Hey all! I have had a few shows now and I am very active on stage. There have been many times when I would have been able to take advantage of a wireless system during the shows. Since I am the bass player I cant worry about dropping out so my question for all of you is what would be the most reliable wireless system for bass. My budget is $500 but if there is something that is better for cheaper that would be amazing. I have been looking at a line 6 G50 but I am open to anything, as long as it can still be purchased/is in production. Thank you in advance!
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Wireless reliability
- Thread starter dskissel
- Start date
There is a lot of love the various Line 6 units in the bass world. Shure is also now offering a digital wireless unit that is supposedly very good, though it is a bit more expensive and I haven't heard anyone who could offer any reason why it is better than the G50. I thought about it for quite awhile before I settled on the G50, but I am glad I went with the G50 instead of the G30 or one of the other brands.
Buy it from Sweetwater and they will thrown in a free 2 year warranty as well.
Buy it from Sweetwater and they will thrown in a free 2 year warranty as well.
I considered the G50, but finally got the G30 anyway for a couple of reasons. Standard cables, lower price, slightly smaller footprint since it doesn't have the antennas. I don't need the longer range of the G50 and I believe there is really no significant difference in the sound, so the G30 felt like a better buy. The G50's build is a bit better but on the other hand I don't really like the special cables.
I looked at both Shure and Sony as well, but their physical shapes and their prices didn't really suit me as well as the G30's. Sound wise I don't think there is any difference between all these new digital wireless systems.
EXIT: If you're active on stage, do get some kind of holder or pouch for the transmitter because the supplied clips don't cut if you jump around a bit.
I looked at both Shure and Sony as well, but their physical shapes and their prices didn't really suit me as well as the G30's. Sound wise I don't think there is any difference between all these new digital wireless systems.
EXIT: If you're active on stage, do get some kind of holder or pouch for the transmitter because the supplied clips don't cut if you jump around a bit.
Recently bought a G30 and so far am pleased with it. I like that the transmitter plugs into regular 1/4" cables and there are no antennas sticking up on the receiver. The receiver also fits nicely into my pedal board. The system transmits all the way to the back of the bars I play in so the distance is good enough for me and it handles a low B quite well.
I've owned a Shure ULXS and it had occasional dropout. I replaced it with a Line6 G50 and it has been fabulous with no issues. So G50.
I have a Sennheiser EW 100 G3. To me it's perfect. Has never cut out in 50-60 venues. Covers the full frequency and is well made and sturdy. I did buy a better quality cable. I can hear zero difference between it and a cable. They are now replaced by the 172 which are about $450 on sale. I also bought a rack mount kit for it.
The G30 is inferior to the G50 in every way. Plastic plastic plastic. Jacks, shell, and most importantly an inferior battery door.
You might THINK you want the G30's 1/4" to 1/4" cable, but once you've actually gigged both in real-world situations you will understand the value of the locking cable of the G50.
The G30 is more like an amateur's plastic toy. The G50 is a real piece of professional kit. I highly recommend it.
You might THINK you want the G30's 1/4" to 1/4" cable, but once you've actually gigged both in real-world situations you will understand the value of the locking cable of the G50.
The G30 is more like an amateur's plastic toy. The G50 is a real piece of professional kit. I highly recommend it.
With a $500 budget, you could squeeze into the Shure PGXD, which is their entry-level digital wireless.
No real performance advantage over the G50 in terms of range or tone. But the Shure already comes with the good cable that everybody buys for their G50, and it has Shure quality and customer service behind it.
The only disadvantage to the Shure, is a bulkier transmitter. Still fits in a medium strap pouch, though.
Way better quality, for about $50 more...
No real performance advantage over the G50 in terms of range or tone. But the Shure already comes with the good cable that everybody buys for their G50, and it has Shure quality and customer service behind it.
The only disadvantage to the Shure, is a bulkier transmitter. Still fits in a medium strap pouch, though.
Way better quality, for about $50 more...
Well, as I am indeed an amateur I guess I chose the right version then.
Maybe your real-world situations require more than mine does, though personally I'm fine with the plastic, I think it is sturdy enough for me. The receiver is protected on the pedal board, so no worries there, and the only negative I can see with the transmitter is the somewhat iffy battery door. As to locking cables, I don't really buy that argument. There has never been a locking jack on any of my basses and I've not had my cable pop out once in all the years I've been playing. Can't see it's any different with the transmitter, actually it's less likely to happen as there is no long cable that you can step on or snag on something.
Yeah. It's so inferior... I have only regularly used one for well over 3 years now without issues, but I bet it breaks before it reaches the 50 year mark
The only issue with the battery door is people not making sure it's locked and it clicks. If you do, it won't open accidentally. Ever.
If you don't need the extra channels, range, and you don't load your gear by kicking it (G50 is metal... And heavier), the G30 is more than fine. It is great.
Not so. The battery compartment on the G30 and G50 transmitters are very tight, and don't make allowance for the fact that many rechargeable batteries are slightly oversize. This has apparently been corrected with the new transmitter for the G55.
There are LOTS of references to battery door problems with the G30 posted here and on the Line 6 forum. Most seem to be by people who use rechargeables. The usual end result is a broken latch, and various kluges using Velcro, or a strip of bicycle inner tube. Based on the aggregate experience of all those users, it's best to stick to alkaline or low-capacity Duracell rechargeable batteries with the G30.
Whether that matters to the OP, depends on his feelings about non-rechargeable batteries.
There are also references to problems with the plastic jack in the G30. I imagine that's more likely to be because of the jack wearing out, than the fact that it doesn't lock. Ditto with the jacks on all but the latest G50's, which had plastic internals inside a metal collar. Lots of frustration and warranty claims over that issue.
That said, if I hadn't had the $$$ for the digital Shure, I probably would have sprung for the G30. Like you, I'm easy on my gear, so the plastic content of the G30 transmitter never scared me.
