TC Electronic G-System

[ACShreds]

Well ive always wanted a G-System and now all of the sudden i have enough money to get one for a good price. Right now i have a big pedal board with lots of pedals and it works great but the G system's versatility and simplicity really appeals to me plus no more tap dancing. Now before i go spending the money on one i just wanted to get yall's opinion on it. Are the effects really good on it? Is there anything that it just doesnt do well? Is it really hard to program? I'd be using it with the 4 cable method and use the relays to control the channels on my Mark IV. Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[Bishop5150]

I love my G-System. Been using it for a little over a year now and I have not been dissapointed. I think the effects are top quality. I run it in the 4 cable method with a 5150 III half stack and also in stereo with the 5150 III and an old 5150 halfstack. I also got the TC Nova Drive which will integrate into the G-System as an internal effect with the proper MIDI Y-Cable. Highly recommend both units. Some people have had problems with impeadence issues, ground loops/ hum issues and calibrating their expression and volume pedals with it. I've had no problems. There is a little bit of a learning curve with it but if you have any experience with programming rack effects you should be fine. If you don't it might take a little longer to get up to speed. The TC Electronics G-system forum is a wealth of info and there is a great document on a sticky post there called the White Paper. It is basically the G-System bible. Here's a pic of my setup with it. I Made some stickers for the loop buttons on mine. Let me know if I can help with any questions you might have.

 

[gkinsingapore]

Yep, some of the best money I've spent on gear. Efx are superb and the ability to switch amp channels, as simple as it is, is a huge part of why I love it so much.

I also used Laird Williams white paper to set it up and set up the efx I use. Took me a couple of hours and I was ready to go.

I dont have a lot of trouble with noise either so have felt no need to add the ebtech hum eliminator that a lot of people do. Just remember that for your 4 cable snake, you should use balanced cable.

The only thing I didnt really gel with was using the wah with an expression pedal. Not that it was bad but I couldnt program what I wanted and the physical sweep of the expression pedal just made it feel foreign to me and given I already had the EVH then it was a no brainer to add it in. I mostly use the exp pedal for whammy kind of efx.

Also set up like this is has drastically reduced setup and tear down times......

 

[rsm]

Very cool. I dig my Nova System and my Nova Drive, thinking about a G-System to do it right. What are the dimensions of your pedalboard cases, brand and who sells them?

 

[Stratboy151]

i use one with a mark iv myself, make sure you set the back selector switch to "external"? if i remember right, rather than "footswitch" otherwise you will come across loud popping noises when switching channels.

 

[Bishop5150]

Very cool. I dig my Nova System and my Nova Drive, thinking about a G-System to do it right. What are the dimensions of your pedalboard cases, brand and who sells them?

If you dig the Nova System then you will love the G-System. Especially with a Nova Drive. Lots of flexibility there. I bought a Road Ready mixer case with handles and rollers from Guitar Center to use as the case/floorboard for mine. It's 36''x25". Pretty big but I knew I 'd need something that size to house my expression and volume pedals, wah, power supply, a few pedals I have hooked up to the G-systems loops, wireless unit, and enough room to wrap my cable snake up in it. I've debated putting the G's brain and my other pedals in a rack and having a smaller floorboard but but one of the main selling points for me on the G-System was keeping everything on the floor and not having to carry around a rack any more.

 

[bronz79]

G-system,Nova system and G-major 2 have 95% the same effect quality,parameters,routing etc.

If the Nova and the GM2 have a good price for what you buy the G-system IMHO not...4 loop and the 4 cable method doesn't justify a 1000$ jump.

 

[ACShreds]

i use one with a mark iv myself, make sure you set the back selector switch to "external"? if i remember right, rather than "footswitch" otherwise you will come across loud popping noises when switching channels.

Hey could you tell me what kind of TRS cable you use to change channels on your IV? Do you have to use the stero to mono split TRS cable or does is have seperate relay jacks for each channel on the back of the G system so you can use 3 different TRS cables?


