Why do people say "make sure you have at least one quality buffer"

['59]

in your pedal chain? Isn't your signal already buffered regardless of true bypass / buffered bypass provided that so much as a single one of your pedals is on? I mean, even with all my pedals "off" I still have a noise gate that's always on.

Is this just a case of internet forum parroting?

 

[NegativeEase]

Yes, any pedal engaged in the chain has a buffer. But a buffer isn't required at all, especially if you like the way your guitar and preamp interact directly.

However, once you start stacking things in between your guitar and amp you have to start thinking about whether you want a dedicated one as your signal starts to roll off fidelity. If you have 4-8 pedals on a board in serial order and and have moments where no pedal is engaged at all -probably a good time to think about an alway on buffer.

People also like a high quality buffer in front of other peoples either for the "sound" or the ability to keep S/N ratio excellent before the guitar hits a bunch of pedals with dubious S/N ratios and adding noise when engaged too.

 

[Aceman]

And that covers that.

 

[Securb]

Anything you put in the signal will affect the tone/sound. Long cords and signal chains roll off the highs. For some people, this can be a desirable tone. I don't buy into the "tone suck" conversation if your setup delivers a tone you like.

A buffer will return some of these highs to your tone. For some people like myself who are happy with the tone of their rig, adding a buffer is not in the conversation. If you are losing high-end frequencies because of a long signal chain, then yes, consider a buffer. But if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

 

[Aceman]

I think a lot of the "tone suck" is exactly what you said Bruce. People who can perceive the slightest lost of high frequencies, whether it sounds good or not.

Examples: My Mesa Stiletto is a bright amp. Rolling off highs in any way is not a bad thing.

Another - most Vox AC30's - way brighter than most need. You run that 20' chord and don't worry.

 

[solspirit]

What exactly is a biffer?

 

[beaubrummels]

It's a circuit the results in a high impedance to the instrument. Try these:

https://diyeffectspedals.com/guitar-pedal-buffers/
https://www.effectrode.com/knowledge-base/how-to-use-a-guitar-buffer-pedal/
http://www.muzique.com/lab/buffers.htm

 

[solspirit]

Thanks

 

[Rex_Rocker]

BTW, some people say the Boss tuner is a quality buffer. It's not. It barely has any headroom at all. Hot pickups mate it clip.

 

[Mincer]

Honestly, I never worried too much about it.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Especially when using a pedalboard, cable runs can become longer than you might think.
Of course nowadays so many pedals have buffered bypass that it'd almost be hard to populate a board without at least one...

And, as mentioned above, sometimes a bit of treble rolloff is just what's needed.
Jimi used high-capacitance coiled cables to mellow his high end a bit.

Players have sometimes even put a very low value cap to ground on the output of an unusually bright guitar.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Yes, any pedal engaged in the chain has a buffer. But a buffer isn't required at all, especially if you like the way your guitar and preamp interact directly.

However, once you start stacking things in between your guitar and amp you have to start thinking about whether you want a dedicated one as your signal starts to roll off fidelity. If you have 4-8 pedals on a board in serial order and and have moments where no pedal is engaged at all -probably a good time to think about an alway on buffer.

People also like a high quality buffer in front of other peoples either for the "sound" or the ability to keep S/N ratio excellent before the guitar hits a bunch of pedals with dubious S/N ratios and adding noise when engaged too.

You so smaht!!!

 

[misterwhizzy]

BTW, some people say the Boss tuner is a quality buffer. It's not. It barely has any headroom at all. Hot pickups mate it clip.

It seems like you just came in to dump on Boss, but I don't disagree their buffer isn't great. I swapped my old TU-2 out for a Korg Pitchblack and have had lower pedalboard noise since the change. Plus I like the angry robot look when you get a note tuned just right. I'm sure Pitchblack owners understand what I'm saying here.

 

[Chistopher]

I think what he's trying to say is that for that advice to be any help you'd have to be in a very specific situation.

There's no point in buying a buffer unless you only have true bypass pedals that are never on AND you are experiencing treble loss that can't be regained elsewhere in the circuit.

However, I will mention that a bad buffer can ruin your sound. I've only had one pedal that did this, and that was a wah pedal, so I just put it on it's own switch on my pedal board to cut it out the circuit when it was off.

 

[solspirit]

[No message]

 

[Gtrjunior]

I think what he's trying to say is that for that advice to be any help you'd have to be in a very specific situation.

There's no point in buying a buffer unless you only have true bypass pedals that are never on AND you are experiencing treble loss that can't be regained elsewhere in the circuit.

However, I will mention that a bad buffer can ruin your sound. I've only had one pedal that did this, and that was a wah pedal, so I just put it on it's own switch on my pedal board to cut it out the circuit when it was off.

I’ve also had a wah give me issues. Mine was a switch less one.

 

[jeremy]

BTW, some people say the Boss tuner is a quality buffer. It's not. It barely has any headroom at all. Hot pickups mate it clip.

i used a boss tu2 forever, but never kept it inline. always sat on top of the amp cause i didnt like the way things sounded with it inline. that got stolen so now have a tu3, and it might be better, but i have no idea. im so used to having the tuner sitting on the amp, thats where it lives. a good buffer isnt a bad thing though. the fulldrive 3 has a good one for example

 

[NegativeEase]

From my guitar, I have a long cable and then a Pitch Black Tuner due to the screen visibility and true bypass -so that except when tuning, the always on buffer in my system is the second pedal -an Origin 1176 compressor which has a hell of a nice buffer (super low S/N ratio and big headroom), This buffer preserves the high end and bass tightness after the long journey through the stage cable.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

It seems like you just came in to dump on Boss, but I don't disagree their buffer isn't great. I swapped my old TU-2 out for a Korg Pitchblack and have had lower pedalboard noise since the change. Plus I like the angry robot look when you get a note tuned just right. I'm sure Pitchblack owners understand what I'm saying here.

i used a boss tu2 forever, but never kept it inline. always sat on top of the amp cause i didnt like the way things sounded with it inline. that got stolen so now have a tu3, and it might be better, but i have no idea. im so used to having the tuner sitting on the amp, thats where it lives. a good buffer isnt a bad thing though. the fulldrive 3 has a good one for example

Not all Boss buffers are the same, though. They vary from pedal to pedal. I haven't tried any of their Waza stuff, but the white TU-3 sucks LOL.

 

[beaubrummels]

I've never kept a tuner in the signal path. I've always had whatever tuner on a bypass loop separate from the pedals. I used a TU-12H on the tuner loop of an EB vol pedal, until the jack wore out, then a TU-12EX for a while on an A/B pedal path. Used clip ons for a bit, but they each tune differently, slightly sharp or flat in a way that doesn't work on all my guitars. Lately I just use the built-in tuner in the Zoom, which bypasses the output and tunes very well in any scenario I've faced. I guess I naturally avoided the BOSS buffer problem.

Interesting the love for Korg in here. I became not a fan boy because my first experience with their tuners and metronomes, the metronomes lacked all the BPM points so I could match songs I needed, and the tuners were skittish and didn't settle and tell me reliably when things were at pitch. Maybe they've improved and I'll have to look into them again.