# Line 6 Relay G30 Wireless - I have to disagree with the reviews



## Rev2010 (Aug 26, 2010)

Picked this up last night and just spent about 2 hours messing with it. I noticed pretty much right off the bat that despite Line 6's claims and the hundreds of positive reviews out there that is _does_ affect the tone. Now don't get me wrong, I'm really not expecting a system to give me an absolute 100% match in sound, just enough that I can't personally hear it.

You all might laugh at me here but I've owned Nady wireless systems (VHF) twice in my life and I've always personally never heard a difference in tone, seemed seemless to me. The biggest problem with Nady for me is the total shit build quality. My last transmitter cable started cutting in and out and I was super delicate with it and only used it a few times. It had been sitting nicely next to the receiver for a few months before I plugged it in again, no bending of the cable or anything, it just broke on it's own! So I decided to give the Relay a try since it uses standard cables.

The first thing I noticed that irked me was the shitty quality battery door cover, I mean really?? They couldn't do better than this?? It's a super thin little latch and with the batteries in you can see them pushing out the door slightly, it actually pushes the door out a pinch. Wonder how long it will take for that little thin plastic clip to snap off or just stop latching. I can't believe they didn't do better than this for the battery door. The belt clip however is nice and it's metal.

Playing I couldn't discern any noticeable latency (nor with my Nady), but something just stood out and for a few minutes I was trying to pinpoint it. I tried all the "Cable tone" settings and swapped back and forth between the cable and wireless and then it hit me... it's squashing the low end! Palm mutes just don't have that same oomph and feeling in the chest with the Relay. Even open power chords just don't have as much of that low end growl you feel in your body when standing near your amp. I even checked this with clean chords and found the same.

Maybe it only does this with EMG's, as I didn't bother to test my Schecter with passive's cause I need it for both. I don't know but I can see some people missing this because it's a bit subtle but for me stood out like crazy. Outside of the low end it keeps the tone accurate but I also noticed what seems like some very slight artifacting when playing faster runs that I don't get with the cable... it just has moments where it sounds slightly noiser than it should.

Anyhow, I'm rather disappointed with this as these models get the best across the board reviews I've personally ever seen on a wireless system. No, my system is not broken, it functions fine and I do feel this is an issue in the design. It's also not the cables I'm using. As I said, the unit functions perfectly in every other way and to the greater majority if ears out there I don't think most would even notice, especially excited kids that write glowing reviews after 10 minutes of use cause they're sooo excited.

So this unit is being returned. Even if the low end were reproduced fine I think that weak battery door latch would eventually bite me in the ass as I'm rather sure it would fail over time. We're not playing live yet so I'm just using this in house to avoid stepping (or having others step on) on my cables so I think I'm gonna see if I can just get a new Nady transmitter for now.

PS. If this write up disagrees with you and your experience with the unit I apologize. I'm not saying everyone that has positive words on this unit is wrong, not at all. It's just that I hear the difference and am not willing to deal with that difference.


Rev.


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## victim5150 (Aug 26, 2010)

Everything you mentioned is the reason I bought the G50. Much better unit. Everything is metal. Receiver and transmitter. Solid battery door. Just a better unit. But more expensive. You get what you pay for lots of times.


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## xCaptainx (Aug 26, 2010)

what he said. I picked up the G50 for the metal casing and the LED screen on the transmitter. It has a battery indicator, timer for remaining battery life and a light to show battery levels, plus you can rename your channels. Plus it's metal, not plastic. t's the most user friendly transmitter I've ever had and the best wireless I've ever used. 

I've never mucked around with the cable length feature. Nice novelty/selling point, but I've always used wireless's and never wanted to simulate the decay from a long cable.


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## Rev2010 (Aug 26, 2010)

Have either of you guys tried the G30? If so, did you notice this low end "compression" or slight lack of low end? I don't know what to call it, compression or just a bit of absence in the low end. I'm not one with a super articulate discerning ear though I do have excellent and undamaged hearing. I could tell right away something was slightly amiss. As mentioned, I've used the cheapo Nady units and never found this. <sigh>... I really want to love the unit, even if it only meant spending a little more to get the next higher up Line 6 unit. I just don't know if the sound quality will be any different on the G50 over the G30.


Rev.


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## thesimo (Aug 26, 2010)

Rev
have you tried hooking it directly into your computer to compare the EQ on the clips and see what the actual frequency differences are? That would be interesting to see.


