PFX Bipolar

The PFX Bipolar is a compact pedal from the Italian maker PFX that puts three functions in one box: a buffer, a boost and an overdrive. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in October 2016, described it as "a Buffer, Boost and Overdrive all rolled into one" and noted that it brings "the versatility of 3 pedals to one super-small enclosure"¹. For a player, that means one small pedal can sit at the front of a board as a signal buffer, be pushed into clean boost, or add overdrive, depending on how the knobs are set. It sits naturally among Buffer Pedals, Boost Pedals and Overdrive Pedals.

What it does

The Bipolar covers its three jobs with three knobs, and the settings determine which function you are hearing¹:

• Buffer mode: a clean, transparent and silent buffer, described as perfect for long pedal chains and cables. To set it, the Mood knob goes to 0, Gain to 0, and Volume to full¹.
• Boost and overdrive: raising Mood and Gain from those settings moves the pedal into boost and overdrive territory, with the three functions able to be mixed and matched¹.
• Volume: adjusts the overall output, as you would expect¹.
• Filtering: the pedal includes an anti-noise and anti-RF filter¹.

Pedal of the Day also noted the hardware side: True Bypass switching and high quality WIMA caps¹.

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day's verdict was that the Bipolar earns its place on a board through flexibility rather than any single function¹:

The same review suggested keeping an eye on the maker going forward¹.

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