That Pedal Show - Buffers, True Bypass & Unimaginable Excitement

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Okay, so we lied about the Unimaginable Excitement part. It's largely pretty dull. Except when you have the buffer engaged, and then it can get really glassy...
Welcome to That Pedal Show! Please subscribe to our channel.
In this episode, Daniel and Mick offer some discussion and practical advice on buffers, including answers to the following questions.
-What is a buffer?
-Where might you use one?
-Where should you avoid them?
-How does this all relate to true bypass pedals?
-What the hell is true bypass anyway?
-Can cables really change your tone?
If your life is too short for grown men waffling on about effects pedals, you might prefer to skip to the following sections...
Buffer On & Off Sound Examples
08.45 - 09.28
10.12 - 10.42
13.19 - 25.30
24.22 - 25.30
What Is True Bypass?
15.14 - 20.15
Where To Put Your Buffer?
20.18 - 21.57
Some Condensed Practical Conclusions
23.03 - 24.00
Buffers with Germanium Transistors
24.08 -
And that's it! It's a lot more interesting than you thought, right?
Mick is playing a Fender American Vintage ’62 Stratocaster into a Two Rock Studio Pro 35.
You also hear a Wampler Dual Fusion and an Analogman Beano Boost.
The buffer is integral to one of the outputs of TheGigRig Humdinger and we're switching things with a QMX 2 by TheGigRig.
Thank you for watching!
If you like this stuff, please subscribe to our channel.
For more on TheGigRig please visit www.thegigrig.com
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[@evanreid4269]

I love how much I learn from these videos!

[@arjunabeuger]

I'm so happy this channel exists! Even though I am not really a technical guy I managed to improve my pedalboard and therefore sound a whole lot. Dan explains it all in a way which makes everything so much easier to understand. Thanks guys!

[@boozoochavis7506]

Cables make a HUGE difference - case in point, I got a large box of used cables from a friend who owned a music store, we went through all the cables to see whether they were working or not and were absolutely amazed at how different each cable sounded on their own straight through an amp - lesson learned!! All the pieces of the signal chain matter, the sum is much greater than the parts.

[@simon_patterson]

This was exactly the explanation I was looking for. Very well explained, and very useful. Thank you!

[@jongauthier9289]

Great video! I'm so glad that I've found you guys. The information you provide for us all is absolutely indispensable. You have influenced a good deal of my pedal decisions of late, and I couldn't be happier. It's so refreshing to see two guitarists who have such a love for music and guitar and not some show-off just stroking his ego. Love it, sirs, love it!

[@petergraham9267]

I’ve been playing for 40+ years.......and wasted SO much money on stuff I didn’t need to solve problems I didn’t understand.......these boys have solved most of them in just a few videos! Top job gentlemen! 😎👍

[@jakehahn2457]

Love you dudes. One of my absolute favorite channels 👍

[@hbert06]

Great episode! You nailed the topic and it is one that every guitarist should know about. Thank you!

[@NoOne-ye5jf]

You guys should do an episode on attenuators :)

[@stefanwessel6092]

What a great episode. I'd love to see the same for bass guitarists! So much useful info!

[@SundayBackNine]

Buffers with Germanium Transistors 24.08 - It was so helpful for me! I had been wondering why my fuzzface was so glassy in my board for a long time. Thank you so much for this topics guys!

[@ThatPedalShow]

No worries sir! In fact, we’re about to do a new show on Germanium fuzzes and boosts and wah wahs... should be interesting too. :0)

[@tomquayleguitar]

Yay! Awesome to see you back, Daniel! Hope you're fully recovered. Great episode as usual - I recognise that Dual Fusion! ;-)

[@ThatPedalShow]

Oh man, that's a special pedal :)

[@paultwiselton1996]

BRILLIANT and important vid chaps. I've watched it twice back to back, to try and embed all the stuff to learn in my senile brain. Great work guys, thanks!

[@SocksworthRiffs]

Your channel is the one channel I constantly refresh every week to see if you have released a new video. I love your videos and you guys have increased my knowledge tenfold on different things about gear. Keep on making good videos, and let us know when we can buy shirts!

