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True bypass soiling my clean tone?

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:52 am
by cobascis
Im running a Jag into: LPB-1, RAT2, SMALL CLONE> Bugera V55HD.

I plug the jag right into the amp, no pedals. I get a great chimey tone with lotsa shimmer and high end. I run my signal through the pedalboard, it is noticeably darker, and I have no ear for this sort of thing, really.

What's the deal? True-bypass pedals always boast 'leaves your clean untouched' and cost more... maybe not?

Re: True bypass soiling my clean tone?

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:58 am
by greenweenie
cobascis wrote:Im running a Jag into: LPB-1, RAT2, SMALL CLONE> Bugera V55HD.

I plug the jag right into the amp, no pedals. I get a great chimey tone with lotsa shimmer and high end. I run my signal through the pedalboard, it is noticeably darker, and I have no ear for this sort of thing, really.

What's the deal? True-bypass pedals always boast 'leaves your clean untouched' and cost more... maybe not?
A signal path full of true bypass pedals will also roll off some high end due to the fact that technically you have a longer cable run counting all patch cables.

Pete Cornish wrote an article about this - http://www.petecornish.co.uk/case_again ... ypass.html - but I think he exaggerates a bit.

To get back your high end, put a buffered pedal like a Boss at the start and/or at the end of your chain.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:58 am
by Haze
give this a read
http://www.stinkfoot.se/andreas/diy/articles/bypass.htm

and this
http://www.stinkfoot.se/andreas/diy/art ... ypass2.htm

maybe even this
[youtube][/youtube]

short story, cable capacitance

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:33 am
by cobascis
Would any old pedal do? Or do some have better buffers?

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:36 am
by Haze
There are different buffers out there.
For instance - the buffer my dunlop wah/vol = complete shite
the buffer in the MBM Klon i had = complete bliss

Boss buffers are pretty neutral if you ask me. Its another plus i like about running the RC2 at the end of my chain, aside from it being an awesome looper.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:44 am
by Will
BOSS buffers are awesome in general.

You can also wire up a relatively simple JFET or MOSFET buffer with just a few Radio Shack parts.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:58 am
by cobascis
Will wrote:BOSS buffers are awesome in general.

You can also wire up a relatively simple JFET or MOSFET buffer with just a few Radio Shack parts.
So this would be like 2 jacks and some ... innards?

Also, any experience with the bad monkey? I keep hearing good things about it, and its not tru bypass.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:06 am
by greenweenie
cobascis wrote:
Will wrote:BOSS buffers are awesome in general.

You can also wire up a relatively simple JFET or MOSFET buffer with just a few Radio Shack parts.
So this would be like 2 jacks and some ... innards?

Also, any experience with the bad monkey? I keep hearing good things about it, and its not tru bypass.
Try the TU-2 at the beginning. Great buffer and a useful pedal at that.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:07 am
by Reece
i'm looking at getting me a dt-10 for buffertonez.

i go through 6 or 7 pedals so my clean definitely loses some sparkle.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:48 am
by Will
I like the old-school buffer from the EA tremolo - it's not transparent, but it adds a little compression and "push". It's a generic JFET buffer stage feeding a silicon transistor that is almost like an LPB.

This is the standard JFET buffer:
Image

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:53 am
by chisa
[youtube][/youtube]

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 4:02 am
by cobascis
chisa wrote:[youtube][/youtube]
Yeah but im not actually going to spend 119 on a boost pedal, however good the buffer.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 4:33 am
by aen
I just have a couple bypass loops. I guess also there are abunch of buffers in the chain, but this way I can skip half my pedal board at a time.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 6:39 am
by the isaac eaton
Ive got 8 pedals im running through my chain and am planning on adding more. It does cut down my tone even though all of my pedals are true bypass.

But I am going to get one of these BBE sonic stomps to put at the end of my chain and leave it on all the time to fix the problem. ive played around with the idea of getting one of these for a while and I think its going to help out my board a lot.

Image

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 8:51 am
by Mike
Get a Korg DT-10 for your tuner. That's what I do and it sounds great. With my pitchblack in the chain it sounds like arseeeee.

It's fine for 3 pedals but no more in my experience.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:11 am
by Doog
Yeah, I'd say get a tuner since you're missing one anyways.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:39 am
by Mike
Or a fun boss or behringer pedal, but yeah - everyone should have a pedal tuner.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:21 pm
by 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.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:32 pm
by Progrockabuse
buffer would be a good little cash booster. maybe you could do something where if you brought two or more pedals, chuck a buffer in free or something.

i always keep some sort of buffer in the chain somewhere and that's always likely to be my Boss tuner. the volume pedals takes a little high end away if i don't have the TU-2 in line.

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:42 pm
by greenweenie
the isaac eaton wrote:Ive got 8 pedals im running through my chain and am planning on adding more. It does cut down my tone even though all of my pedals are true bypass.

But I am going to get one of these BBE sonic stomps to put at the end of my chain and leave it on all the time to fix the problem. ive played around with the idea of getting one of these for a while and I think its going to help out my board a lot.

Image
IMO, this is useless. I've had this pedal before and didn't really do a lot except eat an outlet from my PP2. An eq or tuner would be a more useful solution if there's loading on your signal.