G-System?????

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Monsta-Tone

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Maui Wowee!
Anyone using the G-System with their Mesa amps?

I'm (once again) bored with pedals. I need something more advanced than pedals to provide all of the sounds I need for my band.
Page 27 of the G-System manual shows how to hook it up to 2 different amps. It has the capability of providing inputs to both amps as well as FX in the loops of each amp.

This has my interest peaked! I am thinking of running my DC-3 & DC-5 in stereo and using the G-System to control it all as well as provide FX.

Any thoughts?
 
I'm good. I'm not using it right now because I'm not big into effects, but I don't know what my next gig will require of me so I'm holding onto it.
 
I have one and i really love it. As far as running two amps you can A/B two preamp sections. You can also pan the outputs so that you have dedicated effects in each amp's loop. So yes you can work two amps with one G System. The only thing you can't do is "Y" them together. It's either one or the other.

So if you are thinking about one then i highly recommend that you play one. The effects are pretty great and the MIDI and analog channel switching is perfect. It's easily the one thing i can't do without.

Peace, Joshua
 
Not exactly. The way the loops are set up is Loop1 -> Loop 2 -> Loop 3 -> Loop 4 -> Insert. The way they have it is one amp is in loop 4 and one is in Insert. They toggle between loop 4 and insert but if you try to run them both then whatever preamp you have in loop 4 will feed the preamp located in insert. Trust me i tried this when i first bought it. The one thing you can do is if your power sections of the DC5 and DC3 are similar you can run them in stereo so your effects in the FX loop could be done with a left and right channel and thus be stereo. But you cannot "Y" the preamp sections without one amp feeding the input of the other. I wish they had made pannable loops so you could do this but they didn't.

I see where the instructions on page 27 are confusing and i fell for that with my old rig where i had 2 amps doubling each other. But the G System is still superior and even if you just ran the outputs to both amps and forgo the FX loops altogether it is still better than most effects units.

Peace
Joshua
 
Thanks Joshua,
I think I understand now.

So....
I could still use 2 combo amps, but the output of the G-Sys would only go to the input of 1 amp.
Then, after I use the 1st amp's Loop, through the Send & Return jacks, I could go stereo at that point and run to the FX Return of the 2nd amp.

That would be ok. I was worried about hums and other noises using 2 preamps at the same time.

Have you tried it this way?
Did you have any unwanted noises or issues?
 
Yes my old setup was with 2 Randall amps. I ran the pre of one in Loop 4 and the pre of the other in the Insert and changed back and forth but used the power sections of both in stereo using the FX loop returns. I had no issues at all with unwanted noise or behavior.

So here is the path in the easiest way:
Loop 4: G System send to amp 1 input, G System return to amp 1 FX loop send
Insert: G System send to amp 2 input, G System return to amp 2 FX loop send
G System Out: Left out to amp 1 FX loop return, right out to amp 2 FX loop return.

Then you can program the G System to use either loop 4 or insert based on which preamp you want for a particular patch. Again if you use both you will feed amp 1's sound into amp 2's input.

Peace,
Joshua
 
Man, that is awesome, thank you!

I played a 4 hour gig yesterday and the setup I am using now is just not versatile enough for what we do.
Looks like I will be picking one of these up really soon!
 
Hope this helps the op. I like you needed a more versatile setup so I bought the G system. It's an excellent all in one command center. The downside is getting it to work well with your amp and situation may require a few hundred bucks in high quality cables, hum eliminators and such. Once you get it all playing nice, its magical. Hit my signature link to see my setup on my gear page. I explain it more thorough there.
 
Thanks! Nice website!

I've been reading the White Pages every morning before work. It's the only time the house is quiet enough to read.

I want to keep things pretty simple:
Guitar into Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah
Wah into G Sys Input
OD pedal in Loop 1
Distortion pedal in Loop 2
Heavy Distortion pedal in Loop 3
Boss GE-7 (w/Sniper mod) in Loop 4
Amp Input from the G-Sys Send
Amp Send into G-Sys Return
G-Sys Output into Amp Return

Amp - Mesa DC-5 or DC-3 (depending on the mood or the gig)
I might run stereo out and use the preamp from one amp for all of my tones but run the other side of the output to the 2nd amp's FX Loop Return.
This way, I always have a backup amp with me too.

