• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Best Dedicated Pedalboard Buffer?

Charley Umbria

Charley Umbria

I'm Really a Drummer
Supporting Member
Jan 28, 2011
1,307
1,011
Rock City, TN
#1
I'm looking for a small buffer to use on my pedalboard when I'm not using any effects. I've only got one non-true-bypass (buffered) pedal, an AnalogMan silver-modded Ibanez TS9DX Turbo Tube Screamer. Its bypassed tone is decent, but not totally clean, so I'm currently bypassing it with a mini-looper. I'm looking for something small that I can put in the chain and leave on all the time. So far, I've found these:

Pete Cornish LD-1

Visual Sound Pure Tone Buffer

This1sMyne Mini Buffer

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Tone Freak Buff Puff

Invalid Link Removed

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Creation Audio Redeemer Inline

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Link Removed

Link Removed

Link Removed

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Invalid Link Removed

Orion Effekte Null Booster/Buffer

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who's used one or more of these units. Pricing for most of them is reasonable (from about $50 to $125), with the Cornish LD-1 being waaaay up there at $192.00. :eek: Please feel free to recommend any others I've missed.

I'm also wondering if the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]would make a good buffer (paging Silent Fly...). Thanks!
 
#2
Of the ones you've listed, I've only used the Redeemer and the Thumpinator; another I've tried that you could check out is the Radial PB-1. My favorite buffer is actually the one built into the Fromel Shape EQ. The Redeemer is great, but so transparent that it's hard to say "I like it"--it just works, and does exactly one thing. The Shape OTOH has a subtle pleasant tone to it, and happens to also have a great EQ. And the Thumpinator has its low-cut function... I like dual-purpose gadgets. :)
 
#3
ive never used it, but t1m does excellent work, and all his stuff is tiny and cheap. the thumpinator is on my wanted list, though, and sfx also does great work.

im curious about the mini looper you are currently using. is it not buffered? if youre going to spend money, you could always get a nice, buffered looper; more functional.
 
#7
I'm pretty picky on buffered bypass tone. I haven't tried the ones you mentioned, but I will say the following are the best that I have tried:

Boss GEB7 (suprisingly underrated pedal imho)
MXR M80 DI+
Radial Bassbone

I wasn't impressed with many other pedals when bypassed. I had an old DOD compressor that was horrid. I'm not a fan of the VTdeluxe bypassed either (it is buffered bypass).


(I have the M80 for sale by the way :p )
 
#8
Smurf-o-Deth said:
As long as it is engaged, any pedal is a buffer. So, yes.
Click to expand...

True--and that goes for the Micro Thump, which hasn't got an off switch :p--but then not every buffer sounds good or does its job well. The Thump does its job and sounds good, but honestly I'm not sure what the output impedance is--maker Silent Fly would have to address that.
 
#9
TOOL460002 said:
im curious about the mini looper you are currently using. is it not buffered? if youre going to spend money, you could always get a nice, buffered looper; more functional.
Click to expand...

Tool460002,

I'm just using a simple homemade bypass loop in a Hammond 1590A enclosure, similar to this one: Link Removed ...and a dozen others.

I've got the Ibanez TS9DX near the front of the chain, before my Catalinbread SFT. However, the SFT seems to respond dynamically a little better without any pedals (or buffers) between it and the bass. So, I'm bypassing the TS9DX to get it out of the way when I'm not using it. In this case, a buffered loop wouldn't help me, as it would just put a buffer back in front of the SFT.
 
#10
bongomania said:
The Redeemer is great, but so transparent that it's hard to say "I like it"--it just works, and does exactly one thing. The Shape OTOH has a subtle pleasant tone to it, and happens to also have a great EQ. And the Thumpinator has its low-cut function... I like dual-purpose gadgets. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bongo. After reading about two dozen of your compressor reviews, if you say something's transparent...it must be transparent! :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: BassWaffle and Driven Crane
#12
My always-on EQ pedal. I figure why waste space on another pedal when this one is always on always...on. Something like that. Sorry, been reading too many Bhendy posts this past week.
 
#14
Yeah, the Lehle stuff looks really nice. The only problem is the size: roughly 3.5" square. I don't have room for another pedal, otherwise I'd get a good EQ (as mentioned by caeman above) or something else with a top-notch bypass buffer.

