FAQ

AXSGTR® buffers compared!?
Why choose a buffer from us?
Why do you need an input buffer?
Do you also need an output buffer?
Balanced Guitar Audio: Axess' History and EVH
JENSEN™ Transformers: Axess' History and Ramblings

AXSGTR® buffers compared!?

The Compatt/A™ Buffer (a Class-A transistor circuit) is meant to serve as an INPUT buffer for your guitar.

The Compatt/X Unity+™ is our latest buffer circuit and uses a high-end/studio quality op-amp. It's meant to serve as an OUTPUT buffer or line-driver at the end of your pedalboard's signal path, or anywhere else (i.e. an amp's effects loop) that high-headroom buffering is needed. With its 15 user selectable filters, it can also be used as an INPUT buffer for your guitar — hence we refer to it as a multi-buffer.

The Face First™, OTS1™ and OTS2™ Patch-Boxes contain the Compatt/A™ circuit.

The DBIO™ and DBTM™ contain both the Compatt/A™ and Compatt/X Unity+™ circuits, in a convenient all-in-one package/enclosure.

The Compatt/O™ Buffer features a tweaked version of the op-amp buffer circuit used in our popular BS2 Buffer/Splitter. We continue to offer it while we have the parts, but as soon as we run out, it will no longer be available. It can be used as an INPUT buffer for your guitar and as an OUTPUT buffer or line-driver at the end of your pedalboard's signal path.

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Why choose a buffer from us?

Mario at/and Axess Electronics was one of the first companies to provide a standalone buffer back in the late 1990s.

Many of our artists such as; Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Peter Frampton, Jeff Schroeder, Prince, Brad Paisley, etc. ... either used our BS2™ Buffer/Splitter or a product with a similar circuit in it.

Buffers have been the heart of our products since 1998 and 25+ years later they are still some of the most important product(s) we offer for improving your tone.

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Why do you need an input buffer?

To prevent signal loss (i.e. tone suck) due to capacitance loading, impedance mismatches, and changes to a pickup’s resonant frequency and peak. These are all caused by varying effect pedals, their patch cables and the long cable run to a back-line amp, which are common to every guitar rig.

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Do you also need an output buffer?

Maybe (read below...) or maybe not; if the last pedal in your pedalboard's signal path is always on, then the constant connection between the pedal's output circuit and the amp's input section, will ensure a consistent transfer of tone. Whether the tone reaching your amp's input is great, or not, is entirely dependent on the design of the pedal's output circuitry, and the length and quality of the cable being used. All that said...

Without a doubt, the most important buffer in any guitar rig is the input buffer that the guitar is plugged into. Adding a second buffer, this one as an output line-driver after the last pedal on a pedalboard, to drive the long cable run to a back-line amp, is the icing on the cake for consistently great tone.

Every guitar rig has at least two constants; a guitar and an amplifier. With the guitar plugged into an input buffer and the last pedal on the pedalboard feeding an output line-driver — the two constants are always provided with a resolute load and source, respectively.

The input buffer and the output line-driver create an effects loop that segregates the guitar and amp from all of the variables connected between them. As a result, the only variation in feel and tone will be from the actual effect of the pedals on the pedalboard, and not from a guitar and/or amp related capacitance loading or impedance mismatch issue.

Even with true-bypass pedals or loop switchers, the key to consistent FEEL and TONE demands that BOTH the guitar and amplifier are buffered. This is far from a new concept, in fact, it's been used by at least one of the worlds best pro rig builders since the 1970s.

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Balanced Guitar Audio: Axess' History and EVH

2001: After several years of building many custom buffers, I decided to offer a standard off-the-shelf buffer — the BS2™ Buffer/Splitter. Since it already had a transformer isolated output, I thought;

"Why not also wire it to be balanced?"

For some reason I decided not to mention it in the BS2 user manual... Perhaps at the time I didn’t think many guys would make use of it...?

2004: Eddie Van Halen uses the BS2 on his '04 Dave Friedman (Rack Systems Ltd.) built pedalboard for the reunion tour with Sammy Hagar. The long 1/4" TRS balanced cable from the BS2's Isolated Output ran to a balanced receiver and converter (similar to our new IsoPlus™) and fed his backline Peavey 5150II amp.

2006: Another Canadian company (that I almost worked for before joining Mesa/Boogie) released their popular SGI balanced transmitter/receiver.

2014: I designed and developed the Clearlink Send and Receive for Mesa/Boogie.

2023: AXSGTR® Compatt/X™ Unity+™ and IsoPlus™.

2024: AXSGTR® IsoFormer™ with JENSEN™ Transformers Inc.

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JENSEN™ Transformers: Axess' History and Ramblings

In 2014, while working on the Clearlink Send and Clearlink Receive, I had my hands full of high-end isolation transformers from Hammond, Jensen, Lundahl, OEP, and two custom OEM manufacturers. Most were purchased with my own money because it was just easier and certainly faster to do it that way... no red tape.

Two years later, the Clearlink Send and Receive were finally released to market. But with very little to no "marketing", my dream of a new industry standard "Mesa SGI", quickly became a pipe dream, lol.

All that work (more than half of which was after hours and on my own dime/time, a labor of love, if you will) wasn't for nothing though. I was able to catalog "My-Audio-Transformer-Findings-Decisions-Measurements" in a vast spreadsheet and matrix of audio files, computer files, folders, sketches and waveforms.

I knew that eventually the situation would present itself for me to be able to use the best of the best, and the best of everything I learned. And that time is now ... early 2024 ... No counting beans, just the absolute best damn audio isolation transformers, spec'd for the most demanding applications, from JENSEN™ Transformers Inc.

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