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Smooth Hound Innovations Digital Wireless Guitar System


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Is the suction cup tape that sticks the transmitter to the bass designed so that the transmitter lives attached to the bass all of the time or can it come off at the end of the gig and go back on for the next one? Kind of looks like it goes on and off again as long as you keep it clean according to the manual.

Just thinking that it might wear out the jack socket if it's in there all of the time.

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Just comes off, doesn't mark the bass at all. It does depend on the shape of the bass though if it actually makes enough contact with the body to work. doesn't on my Dingwall or jazz but worked beautifully on my friends Strand a PRS...

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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1439191913' post='2840577']
Deliberately ran my transmitter dry at Saturday's gig. I'd had a single bar on the r/h side of the display for a couple of hours, and I wanted to know what happened when the batteries finally died.
...
In truth, it wasn't much of a mystery that needed solving but I've had battery-powered units go dry in several different ways and I always like to know what happens. :rolleyes:
[/quote]
Thanks for clearing that one up, Jack. I can confirm that the design intent is to stop working when the batteries run out! ;)

More seriously, if you were playing at the time, you may not have seen the blinking light telling you it's getting critical. You've typically got 10-20 minutes once the light is blinking.

As you found, the first sign of exhausted batteries is the system disconnecting and reconnecting which gets progressively worse until it won't connect at all. I looked at designing a 'cleaner' run-run-run-stop behaviour but that would've taken some time off the battery life so I figured it wasn't a real benefit.

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[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1439225855' post='2841031']
Is the suction cup tape that sticks the transmitter to the bass designed so that the transmitter lives attached to the bass all of the time or can it come off at the end of the gig and go back on for the next one? Kind of looks like it goes on and off again as long as you keep it clean according to the manual.

Just thinking that it might wear out the jack socket if it's in there all of the time.
[/quote]
As Iain says, you can take it off the guitar no problem.

I don't think you'd have any problems leaving it plugged in either. One customer has bought a second transmitter so that he can leave the transmitters plugged in to his two basses and just pick them up and turn them on.

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Gigged with mine last weekend, several bands playing throughout the day, no interference issues or battery problems, output still sounded like me, very happy bunny.
Plugged into a P there was nowhere for the grippy tape to stick to so it just hung down behind the tone knob. Even with me leaping about as per, it never felt like it was gonna disconnect.
When plugged into my Yams the grip tape hangs onto the edge of the bass, that will be more interesting if I start jigging around..we shall see.

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Ha ha ha. Dan, yes. You got it in one.

The company is named after the mighty smooth hound shark. Hence the logo though real smooth hounds aren't really very frightening at all.

I caught and released a beauty off Yarmouth pier on the Isle of Wight in June 2013. Totally unexpected. Two weeks later, I made a snap decision and packed in my job to start my own company.

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[quote name='SmoothHoundChris' timestamp='1439546365' post='2843709']
Two weeks later, I made a snap decision and packed in my job to start my own company.
[/quote]

Outstanding.

I never had the balls to do that. Things have turned out OK for me anyway, but you do find yourself wondering "what if I had ...".

Good luck Chris.

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[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1439546493' post='2843710']
Outstanding.

I never had the balls to do that. Things have turned out OK for me anyway, but you do find yourself wondering "what if I had ...".

Good luck Chris.
[/quote]
Thanks Jack.

In case any anglers are interested, here's the [url="http://www.smoothhound-innovations.com/static/img/original_smooth_hound.jpg"]original smooth hound[/url] and here's the only [url="http://www.smoothhound-innovations.com/static/img/other_catch.jpg"]other catch of the day[/url]!
Neither my dad nor my brother had so much as a bite. :lol:

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[quote name='SmoothHoundChris' timestamp='1438963715' post='2839054']
The Neutrik Rean NYS236 plus a short patch lead is the best solution. The end of that adapter fits beautifully and lets the transmitter jack close completely flush. If I could find an inline jack socket that fitted as well as that does then a made up patch cable might be viable but I've had no luck so far.
[/quote]

Would [url="http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/14269-pro-signal-psg02791-6-35mm-jack-socket-line-mono.html"]http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/14269-pro-signal-psg02791-6-35mm-jack-socket-line-mono.html[/url] fit the bill?

