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Variable Impedance Buffer


tayste_2000
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Ok, so I have schematic being drawn up and I have a manufacturer for it so I just want to do some market research.

So here are the options for the pedal/s

The smallest box available [url="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/511937211_66b19c596d.jpg"]here[/url] in this size with no led or footswitch, won't take a battery will have input, output, power in and a knob to control the impedance, it will be this small and won't have a switch or an led as it will always be on and be the sort of thing that takes up little or no board space or fits under a pedaltrain type board.

Same box as above with an led and a footswitch so you can turn the impedance buffer off and make your fuzz sound gated and crap again again.

Single TB type loop in the standard MXR sized Hammond enclosure with led, to show when the loop is activated, footswitch to turn the loop on and therefore the buffer and you just have your fuzz inside the buffered loop. this case would be able to take a battery.

Personally I lean towards the first one, buffers don't really affect other effects so why not leave it on.

But yeah so I want to know who would be interested in buying one and what model they would want.

Else it will be another custom jobby for me and exactly what I want and no one else will be able to get one so please speak up if you are interested.

Cheers

Edited by tayste_2000
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ye i agree either one will do, id probably go for the first or second one, and id certainly be interested in buying one

sorry in the first one when you said no battery, do you mean it doesnt need to be powered, or can only be powered by an 9v adapter?

Edited by BassManKev
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I posted this in another thread:

[i]I have the correct supplier relationships to get it built for us in the EU. I have a minimum order of 10. Get 10 people together and I'll get it sorted. Infact if you can get 10 people together than at MY cost I'll get them painted by my good friend Adam at sw***box.org.[/i]

Steve, I'll call you about it tomorrow as discussed via PM.

A few comments:

1) design via commitee doesn't work, noone is ever happy (eg: dple).

2) I'd be loathe to have anything on my board that changes impedance so dramatically that couldn't be turned on and off. Quite a few effects (especially modern delays / opther modulation) like a much lower impedance - similar to line level.

3) If it has a switch it needs an LED.

4) There are plenty of decent sized hammond boxes - without looking at the specific circuit but knowing what goes in a buffer I'd be suprised if we couldn't get the circuit, LED and footswitch in a 2.5x2.5 size.

5) IMO there's no need for a battery but a big need for a 9v.

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Actually, option 3 would be better than 2. I just realised you'd have to press two switches if you wanted it on with a fuzz with option 2. Option 3 is definetly better if you don't want the buffer on all the time.

Edited by Maximus
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I see no reason why you couldn't place the buffer conveniently right next to your fuzz's footswitch so you can hit both...If the box is that small it shouldn't be a problem. That's what I'd do.

I think 3 is the most logical, but it's not the coolest idea is it :)

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Can I offer a fourth option?

A high impedance output buffer will cause your tone to be more degraded as it runs through all your effects cabling and your run to the amp so although you want the fuzz to see a high impedance source you want the rest of your pedals or your amp to see a low impedance source.

Therefore I'd recommend a simple box with a high impedance buffered input, a high impedance buffered FX output, a high impedance buffered FX return and a low impedance buffered output to drive the run through your other pedals and to your amp. No LED, no footswitch, no battery, just a 9V in.

The fuzz should go in the FX loop and the rest of your effects after the low impedance output (though if you wanted to you could put some between the bass and high impedance input). By not footswitching it you won't end up with tonal oddites as you gain or lose highs or level as buffering is added or taken away. You don't need an LED because it's always on. And by running on a 9V supply instead of a battery you can use better sounding opamps (whose current draw would preclude battery power).

Alex

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[quote name='alexclaber' post='17655' date='Jun 14 2007, 04:11 PM']Can I offer a fourth option?

A high impedance output buffer will cause your tone to be more degraded as it runs through all your effects cabling and your run to the amp so although you want the fuzz to see a high impedance source you want the rest of your pedals or your amp to see a low impedance source.

Therefore I'd recommend a simple box with a high impedance buffered input, a high impedance buffered FX output, a high impedance buffered FX return and a low impedance buffered output to drive the run through your other pedals and to your amp. No LED, no footswitch, no battery, just a 9V in.

The fuzz should go in the FX loop and the rest of your effects after the low impedance output (though if you wanted to you could put some between the bass and high impedance input). By not footswitching it you won't end up with tonal oddites as you gain or lose highs or level as buffering is added or taken away. You don't need an LED because it's always on. And by running on a 9V supply instead of a battery you can use better sounding opamps (whose current draw would preclude battery power).

Alex[/quote]

I haven't noticed any real difference in tone and I'm using like 60ft of cable in my rig, there is no difference between my tone when I click the buffer on and off currently. While the points you raise are important the people that will want this buffer will tend to be hardcore pedalhead :) so if it makes any difference to the tone over the 10+ pedals most of us are running I'll be surprised.

Cheers

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[quote name='The Funk' post='18185' date='Jun 15 2007, 12:13 PM']Ah, gotcha. Thanks for that.

A few of my pedals have a -6dB pad for active basses. The pedal sounds useful but it's not for me. Good luck.[/quote]

It's nothing to do with the volume of an active bass

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altering the impedanc produced by an active pickup so that it is more like a passive pick up

i dont know any technical terming, but i think thats the gist of it, its certainly nothing to do with volume

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Basically in laymans terms most fuzz's particularly Ge ones are very sensative to the low impedance produced by active electronics, this generally results in a very quished or gated sound from the fuzz, the fuzz can't get very loud and it has that almost synth like attack to it.

The impedance buffer changes the impedance of the tone to that which is ideal for a fuzz somewhere between 5,000 and 12,000 ohms or even up to 25,000 in the case of this unit (Impedance will be variable). This can be different from a passive bass to but it is the ideal driving force for a fuzz pedal, this results int he fuzz working properly with all basses, anywhere in your chain and isn't effected by other pedals such as Boss being in front of it as again those pedals have low impedance output and buffered bypasses and such which will as stated above affect a fuzz pedal.

I'm not into whether people want these or not, I've had one built for me in a blender pedal and it works like a charm there is no difference in tone with it on or off and the fuzz pedals work great. I have many pedal building friends and 2 have offered to do this for me, one to design and build a prototype and the other to mass produce and sell it if needs be and also package it in a small nicely painted box as a standalone unit instead of being in a blender. I have offered it around here, not because I will make any money on it as I won't and don't care I know quite a few players that want/need them and I myself want a few for various live and studio work I do.

Hope this helps

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