Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

Shure GLXD16+ Wireless Review

Shure GLXD16+ Wireless Review

Strong signal and colorless connectivity with improved battery life.

Good range, solid connectivity, easy to use, sturdy, no lag.

Pushes the budget for van dogs.

$499 Street

5
4
4

Over 20 years, I’ve used different brands and models of wireless transmitter and receiver systems, always on the budget side. Some were very prone to dropouts, which are a real issue for those of us who play rooms with metal stairs, brick pillars, and other signal blockers. And all the units I’ve used added compression and slightly blunted the high end.



The GLXD16+ allowed me to be, and sound like, myself.

But these days, since I’m using Carr amps in stereo, I want nothing coloring my tone. So, connecting with Shure’s new pedal-format GLXD16+ system was a pleasure. I had the same full-range sound that organically emerges from my amps. Through four sets at Clarksdale, Mississippi’s sizeable Ground Zero Blues Club, I experienced just one drop-out, and, since I was playing outside the building with a thick brick-and-cement wall at my back, more than 200 feet off stage, I was asking for it. Otherwise, the GLXD16+ allowed me to be, and sound like, myself. Chalk that up to the device’s improved dual bandwidth, which can operate at 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz, and automatically scans for the cleanest available frequencies. Other charms include a rechargeable lithium battery with a 12-hour life. The receiver is rugged metal (as is the transmitter) with raised bumpers to protect the controls, which link the receiver and transmitter. The receiver also includes a mode button to lock in the signal, a link button for linking with other transmitters, and a built-in tuner. There’s also a 1/4" input jack, should you want to use the pedal as a tuner alone, and a battery charger is included. I’m hooked.

Shure GLXD16+

The new GLX-D+ Wireless Guitar Pedal System features the WA305 Premium Guitar Cable, the GLXD1+ Digital Bodypack, and the GLXD6+ Guitar Pedal. Go wireless without compromising your tone or complicating your rig.

Shure Microphones
$499

Day 9 of Stompboxtober is live! Win today's featured pedal from EBS Sweden. Enter now and return tomorrow for more!

Read MoreShow less

In our annual pedal report, we review 20 new devices from the labs of large and boutique builders.

Read MoreShow less

A 26 1/4" scale length, beastly pickups, and buttery playability provoke deep overtone exploration and riotous drop-tuning sounds.

A smooth, easy player that makes exploring extra scale length a breeze. Pickups have great capacity for overtone detail. Sounds massive with mid-scooped fuzz devices.

Hot pickups can obscure some nuance that the wealth of overtones begs for.

$1,499

Reverend Billy Corgan Drop Z
reverendguitars.com

4
4.5
5
4

No matter how strong your love for the guitar, there are days when you stare at your 6-string and mutter under your breath, “Ugh … you again?” There are many ways to rekindle affection for our favorite instruments. You can disappear to Mexico for six months, noodle on modular synths, or maybe buy a crappy vintage car that leaves you longing for the relative economy of replacing strings instead of carburetors. But if you don’t want to stray too far, there are also many variations on the 6-string theme to explore. You can poke around on a baritone, or a 6-string bass, or multiply your strings by two until you reach jingle-jangle ecstasy.

Read MoreShow less

A familiar-feeling looper occupies a sweet spot between intuitive and capable.

Intuitive operation. Forgiving footswitch feel. Extra features on top of basic looping feel like creative assets instead of overkill.

Embedded rhythm tracks can sneak up on you if you’re not careful about the rhythm level.

$249

DigiTech JamMan Solo HD
digitech.com

4.5
4.5
4.5
4

Maybe every guitarist’s first pedal should be a looper. There are few more engaging ways to learn than playing along to your own ideas—or programmed rhythms, for that matter, which are a component of the new DigiTech JamMan Solo HD’s makeup. Beyond practicing, though, the Solo HD facilitates creation and fuels the rush that comes from instant composition and arrangement or jamming with a very like-minded partner in a two-man band.

Read MoreShow less