All VFE Pedals are true bypass using relay switches. Relay switches have a much longer life than the mechnical 3PDT switches used in most true bypass pedals. Our standard lineup utilizes Panasonic latching relay switches for significantly lower power consumption compared to the non-latching variety.

Our pedals actually have two switches! The primary switch is the true bypass relay switch, but located just above the relay is an effect-side FET switch to smooth out the turn on transition. FET switching is commonly used in "silent switching" systems in Boss & Ibanez pedals. By combining FET & true bypass relay switching, VFE gives you the holy grail of switching - pure bypass tone & smooth on transition.

We use industrial-grade Carling footswitches & toggle switches. These switches are commonly found in high end gear and applications where long-term dependability is a must. Whether on the road, in the studio, jamming with bandmates, or just rocking out at home, you can count on Carling switches to keep working night after night.

We started using WIMA film capacitors in all VFE Products in mid-April 2012. All the pedals we build now use polypropylene (smaller values) or polyester (larger values) WIMA film caps, which are made in Germany. We believe these are the best compact capacitors in the industry. These WIMA caps have a 5% tolerance to make the tone consistent from pedal to pedal.

*Some values we use are not availabe through WIMA. For these values we use 5% film capacitors from other manufacurers.*

We use 1% metal film resistors for their excellent qualities for low voltage circuits - low noise, low distortion, low tolerance. This means a quieter, clearer, and more consistent product.

There is a lot of hype & misinformation about various transistors, diodes, and op amps. Here's the simple truth: some components do sound different and/or better than others in specific applications. We look to use the best part for the job it has to do. That means some pedals have cheaper semiconductors (JRC4558D op amp, 1N914 diode), and others are much more costly (TLE2074 op amp, 1N34A diode).

VFE uses Alpha potentiometers soldered directly to the PCB & Neutrik jacks to ensure our pedals can take the abuse we know they will get!

CLICK HERE to learn more about our component sourcing practices.

Introducing phantom power for pedals, now standard on all VFE Pedals. The P3 phantom powering system delivers 9V on the ring, allowing you to power all your pedals & even active guitars without batteries or power cables. For more information about the P3 system, visit dcvoltage.net.

*VFE uses only the pass-thru mode, making it compatible with P3 at no cost to you.*

We HATE noise. We don't test our pedals with super clean power supplies, because we know that's not always available to you. We employ layers of power filtering to make sure every VFE Pedal is as quiet as we can make it.

All VFE Pedals are protected against reverse or AC voltages without damaging the pedal or your power supply. For pedals that cannot operate at 18V, there is also a voltage limiter to protect the more costly components in the pedal...but it doesn't protect your power supply, so don't try it!

Many of our pedals require 3 power lines. Some use ground, +V, and a half-voltage bias supply. Others use ground, and a dual

+/-V power supply for double the headroom. The universal relay board accomodates every power need, which leaves more space on the main board to stuff loads of goodness in a compact space!

All of our potentiometers and switches are mounted to the circuit board. Not only does this save time and cost, but it creates a ridged structure that we believe is much more durable than hand-wired components & floating circuit boards.

Where you want isolation in a pedal is the jacks & footswitch. This is where external forces can create internal pressure and cracked circuit boards and other components. Because of this, our jacks are mounted on a separate circuit board from the main effect board, which are connected with a pair of short 3-conductor ribbon cables. The footswitch is also hand-wired. This ensures that when you step on the footswitch or plug in a cable, you aren't putting extra pressure on the main effect board.

We use eutectic solder from Cardas Audio, a leader in audiophile components. This solder has a low melting point, and creates consistent, reliable solder joints.

Our attention to detail extends all the way to the circuit board. Our circuit boards use plated-through holes, 2 oz. copper weight, plus a ground pad for hum-free operation & an extra layer of shielding. Even the signal traces are extra-wide...every detail in the design is thought through, right down to the signal traces!