TRUE BYPASS OR NOT?!

BUFFERED BYPASS

Now let's talk about the buffered bypass pedals. This method still seems to be the norm for Boss and Ibanez pedals. In fact, these pedals are actually celebrated for having rather nice sounding buffers that many players just keep bypassed in their chain to avoid buying a stand alone buffer pedal. These bypass methods are a little more intricate. They usually involve transistors that do the circuit routing involved. Unlike true bypass pedals, buffered bypass pedals will not pass signal (even bypassed) without a power source connected. What is meant by"buffer"is that there is a small preamplifier built into the pedal that converts the impedance of the input signal into another impedance that might be a bit more stable for super long cable runs and such.

When a pedal is buffer bypassed, the actual buffer itself is usually not bypassed when the pedal is off. Why is this a good idea? Well, remember that "no cable longer than 20ft" rule? With a buffer in your signal chain, we can do what guitar players love to do most...ignore the rules! The buffer will allow you to run super long cables and suffer very little (if any) tone loss! You can also run as many cables as you'd like with no loss in tone or volume. Kiss that whole"popping"nonsense goodbye! Buffer bypass pedals usually have a soft latching switch that tells the transistors when to do their job, and they can do this silently. Now comes the big question: Why would anyone ever want a true bypass pedal when a buffered bypass pedal fixes all of these problems?

Well, since a buffer is a lot like a preamp, it has a tendency to slightly change the sound of your guitar. How much is "slightly" and just what kind of "change" are we talking about? It depends on the pedal. Typically, you can expect to get a little bit brighter of a sound with a slight volume boost. This can be great if your guitar has pickups that are a little on the dark side. It can also make a rather bright sounding Big Muff sound like killer bees have somehow built a nest inside the pedal. Some buffered bypass pedals change your tone more than others.
Buffered bypass pedals can also affect the sound and behavior of other pedals that are later in the signal chain. For instance, a Fuzz Face has the hidden feature of cleaning up with your guitar's volume knob and turning into a really amazing sounding clean boost. This happens because your guitar's pickup impedance affects the circuitry and changes with the resistance of your volume pot.

When you run into a buffered bypass pedal like a Tube Screamer, the Screamer's buffer converts your guitar's impedance (usually a high impedance) and turns it into a lower impedance. Your Fuzz Face no longer sees the changing impedance when you roll your guitar's volume knob up and down. It only sees the constant impedance that your Tube Screamer's buffer is dishing out…even when it is bypassed. These kinds of anomalies can occur in different ways with different pedals.