pantherairsoft Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Stumbled across this - [url="http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/Z_Cable_catalog.html"]http://www.thegigrig.com/acatalog/Z_Cable_catalog.html[/url] I'm a huge fan of GigRig stuff, and being the user of a massive pedal board/signal chain I'm quite interested. A google search shows lots of people opinions based on what's written about it, but there's seems to be no one out there that's actually tried one. I know it's strictly impossible put put back the exact flavour of tone lost through pedals and buffers, but I'd like to think it's significantly better than a little clean boost with a passive tone dial. Don't suppose a basschatter has had a go? Long shot I know... Shep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomKent Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I'd like to think all my 'true bypass' pedals and decent preamp made it sound brand new. Jokes aside - it looks interesting. I'll see where has one in stock, or if any distributors have any - see if I can get my hands on one to review too maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 If you have lots of true bypass it obviously defeating the point... My signal chain includes 4 MoogerFoogers, a Whammy IV & 2 Double Pedal Boss units, plus lots more... Those I just listed all have a reputation for tone suck, the 'foogers particularly 'colour' your tone. I do notice a some top end loss and over all 'fatness' - which I EQ back in on the amp. This compensated sound though is obviously not quite the same tonally speaking as the original sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 What's it actually do? Just adjust impedence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 [quote name='cheddatom' post='1275543' date='Jun 20 2011, 08:37 AM']What's it actually do? Just adjust impedence?[/quote] i think it tries to show the amplifier a more reactive impedance load than a conventional output stage would have, via additional capacitive and inductive elements. i've no doubt the additional filtering serves to colour the sound somewhat, but i'm also fairly certain it doesn't work quite how they seem to think it works -- in fact, input stages in general don't quite work in the way the designers there seem to think they work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 It just seems a bit nuts to imply this can return the sound of your bass, after its gone through a load of processing. It might make the signal look more like [i]a pick-up[/i] but which one? And does it help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 [quote name='cheddatom' post='1275954' date='Jun 20 2011, 02:58 PM']It just seems a bit nuts[/quote] lol, pretty much. all of the the processing between the guitar and amp may be lumped into one transfer function (mathematical way of expressing the changes to magnitude and phase response) -- this transfer function will never be perfectly flat in magnitude and phase, even for the best pre-amps, and is far from it in the worst. This little box adds its own transfer function on top of this, only complicating things further. Adding to this, good amps tend to have in input impedance of at least 1 Mohm, whilst many (especially cheaper, or older) effects units may have 250k, 100k, or lower. This lowered input impedance combines with the complex impedance of the pickup coils to affect the high frequency response -- which is why many guitars sound better straight into the amp than through effects. The problem is not the loss of some magical interaction between guitar and amp -- the problem is the magnitude and phase distortion of the signal which occurs between the guitar and amp, something which ironically this little box only serves to make worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 to do something like this properly, surely it would take some sort of processor with a loop for your effects, so that it can read the input of your bass signal clean, and try to replicate that after the effects are applied - why you would ever want to do this I haven't a clue, as if you want the original sound of your bass, putting it through a load of pedals isn't a great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) Why not just buy a TB looper and have all the effects on one signal path and bypassed on the other? Edited June 20, 2011 by burno70 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I bet it's just one half of a 42TM019 and a pot. I bet i bet i bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJW Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 My mate has a pedal which is just a jack socket, wired to another jack socket straight through... theres a big knob and a footswitch on it, just fitted to the chassis and wired to nothing. Lend it to other players, 50% of them will hear they improvement straight away! (Not saying this is what the z-cable does, just an amusing story about a pointless pedal). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 I've emailed Dan @ GigRig to get his take on it… and specifically with the use of an active bass (all references mention what wonders it does for the sparkle of an electric guitar tone, as opposed to the fatness of a bass). I'll let ya'll know when I hear back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 [quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1276178' date='Jun 20 2011, 06:27 PM']specifically with the use of an active bass[/quote] there is no advantage at all to using this device with an active bass (or full stop, really... ), if he tells you otherwise he's just being a very good salesman unfortunately, the alterations you hear to your bass's tone are due to the number of gain stages they are being passed though with your pedals in bypass. the only option really, is either a simple bypass-loop, or a really fancy bypass-loop (such as those made by Gigrig, or something like the TC G-system, etc). alternatively, i believe there are ways to convert some of them (such as the moogs) to true bypass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmsjabb Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 [quote name='pantherairsoft' post='1276178' date='Jun 20 2011, 06:27 PM']I've emailed Dan @ GigRig to get his take on it… and specifically with the use of an active bass (all references mention what wonders it does for the sparkle of an electric guitar tone, as opposed to the fatness of a bass). I'll let ya'll know when I hear back.[/quote] Did you get a responce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Nope! Shame. He always answered promptly when I had enquiries regarding my gigrig modular power system. Hey ho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmsjabb Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 My colligue emailed them 5 days ago and is still waiting. He thinks this is just what he needs after I showed him this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) It faffs about with your signal impedance and simulates the effect of a longer cable? Its £140 ffs (for the cheapest one!)---just buy a longer cable and/or a buffer/true bypass box. To be frank, it looks like a total waste of money. Edited June 30, 2011 by uncle psychosis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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