and it generally powered by nine volts.
Guitarists with active pickups (EMGs or
the like) will not need a buffer for your rig,
since the pickups already have a built-in
buffer of sorts (hence the reason for the
battery inside the instrument). Every buffer
will differ, and each builder has their own
unique take on the design, resulting in a
slightly different sound. They more or less
do the same thing, but each has its own
flavor. Today, I’ve chosen four different
buffers from four different companies, to
try and compare and contrast how these
buffers sound different on a regular old
clean tone. For the purposes of this demo,
I’ve set my all my amp’s EQ bands to noon,
24
TONE TALK //
so it has no effect on the tone. Be warned,
the differences here are very subtle,
and I recommend going to your normal
critical listening environment to listen
to this demo, be it a pair of well-known
headphones, studio monitors, or even a
hi-fi system. This will help to better discern
the differences between each clip, however,
the compression system SoundCloud uses
may also impede on these very subtle
differences, so bear that in mind as well.
SIGNAL PATH: D. Allen Echoes
Strat>Buffer>Hi-Tone DR-30>Shure SM57
Ideally, buffers are supposed to get as close
to the sound of a guitar plugged straight
into the input of the amp, so this first clip is
Battle of the Buffers: 4 Tone-Suck Stoppers