The next peice of equipment that I want to buy is a wirelss system for my bass. I have heard that they are good and bad and all that. What do you all think? I would like to get one that I can mount in the rack with the amp and that stuff but I can find one on Musicians friend. Does guitar center have them?

i love mine and our bass player does too.

i like using cables

Rule of thumb here is dont be a cheap ass and buy a POS unit. The only unit I have had the opportunity to check out that didnt either

A.) Suck out my tone
B.) Hiss and/or Pop
C.) Catch interference

... was a Shure ULXS14 Wireless Instrument System and at roughly 550 bucks, it wasn't cheap. For a slightly cheaper price (250.00 IIRC) the AKG Guitar Bug system seemed decent but did have an intermittent hiss/interference - which is exactly what ya get with cheaper units.

A wireless system is a nice luxury to have but be prepared to drop ALOT of cash for a good unit. Otherwise you're essentially spending a decent chunk of money to have your tone sucked out and generally sound like shit. Heck, unless you're playing bigger venues like sunshine etc. you dont really need one in the first place. If it were me, I'd rather drop 150 bucks on 2 or 3 expensive 20ft boutique cables than 200 bucks on an cheapie system or 550 on a seriously pro unit - which at that is complete overkill for most of us gigging localy.

But to eacdh his/her own. As always IMHO and YMMV

If you get one, get a good one. A guitarist friend of mine got a cheap ($120, if that is cheap to you) one and it was a pain to setup and could barely transmit in our rehearsal area, which is about 3'x3'

Actually I just bought a cheap one for $100 made by audiovox and it is very good sounding (no air noise or interference) and I can go about 50' before it cuts out... If you would like to see this marvelous peice of equipment in action please come to our show at The Cell on Saturday I'll be the fat guy going crazy with his guitar. (Such shameless promotion)

Yanno, when I see a musician in a band standing a few feet away from his rig w/ a wireless unit, I cant help but be reminded of the hypothetical macho man compensating for a lil weinie so he drives a big ass'd mountain eating monster truck .... around town.

I know, I know

I went through about 12 cords in the last year. Most of them broke when someone in my band stomped it during a set. A few got pulled out or stepped on by me; one fucked up my instrument jack in the process. I've also tripped over them, clotheslined people, etc. A few were stolen. I've had to use ones so short as replacement that I can't move and my amp is just a few feet behind me. It's really pissing me off. I'd also kinda like it if, at The Launchpad, I could put my amp back kinda behind the band a bit so it doesn't need to be in the monitors.

I've been seriously considering wireless. It just seems so weird though. I think I'd like to try one out for a while before I commit to it. It'd have to be nearly as cheap as all the cords I go through, and it would have to be just as good, so it doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon.

quote:

Originally posted by Rhian Batson:
Rule of thumb here is dont be a cheap ass and buy a POS unit.
... was a Shure ULXS14 Wireless Instrument System and at roughly 550 bucks, it wasn't cheap. For a slightly cheaper price (250.00 IIRC) the AKG Guitar Bug system seemed decent but did have an intermittent hiss/interference - which is exactly what ya get with cheaper units.

A wireless system is a nice luxury to have but be prepared to drop ALOT of cash for a good unit. Otherwise you're essentially spending a decent chunk of money to have your tone sucked out and generally sound like shit. Heck, unless you're playing bigger venues like sunshine etc. you dont really need one in the first place. If it were me, I'd rather drop 150 bucks on 2 or 3 expensive 20ft boutique cables than 200 bucks on an cheapie system or 550 on a seriously pro unit - which at that is complete overkill for most of us gigging localy.

But to eacdh his/her own. As always IMHO and YMMV

That would suck to have tone gone. I love my sound. Usually I use monster cables. They are decently priced and have a liftime waranty. But like levi says they always get stepped on and pulled out and shit. Tired of that. Everyone that I have talked to says that it's at least 400-500 bucks. I would rather just buy a new bass. We use a wireless mic set and it pops and stuff.

Despite Nigel Tufnel's little wireless mishap in '82 at an Air Force base (Air traffic controllers stepped all over his Sex Farm solo), Spinal Tap now swears by the new Shure stuff.

quote:

OTWS: Nigel had some celebrated problems with wireless gear around the time of the Smell the Glove U.S. tour. Have your cordless experiences gotten any better since then?

