wireless bass hook-up

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Can anybody help me here. All I know about them is to get a UHF one. I saw this at a price that I can afford:

AKG WMS 40 PRO at Musicians Fiend for $250

So is this a good way to go?

This could important, I use a Fender Jazz with the active EQ.

[lonewolf]

It looks as though AKG has improved their "Bugs". Before buying anything, look at the specs.

1. You don't want anything with less than 10mW transmitter output.

2. You don't want anything that is not "True Diversity".

3. For bass, you need a frequency response down to AT LEAST 40hz or lower (20hz is better). Watch out! Most Shures don't even meet this spec! Many wireless have a response of 50hz-15khz which is fine for vocals and guitar, but diminishes notes below low G on bass.

Another misconception is that UHF is "better" than VHF. There is no difference in sound quality between them. With everything from model airplanes to cordless phones using UHF today, you might even be safer from interference with a multi-channel VHF.

The AKG looks like it will work OK as long as you don't wander off to the mens room to take a whiz. Nady has been doing wireless longer than just about everybody and this UHF-4 looks like a good deal:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=277098

Here is a discussion thread:

http://rockpage.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.ph ... t=wireless

[bassist_25]

I just recently recieved a wireless made by Shure. I actually couldn't find all of that much information on it, except rack kits for it. It's also VHF. old sKool and I A/Bed it on the gig tonight with a cord to see if I was having any roll-off, especially around the lower register of the B string. We couldn't detect any. Granted, there may have been some roll-off, but I believe that my cabs roll-off about 35 hz anyways. It was thumpin' through the front of house, and it sounds like all of the fundamentals were there. I did notice some slight tone coloration around 300 - 400 hz, which actually added some punch that wasn't there.

My advice is to plug it in - during a gig situation of course - and try it. It's either going to work for you or it isn't. If not, send it back. I do believe that Shure makes a wireless unit that goes down to about 25 hz.

They have started to reproduce the X-Wire, which was probably one of the most respected wireless units on the market. Though this new model is in a stomp box format. I don't know if I like that or not.

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Thanks guys for posting, you both know more about about these than I do.
I've done a lot of research on this and I found alot of both negative and positive reviews on every brand of wireless, it's just confusing. More negative on the Nady than positive.

Question for Paul is your Shure the PGX-14? If it works good for you it should work good for me or I'll ship it back like ya said.

Thanks guys!

[bassist_25]

Hey Jim, no my unit is a T4V, which like I said, I can't even find any technical info about on the Internet. This is actually my first foray into wireless, so I'm definitely not an expert on it. But wireless is like what I've learned about a lot of gear: Specs are only so good. They often don't really give any inclination about how a piece of gear will work in a real-world live or studio situation.

I see that you have a similar post up at Talkbass, so hopefully you can get some good feedback there. The best thing to do with the Bug before making a decision is take it to a gig, and compare it with a cord. Have fun with being wireless. The gig I used mine on was a small stage, so I'm looking forward to trying it on a large stage where I can move around.

[lonewolf]

Question for Paul is your Shure the PGX-14?

I have a pair of those for guitar and headset vocals. Like I said before, they work great for guitar & vocals, but I would not recommend them for bass. I'm not saying it won't work, I'm saying its not a good choice for bass.

The only Shure systems in production that can handle bass properly are the ULX and the UHF-4 series. Lots of bucks.

I took a look at the AKG stuff and found out they have a newer model that meets all the specs. MF doesn't have it listed (you might want to ask why), but their sister store, American Musical has it:

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i- ... T-40A.html

Wow! Here they are at an eBay store...CHEAP:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... arch&fgtp=

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Ok Paul, couple guys at Talk Bass are using the shure PGX 14 with good results I didn't find any info on your model.

Jeff, I'll look into the AKG model you suggested. Thanks

[TJ Kelly]

I use a Shure ULXS system and I researched the hell out of systems out there and the specs are one of the best aside from the now defunct X-Wire systems. Mine goes down to 30hz and no detectable coloration. Stay away from the PXG series as they only go down to 50 or 45hz. Catch a Flight 19 show to hear it for yourself!

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Guys, I have 2 - Epifani UL - 112 cabs and I just checked and they only go down to 43HZ and the PGX does go to 45HZ as you stated, isn't this a good match up? With my setup I actually have to back off the low end a little cause its to much low end.

[skipisode]

Are you using a 4 or 5 string bass? Frequency response will also be related to this factor. TKelley (Tim) uses a 5 string, and as he stated
he doesn't seem to have any issue with response on his system. I stand
next to him on stage and clarity is fine. I played bass for years, and used
wireless the greater majority of these w/o much trouble. I've used both
Samson and Nady systems. Definitely go true diversity though! Unless
you are crazy on stage, or wander far from your rig you should be fine.

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[quote="skipisode"]Are you using a 4 or 5 string bass? Unless you are crazy on stage, or wander far from your rig you should be fine.[/quote

I use a Fender 4 string Jazz and I don't get crazy or wander.
I just want to lose the cord, get it out from under my feet.

[skipisode]

Sounds to me like you should be okay with what you have. I have'nt personally had much experience with the Shure systems, but if the specs
check out I would feel comfortable using it. I used both a P-bass and a Yamaha and never had problems with my setups other than occasional adjustments to the mutes (dependent on venues, etc.).

[lonewolf]

Guys, I have 2 - Epifani UL - 112 cabs and I just checked and they only go down to 43HZ and the PGX does go to 45HZ as you stated, isn't this a good match up? With my setup I actually have to back off the low end a little cause its to much low end.

You don't "match" bass rolloff unless its well below the fundamental frequency of your instrument--this is not. The effects of bass rolloff are multiplied every time you add more to the system. For instance, that 45hz number on the PGX is the -3db point, as is the 43hz on the cabinet. The -3db point is the frequency where the note is 1/2 the "volume" of the rest of the range. Both these frequencies are higher than the low E note on your bass.

For this example, lets round both -3db points to 44hz. This is the fundamental frequency of the low F note on your bass (low E string, 1st fret.) When you combine two -3db points, you get a -6db point, which is 1/4 of the volume of the rest of the scale. The E note will be about 1/8 the volume, since its is on an even steeper rolloff slope caused by combining 2 bass rolloffs in the affected region.

Fortunately, our ears don't perceive it that way. At 40hz, it takes about a 12-15db drop in theoretical volume for us to perceive a 1/2 cut in ear volume. This means that you will only perceive a slight cut in your E note using this combination.

What does that mean? The PGX will probably meet the bare minimum of working OK for you.

Personally, I wouldn't rationalize it this way--I want all of my notes at full strength. I sure wouldn't spend the extra $100 to get a system that won't do the job as well.

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Yeah Jeff your right, its just that I looked at so much info I think I burnt out on it.