BUFFER PEDALS

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Buffer pedals are often unnecessary when connecting a guitar straight into an amp and even when using a few pedals. However, having a good buffer pedal at a low-signal-level point in the signal chain can make or break the sound and tone of a guitar through a pedalboard.

When dealing with guitar pedals, a buffer is an active electronic circuit that keeps a guitar signal level strong and its frequency profile intact. In other words, it’s a circuit that preserves tone.

The buffer circuit will effectively negate the capacitive destruction of the signal by having a high input (load) impedance to accept the incoming signal and a low output (source) impedance to output the signal.

The most common issue with guitar tone degradation has to do with the length of the cable. Cables have distributed capacitance. Long cables have higher capacitance, and higher capacitance means great attenuation of high-end frequencies (the production of a low-pass filter with a lower cutoff frequency).

RockBoard Natural Sound Buffer

Red Panda Bit Buffer

Another issue could be that an effects pedal has a very weak output or that a series of effects pedals slowly chip away at the tone as the signal passes through each and every one of them.

The buffer circuit will effectively negate the capacitive destruction of the signal by having a high input (load) impedance to accept the incoming signal and a low output (source) impedance to output the signal.

Cabo Blanco Buffer Boost

A buffer is simply an electronic circuit that helps maintain and even improve the frequency response (and, thereby, tone) of a guitar signal by converting the impedance of the signal.

There are dedicated buffer pedals, and buffered bypass pedals. They provide a buffer to help maintain signal strength through the pedal even when the pedal is set to the off position.

Moen Technology A-B-Y Box + Buffer

How Does A Buffer Pedal Work?

Buffer pedals are designed to minimize cumulative capacitance in a chain of guitar pedals by adjusting the guitar signal impedance to maintain signal quality. Buffers act to preserve the high-end frequencies that would otherwise be lost due to these factors, keeping the guitar’s true tone intact.

To minimize the tone, a buffer takes away added capacitance of the pedals, and cables, that come after it in the signal chain of pedals. They do so with high input impendances that can handle higher signal impedances, and low output impendances to drive the pedals, and cable down the line.

TC Electronic BONAFIDE BUFFER

Buffered Bypass

When a buffered bypass pedal is turned on, the signal flows through the circuitry and the desired effect is produced. When the pedal is turned off, the signal flows through the circuitry without triggering the effect.

Pedals with buffered bypass, then, will affect the signal tone even when turned off. They will also maintain an input and output impedance and, therefore, act as a buffer.

Just because buffered bypass pedals act as buffers does not make them effective as buffers, though. Some pedals will actually degrade the signal with a high output impedance or through highly coloured circuitry, even when the pedal is turned off. Some will output very low signals that may even require a dedicated buffer immediately after to bring the signal level back up.

Endeavors 3 Band EQ + Buffer

Buffered Bypass Vs. True Bypass

The main difference is that true bypass pedals will switch circuit paths when engaged and disengaged. When a true bypass pedal is turned on, the signal flows through the effects circuit. When the true bypass pedal is turned off, the signal will flow directly from the input to the output as if the pedal wasn’t even part of the signal chain

Suhr Buffer

True Bypass Buffered Bypass
Signal travels directly from input to output when bypassed Signal travels through same circuit without engaging the effect when bypassed
No gain, impedance or capacitance alteration when bypassed Impedance and capacitance alterating when bypassed
Does not colour tone when bypassed Does colour tone when bypassed
Adds length to the overall cable and, therefore, to signal degradation due to long unbalanced cable runs Adds a buffer to help maintain signal integrity and allows for longer cable runs
May cause pops when engaged Does not cause pops when engaged
Hard-stops effects when dissengaged Does not necessarily hard-stop effects when dissengaged
Typically more expensive for same functionality Typically less expensive for same functionality

JHS Little Black Buffer

Truetone CSPT Pure Tone Buffer

Mini Clean Buffer

Fender Level Set Buffer

Buffered bypass pedals will inevitably colour the tone but will often preserve the strength of the signal. Some other buffered bypass pedals will do a poor job as buffers and cause significant signal damage (in tone, volume or distortion).
On the other hand, true bypass pedals do not colour the tone but do yield longer cable runs, which may certainly diminish the high-end of the guitar signal/tone.

How Many Pedals Before You Need A Buffer?

High-end filtering of a guitar signal can be heard with about 18.5 feet of unbalanced patch cable between a guitar plugged directly into an amplifier. 25 feet is considered by many to be the maximum cable length for usable tone.