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## xCaptainx (Aug 26, 2010)

Compare Relay G90, G50 & G30 Wireless Guitar Systems | Line 6 
that compares all the G** units, the only difference between the G30 and G50 is a slightly increased dynamic range, larger transmission range, LED screen on pack and metal casings. 

Would they explain the differences we are experiencing between the G30 or G50? hard to say; I didnt try the G30 at all, I had my heart set on the G50. Would be interesting to compare the two. My main reason for the G50 was the LED screen and metal casing.


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## Rev2010 (Aug 26, 2010)

thesimo said:


> Rev
> have you tried hooking it directly into your computer to compare the EQ on the clips and see what the actual frequency differences are? That would be interesting to see.



No, I thought about it but honestly it isn't worth the trouble. I'm off from work this week on vacation just chillin and didn't want to get involved making sound graphs and sound clips to share this time round. I know what I'm hearing for sure, as mentioned I swapped back and forth several times and could hear the difference. Sorry to disappoint here, I usually do comparisons as I did with the Blackouts vs. EMG 85 thread I made. It just takes a bunch of time to do, not something I want to spend vacation time on though.


Rev.


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## bulb (Aug 27, 2010)

rev, its interesting, i was introduced to the g30 back when we toured with fear factory, i had my x2 which didnt really affect the tone at all but was just terrible build quality and would cut out for no reason (probably the shitty cable)

dino's tech had the g30 and was raving about it, and i tried it and dug it, but noticed it affected the tone very slightly and there was a very slight gain loss, but it was pretty minimal, i had to a/b to notice.

after my x2 died i went back to the cable for a bit, and in the middle of our last tour i picked up a g90, and all i have to say is, its the perfect fucking wireless.
i didnt a/b, but then again i didnt notice any difference whatsoever, didnt have to adjust my settings at all either, it is perfect, and seems to be road ready.
the only issue i have is those damn proprietary cables, i wish it accepted 1/4'' cables like the g30 does, because after 4-5 shows i had already destroyed the straight cable, thankfully my good buddy at gc helped me get a few extra ones for free, and line6 say they are working on a right angle one, but other than that issue its perfect, great battery life and ability to monitor as it has like 4 different battery meters between the receiver and transmitter and actually tells you how much time you have left in hours and minutes too, and it runs off of 2AA batteries as well! 
rules


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## Soubi7string (Aug 27, 2010)

I've thought about a wireless and now that I heard these reviews.I'm hitting the G50 or 90.


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## xCaptainx (Aug 27, 2010)

bulb said:


> great battery life and ability to monitor as it has like 4 different battery meters between the receiver and transmitter and actually tells you how much time you have left in hours and minutes too, and it runs off of 2AA batteries as well!
> rules



Yup exactly! that's my favourite part of my G50 as well


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## Rev2010 (Aug 27, 2010)

bulb said:


> dino's tech had the g30 and was raving about it, and i tried it and dug it, but noticed it affected the tone very slightly and there was a very slight gain loss, but it was pretty minimal, i had to a/b to notice



Misha, thanks for pointing that out too cause that is one thing I failed to mention... I did notice that it seemed the volume was also ever so slightly less with the G30. Not dramatically of course, but I could hear the gain was indeed a pinch less with the G30 than with the cable.

Thanks for confirming this! Man, I would like to give the upper models a try but don't think it's worth the cost at this point for in home use. I may just wait till we're ready to play out live and then drop the cash. I got the G30 for $249 on sale at GC, one of the reasons I just had to pick it up.


Rev.


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## victim5150 (Aug 27, 2010)

bulb said:


> rev, its interesting, i was introduced to the g30 back when we toured with fear factory, i had my x2 which didnt really affect the tone at all but was just terrible build quality and would cut out for no reason (probably the shitty cable)
> 
> dino's tech had the g30 and was raving about it, and i tried it and dug it, but noticed it affected the tone very slightly and there was a very slight gain loss, but it was pretty minimal, i had to a/b to notice.
> 
> ...


I got a better cable for mine at lavacables.com You can get just about any type cable for it with Nuetrik right angles and the silent connectors if you want. I got 2 extras: a Mogami and a Canare with Nuetrik connectors.


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## PeteLaramee (Aug 27, 2010)

I have the G90 and like it MUCH better than the x2 XDRs I had. It's not completely transparent, but closer than any of the other 8-10 units I've tried. My low B sounds great with the G90...


