Bridgehouse

Yes, but more accurately, no

Ah if it’s a left and right separate TRS then yes, both will be balanced

As a necrothread, my bass face is now

That’s some clever wiring then... 😂 Either way, the important bit is the conversation you have with the soundman before you plug in to anything....

It’s exactly this - and commonly it’s break angle over them or at the nut. I have the issue only with TI Jazz Flats as they are lower tension...

Shame it’s not a Genz Benz - you could have used your shuttlecock..

Unless the Stomp output is 4 signal wires and splits into two different TRS outputs in mono and thus two signal wires per channel - in which case

For balanced output (noiseless over distance) you need two signal lines (tip and ring) to allow the reverse phasing which cancels the noise picked up off the cable. Some equipment will balance this in stereo at the other end, but if you split it into two outputs then you get two unbalanced mono feeds out.

Don't forget - if you split those TRS signals (L/R) to two monos then you lose the "balanced" bit....

Thinking about it, I reckon Line6 had a choice to make, given the space available in the stomp. They had to provide a non-instrument type balanced out.. and it needed to support stereo as loads of Helix's effects are stereo and would be a bit rubbish if there was no stereo out. Now, to do a Balanced XLR Direct Output in Stereo would require two (L/R) XLR's - just as for full fat helix. Way too much real estate taken up there and they'd struggle to squeeze it in! So, a single Mono balanced XLR out would mean no access to that stereo goodness, so instead it's a TRS Stereo output - which is dual purpose - can be stereo when needed, or balanced, and can be set to inst or line level. Personally, I'd have ditched midi and gone for a Mono mic level balanced XLR and a TRS Stereo out to cover all bases - but that's just me The TRS Stereo out is more than good enough for 99% of usage scenarios - each time I turn up to a gig with a switched on sound guy they normally wonder over with an XLR cable and a phantom powered DI box connected, then either unplug the XLR and put that into my DI out or have a 1/4" straight into the box. If I presented twin 1/4's for stereo he'd go find another DI box. If I went stereo to another amp he'd either take a DI out of that or again, two 1/4" outs to DI boxes. If he didn't have a clue what to do with a 1/4" TRS out and didn't understand me when I said "line or instrument level?" I'd be concerned about a whole heap of other stuff.. like if the audience are actually going to hear us at all and if we are gonna blow up 😁

I’m not convinced the stereo out is the answer for DI - it’s a bit either or - the two signal lines are there to provide the “balanced bit” (phase is reversed so that any picked up noise can be cancelled out) - but in true stereo I’m not sure you’d necessarily want this for DI to a mixer. The stereo would be useful to output to a power amp or other device that could process the stereo You’d have to use two channels on the mixer for a stereo input (unless there is one already there) and that means two unbalanced connections so some sort of DI would be required to allow long cable runs. You can see this in reality on the full fat helix - it has two (L/R) XLR balanced outputs for just this purpose..

Just thinking about this, the sw setting of the output level is the handy part on the Stomp. Ignore the connector for now... Some scenarios.. Plugging directly into the front end of a trad amp = set output to instrument and use a standard cable Plugging into a power amp - if it has balanced line in then set to line output and 1/4 trs to 1/4 trs lead - length unimportant. If not balanced then also set to line but use a standard instrument cable and take care of length. Mixer for FOH - if there’s a line input (of any flavour!) set to line and use appropriate cable - could be trs to xlr if balanced or to 1/4 if not If the mixer needs to use a mic input then set to instrument level and go straight into the on stage DI box provided by soundman or use a DI pedal and use provided XLR into that.

And just for clarity - DI (direct injection/interface) comes from replacing a microphone in the signal chain (mic’ing an amp or instrument) with a direct connection

There’s quite a bit of confusion and mix up in this thread. Let’s separate out some points for clarity. TRS & XLR - different connectors, same job. TRS stands for tip/ring/shield and means there are two signal wires and one ground - this allows for a balanced connection which (keeping it simple) allows much longer cable runs that can have any noise picked up along the way cancelled out at the other end. XLR is the same - two signal, one ground and thus balanced. A standard bass cable is one signal one ground and thus unbalanced - long cable runs will pick up noise. Now, the key bit is the impedance & voltage of the signal you are trying to send. From lowest to highest - mic, instrument, line. Depending on the equipment you are plugging in to, you are trying to find an input that will deal with your signal properly. A mic input on a mixer will have a mic Preamp that deals with its low output levels - a line input may not work well, but some pro stuff will be able to. The desk may have a separate line input, either xlr or TRS. A DI box that a soundman asks you to plug in to will convert instrument level to mic level and will have a balanced output for a long cable length. The key bit here is that the Stomp has a balanced output for long cable runs - so long as the soundman knows its line level then they can do what they need to do at the other end and not worry about cable run length. If you present it as TRS or XLR it’s actally sort of irrelevant.

Had that conversation - once I have a full bass fund again that’s def on the cards

I’m glad I’m not alone!

The graphtech Ghost boards do seem to have a habit of doing this - especially their “summing” boards. The actual piezo elements themselves are fine and seem to last a good while

Why would anyone pay £2k or over for a bass where they couldn’t even be bothered to glue the neck on properly and had to use woodscrews to hold it on instead?

a) possibly b) not sure you need it on top of your amp.. more like you won’t need your amp at all.. c) Think of it as the Preamp section of your amp And thus gain, eq, compression etc but no power amp or cab - they usually have a DI out so you can colour/shape your tone and model depending add some amp/cab simulation without the amp and cab before it goes straight to foh and comes back to you via monitors. d) that’s like asking “I need a bass - which one?” You need to set a budget and then ask what sort of sound you like. Sansamp make some good ones, as do many of the other popular brands. Do you want simple (like the MXR DI) Or complex like the GK Plex? Complex just means more things to shape your tone in the absence of an amp and cab e) Isn’t that a cat food?

Nah, the Behringer BDI Preamp at £17 last week is the best vfm bit of kit

Yeah - one thing it doesn’t do is that more trad fretless mwah with any authority. It’s actually more like a slightly mid scooped P bass on speed. I’d like something less distinctive I could take to the more Er, salubrious venues, and um, well, gas innit....

You just keep me hangin on...

I need to shift my 74 Precision to get some bass funds together - but it’s just the sort of thing I’d use for gigging fretless and as an alternate to the Shuker

Isn’t it huge tho?

I agree. I’m considering one for in the music room at home.. as a fixed bit of kit the weight would be immaterial. Er, as long as floor could take it.. 😂