[@craigmachen]

I have absolutely no idea what any of this means, but I absolutely love that someone does and cares so much about it. This is a great video, even though I could only comprehend so much.

[@TheRealFreekBos]

That was SUPER helpfull! Thank you soooo much guys! Don't be afraid to go technical!

[@samatkinsphotography]

Absolutely brilliant and well explained. I took delivery of a new G2 this week and it's completely changed the way I use my pedals now - Great work Dan!

[@ThatPedalShow]

+sam atkins ah, that's so great. Thanks Sam, great to have you onboard :)

[@ThePanchomack]

Thanks for this one guys ... Had exact the same issues with my Pedals (whammy, wah, lehle dual (-->Phase 90, Boss TR 2), BB Preamp, MXR Univibe, TC Flashback) going in an 2203 marshall ... Then, after gaining some knowledge here, putting my lehle dual sgos at the beginning of the chain: everything is fine!! No more tone loss, all the highs where they should be! cheers!

[@ThatPedalShow]

+ThePanchomack Excellent! That's how it should work. Thanks for watching!

[@guitarjediwarrior]

That was so helpful and good to understand, and sums up the topic perfect. Thank you :)

[@fooschmack]

Informative and helpful. Can you guys do a show on taming RFI hum? As in the hum you get that's louder with single coils, changes depending on where you point your guitar, turns off when you roll the volume down, that kind of hum?

[@daspotz5134]

Thanks guys, I love that you went so in depth with this. I think I finally understand now. Can you comment on the buffer of the Boss TU-3?

[@crazykong5246]

A lot of great information in this video, awesome delivery.

[@calebclements362]

The Pete Cornish buffer is fantastic. Pete also has a quite interesting article on his website making the case against True Bypass. But as you say, it certainly comes down to what sounds good to your ears. Thanks for a great video!

[@capriom85]

Great video/lesson guys! Guess what!!! I added an Empress buffer to the front of my chain and...voila! No more loss of treble. 👍🏻

[@Mycall1983]

Great video, I've seen a lot of others on the subject but they miss a lot of points you covered great work !

[@sean.eidemiller]

Guys, these videos are amazing. I've been playing guitar for a LONG ASS time and I've learned so much just in these past few months of watching your show here on KZbin. Excellent tone, excellent info, top-quality banter... Obviously I'm a huge fan. Moar, pls. :-)

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Sean Eidemiller thanks Sean, glad you've got a lot out of it :)

[@jasonpitre1249]

Thanks guys, I can definitely say that I have a better understanding or insight to the whole buffer/true bypass quandary. Cheers.

[@Tomsdrawings]

Thank you thank you thank you. As always you guys are generous. Knowledge sharing is such a good thing. I’m always laughing with the teacher-student dialogue. In some other episode, Mick raises his hand and Dan says: “uhmmm. Mister Taylor?” So cool. Anyway, Dan is such a brilliant teacher! Mick is also formidable in summarizing, asking questions, giving examples and sharing anecdotes. Thank you guys, you are gold.

[@michaelpolutta3131]

The Tuffy Hotpatch was a "clip to the guitar strap" buffer that works very well. Adjustable boost (trimpot) and 3-position switch for the amount of treble to roll off (none, a bit, a bit more).

[@Erukulon]

Thank you guys for all of these videos. I constantly find myself trying to explain all of these intricacies to friends/fellow musicians and it really surprises me how absolutely backwards most people have these facts. I usually fail at making them understand it so once I see the "This guy is more confused than me" face, I tell them I'll send them a link to your videos haha. You guys should really need to put out a short book explaining these videos subjects. With lots of pictures so the bass players that buy it can at least take comfort in owning a picture book after they put it down when the first paragraph is over their heads ;)

[@brewitt1]

Underrated video! Buffer's are essential especially as you add more pedals to your board

[@JamFactoryUK]

Dan is back! Harder to follow this week but definitely worth the concentration! Thanks

[@rickyjones7282]

I've certainly experienced this in great detail many times & that's why for emergency purposes I always carry a guitar that's loaded with EMG's (active pickups) because sometimes it's the only thing that's going to get the job done!! It's not as dark art as you think & I am not technical electronically but I go trial & error & mix true bypass & buffered pedals together & somehow this seems to work!!!