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[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1439666160' post='2844866']
Would [url="http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/14269-pro-signal-psg02791-6-35mm-jack-socket-line-mono.html"]http://cpc.farnell.c...-line-mono.html[/url] fit the bill?
[/quote]
Thanks tauzero. That style of in-line socket works fine but the end is too wide to allow the jack to close fully. The end of the NYS236 is narrower allowing the jack to close fully. Hopefully, this [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/dw68pshwanmzq5t/1_4_Inch_Sockets_Web.JPG?dl=0"]picture[/url] shows the difference.

You may be wondering why I keep going on about the hinge closing fully. If the hinge can close completely, you can sit on, stand on or jump on your transmitter and it'll be fine. If the hinge can't close properly then the jack acts like a crow bar acting on the hinge so there's much more risk of damage in use.

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A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. If only there was an inline version of [url="http://www.canford.co.uk/NEUTRIK-LONGFRAME-JACKS"]http://www.canford.co.uk/NEUTRIK-LONGFRAME-JACKS[/url] (which there isn't, I thought I'd just clarify that I wasn't being sarcastic).

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Not long back from 2 gigs in Aberdeen this weekend. I took the wireless still in it's box and not having had the chance to try it out at home. Got to the first gig, plugged it in, attached the tape to the transmitter and that was really it.

Really simple to use and having no cable mean that I can hear the bass clearer now. In fact my drummer said it was the best that the bass had sounded.

I have only one monor concern in that when removing the transmitter from the body, which I had attached using the tape, it's so strong that I'm worried that I'm going to break the tabs that hold the battery door onto the unit when I pull it off. I had to try to hold the battery door as I removed the transmitter from the bass. Any tips on how to remove it without risking damaging the battery compartment tabs?

Other than that I played two full wedding gigs and the battery level is still showing 3 bars left so I'm very impressed. The Line6 G30 that I used to have would've been close to or on it's next set of batteries already.

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[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1439737007' post='2845324']
Not long back from 2 gigs in Aberdeen this weekend. I took the wireless still in it's box and not having had the chance to try it out at home. Got to the first gig, plugged it in, attached the tape to the transmitter and that was really it.

Really simple to use and having no cable mean that I can hear the bass clearer now. In fact my drummer said it was the best that the bass had sounded.
[/quote]
Really glad you like it Delberthot. I prefer the sound of my Stratocaster and Les Paul through the wireless. It's the same result you'd get from fitting a pre-amp. Removing the cable loading on the pick-ups makes the guitar sound brighter and more detailed.

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1439737007' post='2845324']
I have only one minor concern in that when removing the transmitter from the body, which I had attached using the tape, it's so strong that I'm worried that I'm going to break the tabs that hold the battery door onto the unit when I pull it off. I had to try to hold the battery door as I removed the transmitter from the bass. Any tips on how to remove it without risking damaging the battery compartment tabs?
[/quote]
Only really to grip the unit so you're holding the battery door as much as you can but it sounds like you're already doing that. Don't worry though, the battery door is made from a very tough plastic (Delrin) that will bend a long way before it breaks. The worst that's likely to happen is that the battery door stays attached to the guitar! Of course, if you did have a problem (which you won't) we'd send you a replacement door.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='30507090' timestamp='1442358516' post='2866404']
I love the fact this looks so small. But does Line 6 wireless blow it out the water?
[/quote]
Having used both, I'd say it is the other way round. Besides the size, the range of the smoothhound is better, the battery life is several times longer and the construction is better.

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One of my guitarists was so impressed with mine, he's bought his own....Do I get a finders fee Chris?

Admittedly I have to talk him through the connection process over the phone as he didn't know where to put it 'cos of his pedal board. He saw mine velcro'd to my amp and tried to copy :rolleyes:
Still....guitarists....what can ye do with em?

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