Buffered VS True Bypass

astrozombie

astrozombie

KatyPerryologist
this is my rig

tremonti wah (true bypass)
pitchblack (true bypass)
SD-1 (buffered)
DS-2 (buffered)
muff pi (true bypass)
DD6 (buffered)
Small Clone (true bypass)
Phase 90 (true bypass)



I've heard too much true bypass is a bad thing... how true is this? if it's because it's like using a long cable, I have no problems with that.

Now... do I have too many buffered pedals in my rig? that's the exact order up there.

I'm thinking of switching the SD-1 for a ZVEX box or rock (true bypass)
and the dd6 for a memory boy deluxe (true bypass).
the big muff pi for a zvex fuzz factory. (no change).

how does this all work?
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

i don't think too hard about that stuff

do it sound good? cool rock on

for what it's worth, the Box of Rock is gona replace the SD-1 and the DS-2.
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

Empty Pockets said:
i don't think too hard about that stuff

do it sound good? cool rock on

for what it's worth, the Box of Rock is gona replace the SD-1 and the DS-2.
Click to expand...

and kick some serious ass.

You're so right about that pedal man, I plugged into it today for the first time at my local shop. I was with a bud whos big on guitar tones and effects and hears alot of different tones since he works at a studio where alot of bands record.

I turned it on and played like 5 chords and he said "that's all i need to hear''!
zvex_BoxOfRock-Vexter.jpg
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

blah blah buffers etc....
however i can hear a small difference in my guitars sound if im plugged into the sd1 and/or the ds1 - and they are the good boss ones (ge7 and bd2 are also not bad). My ce3 sucks a bit and the ph2 is rally bad. Those two seriously need bypassing because i play clean clean clean mostly and i hate losing any response from my axe/amp. Its been more than 20 years since i plugged into a boss dd tho so i cant remember what its like. For me my basic clean bypassed tone is the most important thing.
However some buffers can work great....i have an MI audio buff n boost which is nice, clear and strong (maybe a bit too bright even) and the buffer in my morley wah is good too. So is the one in my SD Deja delay. So yeah - nothing wrong with buffers or true bypass - as long as the buffer sounds good and you dont lose harmonics and high end. There is no right and wrong - there is just what sounds good to you.
BTW- your wah is buffered not tb - but in my experience morley buffers are really good sounding - actually better than just having clear cable! with what you have (including the box or rock replacing the ds1 and ds1) you can have a buffer at the start (your wah) and another buffer at the end (your delay). Thats a pretty nice setup.
 
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Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

As long as it sounds good and your not losing any tone, you're fine. It's when you start losing volume and have a noticeable difference in tone, thats when you worry. Maybe try alternating them on your board, TB into Buff into TB into....
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

a good buffer can be a very good thing. if you run long cables or alot of pedals than you want a buffer to make up for the loss.

i typically use one pedal and its true bypass. guitar->12'-16' cord->timmy->12' cord->amp. sounds great and is very responsive.
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

i was waiting for vasshu to chime in! he loves true bypass more than life itself! (except for threads about true bypass!) lol
 
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Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

I've run a board in the past with 10 boss pedals on it, and a bypass. When you stack that many pedals there's a noticeable difference change to the sound of your guitar. For 4-6 buffered pedals though it's pretty hard to tell the difference, and for 1-3 there's virtually no sound difference at all. YMMV . . .
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

astrozombie said:
I've heard too much true bypass is a bad thing... how true is this? if it's because it's like using a long cable, I have no problems with that.
Click to expand...
Running a bunch of pedals without a buffer can be bad because your pickups end up driving through 30-50 feet of cable plus a bunch of switches and connectors. The reason that buffered pedals got a bad rap was because a lot of 'em use crappy buffers and stringing a bunch together made it sound like a wet blanket. Pete Cornish is a huge proponent of buffered pedals but he doesn't skimp on parts. :14:

IMO, best practice is to have a quality buffer as early in your signal chain as you can (generally after fuzz and wah, which don't like buffered signals) and use a bypass switch to avoid putting your signal through the buffers that suck tone. That way, you minimize the amount of cable "seen" by your pickups while avoiding multiple tone sucking buffers.
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

The older I get, the fewer effects pedals that I use.

EP has already said all that really needs to be said.
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

I'm still a sucker for true bypass when I'm using 20' total cable length and one pedal, which is most of the time. With one pedal, I'm probably relying more on the tone of the amp, which I want to be as direct as possible.

On the other hand, I can appreciate what well-designed buffers could do when I'm running a board full of random pedals and twice the cable length.
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

I've gone, mostly by accident, for a buffer -> all TB -> buffer -> amp setup. I stopped worrying about it years ago too and I've never bought/sold a pedal because or for its true bypassness, though I HAVE gotten stuff on the pedalboard also because they had great buffers.
 
Re: Buffered VS True Bypass

I've found that the position and make/model of fuzz pedals on my board has a much higher potential for tone suck than whether my pedals are true bypass or not.
 
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