[@alandalton701]

Another extremely informative show. Thanks guys.

[@MisterFinkle]

This video was very helpful. Thanks guys!

[@danielroberts9579]

Awesome! BTW, saw an Eric Johnson rig rundown years ago and he specifically pointed out piles of cable coiled on the floor to add capacitance.

[@threemilesmile6011]

I like to watch these videos more than once. That way I retain more usable knowledge, that will serve me well. You can learn this stuff by experimenting/experience, but it's great to get some much needed information too. Thank you gents for the demonstrations.

[@ThatPedalShow]

You're most welcome :)

[@DavidDyte1969]

The struggle to make physics easy is so real. Very nicely done.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thanks David :)

[@eyupiblag]

Hi there. I am a subscriber to Guitar Techniques and Guitarist mags. And you both are so humble and fantastic... Thanks for everything. Keep on rocking'..

[@flyonsoul]

Love your show - watch every week. But the more I watch the happier I am with the sound of my Tele straight into my 15 watt Fisonic valve amp maxed out and using the volume and tone pots on the guitar to colour/overdrive and the odd splash of amp vibrato

[@jeffbriggs4268]

This is one of the most important & informative videos I've seen. Well done!!! Thanks guys! Also, signal decay might be a reason to use the HX Stomp or other modelling unit.

[@TheCamilocedeno]

Such a detailed explanation about buffers. Thank you so much guys, I finally get it.

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Camilo Cedeno that's excellent Cam, so glad it's been helpful :)

[@AqmalShah]

I really love what you guys did here, and also what you guys did in other video. Really enlightened me on everything that I should know bout gear

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Aqmal Shah cheers Aqmal :)

[@michaeljstonemusic]

Immensely helpful! Thanks guys, love the show!

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Michael you're so welcome :)

[@homevalueglass3809]

Great explanation, thank you!

[@richardbrawn1019]

I actually really dug this episode, you guys know so much about the "science" of how things work, its great

[@ThatPedalShow]

So glad you enjoyed it Richard :)

[@maxdeantv6351]

hey guys I've seen almost every episode and i dig it when y'all don't use the G2, at least when you don't need to. obviously required when changing pedal order to save time. thanks for a great show, peace love. PS would be cool to see a bit of footage from sum of yalls band gigs.

[@weepingBear]

i love the show! you guys are awesome! nosebleed good!

[@chadgarmany5305]

Fantastic video. Thank you!

[@alexmibr]

Great vid!! I love it when you use the TwoRock!

[@QuadraticNightmare]

That's why I always end up leaving my light overdrive on, because it acts as a buffer!! Makes so much sense now. Thank you for the knowledge.

[@ThatPedalShow]

+QuadraticNightmare our pleasure :)

[@jwhouwers]

Great show! Now I finally have a good reason to buy that curly cable!

[@m00nsplitter72]

Thank you for yet another very interesting presentation.

[@MerrickGuitar]

I look forward to a new episode so badly. Thanks Mick and Dan

[@MerrickGuitar]

What do you guys think of the Empress Buffer+ - empresseffects.com/products/buffer-1

[@cameronwhite9959]

Buffers are also useful for fixing impedance mismatching with piezo pickups (and you don’t have an onboard preamp), in that case it gets rid of the quack on an upright bass. (Side note: I only recently realised that when we played as ‘Banjovi’ and plugged our banjos with piezos into Boss Distortion pedals, we were essentially self-medicating impedance mismatches).

[@philbrannigan5854]

Thanks for an excellent demo.

[@AlistairLindsay]

Really helpful. Thank you! 👍

[@philipvanpeborgh9273]

Firstly Dan, you're alive! Secondly, perfect timing, this was next on my list of things to understand.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yes, feeling much better, thanks P :)

[@imyerhuckleberra]

Best one yet, boys. Thanks!

