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.

 

[ruger9]

So... what is the MVP version then? It says "works with both passive and active signals"?

I just got a 250K, but am wondering if I should have gotten the 25K... the 2 guitars I run are different: a Luke (active), and a tele (passive). I bought the Jr for the slightly smaller size. And my usage is specifically for turning the guitar DOWN to clean up the signal (using the pedal instead of the guitar's volume pot)..

Not sure the 250K is what I want? Confused

 

[beej]

I assume the MVP has a buffer in it- it would isolate whatever comes before it (your guitar in this case) from any impedance effects downstream of the pedal. It's probably the better choice if you want to use it with both active and passive guitars.

Another easy option is to first run the guitars into a pedal that has a buffer, then to a 25k volume pedal. That'll give you the effect you want, work with both guitars, without adding any load to your passive guitar.

That said ... if you have the 250k, try it and see what you think.