does running a passive splitter from PUP screw up the sound?

Started by jibberish, January 19, 2013, 10:01:53 PM

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jibberish

like by loading down the pickup too much so it changes the tone/volume/etc

or does it basically work ok?
should this be an active buffered impedance-matched thing?

looking to feed an amp and a DI.

Mr. Foxen

It will change the sound/response compared to one because the impedance drops, and generally, the higher the impedance on a pickup, the better it sounds. So buffered is better, if you have a buffered pedal, like a tuner that isn't 'true bypass', put that before the split and you are good to go. True bypass is a ballache for impedance purposes.

jibberish

ya, ok, I was kind of thinking that would be the case. thx.

on a similar topic which kind of got me thinking about this:
I got that Tascam dp-24 multitrack recorder.  they put one special hi impedance guitar input in the input array. matched way better than line level inputs are.
I always used line ins...wow does my guitar have full bottom end now.  and that got me thinking about the effects of bad impedance matching.
My straight DI guitar sound just improved drastically due to impedance correction.

and I didn't want to go and lose that sound quality gain I just attained. 
I've just been sitting here recording and erasing track after track of noodles just because it sounds so nice heh.

dunwichamps

you could build a simple klon buffer which is just an op amp buffer in an always on enclosure with a parallel unaffected out if you want to keep the natural response of your pickups into the amp and have just the buffered input going into the splitter. Also 2note if you run fuzz into the buffer I would probably run it with more than 9V to avoid clipping on the buffer

jibberish

ok thx, more good info.

I started looking around at buffers since I have op amps from playing with them way beck when. the op amp input is super hi impedance, so I like this idea. And yes, I would like to keep the pickups straight to the amp.
I eventually came across beavis audio.

here is a really nice article that illustrates 4 different buffers. 2 are 1 transistor, and 2 are op amp based.  one is the klon type although he sort of makes fun of the name.  you can instantly see the thing is unity gain when a straight feedback wire goes back to the input, as opposed to infinite gain when the feedback wire is completely removed. I like that heh.

http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/Buffers/

I have one other question. MrF  mentions that pedals do have gain, so "after" a pedal is buffered. and come to think, the recorder manual mentions pedals are ok for line ins.  my question is: What are input impedances INTO most pedals? high? like the 1meg op amp circuit? and this is leading to: can you split a pickup into several pedals passively without loading too much?
I don't have plans for split effect chains from a single pup, just kind of wondering for future reference and more pieces to the puzzle.  thx again guys.

dunwichamps

usually 1M but there are exceptions like Fuzzfaces have much lower input impedance

jibberish

ok cool.

heh, I have another question.

I know in higher gain stages of amps, using wire-wound or other quieter resistors than carbon composite is sometimes desirable.
does resistor noise become a really minor factor in low gain circuits like this unity gain buffer? I see all projects use carbon composite.

but wtf, if they help they aren't that huge of a cost increase. I would guess they make no influence..but I have no clue in this context.