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## getaway_fromme (Aug 27, 2010)

PeteLaramee said:


> I have the G90 and like it MUCH better than the x2 XDRs I had. It's not completely transparent, but closer than any of the other 8-10 units I've tried. My low B sounds great with the G90...



I just got my G90 shipped...haven't had the opportunity to use it, but I can't wait! I was looking at the G-30 but I figured I would lose it unless it was racked lol...Too many power cables to watch after. Thanks you guys for confirming its greatness!


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## shogunate (Aug 29, 2010)

I was surprised to see Rev the one to author this review (thank you by the way) as you're usually pretty objective and neutral on bashing subjects/products  but I suppose your review is too, and that's why I think this is a valid review and now also has the notorious bulb's admonishing away from this unit as well. 

Been thinking about going wireless, now I have one option definitely scratched off the list of possibles.


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## shogunate (Aug 29, 2010)

I was surprised to see Rev the one to author this review (thank you by the way) as you're usually pretty objective and neutral on bashing subjects/products  but I suppose your review is too, and that's why I think this is a valid review and now also has the notorious bulb's admonishing away from this unit as well. 

Been thinking about going wireless, now I have one option definitely scratched off the list of possibles.


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## Rev2010 (Aug 29, 2010)

shogunate said:


> I was surprised to see Rev the one to author this review (thank you by the way) as you're usually pretty objective and neutral on bashing subjects/products  but I suppose your review is too



Nah I don't think I "bashed" it really. I did say it sounded pretty much accurate in every other way other than some kind of compression or reduction in the low frequencies and a bit of occasional harshness or artifacting. I also said most probably wouldn't even notice any difference.

But everyone can tell that battery door is unacceptably flimsy. Afterward I read a review on MF that made mention of it too, and the guy said he's on his second transmitter in only a few months cause of it.

The other thing to call into question is the price, it retails for $299 whereas my cheapo Nady which sounded far better was $79. Though, the Nady unit's are horribly flimsy which is why I was looking for a better unit. IMO opinion I think the G30 should sell for between $99-$150. At least others here swear by the next up in their lines.


Rev.


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## drkam6 (Jan 1, 2011)

I just got at home both the G30 and the G50 for a comparison tryout, and I also agree with Rev. The G30 sounded more digital than the G50 to start - a bit plasticky. I noticed that my lows were a bit lost. Did back and forth immediate tryouts between a regular cable and the G30. The three cable tone replication settings didn't work either, in fact they started killing my tone.

Then I tried the G50 and it felt a way better unit. Not only buildwise, but I got to approximate the cable tone much closer and my lows recovered a bit more. To get it even closer I just bumped a notch on the cable tone replication. It is not 100% a regular cable tone, but it's a very good 90-95%. It would be really hard for somebody else to hear the difference. (I'm using passive humbuckers in my guitars).

The G50 stays, and I'm returning the G30 back to the music store.


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## PirateMetalTroy (Jan 1, 2011)

I just got a g50 as well. I went with the g50 over the g30 despite not being able to use a standard cable, simply for the larger range and all metal reciever + transmitter. There's a place here that sells the connectors for this thing so getting them replaced "which i know they will have to be eventually) should be easy. I can't comment about the tone sucking or anything like that because it seems like every time I get new gear, it's always 2-3 things changing at once, never just once piece at a time. I just tried it out with my e530 straight into a Randall 2x12. 

Personally I think it sounds pretty good. I'll have to a/b with a regular cable, but I'm not sure I'll be able to hear anything. Sounds good, man.


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## troyguitar (Jan 1, 2011)

Been using my G30 every day since they came out with no issues, but maybe I'm just deaf and dumb


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## cyril v (Jan 2, 2011)

G50 ftw, definitely one of the better purchases I've made over the past few years, I haven't had a single issue yet, the only thing I wish it had would be a better quality cable.


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## themike (Jan 4, 2011)

I can't comment on the G30 since I've never used one, but my G90 has changed my life. Works easy, flawlessly and sounds clean as hell and is super clean in my ATA case. 
I'm in the process of ordering a custom cable now also to insure that theres no weakness' in the transmitter. 

Premium Line6 Relay G50 G90 Wireless Cable Lead Cord - eBay (item 300506055445 end time Jan-16-11 08:32:30 PST)


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## victim5150 (Jan 4, 2011)

You cn also get great cables for it at lavacables.com Mogami, Canare, Van Den Hul, Evidence and Mark is great to work with.


