True Bypass

True bypass pedals route the guitar signal directly from input to output when the effect is switched off, helping preserve the original tone of the instrument when the pedal is not active. This became an important feature as pedalboards grew larger and players became more conscious of signal loss through long chains of effects.

Many boutique pedal builders and modern stompbox manufacturers use true bypass switching to keep the signal path as clean as possible. Some players still combine true bypass pedals with buffered pedals depending on cable length and the overall design of the rig.