Shure GLXD16+ Dual Band Pro Digital Wireless System with Pedal Receiver for Guitar & Bass - 12-Hour Battery Life, 100 ft Range | Includes WA305 Premium Cable with 1/4" Jack (GLXD16+-Z3)

Picked this up recently and am extremely satisfied with the performance. For ten years I used the Line 6 G30 and it performed well. Starting having interference issues so moved to the Boss WL-20 and the WL-50 pedalboard model as well. They worked well for the last six years but recently have experienced interference and drop-outs. As you all know the 2.4 GHz frequency band is extremely congested as it’s used for cell phones, routers, microwaves and other gear. The selling point on this Shure unit is that it can operate on both 2.4 GHz as well as 5.8 GHz. I installed it on my pedalboard and have used it on about a half dozen venues where I’ve had issues with my Boss wireless which only operated on 2.4 GHz. After turning on I hit the channel button to auto scan and it finds the cleanest frequency. There are three selectable groups indicated by 1, 2 or 3 as the first digit on the receiver. After scanning it will display the channel as the second digit. If it’s a number, then it’s a 2.4 ghz frequency. If it shows a letter, then it’s locked onto a 5.8 GHz frequency. Everywhere I’ve played previously that have had issues, the receiver has chosen a letter, meaning it’s on the 5.8 GHz band which obviously indicates that it encountered congestion on the 2.4 GHz band. It has been clear, with zero interference and no drop-outs. Range is advertised as 100 feet and unless you’re playing a gigantic stage and wandering further out then I have no doubts it will stay solid at the stated range. Battery life is amazing. Several four hour gigs still show battery level having a couple hours left so the advertised 12 hour battery life while on 5.8 GHz seems accurate. You will get even more battery life if it’s on a 2.4 GHz frequency. The battery level LED indicators on the receiver are also helpful to keep check on the remaining battery life. Tuner is also very good, quick and accurate even on the low B string if a five string bass guitar. Plus both the receiver and belt pack transmitter are metal and very sturdy. Only negative I can think of is the proprietary cord from the transmitter but I just bought a spare as well as a spare battery that is easily replaceable. One thing to mention also regarding charging the beltpack transmitter. After researching and watching videos, if your transmitter is blinking red or staying red and not going to the green light which indicates it’s charged, turn it off, hold down the link button on the transmitter and turn back on and keep holding the link button until the light goes out. This resets the unit and then you’ll have the solid red charging indicator light while charging and it will go solid green when fully charged. It’s an outstanding wireless system and I couldn’t recommend it more. Fairly expensive but….absolutely worth it and can imagine many years of satisfied use.

