Line 6

131
LINE 6 RELAY G30 REVIEW
£249
W
hether you want
to ride around
on your tech’s
shoulders, perform
scissor kicks off the drum riser
or just avoid tripping over, the
potential for guitar hero antics is
endless with a wireless system.
Unfortunately, traditional
analogue systems have been
accused of squashing dynamics
and sucking tone.
A new breed of digital systems
offers higher bandwidths,
meaning full frequency response
and uncompressed sound. Line 6
claims the G30 (the entry-level
brother to the more expensive
G50 and G90) is “bonehead
simple”, and it’s not kidding. The
system includes a belt-pack
that connects to your guitar and
a receiver to hook up to your
amp. There are six channels (to
accommodate multiple units in
the same venue), and you match
the channel on the included belt-
pack to the one on the receiver.
Your only concern is whether the
plastic construction is up to the
gigging it’s designed for.
From 2012, many analogue
frequency bands currently free
✮✮✮✮✮
SUMMARY
TG says… Experience true freedom for £249
For: Keeps your tone unaffected
Against: Build quality could be a worry
LINE 6 RELAY G30
You don’t need to sacri ce tone (or too much cash) to reap the bene ts of wireless
for wirelesses will be illegal to
use. The digital G30 has no such
worries because it operates at a
2.4GHz frequency (the same as
regular Wi-Fi connection), and
Line 6’s DCL technology means
that the G30 ignores Wi-Fi
signals. In our time with the G30,
we didn’t suffer any dropouts,
and the selection of channels
means that up to six musicians
can use separate G30s at once
without interference.
The G30 gives a completely
uncompressed, full-bandwidth
signal, so you get more top end
than you’re used to with a cable.
The included Cable Tone switch
subtly reduces high frequencies
to simulate the sound of a long
guitar lead. It’s a handy feature,
but you might prefer to stick with
the pure signal and make any
tonal adjustments at your amp.
In an A/B comparison with
our favourite leads, we were
pushed to tell the difference.
Occasionally at long distance,
we thought we detected slight
latency – like playing through a
fast laptop – but otherwise the
guitar and its controls responded
exactly as we’re used to.
Conclusion: It’s hard to see
a downside to the Relay G30.
Some might worry about
the durability of the plastic
construction, but it’s easy to
position the receiver out of
harm’s way, and the G50 and
G90 offer tougher build quality
for heavier applications. The only
question is whether you need it –
you can buy a lot of guitar leads
for £249. Still, if you’ve got your
heart set on liberating yourself
from the constraints of being
tethered by leads, then the G30
is the first place you should look.
Jonny Scaramanga
At a glance
Line 6 Relay G30
TYPE: Wireless system
RANGE: 30.5m
FREQUENCY RESPONSE:
10Hz to 20kHz
CHANNELS: 6
CONTROLS: Cable Tone,
channel select
SOCKETS: Input, output
power
C O NTA C T: Line 6
01327 302700
WEB: www.line6.co.uk
“IN A COMPARISON WITH OUR
FAVOURITE LEADS, THE GUITAR
AND ITS CONTROLS RESPONDED
EXACTLY AS WE’RE USED TO”
■฀Channels฀
Six channels let you
run up to six separate
G30 units at once
■฀Cable Tone
The Cable Tone switch
filters your top end,
much like a long lead
Transmitter ■
The belt pack transmitter
connects to your guitar,
leaving you cable-free
Line 6’s Relay systems
take the confusion out
of going wireless
TGR205.gear_line6 131 7/20/10 3:58:24 PM