The "True Bypass" myth

[Zachman]

from my experence i'd take a buffered bypass over true any day! TBP switches never last and sometimes fail within the first month. All my TBP pedals except the maxon stuff has been replaced at least once. If you use all TBP you better have some high quality low capacitance cable or you'll have the same problems

 

 

Well: I think Bob Bradshaw's info on his site addresses the scenario of buffers and TB pretty well:

 

Pedal boards are fine if you just want a few pedals and your switching needs are basic. We build them all the time. But if you are truly serious about your tone, and you want many sound options available to you at any time (not to mention preset combinations and midi program change capability), a switching system is the way to go. No one said you have to turn on all the stuff at the same time! Besides, THERE IS NO CLEANER SIGNAL PATH FROM GUITAR TO AMP THAN WITH A SWITCHING SYSTEM, PERIOD. With a pedal board, even if every effect is bypassed, and you have "100% bypass" switches in all your effects (which is rare), you are still running through every pedal, and every cable and connection in the system. If something fails, good luck finding it. There is still a major capacitive buildup (which results in a severe loss of tone, mainly high end) because your signal must go through each cable and pedal. This is why signal buffers are so important. With a CAE switching system, troubleshooting is easy because you can bypass to get effects out of the signal path, and you can patch in between various places in the signal path, when you know what to look for. With a CAE custom switching system (we can't vouch for other manufacturers) the majority of the signal path is hard wired internally, and with a loop based system bypassing the effect bypasses the cables connecting the effect as well! This is impossible with a traditional pedal board.

 

What are buffers and how are they used?

 

Buffers are extremely important in a multi-component system. They are often misunderstood and often get a bad rap by those who are uninformed. In a CAE system, a buffer is a unity gain (input level equals output level) impedance converting circuit. It essentially protects your high impedance guitar output (or any other high impedance source, such as an amps' effects loop send) from being loaded down by the input it is connected to. In effect, it converts high impedance to low, which means subsequent stages are then driven by a low impedance source (the buffer's output). High impedance sources such as your guitar's output (assuming you have passive pickups) has very little current drive capability and it's signal is subject to a harsh environment once it leaves the guitar. You already know the adverse affect a long cable has on your tone. Same thing happens if you pass your signal through a bunch of effects pedals. Even if they have "true bypass" (an ugly, over-used term), each one will suck a little more of your signal along with the cables and connectors, mainly due to capacitive loading of your high impedance guitar signal. The end result is a muffled weak signal that lacks clarity. But once your high impedance guitar signal hits a properly designed buffer with a high input impedance, the buffer takes over, and uses its higher current capability (remember, its an active circuit that requires a power supply) to drive all subsequent stages, thus preserving your instrument's tone. This brings us to buffer quality. Buffers come in all types of designs, from discrete transistor, op-amp, to esoteric tube designs. All have their own unique sonic stamp. At CAE we use the op-amp approach. It has served us well for years, is low noise, and is extremely transparent to our ears. Buffers often get blamed for causing an overly bright sound, but we feel if its designed properly, any perceived "brightness" is because now the guitar is not being loaded down by subsequent stages!

 

Buffers can cause problems, too. There are some effects devices that don't like to see the low output impedance of a buffer. These are typically discrete transistor designed fuzz circuits (such as the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face). They react better to the high impedance output of the guitar. In fact, the guitar output, cable and input stage of the Fuzz Face complete a circuit that is highly dependent of those 3 components to work correctly. Fuzz Faces clean up nicely when you roll back the guitar volume control... not so if a buffer is between the guitar and Fuzz Face input. So if you have a pedal board with a Fuzz Face on it , put it first! Other pedals may react the same way. Experiment to see what works best for you. Keep in mind all active pedals (such as Boss, Ibanez, etc...) act as buffers and will impart their own sonic stamp even when bypassed. This is what started the whole "true bypass" (ugh! that term again) craze. See? Too much of a good thing can be "bad". Which brings us to how we utilize buffers in CAE custom switchers. We only use buffers where absolutely necessary. Typically, in a pedal based system we will not buffer until after the first 4-5 loops, which is usually just prior to sending the signal down to the pedal board (via a long cable run, hence the need to buffer) to hit the wah/volume pedals. Any more than 4 or 5 loops, and the guitar signal may be affected by capacitive loading. So the first few loops is where you would put any impedance sensitive effects. This also means your guitar will go through fuzz, overdrive or distortion pedals BEFORE the wah. We prefer this order because the wah then has a more harmonically rich signal to filter. Try it yourself. Of course, if a specific order is required, we will do everything we can to make it happen. Buffers are also necessary to drive isolation transformers, since the relatively low primary impedance of the transformers may be detrimental to whatever circuit is feeding it. This is also why amp splitter circuits must be buffered. You can't drive multiple amps with a relatively high impedance source. So there usually is a buffer somewhere in the output stage of your custom switcher. That's usually it. 2 places minimum. There may be more active stages depending on your system requirements.

