That wider use also colluded with a growing pedal mod movement, as the bd2 was a prime candidate for tweaking due to its affordable price and solid tone. Buffer discussion in effects bg started by meursault42, mar 29, 2012. Jun 24, 2014 were not here to debate the sound quality of true bypass vs. As you crank up the level andor drive knobs on the red dirt, youre effectively. No doubt, the sugar drive is smooth in its overdriven and boosted tones, but whats just as important is that it sounds fantastic when stacked or paired with just about any other overdrive or distortion pedal. Keeley katana blues drive guitar effects pedal musicians. Driving it home the 15 best overdrive pedals 2020 pmt online. May 15, 2015 this can feel weird if you are expecting the natural decay of the delay or even the reverb. Clean chord work, blues, blues rock, rock overview keeley has proposed to take a standard boss blues driver bd2 and upgrade several of its components, change its clipping saturation simulation characteristics, and widen its frequency range to be more transparent. Most of the buffered bypass pedals use a single transistor buffer driver at the beginning and end of the circuit. We do have some of the popular clickless true bypass modules in stock, and we can use them with the stock momentary switch to true bypass a boss or ibanez pedal. Keeley electronics releases the katana blues drive 2014. The switch is a standard clicky true bypass, but its in a pedalboardfriendly mxrsized enclosure.
Nov 15, 2014 what you hear when stacking a bunch of buffered pedals is the accumulation of nonlinearity signal distortion. The mxr carbon copy and all the current ehx analog delays dont have this feature. This is an incredibly small true bypass looper box from keeley electronics. The pedal electronically acts on the signal and does its thing to your tone, be it modifying frequencies, amplifying, or whatever its supposed to do. Buffered vs true by pass pedals 2 reasons you need a buffer dylantalkstone. Discussion in the buzz box started by thin lizzy, aug 14, 2012. Jun 25, 2019 for those who need it, the pedal has a sidemounted toggle switch for buffered or truebypass operation. The circuit has an allanalog signal path, and the true bypass switch is relay based to. It stays more or less stays faithful to the ocd its even true bypass, but there. Apr 10, 2017 buffered bypass helps combat most of the issues that guitar players experienced with true bypass, mentioned above. The malekko 616 has a button to switch from true bypass to buffered if you want trails.
Buffered bypass effects pedals keep you in the circuit and process your signal even if the pedal is off. Ask a group of guitarists what their preference is, and youll likely get a bunch. In particular vintage wahs, echoes, phasers, fuzz face type pedals, etc. I have heard mixed opinions about this topic, and am not sure which side is correct. Its impossible to shop around for effects pedals without noticing claims of true continue reading. At the time of its creation people, werent commonly using buffers or. Keeley katana blues drive guitar effects pedal musician. Strat players often get on well with the blues driver, because the pedal. Blues driver keeley mod vs waza craft vs katana blues.
It seems like analogman and keeley act like true bypass isnt that important, but on some pedals keeley acts like its very important if its not, why does he make the ad9 by ibanez true bypass. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30yearold tube amps. First is the od1, which is actually a boss circuit from 1977. A thorough comparison of the classic boss bd2 blues driver overdrive, its waza craft version, and two other pedals based on the famous phat mod done by robert keeley the keeley super phat mod. Connect any effect to the truebypass looper and switcher guitar effects pedal that is old school and not truebypass. True bypass vs buffered effects pedals effects pedal. The keeley blues driver and the mxr are not true bypass, though the latter is hardware bypass. Buffered vs true by pass pedals 2 reasons you need a buffer.
If you have a few extra bucks to spend, robert keeley offers a modded version of the original boss bd2 blues driver. Nowadays, of course, guitarists are treated to almost limitless. The keeley mod upgrades all the components for a warmer, more dynamic tone. Funny story, some of my friends, they stick to their non true bypass pedal because when theyre off, they make the overall sound a bit darker and that balance pretty well with their strats. It was perfect for players of strats and teles who wanted just a small push without being muddy. Most of the bufferedbypass pedals use a single transistor bufferdriver at the beginning and. Its impossible to shop around for effects pedals without noticing claims of true. This will fit in the tightest of pedal boards and offer you a dramatic improvement in tone. The rich harmonics and responsive controls make it a great overdrive for capturing that hallowed classicrock sound of an amp pushed to 11, while its hplp switch affords it considerable versatility. Between the boss bd2 blues driver and a tube screamer. The issue of what is, and what is the difference, between true bypass and a buffered.
