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by Jim Button September 02, 2021 3 min read
You'll see it written in a lot of our product descriptions - "true bypass". But what does it mean?
Even if you have pedals on your pedalboard turned off, the signal from your guitar has to go through them on its way to the amp.
And it's HOW the signal goes through a pedal that determines whether it will degrade before it reaches the end of the route.
With true bypass pedals, the use of a DPDT (dual pole dual throw) switch allows the signal to take a route around a pedal's circuitry when it's turned off, rather than having to go through it like it would when the pedal is activated. This avoids the internals of a pedal 'sucking tone' from the signal.
In many situations - such as if you're playing at home where a long guitar cable isn't necessary, or if you only gig with three or four pedals - true bypass pedals are the perfect choice for preserving your guitar's tone before it reaches the amp.
If, however, you need a longer cable for stage use or you have more than a handful of pedals on your board, you can run into trouble with true bypass pedals.
Impedance is the enemy of tone, and long cable runs (either a long guitar cable, or multiple patch cables between pedals) can seriously affect your signal, whether or not your pedals bypass their internal circuitry.
The key is to include a buffer in your setup - this can either be a pedal which is not true bypass (these are known as buffer bypass because they amplifiy or 'buffer' the signal to help it through a pedal's internal circuitry with minimal loss), or a standalone buffer/signal conditioner.
Strengthening the signal in this way enables longer cable runs to be used without losing treble or clarity in your tone, and most people place them at the beginning of their pedal routing.
So, to conclude...
Don't let the terms true bypass and buffer bypass put you off buying a pedal. Yes, true bypass is a great feature but having too much of a good thing can be detrimental to your tone. Use a dedicated signal conditioner or a buffer bypass pedal along with your true bypass pedals for the best of both worlds - pure, clean signal reaching your amp is the key, after all.
[product=fredric-effects-k-c-buffer]
The Fredric Effects K/C Buffer packs 2 world-class buffers into a custom form-factor, small enough to fit in your pocket! The Klon buffer and the Pete Cornish buffer are both renowned for their effects on players' signal paths. The Klon buffer is based on an op-amp, whereas the Pete Cornish buffer is based on transistors.
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[product=old-blood-noise-endeavors-utility-3-buffer-eq]
The Old Blood Noise Endeavors Utility 3 Buffer & EQ is a buffer and switchable 3-band EQ, offering a great value solution for your pedalboard. The Buffer is always on and is perfect for tackling long cable runs or a collection of true bypass pedals on a board.
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[product=signal-cheyne-b6k-parallel-compressor]
The Signal Cheyne B6K Parallel Compressor is a studio-grade OTA compressor with a comprehensive suite of controls. Because compressors typically go first or very near the beginning of the signal chain, and so the B6K includes an ultra-clean buffer: even when off, the pedal will take the high impedance signal from your guitar and lower it to drive it along long cables or through multi-pedal set-ups with no high-end signal loss. The buffer brings back the sparkle, as if you were plugged directly into your amp.
[/product]
[product=fredric-effects-golden-eagle]
The Fredric Effects Golden Eagle is a single-pedal sized recreation of the Klon Centaur, with completely accurate electronics built to the highest specification. Like the sought after original, the Golden Eagle includes an internal charge pump which converts 9V to 18V for maximum headroom from your standard power supply. The Golden Eagle also features the exact same internal buffer as the Klon, which can also be purchased separately as the K/C Buffer (see above).
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by Jim Button April 18, 2023 12 min read
by Guest Author August 26, 2022 3 min read
by Jim Button June 24, 2022 5 min read
This Pedal is easy to use and has many sweet spots! Perfectly tuned combination of two legendary circuits! Highly recommended!
super fun trem, decent sound, huge volume. havent spent a lot of time messing about with it, but did have a play with the slide and drift feature which are a nice bonus. cant wait to have more time to play around with it.
Boost Guitar Pedals are great as always, fast delivery
been playing it a few days now, and have it set up so it works with with whatever i thow at it. its in my chain after OD but Before Distortion. feedback dial is great and can have it very far clockwise before it sends you in an infinity loop, mix is a bonus, i haven't messed about with the shapes much yet because i found a dreamy setting i dont want to change. would highly recommend isolated power suppy, it did not like daisy chain or cheap single wall one, but works smooth with isloated brick
Boost Guitar is great again to got it within 24 hours of shipping
Perfect for that traynor amp growl on bass. There’s a lot of scope with gain and EQ controls (which sound ace wherever you dial them in). Had the Tronographic Rusty Box before this which I regrettably had to sell; this is a perfect (and smaller, less power hungry) substitute.
I spent months searching for an affordable vibe pedal that actually sounded authentic.
Not only does this have the very sound that I was after, without a ton of tweaking, but it is priced reasonably too. It is not at the cheap end of the market, but for a hand-built pedal with dual speeds this is unbeatable.
The sound is spot on. Warm and rich with the throb missing from many of the lower-priced pedals. The second speed makes it easy to switch between chord and solo settings.
The delivery was amazing too - ordered in Friday afternoon and delivered on Sunday morning!
I can’t recommend this highly enough to anyone looking for the best univibe around.
add another 5 stars, im no pro but i know what sounds i like and the Bloom is the sound i like. ive had Boss BD2, donner dumble drive, Tumnus and Tumnus deluxe but to me The Bloom tops them all. its a well built easy to dial in. having full gain is so clear and not nosiy. only tried with my strat single coils atm. the distortion isint the best but im comparing it to the Drunk Beaver Batv2 and have a feeling that its a layer distortion for another distortion pedal. fuzz is lush. the chip and fat switch really bring it to live and gives you more options for sound. i cant believe this is made by 1 guy. To me Drunk Beaver are up there with the best pedal makers. could send hours going on about the great things. and im only useing a boss katana mk2 no tube amp but you can get some faux tube headroom with the right switch. if you like the demos, well i got good news, it sound way better in person
Boost Guitat Pedals are great too, fast delivery, great communication. couldnt ask for a better store
Bone white Davies 1611
The Bleak District Tapescape is one of the best delay and ambience style pedals ever invented. The controls are all intuitive but highly flexible, the sounds are rich and detailed, the modulation can go from dreamy to nightmarish very quickly, and all of that inside a small footprint with a low power requirement. It's difficult to get a bad sound out of it, honestly.
Add in that Boost shipped it out quickly and it arrived with a nice note written on the invoice, is there anything else you could ask for? Definitely will be buying more from both Boost and Bleak District in future.
Part came as described. Website was easy use.
very cool pedal
Awesome service and communication all along!
Will gladly order again
I ordered a set of strings from Boost, that did not initially turn up. After contacting Boost via the website they immediately sent out another set (no questions asked). Both sets arrived a few days later (Thanks Royal Mail!). Boost were prompt in dealing with the issue (gave) me a set of strings and got things sorted out. Highly recommend you use these guys.
My favourite strings, at a great price! Very reasonable postage rates and speedy service. My first purchase from Boost, but will definitely not be my last. Hassle free, excellent...
Jazzmaster happy🙏
I didn’t know that particular manufacturer from Italy, but I definitely recommend their "Vintage Vibe”. It’s simple, intuitive, it looks awesome, the build quality seems impeccable, and most importantly, it sounds fantastic.
Pre-ordered the Tapescape through Boost Pedals. Great pedal, great order experience
I'll be away from my pedalboard from 6th - 18th April...but you can still browse!
I'll ship all outstanding orders on Friday 19th April.
All the best,
Jim