[@Todesnuss]

Coincidentially this video is completely relevant to the current topic in the Audio Engieering course I am taking.

[@TheDogPa]

If you would like to be 'taken to school' on microphones, there is nothing better than this awesome book by one of my favorite teachers from when I studied Audio Engineering: "Getting Great Sounds: The Microphone Book" by Tom Lubin. Most engineers from my day had mentors like Tom and worked up from a gofer level. Today there is little mentoring or real technique passed on that way. This book helps. Every time someone is amazed by the sounds I can get from proper mic use and placement I think of Tom (thanks!). Taking classes is indeed commendable. Enjoy your journey!

[@Jacksonhabib1000]

Hey Dan, Love the show. It's completely educational and runs perfectly in time with my own discoveries.Are you going to have some Beano boosts in the shop at some point?Regards,Jamie

[@ChrisMusickx]

Very usefull video, cheers guys!

[@freddycookjr.2164]

GOOD TO SEE YOU UP AND AROUND DAN

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers Fred, feeling much better :)

[@ukaszStachowiak]

VERY VERY VERY good video! Thanks guys!

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Łukasz Stachowiak you're very welcome :)

[@TheShredMethod]

Very informative, cheers!!

[@alguitarchristie]

Great video, thanks guys! I try to follow every week, but this one I missed. I was wondering why everything sounded better just by having my old DD3 Boss delay along with my true bypass pedals and its last in the chain before going to my amp as im not using the send and return for my delays. People always told me Boss pedals were tone suckers, but just having the one buffered pedal in the chain changes everything, my Wah pedal sounds totally different when the buffer is in the chain also. Keep up the good work guys :)

[@jeremiahmountain2460]

Man I love you guys! Hilarious. Great stuff, very informative.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers J :)

[@ejgane]

Another excellent insight and cuts straight through the nonsense. Excellent work fellas 🤘

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers Ed :)

[@smol88]

Thank you so much for this episode, ik was running a TS9 in front of a MXR La Machine fuzz and never got a good tone (to much trebble). Because of this episode a changed it and put the TS9 after all my MXR pedals (also after the phase 90 en EVH flanger, which kind of have the same problem) and the sound is so much better!!!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Yes! That's the way it should work Smol. Nice one. Thanks for watching!

[@ToneFetish]

Great stuff chaps as always. I'm wondering about the possibility of too many buffered pedals on your board and the impact of that?

[@Adipsia1]

I'm unimaginably excited... and am so grateful to Dan for explaining all of this. My excitement boiled-over to such an extent earlier that I suggested my lovely fiancee watch this with me. Sadly she's now snoring... :( I'm thinking that there could be a buffering issue between Mars and Venus, and my chances of her putting on a G-string aren't looking positive tonight... also the chances of my exploring the dark side of the moon are definitely off the menu. ;) So I may as well watch the next video on power supplies.

[@TheScottCard]

that was super informative and explains a bunch of things i can try in my own rig to improve on the type of sounds i want to get without spending a tonne of cash. thx.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Our pleasure :)

[@Albertgutierrez]

Very, very good info. Love it!!!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers Big Al :)

[@gmlasam]

Subscribed!! I don't subscribe to too many channels, but your channel is essential to all guitar players. The guys from Analogman sent me here after I just purchased the Beano Boost.

[@ThatPedalShow]

+gmlasam Cheers G, nice to have you onboard :)

[@Papa_O.A.M]

Great video and something that Ive been pondering about. I recently bought your ABY-Baby splitter pedal, which has a tru bi-pass out or buffered bi-pass out from amp A and I wasnt sure which I should use. I have a medium sized board with 13 pedals on it, all tru bi-pass, and have a boss waza craft tu-3w at the start of my chain that I have on buffer mode. Your ABY switcher comes into my chain after my overdrives and thru this video it seems it might be a good idea to run out in the buffer out rather than the tru bi-pass out? not sure, especially because I have a buffer/boss tuner with one built in it and I have the buffer engaged. So should I be running 2 buffers in my chain? and I do have long cable runs. Thanks in advance for your help and I absolutely love your videos and all of your products. Keep up the great work!

