Waldo's TPC-1 in a pedal!

[JustinJohn]

I recently received my Waldo buffer (the TPC-1) in a pedal!

The pedal it'self is very sturdy and the craftsmanship is top-notch (internally and externally). The pedal has input/output jacks, a 9v power jack (standard Boss), and an effects loop send/return. The switch turns the loop on/off and the knob has a 25k pot that controls the volume of the signal from the effects loop (I leave it wide open).

The big difference it makes, of course, is the sound. I cant emphasize this enough - the Jerry buffer makes a HUGE difference in the sound of the guitar in relation to the feel of playing. The high and low notes especially. There's a clarity to the high end that is totally new to my sound, I didn't realize how much high end resonance I've been missing. Also the low end feels tighter, and the notes come thru crisper and with more body. Honestly I could not have imagined how much tone I had been missing until I A/B'd my rig with the waldo-buffer - the difference is profound.

Kudos to Waldo! A super cool guy with a super cool product. I am very, very happy with it and cant imagine my sound now without it!

=)

[Pete B.]

Nice!
I know you run alot of pedals. I bet it works great!

[JustinJohn]

I'm really happy with it. As I said - I didnt know what I was missing until I started using it. My high notes, particularly anything on the high E and B strings above the 7th fret have way more "meat" to them, and far more sustain. Also, the lower notes, particularly open E and A, and anything on the lower 3 strings below the 5th fret sound more defined, crisp, almost piezo-like, but more organic and not quite so piezo-ish. It's hard to describe.

[tigerstrat]

you'll start to notice a little more now, everything else in your chain that sucks tone. one of the "drawbacks"

[Deadhead85]

I play rhythm guitar in my band, the "bobby" part...
and run a lot of pedals. Would this be useful in my rig, or change my tone too much to be more of a Jerry tone?

[JustinJohn]

you'll start to notice a little more now, everything else in your chain that sucks tone. one of the "drawbacks"

I noticed it when I had my whole pedal chain bypassed via the effects loop. Tho the difference was almost imperceptible to my ears - maybe because of good cables and a lot of tru-bypass pedals, or maybe because I am in fact quite deaf.

I currently use the TPC-1's effects loop to run a second pedalboard (which I don't use with my GD coverband). The second pedalboard has a Line6 MM4 w/ exp pedal, Boss CE-2 (3007 chip), Boss PS-3, Klon Centaur (goldtop-archer), and an AnalogMan Ross-clone compressor.

I play rhythm guitar in my band, the "bobby" part...
and run a lot of pedals. Would this be useful in my rig, or change my tone too much to be more of a Jerry tone?

I don't believe that this pedal "changes" your tone per-se, not in a way that alters the tone to sound like something that isn't the product of the gear youre using. Rather, it allows the full spectrum of your guitar's natural tone to shine thru, whereas before, your tone was being degraded by long cables and pedals.

[waldo041]

I don't believe that this pedal "changes" your tone per-se, not in a way that alters the tone to sound like something that isn't the product of the gear youre using. Rather, it allows the full spectrum of your guitar's natural tone to shine thru, whereas before, your tone was being degraded by long cables and pedals.

that's exactly what the TPC1 is doing!

that said, other buffer preamps can and do alter the tone and are made to do so.

peace,
waldo

[barefootdave]

I am getting ready to mod a PRS custom w/ a Super 2 and Waldo buffer. Is there any reason I wouldn't just buy this pedal instead and be able to use it with all my guitars? How much is the cost of the pedal v. internal buffer alone?

[hotasaPistol]

I was just thinking the same thing.....I want one.............

thanks Waldo

[Pete B.]

... Is there any reason I wouldn't just buy this pedal instead and be able to use it with all my guitars?...

Here's the deal as I see it...
If you can hear a difference in tone between 6-inches of guitar cord and 9-feet of the same brand/model guitar cord, than you might want to go with an onboard buffer (Or a different brand of cord... I use GeorgeL cord most of the time).
So get a 6-inch patch cord, and plug your guitar into your amp and play up and down the neck.
Now get a 9-foot or so cord and play the same thing.
If you don't hear any difference, you are good to go with a pedal. This test is easier with an A/B pedal.

I use a 9ft cord to the buffer pedal. The effects pedals and buffer pedal all sit right next to each other and use 6" patch cords. The output of my Buffer Pedal is a 3ft cord that goes to a volume pedal with a 25K pot, then to the amp with another 9-footer. You can control your volume while you continue to play up and down the neck (super nice to have when using an envelope filter), and no batteries are requiered anywhere in the system.
I use it with whatever instrument I am playing at the time... typically various electric Guitars or Pedal Steel Guitars.

I have one in a Tiger Modded Strat also (requieres batteries even when effect loop is bypassed - Battery will drain if mistakenly left plugged in). It pushes a 20ft TRS cord wich is really like a 40ft run of cord (which is where I personnally start to hear a noteable tonal bias due to cord length), then out of the guitar with another 20ft cord to the amp, for a total of 20+20+20=60feet of cord. I can see why Jerry needs this much cord but I am litterally stepping all over it in my world.
Funn Stuff!
Pete B.

[JustinJohn]

I opted for the pedal because I didn't want to rout my guitar for a battery jack and the cavity rout is super tiny to begin with, so much so that I honestly can't imagine even the teeny tpc1 board fitting in there; Wr had to to enlarge the rout as it was...

[willmusic]

Yup, I want one too!

[jahozer]

Im in.
Waldo, PM me please. I want to order one asap. Thanks.

[hippieguy1954]

It's very easy to make one, if you have the time. Once you have the parts and enclosure it should take about 1/2 hour to put together.

[jahozer]

Id rather just give waldo the dough...
I dont really get a much of the joy that others get from a soldering iron.