SMALLS: We had success with wireless gear on the '92 tour, and today it's great in terms of the mics and everything else. The one thing we're not accustomed to yet from the wireless world are in-ear monitors. We're a bit old-fashioned when it comes to monitoring, basically because with our particular sound the question is always, "Can we get that Tap thunder in a little earpiece?" We're looking forward to working with Shure on this.

Then again, a true star like Nigel can afford that shit.

Me? Gimme cables any day.

quote:

Originally posted by Levi Eleven:
I went through about 12 cords in the last year. Most of them broke when someone in my band stomped it during a set.A few got pulled out or stepped on by me; one fucked up my instrument jack in the process. I've also tripped over them, clotheslined people, etc. A few were stolen. I've had to use ones so short as replacement that I can't move and my amp is just a few feet behind me. It's really pissing me off. I'd also kinda like it if, at The Launchpad, I could put my amp back kinda behind the band a bit so it doesn't need to be in the monitors.

That sucks Levi. I dont know what to say except be more careful and aware of your surroundings? I know that's not possible with unaware possibly drunk bandmates but still, that's when knee stomping and cables with lifetime warranties come into play. Ive had the same cables (spectraflex) going on 3 years without so much as a glitch and I ALWAYS have a backup or 2. Besides, since my cables have lifetime warranties, the few times I did have a cable go sour or cut out, I took it back to Grandmas (where I buy my spectra-flex cables) and or MGR (where I get my cheaper back-up cables) and they got me a new one right off the shelf - no questions asked. So being that you can spend a couple hundred on some killer cables with no sacrifice of tone and a LIFETIME replacement warranty, like I Said, unless you're playing on an aircraft carrier deck, there is really no good reason to own one.

Personally Id rather spend that money on a cool pedal or rig or recording equipment or another bass (lol - I need another bass like I need a hole in the head)

Also, if you do something as simple as wrapping a instrument cable correctly, it should last a VERY long time. Wrapping a cable incorrectly or not at all, damages the cord almost immediately leading to humming and all types of line noise. Here's a cool page that shows how to properly wrap an instrument cable for those who dont know.

How to wrap a instrument cable & cable anatomy 101

Drunk band members. Totally.
Yeah, you should always buy the lifetime warranty. It's saved me a ton of money. And most of the cables I've gone through this year had been around for a while. I swear I always break the cable right after I misplace the purchase stuff...
Ultimately though cables get misplaced or stolen (stolen makes me so bitter). I still think that if I could get a wireless that sounded as good as a cable I would save money in the long run. Also, not many places have decent cable lengths, and it's a hassle to go out to Grandma's all the damn time. If I have a show that night and know my cable busted the night before I'll have to get one someplace close by that may not be long enough for me. Having a cabel that is too short (and therefore has no slack when pulled) contributes to the breaking problem. As I ran through my cable backstock they just got shorter and shorter. And I may not have the cash on hand for a long or good-warranty cable when I need the cable in a pinch.
You are right that it is pretty far down the list of things I might buy first though, but the same is true for cables. Everytime I buy one I think of what else I'd rather get.
Now that I hear how disrespected wireless is, I'm kinda scared off... the last thing I need is another reason for people to make fun of me!

quote:

I cant help but be reminded of the hypothetical macho man compensating for a lil weinie so he drives a big ass'd mountain eating monster truck .... around town.

It's good to know that I'm not alone in my disdain of these idiots! Has anyone seen that show on CMT "pimp my truck" or whatever the fuck. Really makes me wish Texas would've split from the Union. These fuckers make me embarrased to be an American.

Ever since I've been wrapping my cables up, they have lasted soooo much longer...cables get very expensive after awhile

quote:

These fuckers make me embarrased to be an American.

Amen... Cowboy Up!

cables are like toilet paper... it's worth it to buy the expensive stuff. I've had some of my cables for 15 years

quote:

Originally posted by WebMonkey:
cables are like toilet paper... it's worth it to buy the expensive stuff.

AHH. Yes i know what you mean.

I've gotten some of those cheap ass music go round cables and had them last for four or five years. Except for the last one. It lasted for three months.