The Pedal Custom Shop

So I always write about true bypass systems and how the idea of zero insertion loss is usually beneficial to a guitarist. In this example I had a DOD Vibrothang sent in because the pedal killed the tone when in the signal chain. Using TrueRTA as shown on Muzique.com I made a quick comparison of the signal loss from a true bypass pedal versus the Vibrothang (before and after modifications). In the stock form the signal starts rolling off around 1KHz and dramatically drops blow 200Hz. Keep in mind that this is when the pedal is bypassed which means if you have this pedal plugged in, you’re always sacrificing part of your signal. This loss in midrange will thin out your guitar’s signal and may become a larger problem when combined with other pedals. After modifying the input and output buffer the insertion loss is significantly less overall and the low end roll off only starts around 100Hz which is perfectly acceptable.

I think a project for the future will be taking a variety of pedals and comparing their bypass systems. Also, note that DOD has used a variety of bypass designs in their history so your model may not have the same problems as the DOD Vibrothang.

The Mesa Boogie Bigfoot+ is the massive five button footswitch that monopolizes so many pedalboards.  It’s great, it does a lot, but in most cases it offers far more than needed. The Solo boost is great to have but not everyone uses it (especially on a 3-channel amp). The switchable FX Loop is cool but I can’t say I’ve ever used that feature in any of my amps that have had it. This pedal is for everyone that wants three channels in a small package using the standard DIN cable that Mesa Boogie uses. These are going to be made when ordered and are available for $100. Yeah, it’s a lot for a channel switcher but it’s a lot of work to build by hand.

A bit about the design: The original footswitch uses intelligent switching meaning when you press A it goes to channel A regardless of what channel you were on. The same goes for channel B and channel C. This is done by using digital logic switching and is not simply a passive channel switcher that the majority of amps out there have used for decades. Passive switches like an ABC box usually give you A or (B or C) which means going from Channel B, to Channel A, to Channel C requires some premeditated stomping.