Keeley truebypass looper and switcher guitar effects. That same design is also available via the micro toggle on the super phat mod. But these pop a bit, especially with a higher gain pedal. Like all of keeley electronics designs, the katana drive is handbuilt in the usa using the finest components and construction techniques. Pure confectionary hard rock and blues in a minichassis pedal. The reality is that different players have different favourite pedals built by different manufacturers and where you have a mix of true bypass and buffered pedals in your setup, using a buffered pedal right at the start of the chain such as a buffered tuner will help maintain signal quality through the chain. Ive been looking up over the internet about the buffered and true bypass pedals and almost all explanations are with respect to guitars and how the highs can be maintained with buffered pedals.
The keeley super phat mod is our famous mod now perfected with amazing sounding jfets that emulate old tube amps in a unique way. Between the keeley bd2 and the waza, that i own, the waza has more range and openness even on the classic switch, the custom side is similar to the keeley fat switch, but the gain is smoother, and again, more range increase and just better. There are thousands of effects pedals on the market today to choose from to sculpt your tone, and within that myriad of choices lies another one. The keeley mod also has sweeter highend than the boss blues driver. As soon as another buffered pedal is placed after it boss, tube screamer, whatever, it becomes invisible to anything after that buffered pedal. The keeley katana blues drive is ts variant with the katana. Connect any effect to the true bypass looper and switcher guitar effects pedal that is old school and not true bypass. This will help me make constant improvements to better your experience. The boss bd2 blues driver is an extremely popular overdrive pedal, set up as a competitor to the ts9 tubescreamer. Whether its arguing over silicon vs germanium transistors, humbuckers vs singlecoil pickups or whether or not valves need replacing every year in a tube amp they dont, somehow the discussion as to whether true bypass is better than buffered seems to come up in conversation all the time. Keeley has proposed to take a standard boss blues driver bd2 and upgrade several of its components, change its clipping saturation simulation characteristics, and widen its frequency range to be more transparent. If youre talking about running a keeley compressor with no other pedals, then theres probably no need for a buffer. Steinhardts signature pedal with keeley electronics is a dualformat design. If all pedals have true bypass, and are off, then the total cable length.
Buffered output on pedals fender stratocaster guitar forum. Waza pedals are true bypass and have top components, vs keeley modded ones. Guitar buffer pedal knowledge true bypass vs buffered. The true bypass function, which is promoted by some, can create dreadful problems with a system that uses many pedals. It is housed in a beautifully powdercoated and rugged enclosure, includes true bypass switching, and features a 2year limited lifetime warranty with worldclass keeley customer support. In a true bypass sometimes called hard bypass pedal, when the pedal is off, your signal is routed directly from the input jack to the output jack, without going through any of the pedals circuitry. So now even the cheapest mass manufactured stompboxes can be built with true bypass. Different tools for your tone june 29, 2016 2 comments. Curious as to whether hed like the sound of truebypass, weaver ordered a keeley blues driver mod a modified boss bd2 blues driver overdrive. Dec 12, 2005 both these pedals are cheap and a worthy investment imo.
Boss blues drive vs keeley phat mod bluesdriver fat pedal. The option of switching between true bypass and buffered is also very useful as it allows you to choose whether your signal is affected by the pedal or not. Boss bd2 blues driver overdrive w keeley mod reverb. Guitar buffer pedal knowledge true bypass vs buffered pedals. Connect any effect to this unit that is old school and not true bypass. With the slight boost, it was called the phat mode. The third and last part of the six string sensei absolute one stop guide to the guitar pedal board has to do with truebypass vs.