[@marsattacks7071]

Thank you so much for that demo & explanations ! As usual, you're are top notch pros ! The guitar cord (the coiled one) is probably 20 feet long (I have one of those). Take a look at EMPRESS buffers (from Canada; my country). Very high quality and versatility (stereo one). I would have liked to hear demos of the buffer at different places in the chain (pedal board) and maybe in the effect chain too. I know that you talked mainly of putting it at the beginning of the chain, after the overdrive or fuzz for great results. THANK YOU !

[@jimmythefish]

Thanks gents, I thought my five true bypass pedals and 10 feet of cable on each side of my board into my AC10 with my Gretsch wasn’t causing roll off but I plugged directly in and noticed a big difference. Buffered my first and last pedals with the dip switches and it brought back the high end. Cheers.

[@MKActual.]

Why first and last pedal? Would you get the same result putting the buffer just at the beginning or just at the end of the pedal board?

[@leohernandezcolonful]

Dude! Great stuff.

[@stacks4943]

Love That Pedal Show by the way..!

[@subtlesystem88]

Great show!!! As always guys! Very informative even for a subject I'm familiar with the explanation was great... But just to be clear, because as great the explanation was I still want to confirm that if I have mostly true bypass pedals but I have a few at the end with Buffers in the pedals for example the Boss DD-500, the Flashback Triple Delay and my Digitech Polara reverb I have them all on Buffered to leave the trails on... But do you think that's enough to work as a stand alone buffer? I have a bunch of fuzz at beginning of my chain so I do not have any buffers there.... But would you say that's good enough? Or maybe even turn some off? Any more tips would be greatly appreciated! :D

[@pedrogonic]

Wow! You've got your electronics together! Great lesson!

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Pedro Goñi Coelho ;)

[@BadMofoMusicCritic]

Great video. I recently removed two pedals from my chain - boss tu3 and mxr analog chorus, as in my opinion they degraded my tone. I use a tele and cables aren't too long, so maybe I didn't get the benefit of the buffer that one might get with humbuckers or long cables. I just got the tonal change, which I didn't like. Maybe those pedals have poor quality buffers? The only other buffered pedal I have is an ehx canyon delay, and though that one slightly alters my tone, it retains warmth and presence, so it stays.. And maybe that's good having the one buffer. After discovering the tone sacrifice, I'm way more wary of buffered pedals now.

[@paddyclint]

Guys, does the same thing apply in the effects loop? Or does it depend on how your effects loop is set up?

[@joegreto8047]

so helpful!! thank u:)

[@peterrizzo9258]

Thought this was one of your best episodes guys, great stuff.. How good is the Beano !

[@ThatPedalShow]

+peter rizzo cheers P, yeah, Beano is unreal! ;)

[@manawarrior2010]

I've used a buffer for about a year now and sometimes take it off because it sort of seems like a waste of pedal space until I take it off and my tone sounds as flat as a witch's whatsit then I put it straight back on. I also love how the duller subject matter of these episodes are the most exciting. See you next week!

[@ThatPedalShow]

You have absolutely made my whole week Gareth - thank you! Seriously. :0) Mick

[@ThatPedalShow]

Just out of interest, what's your main guitar and amp?

[@manawarrior2010]

+That Pedal Show No idea why but ok!

[@manawarrior2010]

+That Pedal Show Strats and an original 1974 100 watt Marshall Superlead. Which is brighter than an A Bomb going off BUT I use the darker channel and have a massive signal chain of the ever changing carousel of phasers and delays and use a Hughes & Kettner Cream Machine for my gain because I could never get the Superlead loud enough to break up. So I've got 20ft of cable to my board, a load of pedals, another 20ft of cable, the cream machine, then another 20ft of cable. I did buy a 20 watt Panama Shaman Retro last week because every sound man in Lancashire and Greater Manchester hates me. They have you two to thank for that 8^)

[@geecen]

Mick's face when you're explaining it to him! :)

[@adamkrauss303]

I too was eagerly awaiting a show on buffers and while this was very useful, I wish you spent another 5-10 minutes on buffer placement, including when using effects loops (another show in the making) and number of buffers for a couple of set ups. Thanks. I am considering the Mesa buffer that provides a buffered signal for two spots in the pedal chain.