Shure hit a homerun with the GLXD16.I had a number of problems. The obvious one is that I wanted to be wireless. There were additional considerations in my case, which I will enumerate because I can’t imagine that I am unique in this.I have several basses. One has unbelievably hot Bartolini pickups. It actually overdrives some of my pedals with the volume all the way up. One is a Stingray-5 with much more typical output. One is a beautiful old Warwick with passive pickups. These have radically different voices and radically different output levels. Because they go into my pedal chain at such different voltages, it is difficult to get all three of them sounding good on the same night.I’ve wanted to go wireless for some time, but it wasn’t my highest priority in gear acquisition. I recently upgraded my amp to a Hartke stack with an LH1000 head. I love the rig. It’s beautiful. But I didn’t realize in the store that this thing does not have a standby switch and it takes a good 30 seconds for the tubes to warm up. Suddenly, switching guitars on the fly is big, big problem.So I need to figure out how to normalize voltage into my signal chain, and also figure out how to mute the signal while switching instruments. I looked into mute pedals, signal splitters and pre-amp pedals to boost the passive bass. I also considered using the effects loops so I could use the passive-input jack and still go through the same effects chain, but floor pedals really aren’t meant to take line-level signal. Then if I’m going to use two different input jacks – would I have to buy two wireless receivers? Every solution just added more complications, more wires, and caused as many problems as it solved.Then I decided to look at wireless options before making any decisions, and I am so glad I did. When I discovered the Shure GLXD16, everything came together.First off… The GLXD6 is a first-rate wireless receiver. It includes the GLXD1 transmitter which is a unit that already has a proven history – working with the older GLXD4 receiver.It has two other features that are incredibly useful to me, and probably to many other musicians as well.-A built-in tuner mode, that also mutes the signal. This is not a unique feature: there are dedicated tuning pedals that do this, but having it integrated into the receiver opens one slot on your pedal board and is just amazingly convenient for switching instruments.-It will support multiple transmitters – and it allows you set input signal levels (-20 to +12 dB) AND REMEMBERS THEM FOR EACH TRANSMITTER! You can switch instruments on the fly and know that your signal chain is ready for any of them. The GLXD4 did this also, I believe. This is not new to Shure, but I never seriously looked into a wireless unit until recently.Boom. All my problems solved in a single purchase. I’m wireless. I have customized input boost/pad for each bass. No more dangerous crackle when I switch instruments. I bought a second GLXD1 transmitter. Now I use one for the passive instrument and one for the actives. Soon I will have a third so that each active instrument can have its own fine-tuned input padding.PROS:-These devices feel like they were built from weapons-grade titanium. They are heavy and solid, clearly meant to withstand the rigors of the stage.-Reception range is amazing. The GLXD4 apparently has better range, but unless you are running up the aisles of a 10,000 seat arena, I don’t think you are going to have a problem with this.-Sound quality is uncompromised. This is particularly important for bass players, as cheap wireless units rarely have an adequate frequency response curve.-Easy to use and setup. For one instrument, this works out of the box. There are a lot of things you can do to customize and optimize signal in situations where you have a lot of wireless signal on the stage. For most users, just plug in and go.-Instant recognition and linking of transmitters.BEWARE:-This is not a “con”, just something you MUST be aware of to get things to work as advertised. This needs 12 volts and 250 ma. This shouldn’t be a big problem. There are many guitar pedals that require more than 9 volts these days, and plenty of pedal power supplies that allow you to choose between 9,12,18, and in some cases even 24 volts. I’ve used this through a Voodoo labs 4x4 and currently a Strymon Zuma and it performed perfectly with both. Just use the correct power supply and you’ll be fine.CONS:The ONLY thing about this that bugs me is the power jack. It’s not loose. But it doesn’t really have a satisfying grab either. Of course, if you have your stuff Velcro-ed and zip-tied properly, you won’t have to worry about it, but take it into account when setting up your pedal board.

This is the perfect wireless solution for your guitar or bass. The biggest concern I had looking for a wireless rig was this: I have an active 5 string bass and I needed something that would carry the low B. The Shure GLXD16 does an awesome job of producing the low B without any distortion or delay.Pros:Super portable and lightweightThe Li-ion battery of the transmitter lasts a very long time (after three hours of play-time, the battery indicator hasn't budged)Easy setup (no need to fiddle around with XLR cables or anything like that, just plug it in with the 1/4" jack)Awesome distance (there's nowhere in my house I can't go where the signal drops)No noticeable delayReproduces high quality sound with no distortionDurable buildCons:The antenna on the transmitter is a bit wobblyThe receiver has about an 1" scratch on it near the foot switch that I'm not sure how it got thereOverall, I would highly recommend this. The portability, durability, and reliability of the Shure GLXD16 is worth every penny.

By mounting directly to your pedal board, you have one less long cable run back to your amp. Several modern features like Auto scanning and channel selection, dual band frequencies, and tuner. I also like the failsafe, if you’re having issues, you can plug a cable right into it on the fly and bypass the wireless. Maybe a bit pricey but a great unit overall.Update: I’ve used this unit at a few recent festival gigs with major acts on stages full of other wireless signals and antennas. I had zero issues, worked great, nice clear and full sound for my bass rig.