The Buffer - Buffer kit, 11,50 €

The Buffer - Buffer kit

Item number: 216

Category: Tools

Enclosure: 125B drilled+ 9,90 €125B+ 6,50 €none

starting from 11,50 €

Final price incl. VAT, plus shipping (mitttel)

Available.

Shipping time: 3-7 Working days

Description

The Buffer is a discrete Buffer which can be built in 3 different variations. You can build it as a germanium-, silicon-, or FET-Version.

This kit contains all parts you need to build a fully functional effect pedal.

Not included in the kit, but also good to have:

Aluminium enclosure: select one from top.
9V battery or DC power supply
Decal, transfer or transparent sheets for labeling

Instrument:	Guitar
Effect-Type:	Tool, Add-On

Build documents

Installation guide: Installation guide

Schematic and pcb: Schematic

Wiring layout: Wiring

Parts list (BOM): Parts list

Ratings (27)

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1 from 1 Customers found the following product review helpful

The device you thought you didnt need

If you have a pedalboard >10 FX, get one of these... the FET version is a really good one for my taste...
Jürgen S., 05.08.2017

Total entries: 4

Nice n easy

Being a total novice in the realm of do-it-yourself pedals I have to say it went really smooth! Maybe the instructions were just a tad too technical (but I admit I am really dense, on the subject… anyone with a little more experience will find the instruction perfectly understandable).
Maybe an optional Ikea-style assembling guide could be a nice addition for the REAL beginners…
Alessandro A., 07.03.2014

Great Kit

Its a nice easy project which compensates for losses in the Pedal Board maze of wiring and works extremely well. Parts are clearly labelled and resistors are identified. The whole project is made very easy to construct with good instructions. The one glitch comes when given the choice of which one of three transistors to choose, you then have to relate it to the circuit diagram to decide which circuit Links you use. This was not at all clear, with NO written instructions to help. OK its so only one transistor involved. But it took some fathoming out. The box supplied was massive. I ended up buying a smaller box elsewhere as The battery space is not needed if using a 9volt dc supply.
Bob L., 07.10.2016

Good buffer, but…

Given the price I would have given this buffer 5 stars easily. However, this is the second kit I bought because I destroyed the first one and it wasn’t totally my fault. I’ve built many pedals by now, some of them really complex, so I presumed this one would be a walk in the park. Watch out for the type of buffer you wish to build. The three of them (Germanium, Silicon or JFET) are described in the same paragraph, watch out for what’s included in brackets e.g. Ge, Si, or JFET. You will have to sort the parts before starting the build or you’ll mix them up and screw up the circuit. All in all, it’s a good pedal. If you have a busy pedalboard (more than 10 pedals) you’ll notice the buffer or the lack of it 😎. Good luck!
Filip D., 27.03.2023

Great kit, fits a 1590A, some suggestions

English :

I built the JFET version. I fitted the circuit in a type A box (1590A) for use as an always-on buffer mounted under my pedalboard. I took inspiration from the JHS Little Black Buffer. This required a bit of planning. I used the low profile jacks and most importantly the inside-mount DC jack, ordered on Musikding along with the kit. The box closes just right with the 15mm standoffs and regular 100µF cap shipped with the kit. You might want to order lower standoffs (9.5mm) so the height is more comfortable.

The pedal does what I expected. It is -almost- unit gain (perhaps -1dB). It reduces noise a bit which helps with a high gain distorsion pedal further down my board. I did a test by removing the only buffered pedal in my board (amp sim at the end of the chain) and with 5-6 pedals the signal remained clear. Previously it was dull. Conclusion: this buffer does buffering well!

CAREFUL : in the JFET version, R3 should be replaced by a wire (indicated as - in the instructions). You should not solder R3 and should not leave this space empty either. I initially soldered R3=10kΩ there and the result sounded dark and low volume, similar to Thomas L.s comment. After replacing the resistor with a wire, the pedal worked as expected.

I removed a star to recommend shipping 9.5mm standoffs (usable even if folks dont use a 1590A) and adding English translations for the o: leer (empty) / -: Drahtbrücke (wire) legend in the schematic. Otherwise this is a great kit!

Français :

Jai fait la version JFET. Jai utilisé un boîtier type A (1590A) pour pouvoir lutiliser en tant que buffer dentrée placé sous le pedalboard. Je me suis inspiré de la JHS Little Black Buffer. Ça demande un peu de préparation. Jai utilisé des jacks low profile et surtout la prise DC inside-mount commandées sur Musikding avec le kit. Avec les supports 15mm et la capacité 100µF standard fournis avec le kit, cest tout juste niveau hauteur quand on ferme le boîtier. Prévoyez peut-être de commander des supports 9.5mm pour être plus à laise.

Le résultat est ce à quoi je mattendais. Le gain est presque unitaire (peut-être -1dB). La pédale semble atténuer le bruit car jai noté moins de souffle sur une disto placée plus loin dans la chaîne. Jai fait un test en retirant la seule pédale avec buffer bypass dans mon pedalboard (une simulation dampli), et le signal restait clair malgré les 5-6 pédales, alors quavant il aurait été plus fade. Conclusion : ce buffer bufferise bien. :-)

ATTENTION : dans la version JFET, R3 doit être remplacée par un fil (signalé - dans la doc). Il ne faut pas y souder R3 ni laisser cet emplacement vide. Initialement javais mis la résistance R3=10kΩ à cet endroit et le son était trop faible et assombri. En corrigeant, jai obtenu le résultat attendu.
Florimond M., 20.11.2023