Hey guys, can anyone recommend a good wireless for active pickup basses? I have a bongo and I’m not sure if the pickups are compatible with all wireless systems.
Thanks for your input.
Thanks for your input.
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Wireless For active bass
- Thread starter Blaggarder
- Start date
- Apr 18, 2008
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The pickups themselves are passive, but they are routed through an active preamp.
Any good wireless should be able to handle any signal, whether active or passive. A really hot bass might overload the input, in which case the volume knob is your friend.
Any good wireless should be able to handle any signal, whether active or passive. A really hot bass might overload the input, in which case the volume knob is your friend.
There are a couple of the newer breed of wireless units that don’t play well with active basses, and the problem is not related to the signal being too hot. I’m not familiar with the exact models but it’s been talked about quite a bit.
I am using, and would recommend the shure glxd as an inexpensive and reliable wireless.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,013
- 1
- 31,725
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- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Really?!? As far as I’m concerned that’s defective design. Those products should never have seen the manufacturing line.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,013
- 1
- 31,725
- Disclosures
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I use the Line 6 G10 with my Stingray. No issues whatsoever.
It's because of how Ibanez solders the wires to the jack. It's really only with Ibanez as far as I know. If you reverse the hot and ground then it works fine. Or you can an adapter TS male to TS female cable. Either works well. I don't need any of that with my Stingray and didn't need it using the G10 with a Peavy Cirrus that I used to have either.
It's not defective design at all. It's the goofy wiring in some cheap active basses.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,013
- 1
- 31,725
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
So it’s the TRS jacks in a few active basses in which the R and S connections are backwards? I could see why that would cause problems.
I still don’t know why the wireless transmitters are using TRS plugs though. Off to do more reading...
I still don’t know why the wireless transmitters are using TRS plugs though. Off to do more reading...
The problem with some wireless units has to do with the little transmitter units that plug directly into the output of the bass. Extraneous noises occurs with some of them because of the close proximity of the transmitter to the active preamps (NOT the pickups, which aren't active at all unless they are certain EMG pups). It's impossible to know which combination of bass and plug-in transmitter works, but I would avoid those units. There's several reasonable-priced units where the transmitter has a short 1/4" cable. This is enough distance between the transmitter and the bass's electronics to noise getting back and forth
This situation concerns me because of where the noise is coming from and going to. If it were because of noise getting into the preamp from the transmitter, wouldn't it cause a feedback loop that could cause damage to amplifiers and speakers, not to mention the PA the bass is connected to as well as the ears that are in the line of fire? Or if it's noise from the bass's preamp getting into the transmitter, that speaks to the quality of the transmitter unit and is cause for concern, too.
The only other problem an active bass could cause was mentioned earlier and could be a very hot signal from the bass overloading the transmitter, which can be easily solved by dialing down the sensitivity of the transmitter pack (if it has such a control, I've seen a couple that have no such control), dial down the output trim pot of the bass's preamp (again, if it's so equipped, which drove me nuts about the smoking-hot, but otherwise great preamp in the Fender American Elite basses - no output trim control), or simply turn down the volume of the bass (which would also drive me nuts - hard to exactly duplicate the level each time it's played).
Shure, Audio-Technica, and Sennheiser packs are equipped with sensitive controls, as is my Lectrosonic belt pack (for $1400, it had better....
). I don't know about the Line Six systems as I've never used one or looked at them.
Hope this rambling is of some help.
This situation concerns me because of where the noise is coming from and going to. If it were because of noise getting into the preamp from the transmitter, wouldn't it cause a feedback loop that could cause damage to amplifiers and speakers, not to mention the PA the bass is connected to as well as the ears that are in the line of fire? Or if it's noise from the bass's preamp getting into the transmitter, that speaks to the quality of the transmitter unit and is cause for concern, too.
The only other problem an active bass could cause was mentioned earlier and could be a very hot signal from the bass overloading the transmitter, which can be easily solved by dialing down the sensitivity of the transmitter pack (if it has such a control, I've seen a couple that have no such control), dial down the output trim pot of the bass's preamp (again, if it's so equipped, which drove me nuts about the smoking-hot, but otherwise great preamp in the Fender American Elite basses - no output trim control), or simply turn down the volume of the bass (which would also drive me nuts - hard to exactly duplicate the level each time it's played).
Shure, Audio-Technica, and Sennheiser packs are equipped with sensitive controls, as is my Lectrosonic belt pack (for $1400, it had better....
