The Saturnworks buffer with phase inversion switch is a buffer pedal that also lets you flip the polarity of your signal. Saturnworks describes the phase function plainly: "The phase switch flips the phase 180 degrees."1 Phase inversion matters when two signals are combined, for example across two amps or a parallel blend, and they partially cancel each other. Flipping one signal by 180 degrees brings the two back into alignment.
What it does
The pedal combines two jobs. As a buffer, it carries the version with "a true bypass footswitch to turn the buffering circuitry on/off," so the buffering can be switched in or out of the signal path.1 As a phase tool, the switch inverts the signal, and Saturnworks makes "the phase switch available with either a toggle or footswitch."1
Circuit design
Saturnworks builds the pedal as an active circuit using an IC buffer rather than a transformer. The maker's own comparison: "Our active version is smaller, cheaper, and less noisy than circuits that use transformers."1 For a player, that points to a compact pedal that adds less noise than transformer-based phase inversion designs.
Versions and related models
Saturnworks also offers a dual version of the concept: "Our dual buffer with phase features a phase inverting switches on each channel," so two signals can each be buffered and phase-flipped independently.1 The same product page also describes a dual buffer with effects loop, which "features an always-on tuner out jack and a latching kill switch," with the note that "the kill switch only turns off the output, not the tuner out."1
Saturnworks warns that "switching the buffer on/off may cause a popping sound," so expect a possible pop when engaging or disengaging the buffering circuitry.1
If you are comparing buffers, other options on the site include the Empress Effects Buffer, the JHS Pedals Little Black Buffer, and the TC Electronic Bonafide Buffer, though the phase inversion switch is what sets this Saturnworks design apart from straightforward buffers.
Questions
What does the phase switch on the Saturnworks buffer do?
The phase switch flips the phase of the signal 180 degrees, according to Saturnworks. Players use phase inversion to bring two signals, such as the outputs of a dual-amp setup or a blended pair of pickups or pedals, back into phase with each other so they do not cancel one another out.
Is the phase control a toggle or a footswitch?
Saturnworks makes the phase switch available with either a toggle or a footswitch. A toggle is set and left in place, while a footswitch lets you change phase mid-performance without bending down to the pedal.
Sources (1)
- Buffer Pedals for Guitar or Bass, Saturnworks Pedals, 2026-08-08
