
Don't bypass this easy build.
Hello and welcome to our last chapter on all things true bypass. Now that you know a lot about true bypass, what it is and how it works, it''s time to think about going true bypass with your setup (or not). As you now know, true bypass is not always the best solution for a good tone -- large, unbuffered true bypass setups can sound thin and dull. But if planned the right way, an all true bypass setup will give you the best and strongest tone you've ever heard.
There are several ways to get a true bypass setup:
Enclosure
I highly recommend using a standard Hammond box, they are easy to work with and they are well shielded.
3PDT switch
These are available from a lot of companies, but personally I prefer the ones from Banzai – they''re not a cheap, but are definitely worth the price!
Jacks
For a single loop box you will need four jacks: three mono and one stereo as the master input with the power switching option. Neutrik and Switchcraft jacks are the best you can buy. If you want to build a box with more than one loop, you will need four jacks for the first loop (same as above), and two mono jacks for each additional loop.
DC jack
This is the power input jack that will make your LEDs light up. The true bypass circuit itself is pure passive and doesn''t need any power. Use a standard 2.1mm isolated plastic jack, it''s the same standard as in all the Boss and Ibanez-style stompboxes.
LED and bezel
Choose any type, color and size you want. 5mm LEDs are the standard.
Hookup Wire
You will need some good quality, non-shielded wire to hook up everything. For maximum tone and transparency, I recommend to use Teflon insulated silver wire.
A good US source to get all these parts in good quality is Small Bear Electronics, based in Brooklyn, NY. They stock everything you will ever need to build such a box and their prices are more than fair ! For all you european guys, check out Banzai.
Before we really start to build, I would like to give you a link that may be very helpful. It''s my DIY True Bypass Strip webpage and contains much more information about this subject than we can discuss here. You will also find drawings there covering how to build multi-loop boxes, how to add tuner-out, master-bypass etc.
Assuming you''ve procured all of the necessary components, we''re ready to build. First of all, you have to drill all the holes in the enclosure and to assemble all the parts in place. After that, it´s time to wire everything up. Follow the diagram below.
A short word of warning: most of the true-bypass wiring schemes out there on the internet are switching inputs, not outputs. In engineering that''s regarded as a bad thing. When the loop is engaged, all schematics are essentially the same: the Input jack is connected to the Send and the Output jack is connected to the Return. But when the loop is bypassed things are different. In the common schematics, the input to the pedal is left unconnected. If you had a high-gain pedal in the loop you could then get all sorts of squealing, or if there was a delay pedal you''d be filling the delay line with noise. In our diagram here, when the loop is bypassed, the input to the pedal is grounded. No noise, no hum, no squealing.
To transfer this schematic to our true bypass box, please wire everything up like this:
To cascade the loops in order to make a multi-loop box or true bypass strip, you would wire it all together like this:
Remember, after you've finished your box and everything is connected, you need a quality, transparent buffer (aka "line driver") in front of your true bypass strip to keep your tone alive. If you use a guitar with active electronics, you don''t have to worry about this, but the rest of us need to pay attention.
The enhancement in tone when using a buffer in front of a true bypass strip is amazing, and you can use longer cables without a dramatical high-end loss. You can simply connect a buffered stompbox, like any Boss or Ibanez pedal, in front of the strip if you like the tone, or you use a standalone buffer. It should be at unity gain, free of any tone coloration and have an extremely low impedence.
I encourage everyone to try to build such a buffer -- you can find all the info you need on my webpage. If you are an experienced builder, you can also build the IC Buffer on a piece of cardboard or veroboard by following the layout below. Keep in mind that most fuzz pedals don´t like to see another pedal in front of them and a line-driver is no exeption from this rule ! If you use one in front of the true bypass box or another one after the true bypass box is a matter of taste. I only use one in front of my true bypass strip and have never had a problem, but try it out on your own.
Hopefully you''ll give this build a go, as the improvement in tone is simply stunning. Again, don''t forget to read my DIY True Bypass Strip webpage, as all of the things we''ve discussed here in short are explained in detail.