). I don't know about the Line Six systems as I've never used one or looked at them.Hope this rambling is of some help.
The problem with some wireless units has to do with the little transmitter units that plug directly into the output of the bass. Extraneous noises occurs with some of them because of the close proximity of the transmitter to the active preamps (NOT the pickups, which aren't active at all unless they are certain EMG pups). It's impossible to know which combination of bass and plug-in transmitter works, but I would avoid those units. There's several reasonable-priced units where the transmitter has a short 1/4" cable. This is enough distance between the transmitter and the bass's electronics to noise getting back and forth
This situation concerns me because of where the noise is coming from and going to. If it were because of noise getting into the preamp from the transmitter, wouldn't it cause a feedback loop that could cause damage to amplifiers and speakers, not to mention the PA the bass is connected to as well as the ears that are in the line of fire? Or if it's noise from the bass's preamp getting into the transmitter, that speaks to the quality of the transmitter unit and is cause for concern, too.
The only other problem an active bass could cause was mentioned earlier and could be a very hot signal from the bass overloading the transmitter, which can be easily solved by dialing down the sensitivity of the transmitter pack (if it has such a control, I've seen a couple that have no such control), dial down the output trim pot of the bass's preamp (again, if it's so equipped, which drove me nuts about the smoking-hot, but otherwise great preamp in the Fender American Elite basses - no output trim control), or simply turn down the volume of the bass (which would also drive me nuts - hard to exactly duplicate the level each time it's played).
Shure, Audio-Technica, and Sennheiser packs are equipped with sensitive controls, as is my Lectrosonic belt pack (for $1400, it had better....
Hope this rambling is of some help.
I have used the Line 6 G10 for the last couple of years with absolutely zero issues with multiple instruments (at least 8-10 basses and a couple of guitars). There is no "noise getting into the preamp from the transmitter" or anything else remotely like that. I can't and won't speak for the new Boss unit but the Line 6 is flawless. No "causes for concern" or "lines of fire". As you have stated, you have never used this system so I wanted to clarify your statement has no real relation to this product or the use of it in anyway, shape or form and is just conjecture based on no experience using this unit.
True, I did claim I haven’t used the Line 6 g30, but your statement about my statement needs clarifying (see how all this gets started)...
My statements about the Line 6 units had to do with whether the the transmitters have input sensitivity controls to tame a hot signal from the instrument. NOT whether or not the unit is prone to emitting or receiving extraneous and problematic noise.
Conjecture? What are you, a budding English major? I could say the same thing about the way you described my statement, but we are after all in the middle of a bunch of bass players (yeah, I’ll pay for that).
Kinda thought that part would be obvious, but I keep getting in trouble for thinking...
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True, I did claim I haven’t used the Line 6 g30, but your statement about my statement needs clarifying (see how all this gets started)...
My statements about the Line 6 units had to do with whether the the transmitters have input sensitivity controls to tame a hot signal from the instrument. NOT whether or not the unit is prone to emitting or receiving extraneous and problematic noise.
Conjecture? What are you, a budding English major? I could say the same thing about the way you described my statement, but we are after all in the middle of a bunch of bass players (yeah, I’ll pay for that).
Kinda thought that part would be obvious, but I keep getting in trouble for thinking...
Haha, I'm 43. I'm not a budding anything. Conjecture seemed like the appropriate word. I could have said talking out of your rear but that seemed rude. You started out by stating what you believe to be "the problem" but (unless I am misunderstanding you), you haven't used any of these units so your statement is conjecture (an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information). Imagine a thread about jazz basses and someone starts talking about the problem with jazz basses but they have never played or even heard a jazz bass. That would be pretty silly, don't you think?
To be absolutely clear, I think this statement is nonsense:
"The problem with some wireless units has to do with the little transmitter units that plug directly into the output of the bass. Extraneous noises occurs with some of them because of the close proximity of the transmitter to the active preamps"
"The problem with some wireless units has to do with the little transmitter units that plug directly into the output of the bass. Extraneous noises occurs with some of them because of the close proximity of the transmitter to the active preamps"
I don't know of any wireless that has problems with active basses. (edit: after reading the rest of the messages... it's true, I remember someone having trouble with a Soundhound model due to the wiring in their particular bass... I don't remember which bass it was)
I have used a Line6 G30 with active and passive basses for nearly 10 years now. I imagine that, or any of their newer models will also be ok with the Bongo.
The stock pickups are most definitely passive on the Bongo, by the way. It's the on-board preamp that's responsible for the low impedance signal.
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