True bypass versus buffered bypass

[stewart]

A strobostomp and a tubescreamer? You're done, son.

horses 4 courses.

[SoylentGreenIsPeople]

BAH I NEED A BUFFER. Too bad Bassman takes funding priority.

So you took my advice? You won't be sorry.

[Reece]

Mind you, mine has been tweaked and modifed to perfection.

ah the sweet smell of burning plastic.

i actually don't hate the sound of a tubescreamer. it would never ever suit me because it's all mids.

the thing that gets my goat about them is their reverence as some sort of HOLY GRAIL OF TONE amongst tone questing idiots.

[cobascis]

BAH I NEED A BUFFER. Too bad Bassman takes funding priority.

So you took my advice? You won't be sorry.

I'm getting a head, look in classifieds.

[TieDye]

Mind you, mine has been tweaked and modifed to perfection.

ah the sweet smell of burning plastic.

i actually don't hate the sound of a tubescreamer. it would never ever suit me because it's all mids.

the thing that gets my goat about them is their reverence as some sort of HOLY GRAIL OF TONE amongst tone questing idiots.

You CAN modify a tubesceamer and take out the mids. How many mids you remove is up to you and what change you make. For people like me, that's no problem, so a tubescreamer does not have me cowering with fear. Tubescreamers are not the holy grail of tone. A great sounding amp is more important than anything.

[Mike]

A great sounding amp doesn't have the clean signal riding in the distortion mix like a tubescreamer. I find that more offensive than any honky midrange or percieved bass loss.

I think there are many, many more attractive circuit topologies for generating amp-like dirt.

[Doog]

Mike, do you know if the RAT has any form of clean blend in the circuit?

At times I've listened to my recordings (moreso the "straight to amp sim" stuff) and it definitely sounds like it may be the case, albeit A LOT more subtle than a Tubescreamer.

[Mike]

It's not really clean blend as such that is causing the effect as far as I understand it (and I'm far from an expert, I just know it when I hear it), it's more that some of the original signal content remains unclipped - and the RAT has very frequency dependent clipping (that's what the Ruetz mod messes with) so it's perfectly possible that some of the signal would arrive unsullied at the output. It uses hard clipping to ground rather that soft clipping in the feedback loop like a Tubescreamer so the effect is lessened for sure. My favourite designs are the ones that resemble preamplifier topologies; like the DLS and the Box Of Rock/BSAIB - they have more push-pull-like gain stages which mangle the signal in a more natural way to my ears.

[Pens]

What Mike said. The Rat is really the same style of design as the TubeScreamer, basic Opamp with the gain controlled by the feedback loop, which also has its own RC network to set it's frequency response. In other words, it just doesn't amp up certain frequencies all that much, so those will get through undistorted.

The Volume control on a Rat is standard, just like a guitar Volume control. Signal to lug 1, wiper to output, lug 3 to ground.

[Mike]

Since this thread was made, I've been mucking about here at home listening to guitar straight to amp and through some pedals etc, and I can notice the difference even in my modest home setup which is just:

Guitar -> Korg DT-10 -> MBM Dual Drive Pedal -> MBM Echo Base -> Amp

There is a definite loss of clarity and sparkle that not even amp settings can resolve, since if you brighten up your sound that way, when pedals are engaged, they're hitting an overly bright amp and sound arse - so I'm going to make myself just a tiny, always on buffer in Hammond A case. I might start making them with a picture of Doog on - or maybe that picture of him and me looking at each other sat down at Doogfest...

[stewart]

that's a good idea, i can imagine a healthy interest in them from peeps on here and elsewhere. you could maybe stick some sond klips on your website too for comparison.

[Haze]

Saltbooster with a Klon buffer - do an

[Doog]

so I'm going to make myself just a tiny, always on buffer in Hammond A case. I might start making them with a picture of Doog on - or maybe that picture of him and me looking at each other sat down at Doogfest...

Haha, 'mazing.

[Thom]

so I'm going to make myself just a tiny, always on buffer in Hammond A case...

You know I was thinking about asking you about making such a thing this very afternoon
Let me know how it goes - might need to order one from you.

[Mike]

Will do, kids. I ordered some cases today.

[lorez]

sounds interesting mike, looking forward to the results

[Empires]

I am interest.

Doogface buffer at a reasonable price is a good thing

[Doog]

Lord knows you won't get any customers charging much for something with my face on it..

[Bacchus]

I've always thought that Mike or Tim or someone could make a killing putting buffers into those tiny little cases that are about the size of your thumb. Sell a set of three for sixty quid, and watch all the tone purists go crazy putting them everywhere.

[Mike]

I've always thought that Mike or Tim or someone could make a killing putting buffers into those tiny little cases that are about the size of your thumb. Sell a set of three for sixty quid, and watch all the tone purists go crazy putting them everywhere.

haha never saw this. £20 each would only just cover parts to be honest.