New owner (VP JR, 250K) - need advice

[Perius]

I have a new VP JR on the way to me and need some advice, mainly on placement. I think I've read that, to avoid tone suck, it should go after a buffered pedal - correct? Are most pedal buffered? I have a Boss DD-3 delay and a Wampler ego compressor - would those both be buffered pedals? If I run it through the effects loop on its own, will I have tone suck?

Another other general advice about what to expect, where to go to get it fixed it the string breaks, etc.?

 

[racerx]

Experiment and trust your ears. I know its the corny answer, but it really is the best way. Its been awhile since I've been in the weeds about true-bypass vs. buffered/etc., but I could see why the impact is plausible. Most Boss stomps are buffered- I'm not sure about Wamplers.

As for FX loop - I think that could work too. Theoretically, it shouldn't alter tone much/at-all when used here. Personally, I don't like the overhead of managing FX loops for gigs, but they are more practical for home/studio use.

You might find you actually prefer the impact the pedal has when ran first/in-front, so try both and see what you like!

 

[beej]

For putting after a buffer, in the loop, etc. you want the 25k version of the pedal. The 250k (what you have) is more suited for putting between your instrument and pedals - it's basically like another volume pot in your guitar, except that it's on the floor.

There's no right way to do it- people prefer one way or the other. Agree completely that you should experiment and see what you like.

Btw, "Tone Suck" depends on the sum of the parts. It's a loss of highs due to capacitance (and resistance). If you're using single coil pickups into a clean amp through a really long cable, you'll notice the roll off in tone. With humbuckers and gainier tones, you've already got more midrange happening and it's not a big deal. Again, one of those things you have to play with and see what you like.