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nosajwp
Copper Member
USA
24 Posts |
 Posted - 08/23/2006 : 04:07:56
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| I've used a few that weren't bad at all, but I know there are stories out there of certain Boss pedals causing a loss of tone when bypassed. Do you guys know which ones those are? |
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stahlhart
Platinum Member
1318 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 05:54:41
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The TU-2 is supposed to be one of them.
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starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 07:11:33
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quote:
Originally posted by stahlhart
The TU-2 is supposed to be one of them.
HUH TU-2?????
I had a couple of flakey PSM-5s, needed some jiggling of the i/o jacks to fix some tone loss. I'm thinking an old CE-3 I once owned did that too. Hmm. all else has been good. |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 07:57:39
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All pedals with electronic switches sucks tone (in off position) more or less (Boss, Ibanez etc), you can have 3-4 pedals in a row without too much degrading, but more�.
The one I have noticed most as a tone sucker is PSM-5, this is strange as PSM-5 could be used to bypass a lot of tone sucking pedals�.
Anyway tone sucking from Boss pedals is not that bad, when you�re playing with a band at full tilt you won�t notice it. Putting EH-2 as the last pedal fix things up a bit too.
Another solution would be using a True bypass pedal, easy to make by yourself, look at Stinkfoot�s homepage for how to do it, www.stinkfoot.se
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Sunburst
Silver Member
427 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 08:18:51
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| I have a TU-2 and have not been able to detect any noticable tonesucking. I have never more than 3 to max 4 pedals in the chain though. |
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Austen
Bronze Member
50 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 08:56:34
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For some reason (against logic)PSM 5 is an absolute prick of a tone sucker. I couldn't believe it the first time I traced my lost tone back to that! Imagine! I thought it must be faulty, but nope, they just do that.
Just have a look how much unnecessary circuitry your signal goes through. I never use them.
All Boss pedals are buffered and capable of degrading your tone but you will probably only notice after 3-4 as Goran says. Thus the existence of the EH-2.
Tuners are notorious for pinching tone. Never leave one active in your signal chain. Bad idea.
You can get yourself a true bypass looper if this is an issue for you.
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stahlhart
Platinum Member
1318 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 13:53:08
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I just recall that way back when I was considering adding one to the setup, and read reviews ahead of time -- and after I had seen several people griping about this with respect to the TU-2 I changed my mind and got an "accessory" type tuner instead.
It was the only other time I had seen a significant number of people complain, apart from the stock Cry Baby.
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strat714
Silver Member
USA
156 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 16:47:42
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| The TU-2 can be used without keeping it in the "live" signal path. My Ernie Ball volume pedal has a "tuner out" output that will output signal to my tuner when the pedal is in the zero position. This way there is no signal loss while playing. |
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stahlhart
Platinum Member
1318 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 17:39:40
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That's a good idea.
I wonder if the "direct out" jack available on some Boss pedals would be equally suitable for that approach. (?) I guess it would have to be at or near the start of the signal chain, though.
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starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 18:00:01
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PS...
I have NEVER used the LOOP function of the PSM-5 - in fact, whenever i've used it with dual BCB-3s or a BCB-6; it was always OUTSIDE of the pedalboard, strictly, to supply power. I had 3 of em, and they all were a little erratic, all you need to do is put a dummy 1/4" plug in the AMP jack and then it will light up and supply power to the rest of your pedals.
I also used it as a signal splitter between my amp input and a tuner, and that actually worked pretty good Green Light to Tune, Red light to Play. |
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midibuddy
Silver Member
Ecuador
285 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 18:16:05
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does the TU-2 always sucks tone or only when it's on?
I'm thinking of getting it out of my FX chain |
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Big Boss Man
Gold Member
USA
564 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 18:43:57
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| The TU-2 does seem to suck tone. I always keep it out of the chain. When it is time to tune up, I switch the amps to bypass and switch my guitar cable from the regular chain to the TU-2. It is a pain in the... but it is worth it to keep this one out of the chain. |
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jack
Platinum Member
USA
1418 Posts |
Posted - 08/23/2006 : 19:41:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Big Boss Man
The TU-2 does seem to suck tone. I always keep it out of the chain. When it is time to tune up, I switch the amps to bypass and switch my guitar cable from the regular chain to the TU-2. It is a pain in the... but it is worth it to keep this one out of the chain.
You could always get an AB-Y pedal, send one output just to the TU-2 then send the other to the rest of your chain. So you would avoid any tone-sucking from the TU-2, but have the convenience of having a pedal tuner at your feet and not having to unplug. However, you would need to make sure you got a quality AB-Y that does not suck tone. Or if you are already using an AB-Y, here is an AB-Y with a dedicated tuner output:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Chucks-A-B-Box-withTuner-Output-NEW_W0QQitemZ270002266081QQihZ017QQcategoryZ22669QQcmdZViewItem |
Edited by - jack on 08/23/2006 23:04:20 |
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starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
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Big Boss Man
Gold Member
USA
564 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2006 : 02:10:15
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quote:
Originally posted by jack
quote:
Originally posted by Big Boss Man
The TU-2 does seem to suck tone. I always keep it out of the chain. When it is time to tune up, I switch the amps to bypass and switch my guitar cable from the regular chain to the TU-2. It is a pain in the... but it is worth it to keep this one out of the chain.
You could always get an AB-Y pedal, send one output just to the TU-2 then send the other to the rest of your chain. So you would avoid any tone-sucking from the TU-2, but have the convenience of having a pedal tuner at your feet and not having to unplug. However, you would need to make sure you got a quality AB-Y that does not suck tone. Or if you are already using an AB-Y, here is an AB-Y with a dedicated tuner output:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Chucks-A-B-Box-withTuner-Output-NEW_W0QQitemZ270002266081QQihZ017QQcategoryZ22669QQcmdZViewItem
Yeah, I could do that, but it would be way too easy. 
I generally prefer to limit the signal chain to only the pedals I need frequently. I think some tone sucking comes from the combination of many pedals too even if individually they don't seem to suck tone. |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2006 : 02:48:04
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| i dont find any pedals to suck tone. i think some people have tone and volume confused. |
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Topic |
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Which Boss pedals are guilty of sucking tone?