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## whosdealin (Jan 4, 2011)

I have the G90, I sold my G30 because the G90 is better, period..... No question that the G30 colors your tone. I compared them side by side. With that being said the G30 is still a great unit for the price. The G90 is amazing, it is transparent and the G30 was not. I cant say the G30 is bad because it doesnt color the tone a great deal but if you are picky about keeping your original tone then you will notice the difference.


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## mattofvengeance (Jan 4, 2011)

I really like that the G90 has a switch so that it is always on when used with a power conditioner. I hate that when I fire up my rig, I have to hit the power button on my x2. It's a small thing, I know, but its annoying. One of these days I wanna get my hands on the G90.


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## cyril v (Jan 5, 2011)

mattofvengeance said:


> I really like that the G90 has a switch so that it is always on when used with a power conditioner. I hate that when I fire up my rig, I have to hit the power button on my x2. It's a small thing, I know, but its annoying. One of these days I wanna get my hands on the G90.



You won't be disappointed man, if it's the same as the G50 as Line6 would have it, then it's pretty much perfect tone. I would just recommend a new cable for it as the one that came with the unit feels a bit cheap to me.


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## mattofvengeance (Jan 5, 2011)

cyril v said:


> You won't be disappointed man, if it's the same as the G50 as Line6 would have it, then it's pretty much perfect tone. I would just recommend a new cable for it as the one that came with the unit feels a bit cheap to me.



Yeah, I would definitely get a new cable for it. I have yet to hear good things about it, honestly. I'm lucky enough that the guy I bought my x2 from had a Mogami cable with a neutrik connector for the transmitter. That thing is flawless!


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## Soubi7string (Jan 6, 2011)

the G50 is at least 3x better than the G30


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## mainly (Mar 17, 2011)

for you guys using the g50, if youre putting it on your pedalboard, how to you cope with those stupid antena sticking out of the unit? 

i have the G30 and id get the g50 except for those silly antena...

cause the fact that the unit is plastic and feels like the battery cover might fly off any second with all the tension thats one it from holding the batterie in.

why did they have to make all these silly differences between the different models? such as the different cable used with the g50 too, i just saw that... why the hell didnt they just use the 1/4 " to 1/4" like the g30? then if it fails you just make another one? dont tell me its something to do with sound quality...


i will say though, i think you guys are hearing things saying it colors youre tone. i recorded both my cable tone, and the g30 and heard NO difference at all. this thing is 100percent transparent(as was the x2 i had but the stupid cable kept failing on me- 3 different ones!!)

really youre ear cant tell the difference when it comes to 24 bit ADA. the sound going in that wireless is the same sound that comes out. period.


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## Rook (Mar 17, 2011)

mainly said:


> for you guys using the g50, if youre putting it on your pedalboard, how to you cope with those stupid antena sticking out of the unit?
> 
> i have the G30 and id get the g50 except for those silly antena...
> 
> ...



They changed the cable because the T4A (or whatever it's called) is in theory more reliable and it sticks more firmly into the wireless unit. It's also much smaller, so more space can be used in the unit to make it longer range or sound better or whatever reason you want to attach.

The antenna thing, you can just leave them lying flat, unless you're planning on standing miles away it won't make any difference. A good friend of mine has a T Rex pedalboard with the wireless mounted on the underside, works just fine. These things have insane range anyway.

EDIT: The following is a pointless rant, this edit was inserted after I wrote it and realise it is a pointless rant. It's not starting arguments or disputes, but in fact giving an 'everybody's right' view lol.

As for tone loss, it's very likely that the transmitter [EDIT]*can* affect the tone of some guitars, because digitisation is not a flawless or lossless transition, nor is undoing it at the other end. Any circuitry between a guitar and amp, including the wires that you knit your controls together with, quality of pots, even the cables attaching the pickups to your pots etc has some tiny little effect which all add up to some (if only very slightly) noticable difference. Even if it's just the input impedance of the transmitter playing tricks on your tone pot cap. On the other hand, if it's that small and your playing at gig volumes, who's going to notice or care? lol.

I just find it funny that people will spend hundreds on keeping their signal chain clear and completely forget about all the crap in the guitar. It's beside the point though, haha.


