the t.bone GigA Pro pedal set : What is it?
If you’re like me you’ll have mulled over and over whether or not to get yourself set up with a wireless guitar system for your rig. Perhaps like me, you’ve also questioned whether it’s worth the investment, worried about clashing frequencies, and wondered what that whole deal about licensing certain bandwidths is about. Well with the t.bone GigA Pro Pedal Set, you won’t have to worry about any of that.
Continuing the crusade for top-quality gear at a much lower price than its competitors, this wireless set looks to compete with established names like Shure, Boss, and Line 6, offering guitarists a more accessible entry point into the world of marauding around stages cable-free. Operating over the 2.4 GHz band, you should have plenty of room for your signal when playing at live venues, with no licensing restrictions anywhere you go.
The set contains a pedalboard-friendly receiver, plug-in transmitter, charger for said plug-in transmitter, and two power adapters, one for the receiver and one for charging your transmitter. It all comes very nicely packaged in thick foam with a clip and an extension cable should you not want the receiver sticking out of the guitar and prefer to have it attached to your guitar strap or belt.
The build feels nice and solid, especially the receiver which has a reassuring heft to it. You’ll probably want to remove the rubber feet if you’re attaching it to your pedalboard though. The two charging plugs didn’t include UK adapters, so I had to conscript both mine and my partner’s electric toothbrush adapters to get up and running. Once I’d charged the transmitter - which took a good few hours - I was ready to rock.
the t.bone GigA Pro pedal set: Performance and verdict
I first tested the GigA Pro Pedal Set in my rehearsal space with my band, setting it up next to my pedalboard and going through my beloved tube amp. Connecting the transmitter to the receiver was a case of turning both on, placing the transmitter next to the receiver, and pressing the ‘ACT’ button on the receiver. The connection was made pretty much instantly, allowing me to plug in and start playing immediately.
One thing I noticed straight away was an indicator on the receiver that shows how much signal it’s receiving, much like the meters in a DAW, reacting in real-time to my playing. The display also gives you information on battery life when the transmitter is on, or helpfully informs you if the transmitter is off. On the transmitter itself, you also have a battery life indicator, so you’re doubly informed as to just how much juice you’ve got left.
There’s a huge array of settings available for tweaking when you jump into the menu by pressing the ‘set/home’ button in the centre. Anti-feedback lets you select specific frequencies that cause acoustic feedback, and a cable tone option lets you select the length of cable you want, perfect for those who want to simulate the loss of treble from long cable runs. There are also options to set the gain, change the phase, adjust the outputs, change the LED colour, and scan for available channels. It’s an exhaustive list, and reassuring to know that you’ll have plenty of flexibility alongside the physical ground lift switch when playing live.
For the playing itself, I didn’t notice any real difference in quality from my usual cable setup. There was no noticeable lag in response time either. The transmitter fits nicely into a variety of my guitars, including the recessed electro socket jack of my Telecaster. I found the transmitter was nice and lightweight, not feeling obtrusive whilst I was playing or adding any noticeable weight to my guitars either.
Overall I’m mightily impressed with what the t.bone GigA Pro Pedal Set offers for relatively little money. My only real gripe is that if you want to house the full setup on your pedalboard, you’re going to have two extra power cables running from your rig. If you’re willing to leave the transmitter charger at home or in your gig bag you can save yourself a socket there, but some might prefer the convenience of a combined receiver charger, which Thomann does offer in the Harley Benton AirBorne Pro.
MusicRadar verdict: For guitarists on a budget, the t.bone GigA Pro Pedal Set offers a huge array of options for a much cheaper price than some of its big-name competitors. A few small gripes aside, it’s the perfect first wireless system for players looking to take to the stage cable-free.
the t.bone GigA Pro pedal set: Specifications
- Range: Up to 100m
- Latency: <4ms
- Frequency response: N/A
- Dynamic range: N/A
- Operating band: 2.4 GHz
- Sample rate: 24bit/44.1kHz
- Contact: Thomann
