Waldo Buffer in a Bobby Guitar

[mkaufman]

I'm planning on wiring my poor man's Cowboy soon. Just wondering - any reason why I would or wouldn't want the Waldo buffer in my guitar? Can it be bypassed via a switch?

mk

[mijknahs]

I think all electric string instruments should have one (guitar, bass).

I don't see why you'd ever want to bypass it either. It doesn't "color" the sound. You need to use a 25K volume pot. It will allow you to adjust the volume pot to any level and not change the tone. I think that's the best thing about a buffer. Your volume pot is no longer a tone control.

Jim

[strumminsix]

Depends. Are you gonna run a GCX which has a buffer?

If so then I wouldn't. If not, I'd consider it.

[hogan]

It won't hurt, go for it.

[strumminsix]

It won't hurt, go for it.

Unless you have a GCX where a buffered signal into the GCX's buffer is no good for tone.

[mijknahs]

I have a GCX and have always used it with a unity-gain buffer. I thought it sounded great!

Jim

[waldo041]

the gcx has both a buffered and nonbuffered input. but strummin is correct that using both buffers is a tone sucker.

peace,
waldo

[hogan]

It won't hurt, go for it.

Unless you have a GCX where a buffered signal into the GCX's buffer is no good for tone.

That's not true. I used a GCX for years, sounded great. What you're suggesting is that any piece of equipment that has buffering is no good w/ a buffered guitar? That excludes a lot of equipment.

[strumminsix]

It won't hurt, go for it.

Unless you have a GCX where a buffered signal into the GCX's buffer is no good for tone.

That's not true. I used a GCX for years, sounded great. What you're suggesting is that any piece of equipment that has buffering is no good w/ a buffered guitar? That excludes a lot of equipment.

No, hogan, that's not what I'm suggesting. I'll try to again and maybe this time you will note EXACTLY what I am saying and you will see I am not SUGGESTING anything - Unless you have a GCX where a buffered signal into the GCX's buffer is no good for tone.

There is a difference in buffering from a guitar vs. GCX, etc.

[RiverRat]

Unless you have a GCX where a buffered signal into the GCX's buffer is no good for tone.

There is a difference in buffering from a guitar vs. GCX, etc.

!

Tone suck is poor choice of words, signal sucking is better... It's the same as turning down the volume knob. The guitar's buffer output impedance into the GCX buffer input impedance is not ideal.

The importance of this circuit does not come from any change in voltage, but from the input and output impedances of the op-amp. The input impedance of the op-amp is very high (1 MΩ to 10 TΩ), meaning that the input of the op-amp does not load down the source or draw any current from it. Because the output impedance of the op-amp is very low, it drives the load as if it were a perfect voltage source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffer_amp ... r_examples

SIDENOTE: My wife is now cleaning around the house singing:

"WALDO BUFFER IN A BOBBY GUITAR... DA DA DA DADA DADA DA!"

[hogan]

No, hogan, that's not what I'm suggesting. I'll try to again and maybe this time you will note EXACTLY what I am saying and you will see I am not SUGGESTING anything - Unless you have a GCX where a buffered signal into the GCX's buffer is no good for tone.

There is a difference in buffering from a guitar vs. GCX, etc.

Say it real slow for me, i'm special.
I have a buffered guitar that went into either gcx input( one buffered/ one not buffered) didn't hear a difference, but like I said i'm kinda special.

[waldo041]

That's not true. I used a GCX for years, sounded great. What you're suggesting is that any piece of equipment that has buffering is no good w/ a buffered guitar? That excludes a lot of equipment.

too some extent it is true and exactly why the audio switcher is used. to eliminate the loading of all the buffers in a chain. with no OBEL onboard and a buffer, sure you could run whatever buffered effects you want in the chain, but you are only loading down your signal(thanksRR) and altering your tone. it becomes muddled in the interaction of buffer to buffer interplay. when you move to an OBEL onboard the guitar without an on/off switch almost the same scenario, but when you put the switch onboard also, you get a single buffered output of the guitar, and a second loaded down effects loop which creates two different tones from the clean and effected signals. when you place an audio switcher(like a gcx) in the effect loop and individually have each one true bypassed out, you will get the same signal on both sides as there is no buffer to buffer interplay. they are true bypassed out of the signal. that said, what strummin states is true, you defeat your efforts placing a buffer in the guitar when using the buffered input of a gcx to true bypass the buffers in your pedals. with the onboard buffer on the guitar the gcx unbuffered input is ideal. without an onboard buffer, the buffered input of the gcx should be utilized. this is how peter cornish's effects systems all are, buffered at there inputs and the guitar cable plugged into it. but jerry and the boys knew that the cable capacitance and resistance of the cable created a filter and sucked some tone, so the buffers were placed onboard the guitar as close to the output signal of the pickups as possible. and while jerry didn't start there, he eventually got there having just the one buffer in his guitar that completely ran his signal unhindered by any buffers inline. that produces the cleanest, strongest unhindered signal possible to the preamp. even if you do everything else but don't put a buffer in your guitar, you deal with the guitar cable from guitar to amp. use a small one or a good one because they all have some sorta capacitance and resistance. no matter how small it is, it's there.

peace,
waldo

[mkaufman]

So...

I don't not use a GCX or any effects switcher. Right now, I just have a couple of old school analog effects. I may consider an AxeFX down the road.

mk

[mijknahs]

So...

I don't not use a GCX or any effects switcher. Right now, I just have a couple of old school analog effects. I may consider an AxeFX down the road.

mk

Then you MUST get a buffer in your guitar. It is no longer optional at this point.


Jim