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## cyril v (Mar 17, 2011)

mainly said:


> for you guys using the g50, if youre putting it on your pedalboard, how to you cope with those stupid antena sticking out of the unit?
> 
> i have the G30 and id get the g50 except for those silly antena...
> 
> ...



would you mind sharing said clips? I'd just like to hear them for myself, I haven't tried out the G30, but the other guitarist in my band is looking for a wireless unit but a little hesitant to drop money on the G50/90 because of the price, so if I could play that for him, maybe he'd come around instead of waiting to find a used G50 locally (his current plan, lol).


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## drenz (Mar 17, 2011)

Sorry to say i disagree with everything you've said dude :/ I'm not saying you're wrong, but for the kind of tone i use, i have noticed ZERO difference in tone from the previous cables i've been using to the wireless system when i switched over. If anything it improved my tone, there was a noticeable reduction in overall noise when i switched to the wireless system.

In my own rack i use a G90, but the bassist from my band uses a G50, and the other guitarist from my band uses a G30, so i have access to all 3 of the units they offer. I've plugged all 3 in through my rig and they all sounded identical to my ears.

The build quality of all the transmitters and receivers has also been very good to me also. Your standards may be higher than my own, but the quality is definitely tour-able, and i would not hesitate for a second to take my G90 on the road, nor are my band members hesitant to take their units with them either. They all love theirs and i trust their judgement.

Like i said i'm not saying you're wrong, i'm just disagreeing with you. I think these wireless systems are some of the best on offer, but with any product available on the market, they can never please absolutely everybody.


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## loktide (Mar 17, 2011)

i have the G50 and am completely happy with it after the last few gigs i've used it. can't complain about the build quality except the proprietary cable used. good thing you can change the orientation how the sender is attached to your belt by 90° steps, so that there is minimal cable twisting and pulling. i've ABed it a few times and i haven't noticed a detrimental change in gain or tone. .

i used a sennheisser freeport before this, which i decided to replace after it cut out for no reason during two shows.


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## cyril v (Mar 17, 2011)

drenz said:


> Sorry to say i disagree with everything you've said dude :/ I'm not saying you're wrong, but for the kind of tone i use, i have noticed ZERO difference in tone from the previous cables i've been using to the wireless system when i switched over. If anything it improved my tone, there was a noticeable reduction in overall noise when i switched to the wireless system.
> 
> In my own rack i use a G90, but the bassist from my band uses a G50, and the other guitarist from my band uses a G30, so i have access to all 3 of the units they offer. I've plugged all 3 in through my rig and they all sounded identical to my ears.
> 
> ...



Did you record DI's? Would you mind posting them so others can hear for themselves, to maybe help other people make purchasing decisions.


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## mainly (Mar 17, 2011)

cyril v said:


> would you mind sharing said clips? I'd just like to hear them for myself, I haven't tried out the G30, but the other guitarist in my band is looking for a wireless unit but a little hesitant to drop money on the G50/90 because of the price, so if I could play that for him, maybe he'd come around instead of waiting to find a used G50 locally (his current plan, lol).




sure i could post the clips, but whats the best way to post them... is there a site you recomend, or can you post them right into these posts on the forum..?


nevermind here is a clip... 

first are 2 short clean clips(first g30 then a cable) 

follwed by 2 dirty clips (again g30 follwed by cable) 

its an mp3 at 320 bit rate, so hopefully no one is gonna say it isnt hq enough, oh, and dont mind the playing, i didnt play the exact riffs, just something similar, and i screwed up the gnr lick, but whatever.. ha

theres no processing whatsoever, just dry guitar, mono recording....

if anyone can hear a difference you have super hearing...(for the clean clips i was playing a little harder for the cable clip, so thats the reason for the slight volume increase)


http://www.sendspace.com/file/17wvo2


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## mainly (Mar 17, 2011)

has anyone with the g50 had any problems with the transmitter. connector? when you jiggle it back and forth, any noise, crackling?

is the only thing im holding back for cause im afraid that thing is gonna crap out on me like al the other non 1/4 inch cables ive used with wireless's . the g30 has 1/4 to 1/4 which i love, of course i discarded the included cable right away, it was noisy as anything, so i just made a short george l cable, and perfect....

as far as tone goes, i hear no difference from a cable and my g30 so there ca be no improvement there in the g50.


is the metal casing worth it? the g30's plastic transmitter i worry about flying apart during a gig....


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## troyguitar (Mar 17, 2011)

My other guitarist and I are still rocking our G30's from the initial release week - they've had tons of battery changes, been dropped and whatnot for what I think is about a year now and still function as they did on day one.


