I purchased a wireless system for my basses. I got a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] which costs about $180. So, why get a G10 system when one can get a G30 for only $20 more?
I will primarily use my wireless system during practice. I like systems which are simple to use. I think that the G10 is as simple as it is going to get. G30 and the bigger versions require that you have a receiver attached to your shoulder strap/belt/in your pocket. The G10 is essentially only a 1/4 inch jack with a small body that you plug into your bass. No batteries to fiddle with. The G10 charges when you store it in the base station.
How does it sound using it?
I couldn’t really hear any difference using the G10 compared to plugging in the bass via a cable.
How is it to use
The 1/4 inch jack with the transceiver and the chargeable battery is stored in a 1/4 jack on the basestation when not in use. It charges the battery this way and it syncs the channels. It blinks green when it is charging and it has a solid light when it is fully charged. You disconnect it from the basestation and plug it into the bass. It shows with a red light before it has a connection to the base station and then it switched to green when the connection is achieved. Both the base station and the plug in the bass indicates with a blinking light when the battery is starting to run out. Supposedly it provides 8 hours of playing time on a new battery and 200 hours of standby time.
When you are not playing the transmitter turns off after 4 minutes. It comes on again when you start playing. It takes a second or so to come on, so you strike a note and mute it, and you are good to go. When you connect or disconnect it the transmission is automatically turned on and off, without the crackle and pop you get when disconnecting a cable. I could without problems change instrument without having to mute anywhere in the signal chain.
The transceiver is small and handy. However, it was too bulky to be able to plug into an Ibanez SR bass with a angled and sunk 1/4 jack. That didn’t work at all. I consider this a miss in the design, as there are quite a few instruments with jacks like this.
The basestation is bigger than a normal effects pedal and has only four connection possibilities. The place where you plug in the transceiver for charging, the 1/4 inch jack for your cable to the amp or your pedal board, an balanced XLR port and the power connection.
The power connection for the base station is via a USB cable, which requires 5 volt, 1 ampere, which is typical for what a USB charger can deliver. The system comes with a USB charger and a micro USB cable with reasonable length. The base station does not have any batteries and can not be run on 9 volt, like most pedals are run on. This is probably the reason why most people who use pedal boards will think twice about getting the G10. From a future product development point of view I understand why Line 6 has picked USB power. I think a lot of electronics are going in that direction eventually. But before we have pedal power supplies which offer USB charging as well as 9 volt I think the G10 is a bit early. A Pedaltrain Volto is charged with a USB charger, but today only delivers 9 volt out. It I think it is only a question of time before you can get something like the Volto with a USB power outlet as well. The electronic components required to provide it are not expensive.
Overall, the impression of using the G10 is favourable after a few practice sessions.
The good
- Small and practical
- Easy to use
- No crackle and pop when plugging and unplugging hot
- No need to use batteries
- Cheaper than a G30
- No fiddling with cables and transceiver that needs to be attached to shoulder straps etc.
- Very easy to switch instruments live
The bad
- It can only be powered with USB power, which means you get an extra cable to the pedalboard (until we have power supplies which provide USB power)
The ugly
- Basses and guitars which use 1/4 jacks which are not mounted flush to the surface of the body (like the angled jacks on an Ibanez SR bass) can not be used together with the G10 as the plug/transceiver is to fat to fit.
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. Unfortunately I couldn't find one under 6 feet cheaply but I'll probably just coil it up, stick the transmitter in a pocket or gaff it to the strap:
. Next time I'll get Rayovacs. The receiver batteries are still fine, maybe get 2+ gigs out of those but I'll eventually hook a wallwart into it or try to run it from 9V with a regulator chip?
