The Gibson High-Wire Dual Buffer & Boost is a dual buffer and line driver pedal, built as a one-stop solution that addresses both input and output challenges on a pedalboard1. Placed between the instrument and the pedals, its input buffer provides a stable, consistent load for a guitar's pickups, which is the job of a buffer pedal: keeping the signal from dulling as it travels through long cable runs and multiple effects. At the output end, the pedal works as a line driver, and it adds a fixed +3dB boost on a top-mounted mini-toggle1.
Controls and how it works
The High-Wire keeps its controls simple. The buffer stage runs all the time between the guitar and the pedals, and the boost side is handled two ways1:
- A top-mounted mini-toggle switches in a fixed +3dB boost1.
- The footswitch is dual function: hitting it once engages a variable boost, and holding it for a second engages a mute, useful for silent tuning or instrument changes1.
All of the buffer circuitry is 100% discrete Class-A, the same approach Gibson uses in its Stowaway, which shares the buffer circuitry1. For a player, discrete Class-A buffering means the circuit is analog and always-on rather than a digital conversion stage.
Where it sits on a board
The High-Wire is designed to bookend a pedalboard: the input buffer faces the guitar, and the line driver and boost face the amp. Players comparing it with other clean-boost options should note that its +3dB mini-toggle boost is fixed, while the footswitch boost is variable, so it covers both a set level trim and a boost you can bring in from the floor. It belongs to the broader family of boost pedals, but with the buffer and line driver roles built in1.
Price
Gibson's UK product page lists the High-Wire at £249 including VAT1.
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Sources (1)
- High-Wire Dual Buffer & Boost, Gibson