Input Impedance question. What happens when using wireless?

Ant Music

Fractal Fanatic
Ok, so once upon a time I tried to explore the sounds of the fuzzes on the Axe Fx 2. I'm not really a fuzz guy but I though I'd give them a shot and I was utterly underwhelmed. I never really looked at them any further.

I have heard though that if you want the Fuzzes to behave as they are supposed to then you need to make adjustments to the Input Impedance in the Input Noise Gate Block. The manual gives very little usable information on this unfortunately but mentions that effects like Univibe and Fuzzes load down your pickups as a way of producing their signature sound. Ok Sounds great but what happens when you are using a wireless system as I and many others do?

Secondly, does this mean I have to put the Drive block or the Univibe in the first slot as the manual seems to imply to get these effects to behave as they are intended? What happens If I want both Univibe and a fuzz in a patch, which one goes first?

What effect do the other impedance settings (other than Auto) have on your tone? And why is it recommended to leave it at Auto in the manual?

Lastly how do you guys tackle this issue? What do you guys do to get the most out of the Fuzzes and Univibe?

Love to hear your ideas, thanks in advance guys.
 
A wireless acts as a buffer. Hence changing the input impedance will not be able to load down the pickups.
 
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You generally would want to leave it on auto so that when an effect which has an impedance oddity, like the 67k univibe, is active the impedance can change and then when you bypass it it will go back to a normal 1meg. You typically don’t want that loss of treble darkening all the time, though early vibes did color the sound even with the effect bypassed....

Keep in mind some like the vibe etc with 1meg, little more “modern” sound

Wireless kind of kills any benefits as it’s an active/buffered signal, but your audience is unlikely to notice.

The impedance changes aren’t night and day, and honestly given the input is still buffered your not going to get the typical fuzz cleanup etc you would from a real pedal. Impedance helps within the other limitations you still can’t get around.
 
A wireless acts as a buffer. Hence changing the input impedance will not be able to load down the pickups.
OK thanks for that. So are you saying that because I use a wireless there is no way I can recreate any impedance interactions by changing the impedance settings on either the Drive Block or the Input Noise Gate? Is there simply nothing I can do being the fact that I use the wireless?

If so that is very disappointing. I'd love to explore some interesting fuzz tones but so far I can' seem tot get anything I like out of them. If you have any other advice I'd love to hear it.
 
Those fuzz tones depend on the guitar pickups changing their response as the load changes. A wireless unit results in no physician connection with the pickups so they aren’t going to be able to react as a complete circuit.

It’s not a bad thing, nor is using a guitar with active pickups, which lots of people enjoy.

It just means your not going to enjoy the tonal interactions you get physically connecting passive pickups to a primitive 1960’s fuzz circuit and the resulting interactions that provides.

I would guess it could be modeled to some degree, but there is something kind of special still with that 11 or so components in a fuzz circuit and how dynamically it can react with your tone and volume controls on your guitar.
 
OK thanks for that. So are you saying that because I use a wireless there is no way I can recreate any impedance interactions by changing the impedance settings on either the Drive Block or the Input Noise Gate? Is there simply nothing I can do being the fact that I use the wireless?

If so that is very disappointing. I'd love to explore some interesting fuzz tones but so far I can' seem tot get anything I like out of them. If you have any other advice I'd love to hear it.
Life is full of disappointments.
 
There is no impedance parameter in the drive block by the way.

You can change some parameters such as tone and drive and output though and get a end result that sounds very similar to pickup loading, it most wont do it dynamically with the volume pot on your guitar
 
OK thanks for that. So are you saying that because I use a wireless there is no way I can recreate any impedance interactions by changing the impedance settings on either the Drive Block or the Input Noise Gate? Is there simply nothing I can do being the fact that I use the wireless?

If so that is very disappointing. I'd love to explore some interesting fuzz tones but so far I can' seem tot get anything I like out of them.

Not different from using a tube amp with a wireless.
 
Not different from using a tube amp with a wireless.

Yeah I guess I was hoping there would be some kind of work around or other suggestions because the fuzzes may as well not even be in there for me. I just can't get anything that resembles a big muff or an octavia or fuzz face out of those models.

If there are any good suggestions I'm dying to hear them.
 
Hi,

I had a similar problem with the interaction of pickups and amplifier/Axe FX II input in terms of attack dynamics and loss of highs, when going from cable to a wireless system (I have a Line6 Relay G90). In the end I was about to the send the wireless system back, because it altered the dynamics of the pickup signal. But I've ordered a pickup load (most expensive potentiometer ever) and it solved my problem with the missing pickup-to-amp/effect dynamics as part of the whole signal chain.
http://www.tonebone.com/tb-dragster-detail.htm
 
Hi,

I had a similar problem with the interaction of pickups and amplifier/Axe FX II input in terms of attack dynamics and loss of highs, when going from cable to a wireless system (I have a Line6 Relay G90). In the end I was about to the send the wireless system back, because it altered the dynamics of the pickup signal. But I've ordered a pickup load (most expensive potentiometer ever) and it solved my problem with the missing pickup-to-amp/effect dynamics as part of the whole signal chain.
http://www.tonebone.com/tb-dragster-detail.htm
I'd be curious to hear the difference. Would you be able to post a with/without sample?
 
I never cared for the fuzzes either UNTIL I changed the mix control. Bringing the mix down to 50% ( I know this sounds counter intuitive) really brings these effects into my wheelhouse. Just my opinion. Try this and see if this helps.
 
I never cared for the fuzzes either UNTIL I changed the mix control. Bringing the mix down to 50% ( I know this sounds counter intuitive) really brings these effects into my wheelhouse. Just my opinion. Try this and see if this helps.
I've never bonded with the fuzzes either... will try this.
 
I never cared for the fuzzes either UNTIL I changed the mix control. Bringing the mix down to 50% ( I know this sounds counter intuitive) really brings these effects into my wheelhouse. Just my opinion. Try this and see if this helps.
Truly one of the underrated tweaks , as I learned some time ago, from the great sage @Geezerjohn .
 
Hi,

I had a similar problem with the interaction of pickups and amplifier/Axe FX II input in terms of attack dynamics and loss of highs, when going from cable to a wireless system (I have a Line6 Relay G90). In the end I was about to the send the wireless system back, because it altered the dynamics of the pickup signal. But I've ordered a pickup load (most expensive potentiometer ever) and it solved my problem with the missing pickup-to-amp/effect dynamics as part of the whole signal chain.
http://www.tonebone.com/tb-dragster-detail.htm

I've been looking into the Radial Dragster and people seem rather divided on it. I found a ye olde thread from DIY Stompboxes on it and Zachary Vex got in on it. Worth a look.

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=39543.0
 
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