Key Features

Active/Passive pickup selector

PURE channel for transparent sound

JFET channel adds warmth & harmonics

Z-TONE variable impedance control creates

a wide range of tones

Buffers signal for longer pedalboards & cable runs

Boost circuit adds volume & drive

Alternate outs for mixers & PAs

Ground lift switch eliminates buzz & hum

Designed and made in Italy

The ideal front-end

Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a high-quality instrument preamp with exceptionally low noise and wide frequency response, and multiple circuit topologies to adapt to any type of guitar, pick-up and style.

Pick your pickup:

PASSIVE: designed to accommodate everything from low-output vintage pickups to hotter modern humbuckers with ultra-low noise and extended frequency response.

ACTIVE: bypasses unnecessary gain stages when using active pick-ups, to keep your signal path as direct, transparent and clean as possible.

Pure

Choose your channel:

PURE: a completely transparent and ultra-accurate preamp

circuit that won’t color  your sound in any way.

JFET: a Class A JFET input buffer for subtle harmonic

enhancement, midrange focus and warmth.

Tone and feel like you’ve never heard

Guitar pickups can dramatically change their character depending on impedance - many amps offer a load of 1 MOhms, while pedals can run much lower.  That’s why the tone and responsiveness of your guitar can change when plugging into different gear.

Z-TONE Buffer Boost gives you the same variable impedance control as our groundbreaking

AXE I/O audio interface, from 1 MOhm to 2.2 kOhms. At the maximum impedance, you’ll find your sound tighter, sharper and more precise. Increase the load and the sound becomes thicker and more bold.

Z-Tone

You can use this control to coax a wider range of sounds from a single guitar, experiment with how the rest of your rig reacts to these changes, or dial in exactly the right vibe regardless of what comes next in your chain.

Kick it up a notch

Use Z-TONE Buffer Boost to supercharge your sound. The included Boost circuit offers adjustable gain to increase volume & drive, hitting your amp or pedals harder.

Always sound your best

Long cable runs, low-impedance stomps and complex routing can degrade your guitar’s signal, causing muffled, bassy or lifeless tone. To ensure your signal always stays crystal-clear, Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a transparent output buffer so you always sound your best.

And Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a true bypass circuit, so it’s completely transparent when not in use.

More ways to connect

In addition to the “Link” amp & pedal output, Z-TONE Buffer Boost offers a balanced XLR output to connect to mixers & PAs. Skip the amp and perform direct, or mix clean and processed signals to create even more tonal options.

A switchable ground lift eliminates noise and hum caused by ground loops, and an unbalanced ¼” output offers additional flexibility. Now you’re ready to connect in any situation.

And Z-TONE Buffer Boost runs on a standard 9V battery, +48v phantom power from your mixer or 9V pedal power supply, so it’s easy to drop onto your existing pedalboard.

Improve your guitar track forever

In the studio, Z-TONE Buffer Boost also lets you record like the pros. Connect the balanced out to your audio interface and mic up your amp – now you can simultaneously record both your amp tone as well as a second DI guitar track. Now you can process and fine-tune at will with the included AmpliTube 4 – all without recording endless takes.

Z-TONE_BB

See all the ways to use

Z-TONE Buffer Boost

Learn how to get your best guitar and bass tone using Z-TONE Buffer Boost performing live on stage or recording in a pro recording studio or your home studio. 

Full AmpliTube version included

Z-TONE Buffer Boost comes with full download versions of AmpliTube 4, the hyper-realistic guitar and bass tone studio for Mac/PC.

You can easily expand your sonic collection with IK’s range of additional amp and effect models – there are over 280 pieces to choose from, including officially licensed re-creations of gear from Fender®, Orange®, Mesa-Boogie® and other iconic gear manufacturers, as well as guitar legends like Slash, Jimi Hendrix and Dimebag Darrell, all available a la carte.

Your guitar’s golden channel

Want to add killer Z-TONE tone shaping to all your gear? Check out Z-TONE DI offering the same killer features in a convenient direct box for studio and stage use.

Or check out AXE I/O and AXE I/O SOLO, IK’s range of premium audio interfaces offering the same great tone-shaping features, and find out just how easy creating

best-in-class guitar recordings can be.