# Boss to True Bypass



## irvmuller (Jun 11, 2021)

So, I'm not against buffered bypass or anything but I am wondering what I would do to go about turning a Boss pedal (in this case, an analog CE-5) into a true bypass pedal. *Would the Simple Relay Bypass be able to get me there?* Share your wisdom.


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## Bricksnbeatles (Jun 11, 2021)

The simple relay bypass would *theoretically* be able to do it for you, but a CE-5 is a pretty cramped pedal in the main chassis, and I don’t think you’d be able to comfortably fit the PCB in the battery compartment either, so you’d probably need one of the many dedicated relay bypass boards designed specifically for boss pedals that are available on other parts of the internet, using prepopulated smd PCBs in order to be compact enough for the battery compartment.


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## Elktronics (Jun 11, 2021)

A quicker solution might be to build a bypass box, and then put the buffered pedals in the loop of that


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## mnemonic (Jun 12, 2021)

I wish boss would have implemented something like this with the Waza pedals, I’ve seen people like VFE have selectable relay true bypass or buffered bypass on their pedals. I don’t see a reason why boss couldn’t. I find having a buffer at the start of the pedalboard to be preferable but 5 buffers in a row is unnecessary.

I have four boss pedals on my board currently and like @Elktronics said, I’m using a true bypass looper box I made. It’s an extra pedals worth of space but it’s also quick and easy.


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## irvmuller (Jun 12, 2021)

Bricksnbeatles said:


> The simple relay bypass would *theoretically* be able to do it for you, but a CE-5 is a pretty cramped pedal in the main chassis, and I don’t think you’d be able to comfortably fit the PCB in the battery compartment either, so you’d probably need one of the many dedicated relay bypass boards designed specifically for boss pedals that are available on other parts of the internet, using prepopulated smd PCBs in order to be compact enough for the battery compartment.


I went ahead ahead and bought a dedicated relay bypass for BOSS pedals. Very small and very clear on what needs to happen. I don't even need to drill a hole or change out the stomp on it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!


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## irvmuller (Jun 12, 2021)

mnemonic said:


> I wish boss would have implemented something like this with the Waza pedals, I’ve seen people like VFE have selectable relay true bypass or buffered bypass on their pedals. I don’t see a reason why boss couldn’t. I find having a buffer at the start of the pedalboard to be preferable but 5 buffers in a row is unnecessary.
> 
> I have four boss pedals on my board currently and like @Elktronics said, I’m using a true bypass looper box I made. It’s an extra pedals worth of space but it’s also quick and easy.


I totally agree with what you wrote. That many buffers are unnecessary. I would also say that while most buffers are good some buffers, for whatever reason, do suck out my tone. BOSS needs to make it an option. It would be simple for them to do.


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## Feral Feline (Jun 16, 2021)

I just use my Boss LS-2 to bypass all my Boss pedals... 🤪


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## Dr. Satan (Jul 6, 2021)

I'm just gonna link to the old geofex article by R.G. Keen because it's what I used to figure out how to convert any pedal with a flip flop to a relay bypass. It's kind of a waste of a microcontroller for something that can be done through simpler means IMO, unless of course you're programming the micro (or it's already programmed) for multifunction use like "hold for 3 seconds to enter momentary mode" or some other advanced feature.



			http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/bosstech.pdf


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