One suggestion I've received is to add a high-quality compact buffer (like the Barber B-Buff) to one of my true bypass pedals. There's something perversely appealing about that idea... ;)
 
#15
Charley Umbria said:
(...) I'm also wondering if the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]would make a good buffer (paging Silent Fly...). Thanks!
Click to expand...

The micro-Thumpinator works very well as a buffer. As Bongomania said, it can be seen as a dual-purpose unit.

The circuit itself can operate at instrument or line level so I recommend my customers to try it in different positions in the signal chain.

--
Charley Umbria, I send you a PM with more information. I didn't post it here because I feared it sounded like promotion and I didn't want to break the forums rules (just to be on the safe side).

Apologies if I disapeared from the forum and my contribution to the threads is almost not existent but I'm super-busy and I have to spend all my time on [sfx] project. If you have questions please do feel free to contact me directly (preferably via email instead of PM).
 
#16
Silent Fly said:
The micro-Thumpinator works very well as a buffer. As Bongomania said, it can be seen as a dual-purpose unit.

The circuit itself can operate at instrument or line level so I recommend my customers to try it in different positions in the signal chain.

--
Charley Umbria, I send you a PM with more information. I didn't post it here because I feared it sounded like promotion and I didn't want to break the forums rules (just to be on the safe side).

Apologies if I disapeared from the forum and my contribution to the threads is almost not existent but I'm super-busy and I have to spend all my time on [sfx] project. If you have questions please do feel free to contact me directly (preferably via email instead of PM).
Click to expand...

Strangely I never thought of it as a buffer.
Could you pass that information to me as well, as I am using 2 MicroThumpinators (for subsonic filtering) in the first position on my 2 boards.

I am using exclusively passive basses right now
Is it preferable to have the MicroThumpinator AFTER a buffered pedal (or buffer) or IS IT a BUFFER?.
 
#17
gillento said:
Strangely I never thought of it as a buffer.
Could you pass that information to me as well, as I am using 2 MicroThumpinators (for subsonic filtering) in the first position on my 2 boards. (...)
Click to expand...

I'll post part of the PM I sent to Charley Umbria as I understand there might be general interest about it. If I break any forum rule it wasn't my intention. I'll be happy to remove the offending part if it is a problem.

One thing that is very rarely mentioned is that the micro-Thumpinator is a very useful recording tool. I use it in all my recordings and I think it is at least as useful in a recording studio as it is in a pedalboard.

One of the problems in recording bass is the peak in the note attack. Unfortunately, this portion of the signal consists mainly in subsonic content that adds nothing to the music content. Regardless the post-recording processing that is applied to the signal, the subsonic content is sent to recording interface and in requires the gain to be kept low in order to avoid clipping.

I am sure you experienced the problem first hand. You record bass and the clipping light turns on for a fraction of a second when you hit the note. If it wasn’t for that fraction of a second, you could have recorded the bass at higher level.

In practical terms, what often happens is that the bass is recorded relatively low, the signal is compressed to limit the attack peak and the gain is increased to restore the signal to a relatively higher level.

Because the Thumpinator filtering removes the subsonic content at the note attack, this processing becomes unnecessary. The signal sent to the recording interface is simply the note. No further processing is necessary to keep the signal under control, the signal level can be increased and the overall signal/noise ratio improves. In other terms it is easier use the entire 24 bit dynamic range available on the recording interface.

gillento said:
(...) I am using exclusively passive basses right now
Is it preferable to have the MicroThumpinator AFTER a buffered pedal (or buffer) or IS IT a BUFFER?.
Click to expand...

Strictly from a technical viewpoint, I think the micro-Thumpinator works at its best just after the bass. The main reason is that as soon as the subsonic content is removed the better it is for everything that follows. Having said that, some bassists use it very successfully between pre and power amp. This is why I recommend trying it in different positions.

If you need a buffer and you have a micro-Thumpinator I don’t see any reason to use an extra buffer pedal after or before the micro-Thumpinator. Apart from the filtering, the micro-Thumpinator had specs that are perfectly in line with the best buffers on the market. So, to summarise, yes, it can be used as a buffer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MrUsefulAlien
#18
Thanks for chiming in, Max. Glad to see you here, and also glad to hear you are busy, meaning your business is thriving! FWIW the rules here say you can answer any question from another TB'er about your goods except for pricing, which stays in PM's. Answering technical/usage questions is welcome and appreciated!
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back