Tonefiend Forum

The buffer would work best at the front of the chain. Putting it in the guitar would buffer the pickup output giving the flatest response eliminating the effects of the guitar cable and everything else after it. You may or may not like the sound, there is a current fad to actually use the guitar cord's capacitive effects to roll off highs and get a more vintage tone. There are a lot of vendors now supplying coiled guitar cables at outrageous prices for boutique guitar cables for their HF rolloff effects. Many modern well designed fx pedals have input buffers already inside to give a good signal to the rest of the circuit, but that only works if the fx pedal is on. As for folk using buffers, any active guitar pickup (like EMGs) is basically buffered. If you like the sound of active pickups you would probably like a buffer in you guitar. There are kits available to add these to your guitar. Some folks like them some don't. YMMV

Quote from mwseniff on September 1, 2012, 08:58
The buffer would work best at the front of the chain. Putting it in the guitar would buffer the pickup output giving the flatest response eliminating the effects of the guitar cable and everything else after it. You may or may not like the sound, there is a current fad to actually use the guitar cord's capacitive effects to roll off highs and get a more vintage tone. There are a lot of vendors now supplying coiled guitar cables at outrageous prices for boutique guitar cables for their HF rolloff effects. Many modern well designed fx pedals have input buffers already inside to give a good signal to the rest of the circuit, but that only works if the fx pedal is on. As for folk using buffers, any active guitar pickup (like EMGs) is basically buffered. If you like the sound of active pickups you would probably like a buffer in you guitar. There are kits available to add these to your guitar. Some folks like them some don't. YMMV

My advice would be to experiment with a buffer before committing to a particular scheme. Hey, I know: build the tonefiend DIY booster with a switchable buffer, and try it out with your fave gear!

Here are some quick-and-dirty generalizations:

• Yes, the buffer often works best at the beginning of the signal chain — but sometimes at the end, too.
• It can make funky vintage effects sound a lot better. The benefits, if any, tend to be subtler with modern pedals.
• You sometimes get a bit more sparkle out of modulation and delay effects.
• The tend to RUIN the sound of Fuzz Faces, or other fuzzes based on that general topology.
• mwseniff is correct as usual: If you like retro tones, you may prefer the non-buffered sound.
• Not only are active pickups already "buffered," but so are many stompboxes, especially Boss and Ibanez pedals (if, that is, the pedal is switched on).
• The first place I'd try adding a buffer is before the first stompbox — unless you have anything Fuzz Face-related, in which case, put it after.

Summary: Sometimes it makes a little difference. Sometimes not. Try and see!

Yes, you could totally build a cool little buffer and fit it into the guitar — but make it switchable in case you ever use a Fuzz Face! 🙂