Custom Audio Electronics Buffer

Empress Effects Buffer+

Guitar pickup output impedances ten to be around 5kΩ – 20kΩ in the low end and as high as 100kΩ in the high-end. Pedal input impedances should be much higher (preferably 10 times or greater) and pedal output impedance should be much lower (preferably 1/10th or smaller)..

let’s say, as an example, we’re running only true bypass pedals. We have a 10-foot patch cable to the first pedal and a 10-foot patch cable from the last patch cable to the amp.
If we stay within 25 feet, that leaves 5 feet of “cable” for our pedals. Again, 25 feet is pushing it.

Friedman Amplification Buffer Bay

Mosky Audio Buffer+

Let’s say our pedals are all the same size with 2″ of “cable” between their inputs and output. Let’s say the interconnecting cables are 6″.

So, then, 7 true bypass pedals would cause 4’8″ of extra “cable.” Of course, this is only the case when the pedals are turned off. When they are turned on, the signal must pass through the circuitry of the pedal. So, as a guestimate, maybe 5 pedals would be the actual maximum.

When using buffered bypass pedals, dedicated buffers can often be avoided. However, some buffered pedals have high output impedance or low output levels.
It can be hard to know how good (or bad) a buffered bypass pedal affects the guitar signal. The best way to know if a buffer pedal is needed is to, first, test each pedal individually.

Mini Pure Buffer

Vahlbruch BBQ-XL Buffer

The test involves plugging the guitar into the pedal in question and the pedal into the amplifier. Listen closely to the tone with the pedal engaged and disengaged. If it’s dull, you may need a buffer.
If you have a buffer handy, put it after the pedal in question and listen to the tone again. Is it brighter or more defined? This is a tell-tale sign that a buffer will benefit your rig.

We can’t have too many low-output or high-output-impedance pedals without requiring a buffer pedal.
On the flip side, a mix of high-output, low-impedance buffered bypass pedals and true bypass pedals may not require a buffer at all.

JHS Little Black Buffer

Where Should A Buffer Pedal Go In The Signal Chain?

In the vast majority of cases, the buffer (when required) is best situated at the front of the chain.
The buffer should effectively preserve the guitar’s tone and provide a strong, low-impedance signal for the entire pedalboard/series of pedals. SO long as there aren’t a ridiculous amount of pedals with only true bypass, this should work fine.

Exceptions to this rule are with many vintage pedals that have low input impedances. If the first pedal on the board has input impedance above 500kΩ, then a buffer in front of them is likely a good idea. However, if the first pedal (or even the second or third pedal) has very low input impedance, it is likely a better option to slap the buffer down immediately after the pedal!

It doesn’t hurt to have a buffer at the end of the pedalboard as well. Remember that the last pedal is effectively driving the input of the amplifier and should have a low enough output impedance (and high enough signal level) to do so properly.

Wampler Decibel Plus Signal Buffer

Orange Micro Dark Terror

Luckily, many time-based pedals (delays and reverbs) are buffered bypass pedals and typically take care of the buffer circuit for us. That being said, it can be beneficial to test a buffer pedal at the end of the pedals to see if any issues can be solved within the signal chain.

Recommended Buffer Pedals

Xotic Super Clean Buffer

Buffer Guitar Effects Pedal with +12dB Clean Boost
Selectable Boost Frequency

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TC Electronic BONAFIDE BUFFER

BONAFIDE BUFFER is the sonic remedy that will free your tone of any treble-sucking constraints put upon it by long cable runs. Just slam this high-quality, no-nonsense tone tool on your pedalboard and get ready to bask in your tone as it was meant to be.

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Pure Buffer Mini Guitar Effect Pedal

Guitar pure buffer effect pedal for guitar players.
For completely eliminating cable capacitance and tone sucking.
Your guitar will sound like it’s plugged directly into your amp with a short cord when using pure buffer.

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MXR MC406 CAE Buffer

It”s a low-noise buffer in a small, rugged housing; it can add up to +6dB of gain with the front-facing gain slider; it makes up for signal loss that can occur when combining effects with different impedance levels;

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MOSKY Mini Clean Buffer

This clean buffer is the cure for weak guitar sound caused by using too many pedals
This item can deliver robust, natural tone that sounds like you’re plugged straight into your amp

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Empress Buffer Plus w/Boost

The Empress buffer+ was designed to be the complete I/O interface for the pedal board, while maintaining the highest fidelity to your guitar’s signal.

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True bypass pedals must continuously have power supplied in order to quickly switch between the off and on position without any lag in the affected signal. The downside of this switching is that the input and output coupling capacitors inevitably leak some electrical potential which is quickly dissipated when the pedal is engaged. This dissipation may cause a rather unpleasant pop!

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