Have a question about The Game Changer BASS? Just ask the Music Man team!

[drewbixcubed]

Feel free to ask us any questions you have regarding The Game Changer, and we will do the best we can to answer them! All we ask is that you stick to asking questions, and THOUROUGHLY read through:

-THIS THREAD
-TGC GUITAR THREAD
-The Game Changer website

to make sure your question hasn't already been answered! Also, please trust in us (the source) to give you an accurate answer, and not third party informants.

Let The Game Changing BEGIN!!!!!

[adouglas]

On the web interface screen shots, we see blue bars and green bars, and several (seven? don't recall) vertical lines. Some of the bars span all of the vertical lines, some only a few.

- What is the meaning of the blue/green color coding?

- What is the meaning of the different lengths of the blue/green bars?

- What do the vertical lines represent?

- Please run through the math that gives you 8.5 million variations from six coils. I can't figure out how you get there.

[drewbixcubed]

On the web interface screen shots, we see blue bars and green bars, and several (seven? don't recall) vertical lines. Some of the bars span all of the vertical lines, some only a few.

There will be more informative videos and descriptions to come regarding the web
app, as it is still in beta. However, please see the following:

- What is the meaning of the blue/green color coding?

Grey means the coil is not wired in the circuit.
Green means the coil is wired in phase.
Blue means the coil is wired out of phase

- What is the meaning of the different lengths of the blue/green bars?
- What do the vertical lines represent?

The length of the colored bars has no significance to the sonic value of the preset. The vertical lines, which we call "The Grid" is simplest user interface we could come up with to allow the user complete control of all connections possible for up to 6 coils. For example, if you were to wire 6 coils in series, you would need 7 vertical lines.

- Please run through the math that gives you 8.5 million variations from six coils. I can't figure out how you get there.

The math is quite complex, and I prefer not to prove it. However, noting that you can wire coils in combination of up to six coils in any order, in series or parallel, in or out of phase, the potential combinations increase dramatically with every coil added to the circuit. 4 coils results in about 9,000 presets; 5 coils results in about 250,000 presets; and 6 coils results in about 8.5 million presets.

Just as an example, note how many combos there are with just these 3 coils (and there are more; underlined coils are "out of phase"):
(1s2)p3
(1s2)p3
(1s2)p3
(1s2)p3
(1s2)p3
(1s2)p3
(1s2)p3
1s(2p3)....
(2s1)p3....
2s(1p3)....
(1s3)p2....
etc....

[adouglas]

The length of the colored bars has no significance to the sonic value of the preset. The vertical lines, which we call "The Grid" is simplest user interface we could come up with to allow the user complete control of all connections possible for up to 6 coils. For example, if you were to wire 6 coils in series, you would need 7 vertical lines.

Ah, okay, now that I've got the secret decoder ring I can read that chart. I went to the GC site, looked at the web app screen shot and was able to decipher it without any difficulty.

The signal path reads from left to right...when one bar (representing a coil) ends, if there's another bar (or bars?) that starts on the same vertical line it means the two are in series. Two bars spanning the same vertical line means parallel.

Does the chart read top to bottom as well? Say you had 1s2s3p4. How do you tell which of the three series coils comes first? I assume that you can drag the coils up or down to change the order.

Now I start to see the complexity. Where I think I could get lost is understanding the implications of making a change. With EQ, I know roughly which knob to turn to get a result. With this it's terra incognita... fool around until you find something cool and save it.

[bradfordws]

I haven't seen any info on pricing.
Can I get a Sterling 5HH with the GC - or is it only going to be available on the Reflex 4HH?

[Stereo_Monkey]

Is it possible to get GC basses without the Z switch or to completely Pass it? Having no information which setting is choosen I would be afraid to start with the MUTE position or hit the switch in mistake (I am very active on stage) and mute the bass

[tommixx]

When you save a setting does it also save the EQ points and volume and or pan position? I would love to be able to smooth out the volume differences and save my EQ settings for each preset! Thanks for all the work you guys are doing! I can't wait to get one...

What is the approximate availability?

Peace,

T

[projectapollo]

what is the approximate availability?

+1

[Stephen]

I have questions about batteries, especially on the basses:

Is it possible (or advised) to run the Game Changer with rechargeable cells like, say, Eneloops? (I have used these on photographic gear for some years now. They have proven to be excellent and helped me to avoid a few metric boat loads of waste).

Do the basses still have the same 18V pre-amp as the regular Reflex or Big Al, besides the Game Changer with it's 4,5V supply?

Thanks

[drewbixcubed]

I haven't seen any info on pricing.
Can I get a Sterling 5HH with the GC - or is it only going to be available on the Reflex 4HH?

Please contact our sales department for all pricing and availabilty. The Game Changer is currently offered in the instruments listed on the Music Man website.

[drewbixcubed]

Is it possible to get GC basses without the Z switch or to completely Pass it? Having no information which setting is choosen I would be afraid to start with the MUTE position or hit the switch in mistake (I am very active on stage) and mute the bass

Bank Z is not a removable option. However, Bank Z can be set up with 0-15 presets. We fill the default Bank Z with 15 of the "most used" presets just so the user has the ability to play with a variety of tones without having going to the website immediately (even though we imagine most Game Changer users will).

[drewbixcubed]

When you save a setting does it also save the EQ points and volume and or pan position? I would love to be able to smooth out the volume differences and save my EQ settings for each preset! Thanks for all the work you guys are doing! I can't wait to get one...

What is the approximate availability?

Peace,

T

There are no volume or tone settings are available. The Game Changer is all about pickup wiring, not volume/tone control/preamp settings.

[drewbixcubed]

I have questions about batteries, especially on the basses:

Is it possible (or advised) to run the Game Changer with rechargeable cells like, say, Eneloops? (I have used these on photographic gear for some years now. They have proven to be excellent and helped me to avoid a few metric boat loads of waste).

Do the basses still have the same 18V pre-amp as the regular Reflex or Big Al, besides the Game Changer with it's 4,5V supply?

Thanks

The Game Changer can run on normal or rechargeable AA 1.5V cells. However, TGC doesn't recharge any batteries when plugged into USB.

The basses you mentioned do not require the full 18V to provide the necessary headroom. However, they needed more than what a single 9V battery could provide. As the batteries die, the <18V provide enough headroom for an adequate time period. On TGC, our newly developed power supply provides the necessary headroom for ~100 hours of play with only 3AA batteries! That includes TGC circuitry and the active 4 band EQ!!!!

[TheAntMan]

Will the basses have a 6 coil option as in the HHH Reflex behind BP and Alvin Lee on Vid#2?

Will it be possible to save the 'settings' to a thumb drive or external USB drive so that TGC can be loaded with presets in case the location does not have Internet access?

--Ant

[midopa]

thanks for opening up this thread guys

would i be able to use gc if i plugged it into an android phone using a usb cable? the idea is to go to the web app using the data connection on the phone.