Also can anyone tell me how good really the built in wah is. I already have a wah but i want to try and put everything in a rack and just have the controller and an expression pedal for wah and a volume pedal on the ground to make tear down times a lot faster. Does anyone have or know of any clips or vids that show off the wah cuz i cant find any that show what it can do?

 

[petejt]

I considered it at one stage and very glad now that I decided against it.

 

[Tawlks]

I considered it at one stage and very glad now that I decided against it.

Why? They look killer.

 

[Stratboy151]

i use one with a mark iv myself, make sure you set the back selector switch to "external"? if i remember right, rather than "footswitch" otherwise you will come across loud popping noises when switching channels.

Hey could you tell me what kind of TRS cable you use to change channels on your IV? Do you have to use the stero to mono split TRS cable or does is have seperate relay jacks for each channel on the back of the G system so you can use 3 different TRS cables?


Also can anyone tell me how good really the built in wah is. I already have a wah but i want to try and put everything in a rack and just have the controller and an expression pedal for wah and a volume pedal on the ground to make tear down times a lot faster. Does anyone have or know of any clips or vids that show off the wah cuz i cant find any that show what it can do?

yeah i use y-split trs cables, 2 of them. the 2 go out from the gsystems switching relay out, then you can choose what u wanna switch on the iv, i chose for control of channel 1 2 3 and the eq.

 

[rsm]

G-system,Nova system and G-major 2 have 95% the same effect quality,parameters,routing etc.

If the Nova and the GM2 have a good price for what you buy the G-system IMHO not...4 loop and the 4 cable method doesn't justify a 1000$ jump.

I haven't checked the G-Major-2, but the Nova System does not have all the effects that are in the G-System. I want a versatile all-in-one system (I will add my Nova Drive and fuzz though) with effects loops and the floor controller. Most of my amps don't have a loop, so the NS into the front is fine, I may even turn it into a direct board using a Character pedal; but I have a few rack preamps that I could pair with the G-System. I think it is expensive though, as I can get an Axe-Fx Standard for about the same price with amp/cab/mic modeling or even a GSP1101 + Control 2 for less, then there's the Eleven Rack. but I've about standardized on TC Electronics for effects.

For the G-Major-2, Axe-Fx Standard or 11Rack I would also want/need a foot controller which is a few hundred more depending on what you go for, then you have to program it to work with your effects unit; plus, for me, having the full G-System unit in a single box or split to a rack are great flexibilty options.

IMO, I think the G-System at about $1000 - $1200 is ok, I can get a new one for about $1300, then I need the MIDI split y cable - anyone know where I can get one of these? - for my Nova Drive.

It's all about how it works for each of us. Overkill, maybe, but if I can get it to work with all of my set-ups, I can sell the Nova System which would offset the cost too.

YMMV

 

[Bishop5150]

Here's a link to get a Ysplit MIDI cable. http://www.guitaraffair.com/g-system-support.php I also have the schematic to make your own if you want it.

 

[rsm]

Thanks victim5150. I thought TC made a 1' long version, haven't found one? The one you listed is 3', which is long for a pedal board, no?

update: Just ordered the G-System and the Guitar Affair MIDI y-split cable. If it works as planned, have to decide on what to do with the new Nova System!?

 

[moguitars]

I've debated putting the G's brain and my other pedals in a rack and having a smaller floorboard but but one of the main selling points for me on the G-System was keeping everything on the floor and not having to carry around a rack any more.

I'm debating the same thing at the moment. The thing is, with the G, a volume pedal, expression pedal, and a valvulator up front, using a rack really doesn't save me much space on the floor. I play a lot of really small clubs and I'm really wrestling with the footprint and the right approach. I eventually had to do a second rig with a Nova System just to have a smaller footprint.

BTW, your rig is awesome. What type of snake is that?

