If I remember my experiments from a while back with gs 0.10 it was possible to keep a pipe open and just reuse it. And that there was a system level setting that would override the default connections that gs would make.
It appears that the connection process has been modified in gs 1.0. Something called a port-pattern will be used by gs if provided.
I have not had time to delve into any deeper to find where port-pattern is set or if it is (or can be) made system wide.
A note: While I used Clementine in my examples earlier in this thread. This discussion grew out of a discussion about using LiSP (Linus Show Player) and when it might be desired to direct a sound to a particular channel to achieve sound effects (for instance the rear channel of 5.1 system). Specifying the JACK connection could also be desired when using, say, calf rack or zita with jack to process the signal on it's way to a channel.
Mac