all this talk of buffers...

Chickenwings

Alnico 6/8
So i was playing yesterday while trying out my new chorus (thanks crook tele).
Its true bypass. SOunds good etc - especially on its own, and bypassed is great too.
Then i plugged into my pedal board (i uplugged the chorus from the chain) and noticed a huge amount of tone loss. Its all dark and muddy with everything bypassed. All my pedals are sexy expensive ones, and all my cables are lava cable. The only pedal that isnt true bypass is my deja vu delay at the end of the chain (that has buffer or TB option). Using the dejas output buffer, things are marginally better - but still far from being as nice as the straight in sound.
the chain is:
MXR CAE wah
fulltone deja vibe
fulldrive
GT500
Deja VU delay

so i got to thinking about buffers....

and i took out the MXR wah and plugged in my old morley - BAM! all my high end came back even running thru the rest of the pedals. Morleys have a great buffer circuit. Still, its not quite the same as plugging straight in. I know, i know, im being picky right? The other problem is, ive grown to like the inductor based wah, so id like a nice buffer, but with the wah tone of my MXR.

So i guess i need a small buffer at the start of the chain and all will be cool right?

Easy.

But ive just noticed fulltone deluxe wahs have a new buffer circuit built in. Its one of the "fuzz friendly" things.
Now this buffer is only engaged when the wah is ON. When the wah is off, everything is still true bypassed. I want a buffer that is "always on" kinda like the morley ones. Trouble is....they make my fuzz face sound weird.

Question:
If i need a regular high to low impedance buffer first in the chain to stop all my true bypass pedals from sucking my tone...what happens if the wah has a "fuzz friendly buffer" integrated into the wah as well?
 
Last edited:
Re: all this talk of buffers...

I have heard many people talk highly about this buffer right here.
http://this1smyne.com/shop/mb-mini-buffer/

They seem to love it for it awesomely small footprint and always on function!

Glad you like the chorus!! I was skeptical of shipping at first because the the half a worlds distance between us!!
 
Re: all this talk of buffers...

a Fuzz Friendly buffer in a wah and a signal buffer are different beasts

Just get a good buffer and put it in your signal chain after the fuzz then all is well..
 
Re: all this talk of buffers...

crook....i just got one of those cool little black gadgets you recommended.

It's a good call...I just had Dan build me one of those little buffers but with a SHO clone boost in it as well. It replaced an MI Audio Boost'n'Buff that had been doing a similar job. The T1M sounds better to me.




Cheers.................................... wahwah
 
Re: all this talk of buffers...

Like I said, they do the job well and for a real reasonable price. I have seen many boards with his buffers on there!! Glad I could help!
 
Re: all this talk of buffers...

I dont mind the boost n buff but i use it more as a volume control. Interestingly, I use an old 80's TS 9 in a similar fasion for my tele bridge. Volume up, gain down to keep up with the WRHB in the neck.
 
Re: all this talk of buffers...

I ordered one of these from Sweetwater the other day. Should be here sometime next week.

I was very close to ordering a buffer from T1M, but I like the idea of a buffer and clean boost in a single pedal.

dmbb.jpg
 
Re: all this talk of buffers...

I used to use a VHT Valvulator I. I don't know how much of it was hype and how much of it was truth, but I loved that thing. It also serves as a pedal power source so you could effectively handle your power and buffering needs in a single tube-powered* unit.

* I use the term "tube-powered" to mean that there is a tube inside the unit but I cannot verify with any amount of certainty the extent of work the tube does inside the circuitry.
 
Re: all this talk of buffers...

I was very close to ordering a buffer from T1M, but I like the idea of a buffer and clean boost in a single pedal.

Dan makes those. He puts a SHO clone boost in with the buffer in a slightly larger enclosure. It's after my overdrives and before the looper in this photo.

adb3711c.jpg





Cheers.................................... wahwah
 
Back
Top