 

[Bishop5150]

The snake is one that I made. I used Mogami TRS cables and my buddy had this cloth tubing used to bundle cables for Home Theater systems. It works great it's very flexible so I can wrap up the cable and it fits perfectly into the pedalboard case with just enough room for the top of the case to go on.
I hear ya on the pedalboard foot print. I basically measured everything width wise and I needed 36''. 2 expression pedals, G-System and a wah were 35.5" wide. Depth wise I could probably get away with less but I need the room for a few other pedals. I had to go buy a round base mic stand so I could rest the pedalboard on it. Tri pod mic stands wouldn't fit around my pedalboard. It's always something.

Let me know if your interested in the sticker templates for your loop buttons. I can email you the blank Photoshop PSD file for it. I do have the Nova Drive sticker already made if you want that one as well.

 

[moguitars]

The snake is one that I made. I used Mogami TRS cables and my buddy had this cloth tubing used to bundle cables for Home Theater systems. It works great it's very flexible so I can wrap up the cable and it fits perfectly into the pedalboard case with just enough room for the top of the case to go on.
I hear ya on the pedalboard foot print. I basically measured everything width wise and I needed 36''. 2 expression pedals, G-System and a wah were 35.5" wide. Depth wise I could probably get away with less but I need the room for a few other pedals. I had to go buy a round base mic stand so I could rest the pedalboard on it. Tri pod mic stands wouldn't fit around my pedalboard. It's always something.

Let me know if your interested in the sticker templates for your loop buttons. I can email you the blank Photoshop PSD file for it. I do have the Nova Drive sticker already made if you want that one as well.

Thanks for the info. I just got a pedalboard from Lyt cases but I haven't loaded it up yet. Haven't decided what to do on the snake, which is why I asked what your solution was.

I have a template for the stickers already. I've tried to make some myself but I'm not a Photoshop guy. I finally asked the guys at Guitar Affair to make some for me and they did so at no charge, which I thought was really cool of them. They keep a stock of sticker designs for people to download:

http://www.guitaraffair.com/g-system-button-labels.php

Yours look great. You should send them over for them to post so other folks will find them.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[rsm]

Got the G-System, and ran through most of the presets - wow! Very happy with getting this, and still dig the Nova System which will make a better grab-and-go board!

My plan is to get a pedal board + hard case and run this using the 4 cable method. I need to reread Laird's white paper, but I plan on using this with preamps and out into a stereo direct box; or in front of one of my tube amps that don't have a loop (with presets for each rig).

Ebtech makes a stereo 1/4" to XLR hum eliminator box, which looks like it will work as an XLR out. Not sure where I need balanced cables here, from the G-System to the preamp or just from the G-System to the direct out / board (which is why I plan on getting the ebtech box above) / power amp or both?

Never really used pedals, other than an old Morely volume/wah I had back in the day.

What are you using for volume/expression and expression pedals for the G-System? I'm thinking about a Roland EV-5, two if they would work in both pedal inputs? Can the expression/volume pedal be an expression pedal or must it be a volume pedal?

 

[moguitars]

Got the G-System, and ran through most of the presets - wow! Very happy with getting this, and still dig the Nova System which will make a better grab-and-go board!

My plan is to get a pedal board + hard case and run this using the 4 cable method. I need to reread Laird's white paper, but I plan on using this with preamps and out into a stereo direct box; or in front of one of my tube amps that don't have a loop (with presets for each rig).

Ebtech makes a stereo 1/4" to XLR hum eliminator box, which looks like it will work as an XLR out. Not sure where I need balanced cables here, from the G-System to the preamp or just from the G-System to the direct out / board (which is why I plan on getting the ebtech box above) / power amp or both?

Never really used pedals, other than an old Morely volume/wah I had back in the day.

What are you using for volume/expression and expression pedals for the G-System? I'm thinking about a Roland EV-5, two if they would work in both pedal inputs? Can the expression/volume pedal be an expression pedal or must it be a volume pedal?

Laird's paper will tell you where you can use a hum eliminator, but only if you need it. Step through his configuration process to identify any noise issues and how to mitigate them.

On pedals, I used to use an EV-5 and it worked fine. I now use Boss 500V-H for both volume and expression.

Good luck and enjoy.