I LOVE BUFFERS

[PetZounds]

What's that?
"Tone sucking", you say?
Yeah, if by that you mean "sounds-like-your-tone-being-sucked-off".
True bypass is shit, I wish every pedal was buffered.
Post a picture of all your buffered pedals in a big pile!

Let's try to perpetuate some rumors about true bypass.
Do the right thing and fight for the little guy: support buffered bypass.

[Chankgeez]

[Ghost Hip]

WE ALL HAVE LONG SIGNAL CHAINS, YOU GOTTA BUFF THAT SHIT. KEEP DAT SHEEN.

[Chankgeez]

What about "relay-based true bypass"?

Where's the love there?

[backwardsvoyager]

PETZOUNDS FOR PRESIDENT

[goroth]

I would never play without at least one buffer in my chain, but I treat buffers like pedals - they sound a bit different and its nice to be able to choose. I prefer TB just so I can choose where in the chain I want a buffer and what sort.

But yeah, buffers 4 life. Bro.

[PetZounds]

What about "relay-based true bypass"?

Where's the love there?

If each word were two syllables, it would be way better.
Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Or Mighty Morphing Power Rangers.
Or Hey! Arnold.

PETZOUNDS FOR PRESIDENT

[Mike]

Let's try to perpetuate some rumors about true bypass.

A little known fact about the standard blue 3PDT switches is that, at moderately high volumes, the spring and the metal actuator contained within the switch can create phase-aligned sympathetic resonances, both sub-harmonic and super-harmonic. While you can't actually hear the dreaded "blue 3PDT resonance"-- a term coined in the early 1980s-- the frequencies do interact with frequencies in the audible range, resulting in unpredictable frequency cancellation.

This can be minimized during the switch manufacturing process by using a specific quantity and type of grease to lubricate the mechanical components of the switch. Unfortunately, near the end of the 1970s, international agreements were put in place that prohibited the use of that lubricant due to its high toxicity. A suitable substitute was found, however it is very heat-sensitive. Simply soldering the switch changes the viscosity of the lubricant, and that all but guarantees that you will experience the dreaded blue 3PDT resonance.

That is why your setup sounds good most of the time, but some days, it just doesn't sound right. Maybe it is dull, maybe it sounds like there is a blanket over the speakers, maybe it just sounds different than you remembered. That, my friends, is the dreaded blue 3PDT resonance. It stifles creativity, and must be avoided at all costs.

If you must use a bypass, buffered bypass is the only way to go. Anyone who uses true bypass is a fool.

[01010111]

THE SECRET BEHIND MY SCULPTED, MUSCLY BODY IS BUFFERS.
BUFFERS MAKE YOU BUFF.

[goroth]

Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Or Mighty Morphing Power Rangers.
Or Hey! Arnold.

That's beautiful man.

[Sparrow]

I would never play without at least one buffer in my chain, but I treat buffers like pedals - they sound a bit different and its nice to be able to choose. I prefer TB just so I can choose where in the chain I want a buffer and what sort.

But yeah, buffers 4 life. Bro.

Buffers ! smuffers ! i've seen those threads.

Goroth is right on.
if were Serious.

[KaosCill8r]

Yeah buffers are good. But you don't want too many in your chain. They do colour your tone if there are too many in your chain. I just run one ld1 clone after my fuzz and another ld1 clone at the end of the chain. That works well for me.

[Eivind August]

I think having more than one buffer in your chain doesn't really do anything tonewise except colouring? As far as I know the first buffered pedal in the chain does the buffering work, having any more after it doesn't really do anything. I might be wrong though.

I have a buffered pedal (Echorec) after the first fuzzes on my board.

[rfurtkamp]

I just use what sounds good in relation to everything else. Buffers, no buffers, buttholes, don't care.

[goroth]

I think having more than one buffer in your chain doesn't really do anything tonewise except colouring? As far as I know the first buffered pedal in the chain does the buffering work, having any more after it doesn't really do anything. I might be wrong though.

I have a buffered pedal (Echorec) after the first fuzzes on my board.

Basically yes. Depends on where the signal loss is, and it depends what it is coming from. Having an output buffer will drive long cables. Or having a buffer pretty much anywhere. Having an input buffer will ensure that your pedals behave the same regardless of what pickups or guitars or cables you are using as they will always be seeing the same impedance. This is good if you are using lots of different guitars or long cables to your pedal board, but if you rely on the impedance loading of your pickups/cables to get a fuzz to behave (like a fuzz face, or an oscillating fuzz) then you can't have an input buffer, and you just have to deal with stuff behaving differently.

Most modern buffers are really good. Tone sucking is basically a result of either shit old buffered pedals (like my Guyatone SV-2 that I love but had to get rid of because it just consumed all treble thrown at it when bypassed), or it is the result of TB-fanatics loading down their rigs with heaps of capacitance and losing their top end haha.