[bluesmann]

Well: I think Bob Bradshaw's info on his site addresses the scenario of buffers and TB pretty well: Pedal boards are fine if you just want a few pedals and your switching needs are basic. We build them all the time. But if you are truly serious about your tone, and you want many sound options available to you at any time (not to mention preset combinations and midi program change capability), a switching system is the way to go. No one said you have to turn on all the stuff at the same time! Besides, THERE IS NO CLEANER SIGNAL PATH FROM GUITAR TO AMP THAN WITH A SWITCHING SYSTEM, PERIOD. With a pedal board, even if every effect is bypassed, and you have "100% bypass" switches in all your effects (which is rare), you are still running through every pedal, and every cable and connection in the system. If something fails, good luck finding it. There is still a major capacitive buildup (which results in a severe loss of tone, mainly high end) because your signal must go through each cable and pedal. This is why signal buffers are so important. With a CAE switching system, troubleshooting is easy because you can bypass to get effects out of the signal path, and you can patch in between various places in the signal path, when you know what to look for. With a CAE custom switching system (we can't vouch for other manufacturers) the majority of the signal path is hard wired internally, and with a loop based system bypassing the effect bypasses the cables connecting the effect as well! This is impossible with a traditional pedal board. What are buffers and how are they used? Buffers are extremely important in a multi-component system. They are often misunderstood and often get a bad rap by those who are uninformed. In a CAE system, a buffer is a unity gain (input level equals output level) impedance converting circuit. It essentially protects your high impedance guitar output (or any other high impedance source, such as an amps' effects loop send) from being loaded down by the input it is connected to. In effect, it converts high impedance to low, which means subsequent stages are then driven by a low impedance source (the buffer's output). High impedance sources such as your guitar's output (assuming you have passive pickups) has very little current drive capability and it's signal is subject to a harsh environment once it leaves the guitar. You already know the adverse affect a long cable has on your tone. Same thing happens if you pass your signal through a bunch of effects pedals. Even if they have "true bypass" (an ugly, over-used term), each one will suck a little more of your signal along with the cables and connectors, mainly due to capacitive loading of your high impedance guitar signal. The end result is a muffled weak signal that lacks clarity. But once your high impedance guitar signal hits a properly designed buffer with a high input impedance, the buffer takes over, and uses its higher current capability (remember, its an active circuit that requires a power supply) to drive all subsequent stages, thus preserving your instrument's tone. This brings us to buffer quality. Buffers come in all types of designs, from discrete transistor, op-amp, to esoteric tube designs. All have their own unique sonic stamp. At CAE we use the op-amp approach. It has served us well for years, is low noise, and is extremely transparent to our ears. Buffers often get blamed for causing an overly bright sound, but we feel if its designed properly, any perceived "brightness" is because now the guitar is not being loaded down by subsequent stages! Buffers can cause problems, too. There are some effects devices that don't like to see the low output impedance of a buffer. These are typically discrete transistor designed fuzz circuits (such as the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face). They react better to the high impedance output of the guitar. In fact, the guitar output, cable and input stage of the Fuzz Face complete a circuit that is highly dependent of those 3 components to work correctly. Fuzz Faces clean up nicely when you roll back the guitar volume control... not so if a buffer is between the guitar and Fuzz Face input. So if you have a pedal board with a Fuzz Face on it , put it first! Other pedals may react the same way. Experiment to see what works best for you. Keep in mind all active pedals (such as Boss, Ibanez, etc...) act as buffers and will impart their own sonic stamp even when bypassed. This is what started the whole "true bypass" (ugh! that term again) craze. See? Too much of a good thing can be "bad". Which brings us to how we utilize buffers in CAE custom switchers. We only use buffers where absolutely necessary. Typically, in a pedal based system we will not buffer until after the first 4-5 loops, which is usually just prior to sending the signal down to the pedal board (via a long cable run, hence the need to buffer) to hit the wah/volume pedals. Any more than 4 or 5 loops, and the guitar signal may be affected by capacitive loading. So the first few loops is where you would put any impedance sensitive effects. This also means your guitar will go through fuzz, overdrive or distortion pedals BEFORE the wah. We prefer this order because the wah then has a more harmonically rich signal to filter. Try it yourself. Of course, if a specific order is required, we will do everything we can to make it happen. Buffers are also necessary to drive isolation transformers, since the relatively low primary impedance of the transformers may be detrimental to whatever circuit is feeding it. This is also why amp splitter circuits must be buffered. You can't drive multiple amps with a relatively high impedance source. So there usually is a buffer somewhere in the output stage of your custom switcher. That's usually it. 2 places minimum. There may be more active stages depending on your system requirements.

this is what i use the poor mans switcher.

[Electric Catfish]

[Zachman]

[Zachman]

this is what i use the poor mans switcher.