1. You already have some real true bypass boxes.
Congratulations! If they really have true bypass you don't have to worry about them anymore. If you are unsure as to whether or not they are really true bypass, please read the previous two installments of this column; they'll guide you through a true bypass test of your own boxes.
2. You have stompboxes that can be easily converted into true bypass.
There are a lot of stompboxes -- most wah pedals, MXR, ProCo, Marshall and older EH pedals -- that already use a 2PDT or 3PDT switch internally but as you know, this does not always mean that they are true bypass. In most cases, it''s possible to rewire them for true bypass, but this depends on the individual pedal and sometimes it''s even a question of the production year (e.g. MXR pedals). It''s not possible to name each end every pedal here, so try a search on the internet for the specific stompbox you want to convert to true bypass; chances are good that someone has done it before.
It´s also possible to internally convert the standard Boss/Ibanez style stompboxes, but it involves a lot of work. First you must drill a large 12mm hole into the box to install the 3PDT switch and afterwards you have to rewire the complete switching circuit, messing with a lot of small cables and not much interior space. I doubt this is the premium solution for such boxes; read on for an easier solution.
3. Build yourself a good sounding true bypass box or strip to convert your stompboxes into true bypass devices.
The basic idea of a true bypass box is to leave the original stompbox untouched and to add true bypass as a kind of "add on" function; your stompbox is still not true bypass, but you connect it to the true bypass box and this box contains the true bypass function for the stompbox. In bypass mode, the signal passes through this true bypass box without coming in contact with the connected effect.
External true bypass boxes have always the same basic construction: you have a Master Input and Master Output, and Send and a Return jacks to connect the effect you want to true bypass. In a nutshell, connect your guitar to the Master Input of the true bypass box, run a cable from the Send jack to the Input jack of the effect, from the effect's Out to the Return of the true bypass box and connect a cable from the Master Out of the true bypass box to your amp – that's it !
Naturally you can connect more than one effect to a single loop, but for a lot of stompboxes it''s better to have more than one loop; that is what we call a true bypass strip or multi-loop true bypass box.
Building a true bypass box is very easy and a perfect beginner''s DIY project. The result is a very versatile and good-sounding box, usable in many different configurations. Now we''ll look at how to build a true bypass box with a status LED and how to cascade the loops if you need more than one true bypass channel.
First of all you''ll need some parts:
- Enclosure
- I highly recommend using a standard Hammond box, they are easy to work with and they are well shielded.
- 3PDT switch
- These are available from a lot of companies, but personally I prefer the ones from Banzai – they''re not a cheap, but are definitely worth the price!
- Jacks
- For a single loop box you will need four jacks: three mono and one stereo as the master input with the power switching option. Neutrik and Switchcraft jacks are the best you can buy. If you want to build a box with more than one loop, you will need four jacks for the first loop (same as above), and two mono jacks for each additional loop.
- DC jack
- This is the power input jack that will make your LEDs light up. The true bypass circuit itself is pure passive and doesn''t need any power. Use a standard 2.1mm isolated plastic jack, it''s the same standard as in all the Boss and Ibanez-style stompboxes.
- LED and bezel
- Choose any type, color and size you want. 5mm LEDs are the standard.
- Hookup Wire
- You will need some good quality, non-shielded wire to hook up everything. For maximum tone and transparency, I recommend to use Teflon insulated silver wire.
A good US source to get all these parts in good quality is Small Bear Electronics, based in Brooklyn, NY. They stock everything you will ever need to build such a box and their prices are more than fair ! For all you european guys, check out Banzai.
Before we really start to build, I would like to give you a link that may be very helpful. It''s my DIY True Bypass Strip webpage and contains much more information about this subject than we can discuss here. You will also find drawings there covering how to build multi-loop boxes, how to add tuner-out, master-bypass etc.
