CHRISDABASS Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 last night i took my new sadowsky to band practice for the first time!...... ....ive been experimenting with a few effects and compressors lately so........ i plugged my bass into each pedal (tested one at a time) then from the pedals output to my amp (mesa/aguilar) sounds pretty normal right? each pedal had fresh duracell batteries and sounded just about ok while on but really seemed to be lacking something while in the off "true bypass" mode so with each i tested the difference between the "true bypass" and just plugging straight into my amp!!! [size=6]BOOM!![/size] plugging straight into my amp was amazing!! (ive not done it in a while) it had loads more punch and sounded so much more alive than in the stupid "true bypass" mode or even with the effect/compressor switched in!! im starting to think that these pedals have been designed to sound a bit sh*t with the effect off just to make the processed signal sound even better! ive bought these pedals to improve my tone but they just end up taking the life out of my sound!! has anyone else had the same happen to them?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Make sure it's not your cables first of all. If you're going through 2 poor quality cables you'll notice a difference. I don't know about the Sadowksy, but there are definitely a few pedals out ther marketed as true bypass that actually aren't. I know what you mean though with some non-TB effects; I love my Bad Monkey pedal, but it does alter the tone in bypass. It makes it sound colder and I prefer the natural sound of the bass hooked up to the amp in this situation. Funnily enough though, that buffered signal from the bypassed pedal makes the next pedal in line, an Earthbound Supercollider, absolutely sing! The fuzz sound is so much fuller than just using the the Supercollider alone. So I guess it's swings and roundabouts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 It's inevitable that you'll lose [i]something[/i] even with true-bypass pedals. You've got more cable to travel down before you get to the amp, and if it's a long run (or a passive bass) you may well notice the difference. You might actually be better off with a pedal that has a good buffer rather than true bypass somewhere in your chain, just to help pump your signal along to the amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I hate my behringer overdrive pedal for that, it really takes the high end and definition out of my bass and makes it really quiet. If i turn it off it sounds quiet and muddy, and if i turn it's on it's way too loud, so if i turn it down i don't get any decent gain out of it, it's crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='236217' date='Jul 10 2008, 12:32 AM']You might actually be better off with a pedal that has a good buffer rather than true bypass somewhere in your chain, just to help pump your signal along to the amp.[/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 [quote name='budget bassist' post='236232' date='Jul 10 2008, 12:57 AM']I hate my behringer overdrive pedal for that, it really takes the high end and definition out of my bass and makes it really quiet. If i turn it off it sounds quiet and muddy, and if i turn it's on it's way too loud, so if i turn it down i don't get any decent gain out of it, it's crap.[/quote] Console yourself with the fact that it's a Behringer and at least it was cheap. Try an EHX Bass Micro Synth - £170 and the bypass is the worst I've ever heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='236217' date='Jul 10 2008, 12:32 AM']It's inevitable that you'll lose [i]something[/i] even with true-bypass pedals. You've got more cable to travel down before you get to the amp, and if it's a long run (or a passive bass) you may well notice the difference. You might actually be better off with a pedal that has a good buffer rather than true bypass somewhere in your chain, just to help pump your signal along to the amp.[/quote] trouble is i only use one pedal and 2 good quality short cables so its not like ive got a massive pedal board! lol i just couldn't believe the difference in tone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 [quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='236269' date='Jul 10 2008, 06:41 AM']trouble is i only use one pedal and 2 good quality short cables so its not like ive got a massive pedal board! lol i just couldn't believe the difference in tone![/quote] Did you try bass straight into amp with both cables? How long are they? It happened with every different pedal you tried, and they're all "true bypass"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umph Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 [quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='236202' date='Jul 10 2008, 12:04 AM']last night i took my new sadowsky to band practice for the first time!...... ....ive been experimenting with a few effects and compressors lately so........ i plugged my bass into each pedal (tested one at a time) then from the pedals output to my amp (mesa/aguilar) sounds pretty normal right? each pedal had fresh duracell batteries and sounded just about ok while on but really seemed to be lacking something while in the off "true bypass" mode so with each i tested the difference between the "true bypass" and just plugging straight into my amp!!! [size=6]BOOM!![/size] plugging straight into my amp was amazing!! (ive not done it in a while) it had loads more punch and sounded so much more alive than in the stupid "true bypass" mode or even with the effect/compressor switched in!! im starting to think that these pedals have been designed to sound a bit sh*t with the effect off just to make the processed signal sound even better! ive bought these pedals to improve my tone but they just end up taking the life out of my sound!! has anyone else had the same happen to them??[/quote] real true bypass has nothing that can affect your tone it just lengthens the path that the signal has to run so unless your using 2 30ft cables i'm guessing your pedal actually has a pretty bad buffer. what pedal is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 you're supposed to set the level of the pedal so there is no difference in volume with the pedal switched in or out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born 2B Mild Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 How about using the effects in/out loop on the amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRISDABASS Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 i tried all my different cables all are 10ft (planet waves, monster,chord etc) the level difference between using the pedal in its off position and just pluggin straight into the amp was just silly! ive found this with everything i use pedal wise! so just to be sure i tried a 20ft cable straight into the amp and it sounded just as good as the 10ft one same thing happened in the effects loop! i played without it connected........didnt change my settings and just put it in the effects loop and it instantly went loads quieter!! pedals suck lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 What pedals are you talking about? They don't sound like true bypass pedals to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 MB1. Its "The more you put in front of your amp Syndrome!" Chris! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 All I know is, If I plug my bass straight into my amp, the sound is a bit crap. If I plug it into my pedal board (about 20 buffered pedals) then it sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 (edited) they wont be true bypass if that happens, true bypass pedals hardly effect tone at all when bypassed, just not possible unless its like a couple dozen pedals in a row, which i imagine its not. true bypass means it doesnt run through the circuitry of the pedal, and the switch just connects the input to the output, thus no tone suck. either your pedals are not true bypass or they/your cables are faulty. buffered pedals are very much useful in pedal chains Edited July 10, 2008 by BassManKev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 [quote name='Paul Cooke' post='236319' date='Jul 10 2008, 09:40 AM']you're supposed to set the level of the pedal so there is no difference in volume with the pedal switched in or out...[/quote] Aye i do that but i just get the weakest overdrive sound by doing that, i'm thinking of getting rid of it, it only cost me £15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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