Donner pedals owners thread page 5 telecaster guitar forum. Comparison of the keeley modded bluesdriver verses the factory boss blues driver guitar effects pedal. I will likely drop the blues driver although could use it. Set the gain high and let your guitars volume control or your pick attack do the work. Sep 16, 2005 this is an incredibly small true bypass looper box from keeley electronics. This is an incredibly small truebypass looper box from keeley electronics. Put simply, a buffer for guitar is an electronic device that takes a highimpedance signal and converts it into a lowimpedance signal. With a keeley mod plus ts808 on hand for a direct ab, the luna can approximate those midrich tstype tones, but theres so much more, including immense level that can force your amps input stage into submission. Note that the ts9 is buffered bypass, though you can get it modded if you need it to be true bypass. Bd2 blues driver guitar pedal the perfect tone for blues the bd2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. The truth about true bypass and buffered guitar pedals.
I have one true bypass pedal and it sounds just as good as all of the rest. Oct 04, 2017 true bypass is a thing, buffers are a thing. Sep 22, 2014 like all of keeley electronics designs, the katana drive is handbuilt in the usa using the finest components and construction techniques. For example, how can i change the bd2 from true bypass to buffered. David vs goliath boss bd2 vs bd2w waza craft youtube. This time, lets take a look at what buffered bypass and true bypass pedals will do in your pedal train. So back when true bypass was an issue, most of the big manufacturers moved to buffered circuits. The best overdrive pedals are traditionally there to add flavour or colour to. Back in the day, if a guitarist was looking to add a little extra dirt to their tone, especially at low volumes, there was only a small selection of pedals to reach for in order to get the job donemaybe a boss od1 or, depending on how far back were going, a tone bender fuzz. This can feel weird if you are expecting the natural decay of the delay or even the reverb.
Oct 18, 2011 brad paisleys former guitar tech, chad weaver, attests to the rapidity of keeleys success. A truebypass pedal is one that completely and mechanically disconnects your guitars lead signal from the pedals circuit so that none of it is touching the pedals circuit. Different tools for your tone june 29, 2016 2 comments there are thousands of effects pedals on the market today to choose from to sculpt your tone, and within that myriad of choices lies another one. Buffered and true bypass refer to how the pedal behaves when it is disengaged or bypassed. Take for instance a 15 ft guitar cable linked to ten pedals, each linked by a 2 ft cable, and then onto the amp by a 30 ft cable. On the other hand, even with true bypass pedals, once you string.
The keeley compressor is one of the most wellloved compression pedals around. Buffered bypass its impossible to shop around for effects pedals without noticing claims of true bypass coming from a wide range of manufacturers. Buffered and unbuffered pedals nearby seemed to have no affect on the ed, unlike the tube driver. Like many things in the guitar effects world, there is some disagreement about the benefits of true bypass, with some players preferring a buffered bypass to preserve their original tone. Simply put, a buffer is a unity gain amplifier meaning that it does make the signal any louder or softer that isolates the input from the output and transforms the signal from high impedance to low impedance. The trex tonebug overdrive go look up the gearmandude demo for this one on youtube and tell me that you dont immediately fall in love with it. In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver. Were not here to debate the sound quality of true bypass vs. If you want something really special get the keeley mod on the blues driver i have it and its. So all true bypass can be an issue, so lets move on to the other kinda of pedal. The ocd has a reputation as one of the best stackinastompbox overdrive pedals. It requires a very sensitive ear to actually hear the difference between plugged straight in and true bypass pedals between guitar and amp. If youre looking at a ts9 you can get a used bbe green screamer for much less and it is the same pedal except it is true bypass rather than buffered.
