Buffer vs true bypass

The choice between a pedal that keeps a low-impedance copy of the signal always in the path and one that physically removes itself when off.

True bypass preserves the signal path exactly when the pedal is disengaged, which matters if you are chasing an uncoloured clean tone, but a long chain of true-bypass pedals loads a passive pickup with metres of cable and the top end starts to fall away. A buffer prevents that by driving the cable from a low impedance, at the price of always having something in the circuit. The practical answer is usually a buffer early in the chain and true bypass effects after it.

Example: a twelve-pedal board of true-bypass stomps that sounds dull in the off position often sounds open again with one buffer at the front.

Buffer vs true bypass

See also