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## mainly (Mar 18, 2011)

Fun111 said:


> They changed the cable because the T4A (or whatever it's called) is in theory more reliable and it sticks more firmly into the wireless unit. It's also much smaller, so more space can be used in the unit to make it longer range or sound better or whatever reason you want to attach.
> 
> The antenna thing, you can just leave them lying flat, unless you're planning on standing miles away it won't make any difference. A good friend of mine has a T Rex pedalboard with the wireless mounted on the underside, works just fine. These things have insane range anyway.
> 
> ...



hey thanks. i posted a clip, no difference in tone man...


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## Rook (Mar 18, 2011)

mainly said:


> hey thanks. i posted a clip, no difference in tone man...



There won't always be, this is what I mean.

For example, when I use my Jackson with Humbuckers, by TS808 is completely transparent, as is my EB Volume pedal, but when I switch over to my strat (single coils) it makes a huge difference, you lose all that real bright top end straight away.

Active pickups make things more transparent, high impedance pots on passve systems do etc etc.

I'm not disagreeing with you though, I think the G30 and G50 are fabulous systems, and unlike things like the AKG GuitarBug and Samson Air(whatever it's called) system, I'm yet to hear an audible difference.

@Mainly - We've not had any technical issues with the G50's yet, however cables being cables, investing in a high quality connector is always worth your while. Look into getting a mogami 1/4" to T4A patch lead (I'll find the link in a minute), that way your cable's less likely to go wrong, and you have a spare (the original) should the worst happen.


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## mainly (Mar 18, 2011)

Fun111 said:


> There won't always be, this is what I mean.
> 
> For example, when I use my Jackson with Humbuckers, by TS808 is completely transparent, as is my EB Volume pedal, but when I switch over to my strat (single coils) it makes a huge difference, you lose all that real bright top end straight away.
> 
> ...




have you listened to that clip i posted? id still bet with you if i posted a clip of a strat- g30 vs a cable you wouldnt hear a difference either. the highs arent that much higher in a strat vs a les paul. which i used, no active pickups. i also used pretty high end gear to record that clip. i dont think line 6 would have released a unit that colores the tone of strats but not les pauls/ or other humbucker guitars. it would look pretty stupid on them dont you think? afterall their whole business is digital sound technology!!


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## Rook (Mar 18, 2011)

mainly said:


> have you listened to that clip i posted? id still bet with you if i posted a clip of a strat- g30 vs a cable you wouldnt hear a difference either. the highs arent that much higher in a strat vs a les paul. which i used, no active pickups. i also used pretty high end gear to record that clip. i dont think line 6 would have released a unit that colores the tone of strats but not les pauls/ or other humbucker guitars. it would look pretty stupid on them dont you think? afterall their whole business is digital sound technology!!



...I think you're missing my point...


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## mainly (Mar 19, 2011)

Fun111 said:


> ...I think you're missing my point...


 
no im not missing youre point, i just think youre wrong, theres no difference in tone. no matter what guitar you use, line 6 wouldnt be stupid enough to not test this stuff out.


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## 60FenderJazz (Apr 16, 2012)

I returned my G30 yesterday and upgraded to the G50. The first thing I noticed too was the flimsy battery door and the batteries did push the door open slightly. I'm sure the latch would not last long. I used the G30 for two live performances. After it was on for about 30 minutes it began cutting out on me every so often. The G50 is much more rugged and so far works perfectly. Also, in my opinion the G50 is much more true to life in the cable tone reproduction. If you can afford it, go with the G50.


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## budda (Apr 17, 2012)

The plastic lock for the battery compartment on my G30 broke at a show a few weeks ago - I've been tethered since.

I still have the pieces, and it's a small break but I don't think it's a quick fix. Does anyone have any suggestions? Aside from that the unit is fine :/


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## 60FenderJazz (Apr 23, 2012)

Well, I had a chance this weekend to use live the G50 that I bought when I returned the G30. Amazing tone, it's just too bad that it cut out and popped just like the G30 did. I used it on several amplifiers and guitars with the same result, although not as bad as the G30. I returned the G50 yesterday for a full refund. The sales person at GC told me the Shure and Sennheiser units do not have the issues that are being described with the Line 6 wireless units in this forum. I may fork out the money for the Sure PGX14 and give it a try.