Keeley truebypass looper and switcher guitar effects pedal. The keeley boss blues driver bd2 phat mod overdrive pedal if you are familiar with the original boss bd2, you probably wont notice any difference from just taking a quick look at the outside besides the added phat switch and the blue led and thats to be expected as most of the magic in the mod takes place on the inside. Blues driver keeley mod vs waza craft vs katana blues drive. Ulbrick modded ibanez ts9 vs keeley modded boss br2 blues driver duration. True bypass vs buffers is a delicate matter with different opinions. If you want any clarification on true bypass and buffered pedals, check this page out. Blues driver keeley mod vs waza craft vs katana blues drive discussion in effects, pedals, strings. For those who need it, the pedal has a sidemounted toggle switch for buffered or truebypass operation. You can even change the bypass from true to buffered in the setup menu, which is pretty cool and weird at the same time. True bypass vs buffered effects pedals effects pedal tutorials. Your point about putting a buffered pedal early in the chain should perhaps be phrased a bit differently. This was with 2 metres of cable to the pedal and 3 metres to the amp. Whether or not you should choose buffered or true byapss, when pedals have both, depends on what you need. Its impossible to shop around for effects pedals without noticing claims of true bypass coming from a wide range of manufacturers.
Alongside putting an end to the notorious popping issues and letting long delay and reverb trails soar even after the pedal is turned off, buffered bypass also helps combat the problem of quality loss. You are feeding the bd2 through the buffer of the bd2w it does not have true bypass. Unlike a guitar cable, a pedal in true bp shouldnt even change the capacitive load though some no doubt do, despite the. What are the differences between buffered and true bypass. The issue of what is, and what is the difference, between true bypass and a buffered circuit pedal sort of befuddled me a few years back when true. An optional secondary phat mod adds a switch for introducing more bass into the tone. All transistors have an operating function curve that the ac signal follows. The keeley bd2 was the first mod that had a switch. It was done to give players two modes of bass response. Like many things in the guitar effects world, there is some disagreement about the benefits of true bypass, with some players preferring a buffered bypass to preserve their.
Born in the boss factories and modified in the workshop of mister keeley, the boss bd2 blues driver overdrive is not a tube screamer copy but a different machine as you will gather from the demo videos below. Imagine his surprise when he excitedly tore open the package to find an ibanez tube screamer inside. The blues driver not only quickly captured its targeted audience, but its versatility and character helped it to transcend genres equally as hastily. The modded version adds a phat switch that beefs up the bottom end a bit and gives a little warmth. We know that the way to stand out as a pedal manufacturer is to offer a specialized feature that. With the super phat mod, you now have all of our refinementsthe very best of toneshaping electronics and modern features like truebypass. Buffered bypass helps combat most of the issues that guitar players experienced with true bypass, mentioned above.
The original pedal was a great design that features tubelike amp stages, tube amp tone stacks, and a variety of tone shaping circuits to bring out the best in any guitars pickups. I placed the ed a few different places in the signal chain. Which, depending on the pedal, can be a highlysoughtafter feature. Apr 28, 2020 in addition to the expected volume, drive, and tone knobs, theres the nineway selector switch. The boss bd2 blues driver overdrive w keeley mod takes midrange overdriven character of the original factory pedal and infuses it with new handselected circuitry and components for. If you want something really special get the keeley mod on the blues driver i have it and its very good, i have a crowther bluesberry hotcake as well but it gets a bit muddy and im leaning more towards the keeley bd these days. A pedal with buffered bypass means that it has a buffer within its internal circuitry.
You also get lo and hi modes courtesy of the mini toggle switch and, just for the record, truebypass switching. Similarly, if you have a mix of true bypass and buffered pedals in your chain, then that first buffer at the front is only serving any purpose if there are true bypass pedals immediately after it. Importance of true bypass to ts9 effects and processors. A great basic boss pedal and it suped up cousin, modified by robert keeley, the effects wizard. I had been wanting to get into the business one way or another, and it just so. After the super boutique bb preamp and the more mundane boss sd1, the next tube screamer alternative to be featured on guitar tone overload is somewhere in the middle. Get the guaranteed best price on switch effects pedals like the keeley truebypass looper and switcher guitar effects pedal at musicians friend. Best thing is to go and try them, its all personal. Our famous mod to your pedal with the added benefit of a 3pdt true bypass footswitch. Keeley electronics releases the katana blues drive 201409. How important is it that i get my ts9 changed to true bypass.