I'll most likely try to use the G-Sys relays to control my amp at 1st. If it sucks, then I will have to get an Amp Gizmo.
I only have 2 switching functions though, Channel & GEQ.

I have a lot of decent cables, but no hum isolator. Guess I'll end up getting a couple in the end. I was using a Patchmate Floor with the 4 cable method and it tends to hum on the lead channel.
 
I forgot to ask....
If I plan on keeping the brain inside the footswitch.
Should I use TRS cables or XLR cables for ballanced signal?

I was looking at the Ebtech Hum Isolators and thinking that the XLR version might be a better way to go. I don't want to have a bunch of TRS cables laying around, but a few extra mic cables always come in handy.
Plus, it seems like a good 20' mic cable is much easier to find than a TRS cable.
 
The outputs on the G are TRS. If you're not mounting the brain you'll need long cable runs to the amp. Better to make those TRS and put the ebtechs on the cab and run short ts cables from there. I don't remember but I don't think there's xlr on the G.
 
TRS/Balanced cables will only produce a result if it's connected into a balanced input/output on both ends. Your amp's inputs/outputs are unbalanced, so there's no point in running a balanced cable unless you spend money on separate units that'll do balanced/unbalanced conversion at the amp end of the signal path... which is also another device in the signal path that'll impart its own tone each time it does a conversion (nothing is transparent).

If it were me I'd hook it up with the regular 4 cable method using regular mono (TS) instrument cable, and if you aren't picking up a whole lot of unnecessary noise from the extra cable lengths then save yourself some money and don't bother with the whole balanced cable thing.

Look at it this way... 99.9% of guitarists that use pedals in an FX loop don't use balanced cables between their amp and pedalboard. TC gave the device balanced outputs for use in a studio environment... but you're on stage with thunder-nuts the drummer whaling away on his kit and destroying any semblance of tonal nuance.

Myself, I set the brain on top of my amp and stuck an OD in one of the loops. Wired it up with the 4 cable thing and ran triggers for channel 2, 3, and the solo boost.
 
Personally, I use and see a benefit in using trs cables thru ebtechs. Just because you don't have noise in the first 9 venues doesn't mean you shouldn't be protected from noise in the 10th. Nothing more amaturish that steady buzz. For the negligible cost after spending 3 grand on effects and a head, seems to be a no brainer. Read the white paper (Google g system white paper). You can't go wrong if you follow Lairds advice on all things G. Another good read is Scot Kahn's book, Modern Guitar Rigs.
 
The GS outputs that use TRS don't require TRS at both ends. It is designed specifically to reduce noise in the signal. It's a bit confusing how they do it but it works. You don't need TRS on the amp end to use balanced cables. And if you are running long cables i'd say it would be worth the investment. Page 20 of the manual has more info. Since i now rack my brain i no longer use special cables but i do remember that there was an improvement when the brain was in the pedal.

Peace,
Joshua
 
There is actually a TC Electronic forum where a lot of people talk ad nauseam about this very topic. I would highly recommend you see what they have to see rather than what us 3 or 4 owners say. The general consensus is that more than 3 meters will see an improvement using balanced. There is also a thread explaining how it works in great detail. Just a though but those guys may be better informed than us. Also as someone said there is a white paper out there that does a much better job than the manual in explaining it. Here is that:

http://www.guitaraffair.com/g-system-support.php

Peace,
Joshua
 
Monsta-Tone said:
So,
20' cables.
Long enough to possibly need ballanced cables & converters?
Doesn't seem too long to me, kind of the industry standard isn't it?
1 quality well shielded 20', no. 4 20' cables = 80' of guitar cable, and that's not counting any other cabling going on, you'll easily be over 100' of rf soaking ground loop seeking cable. Why wouldn't you do your best to assure the least noise in your setup? Especially when the cost is minimal.
 

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