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## victim5150 (Apr 23, 2012)

60FenderJazz said:


> Well, I had a chance this weekend to use live the G50 that I bought when I returned the G30. Amazing tone, it's just too bad that it cut out and popped just like the G30 did. I used it on several amplifiers and guitars with the same result, although not as bad as the G30. I returned the G50 yesterday for a full refund. The sales person at GC told me the Shure and Sennheiser units do not have the issues that are being described with the Line 6 wireless units in this forum. I may fork out the money for the Sure PGX14 and give it a try.


 
Man that is a bummer. I've had the G50 for a couple of years now and used it for countless gigs never had cut out issues whatsoever. I did have popping issues at first using the supplied cable but once I switched to my Mogami and Canare cables that issue went away. Were you using the supplied cable? Hope the Shure works out for you.


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## troyguitar (Apr 23, 2012)

Weird. I've now owned the G30 since it came out, a G50 briefly, and a G90 for the past few months. They all sound exactly the same to me and I've had no issues with any of them. Even the "flimsy" G30 has never been a problem and I've used that one the most.


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## budda (Apr 24, 2012)

My tech fixed my G30 with a couple dabs of superglue - damn excited to play Toronto on Thursday!


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## Alcoholocaust (Apr 24, 2012)

I've been using the G30 for ages. Doesn't affect my tone a single bit ( i did replace the shitty cable it came with).
I've a/b'd it with a lead and it's spot on, no compression whatsoever.
I have to agree with you on the crappy battery latch though - what a piece of shit!
I have my wireless Gaffa taped to hell and back on my guitar strap though so it doesn't bother me.


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## dunno (Apr 24, 2012)

I have the G30 too for quite some time now. Never broke, works great so far. There is slight tone difference, but I`m not going to record with that thing anyway so screw that. Besides I don`t play in a band big enough that we would have enough time to get rid of every imperfection during soundcheck. We have around 10 minutes to get ready and play mostly. And I think that from all those things that can "fuck up" my tone live or more importantly the sound of whole band, G30 is somewhere in the last place.
IMO It`s an afordable unit and for the money you pay it excels.


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## jordanky (Apr 24, 2012)

I got my G30 right when they came out and I have had zero problems out of it and never noticed much of a tone difference. The cable that comes with it sucks so buy/make a new one ASAP. I gaff tape my receiver to my strap with the battery door facing up so there isn't much gravity trying to pull the batteries out although I've never had a problem there either. The G50's are very nice and I would like to try one if my G30 ever gives me any trouble.


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## asmegin_slayer (Apr 24, 2012)

Just like dunno, I can hear maybe a slight tone difference like a "compression" feel rather than a loss of tone. Who knows, it could just be my mind tricking me to think that?

My only complaint is the clip, that thing is an atrocity!


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## budda (Apr 24, 2012)

Did you guys take the clip off the pack to have the battery compartment face up?


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## troyguitar (Apr 24, 2012)

?

Mine faces up by default.


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## 60FenderJazz (Apr 26, 2012)

@ victim5150. On the G30 I used the supplied cable, a Mogami and a Monster. On the G50 I only used the supplied cable with the same result and returned the unit. I believe Line 6 just has some issues that they have not sorted out yet or at the least has had a few bad runs in production.


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## iron blast (Apr 27, 2012)

Fun111 said:


> They changed the cable because the T4A (or whatever it's called) is in theory more reliable and it sticks more firmly into the wireless unit. It's also much smaller, so more space can be used in the unit to make it longer range or sound better or whatever reason you want to attach.
> 
> The antenna thing, you can just leave them lying flat, unless you're planning on standing miles away it won't make any difference. A good friend of mine has a T Rex pedalboard with the wireless mounted on the underside, works just fine. These things have insane range anyway.
> 
> ...


I use lead free sauder, upgraded pots, Nuetrick locking jacks, gold tipped planet waves or Moggami plugs and proper shielding to help the guitars/bases stay clean. I'm thinking of going over the actual wire used in all of them and upgrading it also.


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## Symmetry (Jun 18, 2017)

I have been using the G30 for a while now. While i haven't noticed any tone issues (that's not to say there aren't any), i have had dropouts in the past, and i have just started having difficulty with the battery door. I can't justify going out buying another wireless transmitter when i already have a perfectly manageable one, so i thought i would share with people what i have learnt about the G30...

