Are wireless guitar transmitters a waste for pub gigs?

DavusPG

And thanks for the heads up

John_P

+1 for the smooth hound.     I've had trouble getting it to stick to the guitar using the supplied pads but otherwise it's great.  Batteries last forever, very simple to use and sounds great.     The only flaw I've found is that it's so small I worry about leaving it behind when packing up.  If they bring out a body pack version I'll buy that to replace mine but if you don't mind the bug type transmitter then it's really good. 

nick79

Don't discount the AKG, it's a lot cheaper than the Line 6 set up. It works fine for me, but as always ymmv. (It has a fixed channel, which doesnt bother me but may be a prob if others are using the same one)

I've got my receiver set up on my pedal board, so it takes no longer to set up than wired and as others have said it's good to be able to go out front during sound check to hear what the whole band sounds like. 

JayGee

+1 On the AKG thing.

I have a WMS mini which represents insane value for money and works far, far, far better than something at that price has any business doing. I've used it at every gig I've played over three years now and wouldn't be without it, especially in the crowded environment of the average pub "stage" area...

Grunfeld

DavusPG said:

OK I'm sold!

I'm thinking Line 6 G30 or G50 from what I've read.

One of the reasons why I chose the G30 over the G50 is that it uses a normal instrument lead between your guitar and the transmitter (I use one about 30cm long), but you need a special cable for the G50 -- if it breaks you're screwed unless you've brought a spare. 

The G30 does however have one dumb arse problem... but fortunately there's a stupidly simple fix:

DavusPG

Thanks as always for all the great advice guys, makes such a difference when looking into new stuff

hotpickups

I use the Shure guitar wireless system. The one that sits on your pedal board and doubles up as a tuner. So it's useful for another reason. But mainly I'm freed up from cables etc. Not that I roam around the pub although I'm not unknown for doing that, LOL, but tripping over wires and even pulling out my guitar lead mid solo have been issues I have experienced. Maybe it's my OCD but it's just tidier

As for batteries my unit uses lithium batteries which last for ages without having to charge plus I have a spare on if I do run out of juice

Go for it. You'll never look back and if you do you'll never see a long cable coming from your guitar to your amp/pedal board

EricTheWeary

I seem to be contributing to three separate wireless Discussions, getting confusing...

@grunfeld does the G30 run off a standard 9v supply?

Grunfeld

EricTheWeary said:

@grunfeld does the G30 run off a standard 9v supply?

Yep.  Here the receiver is on my board just above the chorus and DA-2.  The receiver is powered by a standard 9v supply.  (Here it's the Cioks DC5 which you can just see is underneath the board (Metro 24)).
The transmitter runs off 2 AA batteries.

ArchtopDave

Ianpdq said:

vasselmeyer said:

I use a Smoothound wireless system for all our pub gigs. It does free you up, especially in the smaller pubs where your cable can get snagged. Also, with some of the dodgy electrical sockets I have seen, I'm happy not to be linked directly to the mains.

I have this one and its excellent for the price http://www.smoothhound-innovations.com/

Me too. Just plug and play.

EricTheWeary

Grunfeld;1096092" said:

EricTheWeary said:



@grunfeld does the G30 run off a standard 9v supply?





Yep.  Here the receiver is on my board just above the chorus and DA-2.  The receiver is powered by a standard 9v supply.  (Here it's the Cioks DC5 which you can just see is underneath the board (Metro 24)).

The transmitter runs off 2 AA batteries.

Cheers. That is a big plus.

koneguitarist

Handy to make sure everyone knows your a tit!

Can be useful at venues for doing sound checks as I do the sound, but not needed. 

robinbowes

I contemplated getting one (a wireless system) when I joined a covers band about 18 months ago. I signed up for a kickstarter project: http://www.wifi-guitar.com/ thinking it looked promising. I ordered a couple of the units (one for transmitter, one receiver).

Well, they were finally delivered about a couple of weeks ago! I've not had much chance to test them, but they seems to work pretty well as a simple send/receive pair. The software is not yet finished for the Mac, but you can connect one unit directly to a computer via a peer-to-peer wifi connection and hook up to software, eg. GarageBand, etc. That could be quite interesting. However, build quality is not great. I can't seen the switches lasting long so it remains to be seen how uiseful it is.

I think I'd go for a Line6 G70 if I ever do any serious gigging - I like the fact that they support multiple transmitters with separate level controls for each one so I could eg. balance out my SG3000 and my Strat.

Deffo better than cables!

R.

hotpickups

Bit harsh

koneguitarist;1099880" said:

Handy to make sure everyone knows your a tit! Can be useful at venues for doing sound checks as I do the sound, but not needed. 

koneguitarist

@hotpickups sorry I just like leads!

hotpickups

Lol. You have everything wired in at home then I.e no wi fi ?

koneguitarist;1100266" said:

@hotpickups sorry I just like leads!

Danny1969

One thing springs to mind is I plug straight into my amp so the lead is behind me, there's no chance I can trip over it really. A lot of guys are plugging into pedals in front of them though and yeah I can see you could tread on your lead then.

Still seems a lot of hassle to me though, I made my golden ears boxs because I got pissed off with batteries and interference with wireless IEM's. 

p90fool

I've just bought a Line6 G10. It sounds excellent and recharges itself on its own docking station, so no battery hassles, which also means I can use it at home. It's great for working at the computer, messing about with the stereo and making cups of tea in a seamless workflow.

I play big stages occasionally but didn't get it for that, I'm fed up with everything getting tangled under my feet in tiny pubs.

I used wireless systems when I was touring a lot years ago and always promised myself I'd get another system when the technology became genuinely hassle-free.

djspecialist

How are the G10 and Smoothhound receivers powered?

On the G10 product page I can see an micro-USB socket on the back - is that the power supply?  The Smoothhound page doesn't say anything about receiver power AFAICS.

Basically I'm interested in knowing which products could be run from one of the outputs from my pedalboard PSU. 

hotpickups

I'd get that Shure wireless system in the classifieds if anyone is interested