 

 

This is what I use, when I use a bunch of stuff: CAE Custom Switcher.... Works great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When only using a couple of pedals and a mono rig, I just run the pedals in series in front of the amp, and maybe an Intellifex in the loop... and don't worry about it.

 

[NITEFLY182]

from my experence i'd take a buffered bypass over true any day! TBP switches never last and sometimes fail within the first month. All my TBP pedals except the maxon stuff has been replaced at least once. If you use all TBP you better have some high quality low capacitance cable or you'll have the same problems, treble loss, muddy tone.

 

 

Something is wrong with the way you use gear then. I have owned and built hundreds of pedals with taiwan 3pdts and have never ever had a single failure. The fact that all your pedals have broken switches should tell you something.

[Zachman]

 

Something is wrong with the way you use gear then. I have owned and built hundreds of pedals with taiwan 3pdts and have never ever had a single failure. The fact that all your pedals have broken switches should tell you something.

 

 

I was thinking the same thing, but with all Carling switches in my big rig, and original box logo MXR pedals that are still functioning perfectly since the 70's, it either just doesn't ring true, OR serious abuse or POS gear preference.

[bluesmann]

Something is wrong with the way you use gear then. I have owned and built hundreds of pedals with taiwan 3pdts and have never ever had a single failure. The fact that all your pedals have broken switches should tell you something.

 

 

 

no i treat them all like my baby's its the switches. The boutique builders won't tell you this publically but when you have a issues like i have had in the past thats the excuse used. They don't make good TBP switches or my thought is maybe they use the cheapest ones they can find.

 

 

Zack, i've seen your rig before and not everybody needs that but it sure looks nice but not practicle for most

[Zachman]

no i treat them all like my baby's its the switches. The boutique builders won't tell you this publically but when you have a issues like i have had in the past thats the excuse used. They don't make good TBP switches or my thought is maybe they use the cheapest ones they can find. Zack, i've seen your rig before and not everybody needs that but it sure looks nice but not practicle for most

Agree... the Big rig IS over the top, I admit it-- I'd say it is so far beyond the realm of "need" and DEFINITELY not for most-- actually it's ONLY for me, and my friends.

[YOUTUBE]m2mJ_xX7gNc&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]LjTLmwtBx7g&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]CdHwhMzJbeo&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]ggixAf-eouk&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

[myTakamine]

In general I agree that it's not a big deal, but for years I used a green Big Muff Pi that sucked a lot of tone, so now I like to keep everything TBP just because it's one less thing to worry about. Most non-musicians can't tell the difference, though. That much is true.

 

 

Yeah, when it's off, the green BMP defines tone-suckage. I'd be shocked if there was a better (worse?) example.

[theboywho]

i do that alot for different tones

 

 

 

I do that a lot, then wonder why my guitar sounds funny/isn't cutting through/is cutting through too much...

 

I need to put an LED on it.

[bluesmann]

I do that a lot, then wonder why my guitar sounds funny/isn't cutting through/is cutting through too much... I need to put an LED on it.

 

 

its all rig dependent and how your wah is set up. You can hear me useing the wah that way in a song on my soundclick link below called "living insain"

[english_bob]

TBP switches never last

 

 

 

There's no such thing as "a true bypass switch". If you mean a 3-pole, double-throw switch, which is what you'll normally find in TB pedals, there's still a variety of manufacturers and quality levels you might expect.

 

I agree on the capacitance and tone loss points though- you can buy dedicated buffers to "bookend" your TB pedalboard and, in theory, get the best of both worlds.

 

In the real world, buffers may be better, but only if they're well designed and good quality. One badly buffered pedal can really cause your tone to suffer; one true bypassed pedal and the cables attached to it will never have such a dramatically negative effect. Admittedly, neither is a perfect solution.

[melx]

I've come to the conclusion I prefer buffered pedals, I always has loads of volume issues when I was using all TB pedals, you know when you put a pedal infront of another and it makes the one after have a volume drop. I had serious problems with my big muff, the pedals I use now are 90% buffered and I get a lot less issues, I can order them how I like and they all seem to work fine. It's very rare that I use a totally uneffected signal, so any kind of 'tone loss' is not really noticed. in other words I never have all my pedals totally bypassed anyway.

[english_bob]

^ I think DOD bypass has a less noticeable effect on tone than the BOSS pedals I've used. It's certainly not in the Crybaby league of tonesuck, but not many pedals are.

[melx]

^ I think DOD bypass has a less noticeable effect on tone than the BOSS pedals I've used. It's certainly not in the Crybaby league of tonesuck, but not many pedals are.

 

 

yeah, to be honest the only time I've noticed anything really bad was with a crybaby....I have no idea why they are so terrible but in my experience they are!!

[bluesmann]

I think they worked that out with some of the crybaby's now. I'm not sure if they use a TBP or added a buffer. I had one of the earlier ones and it was pretty bad bypassed.
I bought one of the Fasel models and it aint bad at all.
Still like my Area 51 better as far as wah goes.