colin

All,

Many pedals advertise true bypass a positive feature.
Not sure why have I missed something ?

1) True bypass directly connects the input to the output of the pedal ensures there is no colouration of tone or alteration of signal level.

Modern electronics also does this whilst maintaining a high input impedance and low output impedance. This means you can plug directly into a recording desk for example in bypass without loading the guitar pickups.

2) In the event of power failure a true bypass will rescue the situation.

Most pedals will allow an external power supply with the battery in-situ so if the power fails the battery will take over.

3) In the event of a circuit failure a true bypass will rescue the situation.

Modern electronics are more reliable than the clunky latching changeover switches normally used to achieve true bypass.

I remain mystified !!

Can anyone explain ?

darkhorse

I have been dealing w the issue of buffer circuit pedals and true bypass for a long time. It can be befuddling issue at times. There is a simple truth to the issue in regards to what the best pedalboard config consists of and what is not ideal. True bypass like buffer circuit pedals have both good and bad attributes and too many of either is not ideal. Few common pedals have really good designed buffer circuits that are considered high end. True wired bypass is the popular thing these days except for those still using chains of little Boss pedals.

True bypass does not save you from signal degrade and loading no matter what is claimed. The more in/out jacks more patch cables all keeps adding to the loading effect. Too many or all buffered pedals is too many and will end up befuddling the true tone and feel of your guitar and tone and will probably add noise into the signal.

The best method is a sandwich of BOTH types of pedals. A high end buffer pedal up front and one at the end of a chain of true bypass is the best scenario. Boss pedals are not great buffer circuits. The best method to arrange the ideal config is to run true bypass when possible and buffer the ends of the chain. If you have a lot of buffer pedals you might consider rigging them into a switching pedal by pass loop like the Carl Martin Octa or others.

There is big difference in a high end specialty buffer like a Lehle box, Radial and others. The real buffer circuit drops the impedance down from high to low and makes everything after it basically invisible to the signal. For those out to fine tune your board and tone just to get that little extra quality and openness of a load free chain you'll like the difference. I currently use a Radial PB1 on my front and the all tube buffer of my Ibanez Tube King last in chain, does the trick really well. Everything in between is all hard wire bypass.

By pass does indeed pass a signal in case of power fail but there are ways to deal w that. Some keep a battery in the pedal when using supplies which takes over if supply fails. I tend to not play until the problem is fixed as I do not keep batteries in my pedals these days.

If you want the ideal config it is worth the effort to either use bypass w a good buffer pedal or use one of the many bypass loop switcher pedals.

BTW, If you have trouble w your wah and you like the normal up front wah position in the chain, then put your wah right before the buffer pedal and this will solve any interface issues you might have. Works better for me and I use CAE bypass wah.

colin

Hi darkhorse,
Ta.
You would have thought that these days components were high enough quality for the buffer not to effect the frequency response or add noise. You can understand in budget distortion pedals the high gain required for distortion would add noise but buffers are unity gain so should be ok. Perhaps I'll test a few and post the results.

later
Colin Myth Buster

darkhorse

I have always heard that about Boss. No way they can be similar to the circuit in my Radial PB1, that little box is so heavy it is weird, some serious tech in there. The only thing heavier and more packed is my Ibanez real tube unit and that has a full blown transformer inside. Simple truth that a long chain of true bypass and cable is signal loading. Too many buffers especially of simple quality muddle the signal and the best pedal designers cite they can induce noise into the signal and mask your true tone. Far too many agree to list that the best chain is a quality high end buffer front of chain, true bypass in the middle and often a final buffer on the end is the best of all worlds.

I run like 11 pedals in two chains and have no noise at all, even my uber gain options are not really noisy. When you plug into the Radial or a Lehle buffer you hear an immediate lifting off the signal, enhanced clarity and response. I never heard that sort of thing from any Boss pedal.

No way a little Boss pedal is the same quality of the Radial, or Lehle. Do test them, how in what way? Unless you have the pedals I cannot imagine how you can compare the quality. Anyway, thanks for responding at least I know I am not on an island here.

Bill

^I've been suggesting this setup for years. Most of Boss' buffers aren't THAT bad. In fact, using a Boss pedal at each end is usually an improvement compared to not having them in a long pedal chain. They probably aren't the BEST buffers but most of them aren't that bad. There are a lot worse in a lot of other pedals.

In the end, good buffered pedals and true bypass pedals are both good if used properly.

I'm actually working on buffered bypass on the pedals I'm producing. Mainly because the switching is silent and I have good buffers in most of my pedals already. I just have to switch all my boards over to SMT to make room for the added components.

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Griffin Effects