Bypass loop

[Gopherbassist]

I've got several pedals that sound great when active, but because of their lack of true bypass (or maybe just garbage design) really make my bass sound bland when they're not on. Does anyone know of a pedal that acts like a bypass? I think I've seen something like this in Guitar World, but if I remember correctly it was really expensive and had individual loops for every pedal, which is overkill for my needs.

[NoOsH]

im not sure about this, and im sure youll get some replys from people who are more knowlegable than i am on the topic. but, look into the boss LS-2 i think that does what your looking for

[fatbandit]

Barge Concepts
Red Onion Solutions
Napalm Effects

Check them out.

Or just type true bypass loop into Google, and you'll find them. They don't cost a lot, and they're not hard to find.

The LS-2 isn't true bypass itself I don't think.

Or depending on the noisy pedal/number of noisy pedals, it might be worth replacing them with true bypass pedals.

[Gopherbassist]

Not noisy, just tone sucking. With three in line they make my bass sound just about like puke.

[edgebass5]

Can you plug your bass into the instrument input of your amp and run your pedals through the effects loop? Not a 100% fix to the problem, but certainly a step in the right direction as far as limiting the tone-suck problem of those types of pedals.

[Gopherbassist]

I can do that, but it's just not quite right. It seems to mostly make wahs sound better, but they aren't the problem.

[EADGC]

a) Mod all of your current effects to true bypass, and buy only true bypass

b) Post on Talkbass

[NoOsH]

The LS-2 isn't true bypass itself I don't think.


see. like i said, im not the most knowlegable at this kinda stuff.. but i was giving a shot... i just plug from bass into pedals and into amp. i dont notice much, if any, difference in tone.

[EADGC]

I've never understood people's "tone suck" claims either

with the exception of a noticable volume drop I got from my old Crybaby, I've never had any complains about any pedals I've used.

[Sablate McNuff]

Why not just build an A/B switch with one side being your pedals and the other being a direct-to-amp?

[fatbandit]

That's basically what a true bypass loop is.

And its true, I use about a dozen pedals in my chain, some are true bypass, some aren't. If you just plug directly into the amp, it DOES sound better, but its not so much I lose sleep over it. I still sound awesome ;)

[NoOsH]

I guess ive never really noticed a difference because ive never had an opportunity to hear my tone running through my chain then press a switch and hear it direct to amp, then im sure i could tell a considerable difference... hmmmm, maybe i can make that a project. an A/B Box...

[fatbandit]

Mlurr... You don't need to build an A/B box for that, and infact it is pretty useless unless you have a way of putting both inputs into the same amp. What you want, as I said, is a true bypass loop. For switching in/out your entire pedal chain, it will do the same thing, but you will only need one input to your amp. The A/B pedal has other good uses, but a bypass loop is better for that.

[Gopherbassist]

Why not just build an A/B switch with one side being your pedals and the other being a direct-to-amp?

I haven't taken any electronics classes yet, so wouldn't know how to build one. I could get a kit or read a guide online, but it would be the first time I did anything like that, so it would probably be crap. Just having the satisfaction of having built it yourself doesn't mean it's not garbage. :smash:

Thanks to NoOsH and EADGC. @ EAD: I didn't post on TalkBass, but ran a search through thier forum and found a website that builds what I'm looking for at a low price, thanks for the suggestion.

[EADGC]

Thanks to NoOsH and EADGC. @ EAD: I didn't post on TalkBass, but ran a search through thier forum and found a website that builds what I'm looking for at a low price, thanks for the suggestion.

You might want to check behind you, I think something just went right over your head.

:-?

[Gopherbassist]

Was post on TalkBass some kind of insult? If not, I don't see what you mean. But really I wouldn't have thought of TalkBass because I don't use it, so thanks for the idea. If you don't want to accept my thanks, you don't have to.

[EADGC]

Just poking fun at the general TB population's unhealthy obsession with true bypass and $50 cables and pure tone blahblahblah

[Sablate McNuff]

It really shouldn't be hard to build a true bypass loop. I realized a little after I posted how an A/B box and Bypass loop were setup. My mistake.

If I'm designing it right in my head (I'm sure Efrim will correct me if I'm wrong), you'd need to get a SPDT switch (probably a step-on), and 4 cable input jacks, and then just the wire and the box, and you'll be golden. Total price at Radio Shack = $20.