Assuming you''ve procured all of the necessary components, we''re ready to build. First of all, you have to drill all the holes in the enclosure and to assemble all the parts in place. After that, it´s time to wire everything up. Follow the diagram below.
A short word of warning: most of the true-bypass wiring schemes out there on the internet are switching inputs, not outputs. In engineering that''s regarded as a bad thing. When the loop is engaged, all schematics are essentially the same: the Input jack is connected to the Send and the Output jack is connected to the Return. But when the loop is bypassed things are different. In the common schematics, the input to the pedal is left unconnected. If you had a high-gain pedal in the loop you could then get all sorts of squealing, or if there was a delay pedal you''d be filling the delay line with noise. In our diagram here, when the loop is bypassed, the input to the pedal is grounded. No noise, no hum, no squealing.
To transfer this schematic to our true bypass box, please wire everything up like this:
To cascade the loops in order to make a multi-loop box or true bypass strip, you would wire it all together like this:
Remember, after you've finished your box and everything is connected, you need a quality, transparent buffer (aka "line driver") in front of your true bypass strip to keep your tone alive. If you use a guitar with active electronics, you don''t have to worry about this, but the rest of us need to pay attention.
The enhancement in tone when using a buffer in front of a true bypass strip is amazing, and you can use longer cables without a dramatical high-end loss. You can simply connect a buffered stompbox, like any Boss or Ibanez pedal, in front of the strip if you like the tone, or you use a standalone buffer. It should be at unity gain, free of any tone coloration and have an extremely low impedance.
I encourage everyone to try to build such a buffer -- you can find all the info you need on my webpage. If you are an experienced builder, you can also build the IC Buffer on a piece of cardboard or veroboard by following the layout below. Keep in mind that most fuzz pedals don't like to see another pedal in front of them and a line-driver is no exception from this rule ! If you use one in front of the true bypass box or another one after the true bypass box is a matter of taste. I only use one in front of my true bypass strip and have never had a problem, but try it out on your own.
Hopefully you''ll give this build a go, as the improvement in tone is simply stunning. Again, don''t forget to read my DIY True Bypass Strip webpage, as all of the things we''ve discussed here in short are explained in detail.
Well, it's already the November issue and next month it's X-Mas ! I bet many of you will take some time to visit the family or simply enjoy a holiday. To prepare you for this, next month we'll build a petite but good sounding "$5 Practice Amp," so you can take it with you on your holiday trips and practice your lead lines.
Until then, stay tuned and take care!
[Updated 2/2/22]
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The author, middle, with bassist Ross Valory (left) and Steve Smith (right) of Journey.
Do you know who’s hanging around your gigs? Our columnist shares a story about the time Journey’s bassist was in the audience during soundcheck.
I’ve always loved what I do for a living. Even long before it became a career, doing the work every day to get better was something I fell in love with right away. As a result, I’ve never had any issues with stage fright or nerves when it comes to performing—even if there are some mega-influential or important musical people in the room.
Luckily, throughout my career, I usually only find out if there’s been someone major in the audience after the show. I’m not very social on tour these days. I’m the last one to soundcheck or show and the first one out of the venue afterwards. I’m often asleep in the hotel before some of the rest of the band have even left the venue.
But once in a while, I do get caught off guard—and this little story from a night on tour last week highlights how you just never know who’s listening … or watching.
I’ve been playing with Steve Smith (former drummer of Journey and inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) for over 10 years, first as sidemen with Mike Stern in a band with Randy Brecker, and for the past five years as a member of Steve’s band Vital Information. Throughout that entire time—hundreds of shows, rehearsals, soundchecks, recording sessions, and clinics—I haven’t once played a Journey bass line around him.
It’s that thing of being way too on the nose to even hint at. Knowing that the Journey chapter of Steve’s life is musically very much in the past, it honestly just never crossed my mind. So, what on earth possessed me to start playing the bass line to “Any Way You Want It” during soundcheck in Oakland last week?!