[@tpaul522]

Mick and Dan, thank u simply for Wat u do , I'm a 30 year guitar player, although I don't have much giving experience I love the guitar and playing non the less, I have some electronic training in my past so it helps me to understand Wat ur explaining on a deeper level. Wich only causes me to want to ask a million more questions, but some other time, I'm far to big a guy for a tee shirt so maybe I'll have to air brush my own!! Thanks again That Pedal Show! I love it,,, due to one of ur recent shows I'm considering creating a wet dry rig, how do u like the sound of a Friedman pink taco and a Carvin legacy 3 for that application and a line 6 helix for all effects, I bet Dan could go crazy just fooling around with that combination !! Good day friends.

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Tony Paul cheers Tony :) I'm sure those amp will work a treat!

[@Bluesman]

Always use the buffer after the germanium transistors... They work OK!

[@willcraig6421]

Got a perfect example: My KTR is last in my OD chain,before any other time-based effects(not using an effects loop,despite having one).It contains a pretty well known buffer.I noticed my TC Flashback echo sounding "darker"than usual when engaged.Checked the buffer on/off on the Klon,& it had been inadvertently switched to"most always worse",or off.Clicked it back on & Voila!!,a crisp echo.

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Will Craig Yes! Mr Finnegan's buffer is indeed splendidos.

[@willcraig6421]

Indeed,makes everything around it sound better.So it never leaves the board.Sounds awesome with an Epiphone Casino.

[@montychristo86]

You guys totally remind me of Arthur (Mick) and Mr. Peabody (Dan) from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Loads of knowledge at one's fingertips and a great presentation.

[@ThatPedalShow]

+Christopher Taylor thanks... I think ;) actually, I'm very happy with Mr Peabody

[@BlairWhibley]

If Dan did my Electronics Design lectures at uni I might fall asleep less often!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha

[@napalmhardcore]

+Michael Wiegand Might want to read what he wrote more carefully.

[@napalmhardcore]

+Michael Wiegand Just thought I'd point it out before someone else gives you grief over what was obviously a mistake :)

[@BlairWhibley]

Hahah all good dude :)

[@luminositymusic3810]

Blair Whibley I finally have learned this.

[@TheRiveroad]

Hey guys ! I love watching your videos, it`s always great to gain knowledge on shaping tones. I have a request for a pedal show on Noise Suppressors. I currently use one to loop my overdrives/etc. I was curious on their uses and if they are really needed (I sure love the way mine works but obviously the tone is degraded when I back on my volume to clean up). I know this is very broad but I`d love to hear your opinions on them. I also apologize if there was a previous episode on them that I had missed. Thanks for making a great channel ! cheers, Keith.

[@ThatPedalShow]

+BertrandK it's a great idea fir a show. It's on the list :)

[@ionobelisk]

great stuff guys. I had an inkling about some of this, but now I understand it MUCH better. Please add Mastodon size t-shirts to the store, we're not all svelte like you two

[@ThatPedalShow]

You're most welcome Chris. Mastodon size shirts on the way :)

[@LysanderLH]

I could give you guys a hug for this.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Aww, cheers D :)

[@KaeptnKeks]

2 questions: If i use something like a line 6 relay g30, i dont need an extra buffer, do i? aaaaaaand: Why dont you sell the gigrig-gear on andertons?

[@SoulMarc]

Thanks for the video, as always. What do you make of the buffer in the classic Boss pedals? Any good? The first pedal on my board is a TU2 tuner (I also have a J Rockett Archer after my OCD - the rest of the pedals - 8 in total are TBP). Would that work for you? Cheers.

[@benjames2398]

Great video as always, currently in the process of building my first board, i have a G3 on the way too. Was wondering if I still need an input and output buffer at the ends of my board if I got the G3? Given that the G3 already has a programable pre-effects loop buffer.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hi Ben, no, G3 takes care of all that 🤓👍

[@ebeep]

I love this video.