically usable lower octave — an octave below the played pitch, tracking chords accurately. (Silent to Full). Oct Up: Level of the 1-octave-above signal. Adds a 12-string-like shimmer or organ overtone. (Silent to Full). Attack: Volume envelope for the POG2 output — high Attack produces a cello-like swell rather than an immediate note onset. (Instant to Slow)

The POG2's polyphonic tracking is exceptionally accurate — chords track correctly without the glitching that affects analogue octave pedals. This makes it the only octave pedal suitable for complex chord voicings. The Attack control transforms the POG2 from an octave generator into a bowed instrument emulator — long Attack settings make notes swell in gradually, like a cello or violin bowing technique. Place the POG2 before overdrive and distortion pedals in the signal chain — the octave tracking is more accurate with a clean input signal. The distortion then applies to the combined octave output. The Sub Oct level should be used sparingly below high-gain amps, as sub-octave signals at high gain can create uncontrollable low-end rumble. It works best into a clean amp.

Jack White settings: Filter Freq 6/10, Filter Res 0/10, Dry 8/10, Sub Oct 4/10, Oct Down 6/10, Oct Up 0/10, Attack 0/10. Jack White uses the POG2 (and its predecessor the POG) to create bass-replacement tones in The White Stripes' two-piece format. His approach: Oct Down at 6, Sub Oct at 4, dry full — using the octave-down signal to fill the bass range while playing guitar in standard position. This is the most documented application of the POG in rock music.