The One Control Minimal Series Silver Para Bass Buffer is a buffer pedal designed specifically for electric bass guitar, developed by BJF for One Control's Minimal Series. It carries the clean, powerful sound of the BJF Buffer circuit, which One Control describes as optimized for the low end, and it adds two features a bass player will notice: a Z knob that sets the input impedance to match your instrument, and two split outputs for running an amp and a DI at the same time1.
One Control has used the BJF Buffer Circuit in several of its devices as a high-quality buffer, including the Minimal Series BJF Buffer pedal itself, where the same circuit is also installed in many One Control switchers12. The Silver Para Bass Buffer takes that circuit and tunes it for bass.
One Control lists the Silver Para Bass Buffer as sold out, with a regular price of $134.99 USD and a sale price of $168.99 USD shown on the product page1.
What it does for your sound
A buffer's job is to preserve your signal over long cable runs and pedal chains. One Control describes the BJF Buffer as helping to amplify the signal without changing the apparent volume or distortion, adding some toughness and strength to your sound2. In the Silver Para Bass Buffer, that clean character is applied to the low end of a bass signal, with the output impedance set to 2kΩ so the pedal can drive what comes after it in the chain1.
The pedal is built around the same BJF Buffer Circuit One Control has used in several of its devices, so its pedigree is shared with the wider buffer pedals family in the Minimal Series1.
The Z knob: adjustable input impedance
The single control on the pedal is the Z knob.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Z | Adjusts the input impedance, over a range of 50K to 390KΩ1 |
Z simply stands for impedance. One Control says the knob adjusts the input impedance so it can be set to the base-specific impedance of your instrument, for passive and active basses, and used to fine-tune the low-end response1.
Two things are worth knowing as a player:
- The effect of the Z knob depends on the impedance of the instrument you connect to it1.
- The effect may be more subtle when another buffered effect is already in the chain ahead of it, since that effect's own output impedance then determines what the Silver Para Bass Buffer sees1.
In practice, this means the knob is most useful first in the chain, straight after the bass, where you can match the buffer's input to the pickups and preamp you actually own1.
Two outputs: amp and DI at once
For flexibility, the Silver Para Bass Buffer has two outputs. The two outputs are split out, so you can output to two routes at once, such as your bass amplifier and a DI going direct to the house sound system1. For a gigging bassist, that is the core use case: one cable to your stage rig, one to the front-of-house console, with the buffer's 2kΩ output impedance driving both lines1.
Power and connections
The pedal is powered by a standard center-minus DC 9V adapter and draws 3.5mA, a figure low enough that it places almost no demand on a pedalboard power supply1. The center-negative 9V convention matches the rest of the Minimal Series: the BJF Buffer pedal uses a center-minus DC 9V adapter2, and the Pedal Board Junction Box with BJF Buffer uses a DC 9V negative tip, 2.1mm barrel type supply3.
Batteries cannot be used with the Silver Para Bass Buffer1. The same applies to the Minimal Series BJF Buffer and other buffered pedals in the series2, so plan on a power supply or a powered board.
Where it sits in the Minimal Series
The Silver Para Bass Buffer is one of several One Control Minimal Series products built around the BJF Buffer. The plain Minimal Series BJF Buffer pedal carries the same circuit in the series enclosure, and One Control notes that this exact buffer circuit is installed in many of its switchers2. Other Minimal Series units add the buffer to junction boxes and loop switchers: the Pedal Board Junction Box with BJF Buffer, for example, lists 500kΩ input impedance and 60Ω output impedance with the buffer on, and includes a BUFFER/PASSIVE switch that turns the buffer off entirely, letting it pass signal with no power connected3.
What separates the Silver Para Bass Buffer from those units is its focus: it is the one built specifically for electric bass, with the adjustable input impedance and the split dual outputs aimed at bass players rather than general pedalboard routing1.
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Questions
Does the Silver Para Bass Buffer take a battery?
No. One Control states plainly that batteries cannot be used with the Silver Para Bass Buffer, so it needs a 9V DC power supply. The same no-battery rule applies across the Minimal Series pedals that carry the BJF Buffer circuit.
What does the Z knob do?
Z stands for impedance. The knob adjusts the pedal's input impedance across a range of 50K to 390KΩ, so you can match it to a passive or active bass and fine-tune the low-end response. Its effect depends on the impedance of the instrument you plug in.
Does it work with active and passive basses?
Yes. The Z knob exists for exactly this: One Control says it adjusts the input impedance to suit the specific bass you connect, whether passive or active. Turning it changes how the instrument interacts with the buffer's input stage.
Can it feed an amp and a DI at the same time?
Yes. The pedal has two outputs that are split out, so you can send one route to your bass amplifier and the other to a DI feeding the house sound system, with the buffer's 2kΩ output impedance driving both lines.
What polarity does the Silver Para Bass Buffer use?
It runs on a standard center-minus (center-negative) DC 9V adapter, drawing 3.5mA. That is the same polarity convention used across One Control's Minimal Series buffered pedals, so a typical pedalboard power supply works.
Sources (3)
- Minimal Series Silver Para Bass Buffer (OC-M-SPBB), One Control USA
- Minimal Series BJF Buffer (OC-M-BUF), One Control USA
- Minimal Series Pedal Board Junction Box with BJF Buffer (OC-M-JBBUF), One Control USA
