At its core, a buffer’s job is to combat capacitance, a naturally occuring trait, specifically when using long stretches of cable (over 18.5’ to be precise!). . Your guitar’s high frequencies become attenuated as the signal travels over such long distances of unbalanced instrument cable, on it’s way to your amplifier.
A buffer reinforces your signal, maintaining your high frequencies, and giving your tone a helping hand battling the natural capacitance of your instrument cable. When determining your needs for a buffer, you’ll want to focus on your OVERALL cable length; capacitance, by nature, is an additive property. Cables under 18.5’ don’t typically exhibit capacitance issues by themselves, but you’ll want to account for all cable between your guitar and amp, including patch cables on your board.
Buffer placement in your signal chain can also be a significant factor to consider. Notably, most fuzz pedals like to be as close to the unaffected guitar signal as possible. Placing buffers before fuzz will often yield a much different fuzz sound than what is typically produced. Rule of thumb is; fuzz before buffer. As with many things in our industry, there are standards, but no rules; experiment with what works for you!
Built into a compact enclosure, the CopperSound Buffer pedal is ideal for taking up minimal space on a pedalboard. Given the low profile, it can easily fit on the underside of most boards, saving real estate for pedals that you’ll interact with. Drawing less than 5mA, our Buffer is also equipped with an auxiliary power jack, allowing you to run power through it to another pedal.