You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

Sometimes I think it's not a big deal, and then I switch off a pedal and hear that sad dragging sound of a not-good buffer. Not that many pedals I've owned have done that, but when they do, I have to remind myself of it when I turn the pedal off and don't hear what I'm expecting. Thing is, I use one or two pedals at a time, generally, and I care about getting a good, robust amp tone when they're turned off. I feel pretty confident that I'll get that if the pedal is true bypass. I appreciate the benefits of a good buffer, though, and I think it would be great if pedals had a choice of true bypass or a quality buffer -- maybe selected with jumpers or DIP switches. But I guess then we'd have to argue about the impact of the selector on the tone.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

I use true bypass pedals because they're just easier to make/wire in my experience. I wanted an LED on my wah pedal, so true bypass was necessary, and it was just easier to remove and neglect the buffer than to modify the buffer. I also don't use enough pedals for there to be any real signal loss. But if I'm buying a pedal and I have no reason to modify it, I don't care if it is buffered or true-bypassed.

 

[wahwah]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

The best tone I've ever had has been with true bypass pedals and a dedicated buffer, with buffered pedals accessed via a TB looper and taken out of the direct chain. Of course, we are only talking about the clean sound with nothing engaged, but if that 'straight through' signal is something you regularly use, I think it's important. I have found that configuration to offer the closest thing to plugging straight into the amp, but with the advantages that a multi gain stage pedal setup can offer. Otherwise, I agree with Niels, use whatever works for you. If you like what buffered pedals or long cable runs do to your signal, do that. The end result at the speaker is all that matters, however it gets there.




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

 

[youngthrasher9]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

My Bad Monkey isn't true bypass, but the tone loss is minimal enough that it could just be due to using two 10 ft cables instead of one. I've never cared enough to find out what is the true culprit. Sure, I lose a bit of presence in the clean tones, but TBH I just play cleans and drive separately lots of the time.

However, if I ever shell out $170+ for single stomp box I'd want it to have maximum capability, ya know?

 

[Zombiwoof]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

Even as a kid I could tell that when I hooked up my original Vox Clyde McCoy wah, my bypassed tone suffered a lot. I didn't know at the time that it was a bypass issue, just that my great straight-into-amp sound disappeared when my wah was hooked up and bypassed. This has been a problem with wah pedals from the beginning, it's not just the newer ones. Also, at that time no one used big chains of pedals, so string up a big chain of crappy bypass pedals and the negative tonal effect when bypassed is increased. As another poster said, one dedicated buffer or buffered bypass pedal near the front of your chain helps a lot, especially if you use all true bypass pedals.

I find it interesting that the Fuzz Face was one of the only vintage pedals that was wired for true bypass from the very beginning. I guess they knew something then that most pedal companies didn't.

I started using a Micro Amp many years ago near the beginning of my pedal chain (on all the time), as I found it really helped in retaining my tone through a bunch of pedals and extra cable to hook them up. These days I use something else for that, but the Micro Amp was my mainstay for many years.

Al

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

The bypass question is only an issue when you expect one pedal rig to cope with all possible circumstances.

These days, I am mostly recording. I only hook up the pedals necessary for what I am attempting to do.

Wednesday evening, the chain was guitar > phaser > Slicer > valve amp set to crunchy > emulated Line Out > MOTU interface > computer. I had a specific idea in mind but it wasn't going very well. Then, by accident, I created a loop on the Slicer pedal. This is now the basis of a new piece.

This process only bore fruit because I was prepared to plug in and see what emerged rather than imposing a preconceived notion of how things ought to be.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

No matter how you scalp the cat....it will always be a compromise...impedance, load, and different amps and guitars....
Use what works in your different rigs, nothing else to do

Pretty much sums it up.

When I swapped pickups in Strats recently I was at a loss why the tone changed so much moving SSL-1's from one guitar to another. I realized the old guitar was always plugged in through a pedal board and had a different shielding scheme. In the new guitar sans shielding and straight into the amp the high mids just sounded different, I couldn't understand. Plugging into the board (and introducing that capacitance) got it closer to the old guitar tone. I've since become accustomed to the change due to shielding, and ended up swapping one of the pickups anyway.

Bottom line, different rigs = different results!

In also want to point out the those old crappy bypass pedals were only in the signal chain while thu were used. Gilmour didn't have the Phase 90 in his chain for the entire Wish You Were Here sessions, only when he wanted that tone. So I don't think we're hearing too many recordings of poorly bypassed pedals from that era.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

My pedalboard is not that big so buffered/true bypass is not my main isssue but it i my understanding it can be an issue for people using too many buffered pedals. Using bad quality cables is my main tone sucking issue.

 

[Aceman]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

Its the polarization that makes the issue an issue at all.

