Buffered Tuners Vs True Bypass Tuners...

[wickenspoet]

.

I know a lot of people swear by true bypass...

...but since most tuners are placed first or second in the effects chain, wouldn't most people want a tuner with a high quality buffer to keep the signal strong from the start, rather than a tuner with true bypass?

I'm basically looking for an excuse to dump my buffered Korg DT-10 for a non buffered Korg Pitchblack... because the strobe tuning feature seems really useful, but I worry about losing signal strength right out of the gate since I use about 9 pedals in my chain.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Buffered Tuners Vs True Bypass Tuners...

The problem with your line of thinking right now is that I have yet to find a tuner pedal with a high quality buffer...

 

[wahwah]

Re: Buffered Tuners Vs True Bypass Tuners...

It's completely dependent on your signal chain and what you want to hear. If you need a buffer at the front, then a tuner with a high quality buffer (emphasis on the high quality!) would be preferable. Personally, I don't like the sound of a buffer before my overdrive and distortion pedals, so I put a buffer after them before the signal goes to a bypass looper going out to other effects. This buffer at the end is to drive the last cable going to the amp. In that way, my overdrives and distortion are seeing the input impedance they were designed for, and with good quality cables and a total length under 20' from guitar to those pedals, the buffer at the end is all I need. In that instance, a true bypass tuner (Turbo Tuner) does the trick.

As always, our ears should tell the story, and there is no one right answer, just whatever works best.




Cheers..................................... wahwah

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: Buffered Tuners Vs True Bypass Tuners...

The issue I always have with the bypass vs. buffer debate is that proponents of the buffer usually assume that everyone is going to run ten pedals in series. Well, I don't. If I use any pedals, it's one or two at a time. I like the idea of plugging in one pedal into a great amp, then turning it off and getting a true bypass. I don't want to be saddled with a buffer when I'm using one pedal. Ideally, the prime-time pedals would all have quality buffers that could be bypassed with an internal switch or something.