What is a true bypass pedal?

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.

Avoiding Tone Suck

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.

Potential problems with True Bypass

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 Solution

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.

Best Buffer Solutions For Your Pedalboard

[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.
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[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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