1st Post! Wireless transmitter built into bass?

[sashua]

Hello all,
I am building a custom bass and want to try something unique. I'd like to integrate a very small wireless transmitter into the bass itself and make it a 100% wire-free design.

So, my questions are as follows:

1. Does anyone know who the manufacturers of these are, specifically the micro designs?
2. Does anyone have experience with wireless transmitters? Do they lose anything from either a timing or fidelity standpoint - and are there any high end models that remedy this?
3. Has this been done before so I can follow a path that has already been trod?

Thanks all. This is my first post here and I am excited to be a part of the forum!

Best,
Russ

 

[loneguitarist]

I once disassembled a guitar-bug transmitter and put it into the cavity of an SG, wondered for a while why it didn't work, then remembered that the cavity was painted with black sheilding paint I drilled a little hole for the aerial and poked it out and it works, but in the end it wasn't really worth the hassle.

 

[GeoffByrne]

Would it be possible to (somehow) use the strings as the aerial?

 

[theshadow2001]

It's a good idea. Two things I would suggest you consider. An on/off switch as well as maybe the jack acting like a switch. More importantly though a second battery (or set of batteries whatever the transmitter uses) that can be switched in for the sake of redundancy. It really has to have easy access battery compartments. No screws.

Using the strings as an aerial isn't a bad idea. You could just replace the typical ground wire to the bridge with one going to the aerial. I wonder if it would effect transmission since you hands would be all over it. The strings and bridge are prone to picking up RFI I don't know if that would make good or bad aerials. It might start some weird feed back loop with the pickups. I'm only babbling here the only way to find out is to wire it up and test it.

Is size really that much of an issue? I mean you can route out pretty much whatever space you need since you are building this from scratch. Obviously smaller is better but size can't be a huge obstacle either. (Feel free to make fun of that last unintentionally innuendo filled sentence)

 

[GeoffByrne]

Well, if you can route a hole in the back of a Strat the size that it is, and everyone agrees it's one of the quintissential guitar sounds, we should be able to route out the back of a bass made of decent wood - just don't use nylon-wound strings!!!

Which is a point - would roundwound/flats make a difference, I wonder? As you say - it has to be tried - anyone game?

 

[Mr. Majestic]

Wouldn't you have to open up the bass everytime you needed to change the battery? I had one of those small wireless systems from Samson and the battery never seemed to last very long.

 

[Bryan316]

Would it be possible to (somehow) use the strings as the aerial?

The pickup magnets would jack the heck outta your signal. Don't do it.


But definitely try lengthening the aerial antenna, and then just attach it to the bottom outside edge of the body. Like send the wire out a hole just below your strap button, then route/carve/chisel/Xactoknife a wire-sized notch along the bottom, tuck the wire into it, and epoxy glue over the wire to trap it there. No need to worry about the wire running over a nonexistant output jack!

 

[theshadow2001]

Wouldn't you have to open up the bass everytime you needed to change the battery? I had one of those small wireless systems from Samson and the battery never seemed to last very long.

I'm sure you could put something in that would be akin to the flip open type battery holders in musicman and other assorted basses. Which would make it easy to change the battery. Definitely would need a redundant set of batteries though.

The pickup magnets would jack the heck outta your signal. Don't do it.


But definitely try lengthening the aerial antenna, and then just attach it to the bottom outside edge of the body. Like send the wire out a hole just below your strap button, then route/carve/chisel/Xactoknife a wire-sized notch along the bottom, tuck the wire into it, and epoxy glue over the wire to trap it there. No need to worry about the wire running over a nonexistant output jack!

Epoxying the aerial in might not be such a good idea. It would be better i think to have the whole unit removable in case it needs repair or replacement

 

[Trevorus]

One thing that you guys need to know about antennas. They are tuned for the frequency that they transmit. If you change the length of it, it will change it's performance. Bigger is not always better for transmit antennas. For receive antennas, bigger is usually better.