Buffer vs true bypass
Marketed as a straight upgrade, and it is a trade-off with a clear rule for deciding which side you want.
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We have not played this gear. Every pick below is chosen from published manufacturer specifications and the arithmetic set out in how we research, which you can re-run yourself.
True bypass routes the signal around the circuit when the pedal is off, so the pedal is electrically absent. A buffer keeps a small always-on amplifier in the path that presents a high impedance to your guitar and a low impedance to everything downstream. Buffered is better for long cable runs and worse in front of a vintage fuzz. Most boards want at least one buffer, early.
True bypass is marketed as an upgrade and it is a trade. This page is about which side of that trade your board is on.
01What a buffer actually fixes
Guitar cable has capacitance — a few hundred picofarads per meter. That capacitance, combined with your pickup's inductance, forms a filter that rolls off high frequencies. The longer the cable, the more top end you lose, and the effect is entirely real and measurable.
A buffer's output impedance is low — TC Electronic publishes 100 ohms for the BONAFIDE buffer in the PolyTune 3 — which means it can drive that capacitance without the roll-off. Everything after the buffer is effectively immune to cable length.
A board full of true-bypass pedals adds all the patch cables plus both long cables into one continuous run, so the total capacitance is the sum of the lot. That is where a fully true-bypass board loses top end, and it is why the choice matters more as boards get bigger.
One of each, and how to choose
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | No photo BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner Buffered bypass at the front of the chain, driving everything downstream. | A buffer where a buffer belongs | |
| 02 | No photo Korg Pitchblack Chromatic Tuner +/- 1 cent accuracy with true bypass, so the tuner is out of the path when off. | True bypass where a buffer would break something | |
| 03 | No photo EarthQuaker Devices Plumes Relay-based switching that is true bypass without the mechanical switch's pop or wear. | Relay true bypass, which is the modern answer |
Rows link to the full write-up further down this page. Prices come from the live price layer only — where there is no live figure the button reads “Check price” rather than showing a remembered number.
03The comparison
| True bypass | Buffered | |
|---|---|---|
| When off | Pedal is electrically out of the path | Buffer stays in the path |
| Long cable runs | Top-end loss accumulates | Driven cleanly regardless of length |
| In front of a vintage fuzz | Fine | Breaks the pickup interaction |
| Switch noise | A mechanical switch can pop | Usually silent |
| Failure mode | A dead pedal kills the signal path | A dead pedal kills the signal path |
| Cost to implement | Cheaper | Requires a small always-on circuit |
True bypass being cheaper to implement is worth knowing: it is not automatically the premium option, and on budget pedals it is frequently the economical one.
BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner
A buffer where a buffer belongs
The number20 mA normally, 80 mA in High Brightness mode. Buffered bypass, published by BOSS.
A buffer is most useful early in the chain, because everything after it benefits. A tuner is almost always first, which makes a buffered tuner the most efficient place to put one.
The TU-3 also has a DC OUT jack that powers a small number of other pedals, and a mute function that is the actual reason to own a pedal tuner rather than a clip-on.
It is the wrong pedal in front of a vintage fuzz, for exactly the reason this page exists. Fuzz and buffers covers that case.
| Tuning range | C0 (16.35 Hz) to C8 (4,186 Hz) |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | +/- 1 cent |
| Modes | Chromatic, Chromatic flat x2, Guitar, Guitar flat x2, Bass, Bass flat x3 |
| Bypass | Buffered bypass |
| Current draw | 20 mA; 80 mA with High Brightness mode on |
| Jacks | Output, Bypass, DC IN, DC OUT (powers other pedals) |
| Weight | 390 g including battery |
| What it does not do | +/- 1 cent is fine for a stage tuner and not enough for setting intonation — that is strobe territory. Turning on High Brightness quadruples the current draw, which matters on a shared supply. |
Specs from BOSS TU-3 specifications. We have not used this unit.
Korg Pitchblack Chromatic Tuner
True bypass where a buffer would break something
If you run a vintage-style fuzz and need the tuner first for its mute, this is the swap that fixes the conflict without rearranging the board.
Korg publishes +/- 1 cent accuracy, four meter styles including a strobe-style display, and a DC output for powering other pedals.
True bypass is not free: with no buffer anywhere and a long cable run, you will lose top end. That is the cost of the choice, not a fault of the pedal.
| Accuracy | +/- 1 cent |
|---|---|
| Display modes | Four meter styles including a strobe-style display |
| Bypass | True bypass |
| Power | 9 V battery or a 9 V DC supply; DC output for powering other pedals |
| What it does not do | No polyphonic mode. True bypass means no buffer, which is a feature if your chain already has one and a problem if it does not. |
Specs from Korg Pitchblack product page. We have not used this unit.
EarthQuaker Devices Plumes
Relay true bypass, which is the modern answer
The number10 M ohm in, 100 ohm out, 25 mA. Flexi-Switch relay bypass.
A mechanical 3PDT switch is what most true-bypass pedals use, and it is the part that wears out and the reason some pedals pop when switched.
Relay switching gets the same signal path with a quieter, longer-lived mechanism, and it makes momentary switching possible — hold for a phrase, tap for a section.
The 10 M ohm input impedance means it loads nothing in front of it, which is the other half of being genuinely transparent when engaged.
| Controls | Level, Gain, Tone, 3-way clipping toggle |
|---|---|
| Clipping modes | Symmetrical LED clipping; no clipping (clean boost); asymmetrical silicon diode clipping |
| Current draw | 25 mA |
| Input impedance | 10 M ohm |
| Output impedance | 100 ohm |
| Bypass | Flexi-Switch relay-based true bypass, momentary or latching |
| Size | 4.75 x 2.50 x 2.25 in (121 x 64 x 57 mm) with knobs |
| What it does not do | No power supply included and no battery compartment. Mode 2 is a clean boost, not a second drive voicing — if you expected three flavors of dirt, one of them is not dirt. |
Specs from EarthQuaker Devices Plumes product page. We have not used this unit.
04The rule for deciding
- Do you run a vintage-style fuzz? If yes, nothing buffered goes in front of it. That constraint comes first and everything else works around it.
- Is your total cable run over roughly 6 meters? If yes, you want at least one buffer. Guitar to board plus board to amp adds up faster than people expect.
- Is your board mostly BOSS or Ibanez pedals? You already have buffers, several of them, and adding another achieves nothing.
- Is everything true bypass and the tone sounds dull? That is the capacitance roll-off. Add one buffer, early.
- Does a pedal pop when you switch it? That is a mechanical bypass switch. Irritating, not harmful, and a relay-bypass pedal avoids it.
05Where to put a buffer
Early, so the maximum length of chain benefits — but after any fuzz. The common arrangement is fuzz first, then a buffered pedal, then everything else. If you have no fuzz, first in the chain is the right place and a buffered tuner does the job for free.
A second buffer at the end of a long board is sometimes worth it if the run to the amp is long, but two buffers in a row achieve nothing extra. This is not a case where more is better.
Frequently asked questions
+ Is true bypass better than buffered?
+ Do I need a buffer on my pedalboard?
+ Why do my true bypass pedals make my tone dull?
+ Where should a buffer go?
Sources
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