Buffered Bypass

[morange]

How do you guys feel about buffered bypass? Lets say, a jfet input op-amp buffer, for the sake of this argument, so it's real clear sounding, with a 9V supply voltage, so peak to peak headroom is limited to less than that: like, 7 Volts peak to peak.

For an effect with one input and two outputs, would you rather they be buffered in bypass mode, or true bypass (a y-split cable in bypass, basically)?

[PetZounds]

I am 100% fine with things being buffered bypass.
If there wasn't so many P&WTGP-type folks who think that everything needs to be true bypass to be any good, we would probably have more builders making cool circuits with buffers when they see them to be necessary.
As it is, people likely make everything true bypass just because that's what everyone expects, because if it's not true bypass it isn't "good quality".

My delay doesn't need to be true bypass, c'mon.
If your delay has a buffer, it can have trails.
Every delay should have that option, it's rad!

[morange]

For pedals where the effected guitar tone is supposed to stay more or less clean (like delay), then buffered bypass makes a lot of sense, because the true bypassed signal could sound a lot different than the effected signal if the input impedance of the next effect in the chain is different. With buffered bypass, the guitar pickup would always see the same load. That's one good argument for buffered bypass.

But there are a lot of good arguments for each way. I guess maybe the best answer is to have both as options, like the Hardwire DL-8, for example. But this isn't TGP and I'm really interested in what you all have to say about it.

[tremolo3]

I still don't care.
Because of the way I play I couldn't tell if I'm using all Boss or trve bypass booteekz peddles.

[goroth]

I think everything should give you the option of tb/buffer. If that's not possible then tb only. My reasoning is simple - I don't want the order of my effects to be determined by which pedals are buffered or not. For example, I'd love to play with a dd-3 first in the chain and then a Velcro fuzz, but that's never going to happen because the dd-3 buffer messes with the fuzz.

I think buffers are awesome. Even if I was a (shudders) straight to amp guy, if I had cables longer then say 3 metres I'd play with a buffer. But I dislike being forced to place buffers at certain points in my chain.

Lastly, it can be fun to nerd it up with buffers as well. I think all modern buffers sound good, but an op-amp buffer does sound different to a jfet buffer, with slightly different gain characteristics. And it's cool to choose what buffer you want where.

[neonblack]

I just started playing around with a Boss compressor and I haven't noticed much of a difference when I bypass it.

[morange]

Sorry guys that voted already, I added no preference option. I didn't want one or the other to win because it was chosen as a default. Vote again!

[kbit]

I think everything should give you the option of tb/buffer. If that's not possible then tb only. My reasoning is simple - I don't want the order of my effects to be determined by which pedals are buffered or not. For example, I'd love to play with a dd-3 first in the chain and then a Velcro fuzz, but that's never going to happen because the dd-3 buffer messes with the fuzz.

I think buffers are awesome. Even if I was a (shudders) straight to amp guy, if I had cables longer then say 3 metres I'd play with a buffer. But I dislike being forced to place buffers at certain points in my chain.

Agreed. Sometimes I dont notice a buffer messing with my dirt but other times but its a total buzzkill.

Delay -> gated fuzz rules