True Bypass is a god send in many situations, seriously necessary... and yet so is a buffered circuit. Sometimes a dedicated or intentional buffer is best and sometimes a built in buffer works best. It depends on the design and intent such as the buffer in my Ethos pedals. And sometimes a pedal would work fine either way. The only trouble we have today is that if you advocate 'for' True Bypass' then you must somehow be 'against' buffered circuits. Makes it nearly impossible to have a basic dialogue about the end goal which should always just be good tone. Anybody without tone deafness can hear where either is useful. When one side of the story is shoved down our throats through the personal agendas of some anonymous troll or self authoritative type, whether in a review, article, designer etc... then it becomes an issue. In real life day to day, it is just part of the consideration in achieving our end result. Fewer and fewer people have to rely on their own ears nowadays.

Cheers,

RG

Rodney - that is PERFECT!

Same as tubes vs SS, or any other issue where people have set up camp and circled the wagons! Good tone is good tone, and every box, amp, guitar has it's place - just maybe not a place for you or your music….

 

[Aceman]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

I started using a Micro Amp many years ago near the beginning of my pedal chain (on all the time), as I found it really helped in retaining my tone through a bunch of pedals and extra cable to hook them up. These days I use something else for that, but the Micro Amp was my mainstay for many years.

Al

I have an original no LED Micro Amp - and that is one of the many reasons I love it.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

Just shut up and play yer geetar. What you play is oh I dunno....10,000 times more important than what you're playing through.

Garbage in = garbage out.

 

[Aceman]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

Just shut up and play yer geetar. What you play is oh I dunno....10,000 times more important than what you're playing through.

Garbage in = garbage out.

SO true. I always feel that way when dudes complain about P90 noise, etc…. Listen to the music, not the hiss.

 

[Zombiwoof]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

Just shut up and play yer geetar. What you play is oh I dunno....10,000 times more important than what you're playing through.

Garbage in = garbage out.

"Just playing your guitar" will be a lot more pleasant experience if you know how to dial in a tone that makes it fun to play. That involves knowing how to chain pedals without losing that great sound you have with your guitar straight into the amp. I spend equal time "just playing my guitar", and working with pedals and other gear to get good tone when I'm playing. Having some knowledge of the electronics of your guitar, amp, and pedals is just as important as playing if you want to get a great sound when you're playing IMO.

Al

 

[ErikH]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

Here's the thing, saying "play yer guitar" is all fine and dandy, I get that. Heck, most of the time I don't even use pedals and when I do, it's on stage, and I don't even use many (2 max). However, there are a couple of pedals, like the phase 90 and crybaby, that just noticeably suck the tone away when engaged and bypassed. This is not something new, it's been that way for decades with those using the old style bypass. It's not just a sound thing, it's a feel thing too. When I would engage my phase 90, I could feel something missing, like a blanket being thrown over the amp. Same with the crybaby. I'll toss a Boss SD-1 or Ibanez delay in there and not care. Those two aforementioned, they needed to be modded to fix the problem.

 

[DreX]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

SO true. I always feel that way when dudes complain about P90 noise, etc…. Listen to the music, not the hiss.

At least hiss is additive, the same can't be said for "tone suck".

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

I dislike some buffered bypass pedals...mostly the old Boss and MXR stuff. Had a Japanese Boss DD-3 that had terrible bypass. Made my bypass signal very thin and when I kicked on a fuzz or drive pedal it was just fizzy and thin. I tend to stay away from old pedals for this reason now.

New buffered bypass pedals seem pretty good to me though, I have not noticed any difference in sound using the Buffered Bypass Boss Tera Echo and the visual sound axle grease delay with VS's pure tone buffer.

 

[Hank-]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

I like the new digitech hardwire pedals, they seem to have a switch to choose between true bypass & buffered bypass. TC Electronic also has the same feature available with their toneprint series pedals. I think EHX has also started introducing that feature with the new stuff, I know the soul food has it. I hope MXR also starts introducing that feature.

Personally i think if a pedal alters the signal when its turned 'on', then i'd consider that to be part of the sound of the effect pedal. But if its altering the sound in a negative way when its turned 'off', then thats a problem. Having a buffer when using 10' cable back & forth respectively is a good call IMO, even if there are just 3 true bypass pedals in the chain.

 

[Aceman]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

It all just goes to show, every pedal is different. Choose based on what your ear + gear dictate; Not intarweb mythology and propaganda.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: You know what I loved about non-true bypass pedals?

The best tone I've ever had has been with true bypass pedals and a dedicated buffer, with buffered pedals accessed via a TB looper and taken out of the direct chain. Of course, we are only talking about the clean sound with nothing engaged, but if that 'straight through' signal is something you regularly use, I think it's important. I have found that configuration to offer the closest thing to plugging straight into the amp, but with the advantages that a multi gain stage pedal setup can offer. Otherwise, I agree with Niels, use whatever works for you. If you like what buffered pedals or long cable runs do to your signal, do that. The end result at the speaker is all that matters, however it gets there.




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

Yes! Exactly! True bypass works great with a long signal run when you have a dedicated buffer ahead of it all. Everybody does things differently, but it seemed a lot easier to tailor my tone by switching out one buffer rather than re-organizing 10 different pedals doing different things to the signal. Of course, having a good buffer makes all the difference. I went through a few to find that I liked the Cornish LD-1 buffer the best and stuck with it. It's the closest thing I've found to the feel and tone of plugging directly in while still having plenty of options available to change up my tone.