1. The dropouts were due to interference from local wifi. The unit transmits on 2.4GHz, which most people will know is the standard for wifi. But what a lot of people don't know is that there are different channels of wifi. I downloaded an app called 'Wifi Analyser', and run it when i get to the venue on the night. Scroll to the 2.4GHz page, and you can see plain as day which channels are being used in the area. I then change my transmitter and receiver to a lesser-used channel. Since i have been doing this, i have had no dropouts.

2. Ah the battery door. There's really no forgiving this, but if you're in the same boat i am and can't justify a new unit, i have another fix that i haven't found elsewhere online. Yes, you can velcro the door shut etc, but i think a contributer to the problem is the battery prongs. Get an allen key or something similar, take the batteries out, and try and bend the prongs back upwards. This will create less free space inside the battery compartment, and allow the battery door to close fully on the batteries. Many battery powered devices have this same problem over extended use (tho mine certainly hasn't had 'extended use' yet). I've also found that manually operating the slide while closing the door (as opposed to just closing it), helped a lot as well.

Hope this helps someone


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## lewis (Jun 19, 2017)

isnt some of these issues (plastic stuff breaking etc) the reason the g10 relay is actually a better unit than the 30 and 50?

literally plug and play with mute button for no pops and the base charges the unit? seems way better than the older style wireless stuff with battery covers snapping etc


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## Steen Grøntved (Sep 27, 2017)

I'm looking for a wireless system myself. Have tried G30, G50, Audio-Technica System 8, and a couple of other brands, but have always gone back to cable in the end. I guess not all guitarists are equally "touchy" with the change in sound, different wireless systems provides. And it is not equally audible in all setups either. How are you actually testing the wireless systems? I am building guitar effects myself, and I'm extremely picky with components in my signal chain. A bypassed BOSS pedal is already altering the sound, and it cut's out some of the soft low end. It might not be directly put-a-finger-on-it-audible, when playing, but it is definitely "feel-able", at least for me. And by my opinion BOSS is actually buffering the signal, in the least altering manner possible I know; it is done through a single MOSFET, in the designs I have checked at least, so there are only much more radical buffered effects out there. My point is: Are you are running through bypassed buffered effects, and trying to A/B test your wireless system, to try to hear how it alters your clean guitar signal? Then you are testing more than one thing at a time; the things your are listening for, might already be gone or altered, before it gets to the wireless system. A passive A/B switch, to test things like that is the most bulletproof way, I know to reveal components in the signal chain, that is coloring the sound in unwanted manners. Shifting cables back and forth won't make a good A/B test either, as it is virtually impossible to remember a specific sound for the seconds it takes to change the cables. And I'm NOT trying to sell a passive A/B switch  It can be made with a 4PDT switch, 6 female jacks, some wire, and a chassis. I can draw a diagram and upload it, if someone wants it!


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## GunpointMetal (Sep 27, 2017)

I wanna know what cheap Nady system your were using that had no audible difference. I had a couple of the sub-$100 units just for walking around the house and they were noisy, compressed, got interference from EVERYTHING (like standard electrical items like incandescent lamps and toasters), aside from falling apart at the cables for no reason and eating batteries.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Sep 27, 2017)

I have 2 of the G-30 systems, both of which are mounted to my pedalboard. I have them both routed to a Morley A/B/C pedal with A & B being both of the G-30's, and C being the cable backup.

I play consistently with these and I found right away that I have no use for the cable emulation, so I do not use it at all. I swapped out their cables and cut/soldered my own with heavier duty jacks. Despite the housings being plastic, I've never had an issue with the receivers, but on one of the transmitters, the strap clip broke off right away as I attempted to mount it to my LM Enterprises Luxury Leather Strap with the hidden tail. It's a thicker strap and the plastic on the housing isn't as strong as the clip itself. I used epoxy to re-affix it back on, and now I use some wristbands to cover them up on the strap just to provide some extra bumper protection. 

Theyve otherwise performed well for me, not one single dropout, other than when I didn't ensure that the battery door was securely snapped shut. I'm never more than about 20 feet from my pedalboard and the receivers, and I pretty much have them in line of site at all times along with my HD500X, so I know pretty much everything that is going on at any given time with this rig. 

I would like to see Line 6 just simply add a "wireless option" to these units, so that they have wireless reception under the hood as an upgrade option, then they can just ship you the respective transmitter, ie; Helix (Wireless/G30/G50/G70), and make it globally applicable that when you plug in a cable to the respective input jack, that wireless activity is then overridden.

These receivers don't take up a lot of real estate, and they could be incorporated into some more of their high end units.


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