True Bypass

[Ripper]

Why dont all compaines and pedals use true bypass?
I just found out that the Boss DD6 has "Buffered" bypass.
Im assuming itll colour my tone.

I believe these designers know that we guitar players want to keep our true tone intact. So why do they design things without
true bypass?

Is it a cost factor?

[andy]

I have often wondered the very same thing!

I should think (though I may be wrong) that a true bypass would in fact be easier and cheaper to produce, and you're right- most guitarist are very precious about tone, and largley prefer true bypass, cluncking switches or othwerwise.

I do like the silent switching on Boss pedals but do wish I could keep the 'straight-in' tone from my setup (or at least I did when I had a guitar amp!!)- however, I did find this during a bit of research -read 'geeking up'- which seems to fly in the face of accepted opinion, but come from a very well respected guitar electronics guy...

www.petecornish.co.uk/case_against_true_bypass.html

[ashcatlt]

I think, truthfully, that it's the fact the manufacturer doesn't have any idea how you intend to use the pedal.

The big "problem" with buffered-bypass pedals comes when you've got a large number of pedals chained together and a lot of them are off. Mostly this can lead to a buildup of noise from all the 1M resistors. Many people tend to not trust the simple TL07x style buffers that are found in these units, thinking that they could "rob tone". Actually, they're really not all that bad. Nobody ever complains about the buffer when the pedal is on, so why's it such a big deal when the pedal is off?

Anyway, that link gives a good idea of why you might want at least one buffer in the chain, usually as the first pedal out of the guitar. Some people even put the buffer in the guitar. Of course, this will mess with the sound of a very few older pedal circuits such as some old wahs and the tubescreamer type overdrives.

So, like, is that delay pedal the only pedal you're using. Well, in that case it probably at least doubles the length of cable between guitar and amp, which will affect your tone a bit more than a relatively transparent unity-gain amplifier.

Is it the first pedal in a long chain? That buffer will definitely help maintain your tone through the chain.

Is it somewhere else in a long chain? If there's more than 2-3 pedals, AND a buffer at the front of the chain, you might start looking for true-bypass options on the subsequent pedals. Some people with large, elaborate pedal configurations claim to get some benefit from having a buffer at both ends, though I'm a little leary of that one...

FWIW, I've never really experienced this problem. Of course, thanks to the way I do things, it's rare that I actually have a pedal in the chain that isn't switched on. Now, having a large number of pedals in the on position can cause all kinds of tone headaches, but that's another story...

[sumgai]

My response?


Tone ain't what it's all cracked up to be.


;D





sumgai

[clr]

both my pedals (Thats right! Two! the good old duo of wah and distortion) are both true bypass, and accompanied by the occasional "pop" when activated, but after the first time of turning them on, it doesn't happen again. It's the only disadvantage I know of true bypass.