Compatt/O™ Buffer
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Designed and hand-built (by Mario) in Canada.
The Compatt/O™ is a high-quality op-amp based buffer, similar to our legendary BS2 Guitar Audio Buffer/Splitter, and tweaked to Axess’ 2022 specs. It can be used either as an output line-driver or as a guitar input buffer.
Use the Compatt/O™ as an output line-driver after the last pedal on your pedalboard to drive the long cable run to a back-line amp.
It has very good capacitance drive capabilities and can drive low input impedance loads which means long lengths of cable and/or daisy-chained passive splitters such as the Compatt/X™ IsoPlus™ should not be an issue.
If you have found some other input buffers restore too much top end, sounding overly bright, consider using the Compatt/O™ Buffer as an input buffer, by plugging your guitar directly into it. The Compatt/O will safeguard, strengthen and prepare your guitar’s signal for whatever follows in the signal path.
Why choose a buffer from us?
Why do you need an input buffer?
Why do you also need an output buffer?
- Input Impedance: 1M ohm
- Output Impedance: 50 ohm
- Housed in a compact; 3.72 x 1.55 x 1.29in. (94.5 x 39.4 x 32.8mm) and rugged #1590A style die-cast aluminum enclosure.
- Powered by 9-18VDC via a 2.1mm x 5.5mm barrel plug with a negative centre pin (like Boss pedals) with a current draw of 100mA or less (adapter not included).
Compatto [kom·patto] is the Italian, masculine noun, translation for 'compact'.
Why choose a buffer from AXSGTR®?
Mario at/and Axess Electronics was one of the first companies to provide a standalone buffer, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Many of our artists such as; Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Peter Frampton, Jeff Schroeder, and Brad Paisley, 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 almost 25yrs later they are still the most important product(s) we offer for improving tone.
Why do you need an input buffer?
To prevent signal loss (also known as tone suck) due to capacitance loading, impedance mismatches and changes to a pickup’s resonant frequency and peak. These are all caused by varying effects pedals, patch cables and the long cable run to a back-line amplifier, which are common to every pedalboard.
Why do you also need an output buffer?
Without a doubt, the most important buffer in any guitar rig is the input buffer that a 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 amplifier, is the icing on the cake for consistently great tone.
Every guitar rig has at least two constants; a guitar and an amp. 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 / 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 the amp are buffered. This is far from a new concept, in fact, it has been used by at least one of the worlds best pro rig builders since the 1970s.