I don’t even get through the first two bars of the song when I hear, “Looks like I’ve been rumbled….” I look up, and there’s Ross Valory, the original bass player for Journey.
I had never met him. I had no idea anyone besides the band and the crew were even in the venue during soundcheck. Aside from the embarrassment of doing that in front of one of your bass heroes, it really got me thinking about how you just never know who is listening.
I don’t know who the phrase “be ready when the luck happens” should be credited to—or if that’s exactly how it was originally said—but I’ve thought about little else since my Ross Valory moment. If you’re considering a career in music, or working to further the one you already have, it might be something worth thinking about for yourself.
“I had no idea anyone besides the band and the crew were even in the venue during soundcheck. Aside from the embarrassment of doing that in front of one of your bass heroes, it really got me thinking about how you just never know who is listening.”
Like I said before, I’ve been in love with the work since the beginning. I still set aside vast amounts of time every day to practice and work on my music. I’m constantly tinkering with my goals, large and small. I’m realistic about the time it will take to reach them, the work I need to do to get there, and the fact that some goals may well change over time—and I have to be totally okay with that and adapt as quickly as possible.
The success of the work and the attainment of the goal is also going to rely at least a little bit (and if I’m being honest, sometimes a lot) on luck. Being ready to capitalize on luck involves constantly updating my daily routine. I have to find the balance between working on very specific elements of my playing for long periods of time, and letting them go once I know they’re an internal part of my vocabulary.
Jazz pianist Chick Corea talked about memorizing versus knowing a piece of music. When you read through a chart and start to memorize it, you’re essentially just taking the music from the sheet and creating a picture of it in your brain. You then end up looking for that picture the next time you want to play it—and all you’ve done is take away the physical paper while keeping the concept of reading. That’s not knowing the material like it’s a natural part of your vocabulary. The repetition I aim for in my daily routine is what helps me play the language of music as fluently as I speak English.
The confidence gained by putting in the work can make you so much more ready for your moment than you’ve ever been before.
Set goals, love the work, and always be ready.
You never know who’s listening….
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you don’t need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single “Trembling Level,” back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PG’s Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the band’s show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Het’s Hardwired strings, .011–.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab that’s been rebadged in honor of its nickname, “Donkey,” while the Archon, which is like a “refined 5150,” runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primack’s Pedalboard
Primack’s board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taver’s Teles
Vadim Taver’s go-to is this cherryburst Fender Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primack’s recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have D’Addario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taver’s Pedalboard
Taver’s board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmon’s favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which he’s outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ’70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmon’s Pedalboard
Harmon’s board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kiesel’s new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com
The Sunset is a fully analog, zero latency bass amplifier simulator. It features a ¼” input, XLR and ¼” outputs, gain and volume controls and extensive equalization. It’s intended to replace your bass amp both live and in the studio.
If you need a full sounding amp simulator with a lot of EQ, the Sunset is for you. It features a five band equalizer with Treble, Bass, Parametric Midrange (with frequency and level controls), Resonance (for ultra lows), and Presence (for ultra highs). All are carefully tuned for bass guitar. But don’t let that hold you back if you’re a keyboard player. Pianos and synthesizers sound great with the Sunset!
The Sunset includes Gain and master Volume controls which allow you to add compression and classic tube amp growl. It has both ¼” phone and balanced XLR outputs - which lets you use it as a high quality active direct box. Finally, the Sunset features zero latency all analog circuitry – important for the instrument most responsible for the band’s groove.
Introducing the Sunset Bass Amp Simulator
- Zero Latency bass amp simulator.
- Go direct into the PA or DAW.
- Five Band EQ:
- Treble and Bass controls.
- Parametric midrange with level and frequency controls.
- Presence control for extreme highs.
- Resonance control for extreme lows.
- Gain control to add compression and harmonics.
- Master Volume.
- XLR and 1/4" outputs.
- Full bypass.
- 9VDC, 200mA.
Artwork by Aaron Cheney
MAP price: $210 USD ($299 CAD).