And really, the wiring is simple. It would probably look something like this (again, Efrim will surely correct me if I'm wrong):

Wire 1: Input jack -> switch input.
Wire 2: Switch output 1 -> output jack
Wire 3: Switch output 2 -> send jack
Wire 4: Return jack -> output jack

Not sure about how ground wiring would work out, if it was even needed at all, and I'm guessing it is so that you don't blow yourself up or something.

[Gopherbassist]

Ok, go into a guitar shop, take a bass off the wall, and plug it into an amp. Check all the different setting and find something you like, and then ask the store clerk for another cable (or just find one) and ask to use something like a Bassdriver. You'll notice.

[EADGC]

I'm so tempted to say the P word and start a huge argument.

[Sablate McNuff]

Just poking fun at the general TB population's unhealthy obsession with true bypass and $50 cables and pure tone blahblahblah

Agreed. It is unhealthy.

I've paid good money for monster cables, but only because they have rock-solid construction and a life-time warranty. I also only bought two 21 footers. The small pedal cables and things of that nature are in the hands of cheap 1 ft. cable multipacks at Guitar Center or Sam Ash.

[Gopherbassist]

I'm so tempted to say the P word and start a huge argument.

What's this "P word?" Practical? Poodle? Public urination?

[EADGC]

Think medicine.

[Gopherbassist]

Pennicillin?

[Sablate McNuff]

Placebo.

Oh snap.

I went there.

[Gopherbassist]

Ah. That's a good thought, except I had never heard the phrase "tone suck" when I noticed the difference with the pedals. The first time I noticed it was when I only had two cables and one effect, and one of my cables broke. I said "damn" and then just put the bass right into the amp. Then I noticed the tonal difference and went and got one of my brother's cables. Both cables sounded the same, but with the effect in there it didn't sound as good. No placebo for me.

[fatbandit]

Sometimes it probably is placebo, sometimes it isn't. Some pedals ARE inherently noisy/tone sucking. The DS-1 and Whammy pedals I have definitely are. But I've put neither in a true bypass loop. I use bypass loops to switch in multiple pedals, rather than keep noisy pedals at bay. Depends how much you let it bother you. And having true bypass in a pedal is a good thing.

[edgebass5]

Just poking fun at the general TB population's unhealthy obsession with true bypass and $50 cables and pure tone blahblahblah

As a person that posts on TB as much as I post here on MX I feel the need to defend my other brethren. Go into any of the boutique cable threads on TB and see how many posts it takes before the majority of users are talking about how much of a waste of money those types of cables are. The last thread had a link to a double-blind test between a monster cable and a wire coat hanger! I don't spend any time in the effects forum, so I can't say anything about true bypass, but your cables comment is 180-degrees from accurate.

[Gopherbassist]

As a person that posts on TB as much as I post here on MX I feel the need to defend my other brethren. Go into any of the boutique cable threads on TB and see how many posts it takes before the majority of users are talking about how much of a waste of money those types of cables are. The last thread had a link to a double-blind test between a monster cable and a wire coat hanger! I don't spend any time in the effects forum, so I can't say anything about true bypass, but your cables comment is 180-degrees from accurate.
How long was the cable? If I remember correctly, coat hangers only uncoiled to about six feet, if that. The large wire and short distance would provide low resistance, so if Monster's have lower resistance than other cables it might be a moot comparison.

[fatbandit]

Do you know what else makes it a moot comparison?

NOBODY uses coathangers in their live rig. So just buy a £15 cable and be happy :)

[Sablate McNuff]

I use coat hangers to hang my clothes that I wear on stage, so, in a roundabout way, I DO use them in my live rig.

Served.

[Az_Holl]

As a person that posts on TB as much as I post here on MX I feel the need to defend my other brethren. Go into any of the boutique cable threads on TB and see how many posts it takes before the majority of users are talking about how much of a waste of money those types of cables are. The last thread had a link to a double-blind test between a monster cable and a wire coat hanger! I don't spend any time in the effects forum, so I can't say anything about true bypass, but your cables comment is 180-degrees from accurate.
And from someone who hangs out in the effects forum: most of the guys there prefer a really good buffered bypass to a true bypass most of the time.

[Gopherbassist]

Like Dunlop.