Guitar Cables - Do they matter?

[Klatu]

from#1113 "Good Sounds"

If I were to listen to this sound test without watching, I wouldn't be able to identify a single cable. The cables sounded nearly identical. The difference between the Canare, which the reviewer described as "warm", and the Mogami, which was described as "bright", seemed trivial to me.

Play this video in a hidden window and tell me, honestly, how much of a difference you hear between the cables.

[FrankyNoTone]

Wow, this takes me back to my audiophile days when I spent $100 for 3 feet of Monster digital cable. Yep, I got fleeced but in my defense, it was the only one they had at the store when I got my fancy DVD player.

I read a review where some "golden ears" couldn't identify a coat hanger used to interconnect stereo components.

[docbop]

If I were to listen to this sound test without watching, I wouldn't be able to identify a single cable. The cables sounded nearly identical. The difference between the Canare, which the reviewer described as "warm", and the Mogami, which was described as "bright", seemed trivial to me.

Play this video in a hidden window and tell me, honestly, how much of a difference you hear between the cables.

They can't hear it, they just want to so bad they convince themselves they do. I worked in a recording studio people would put expensive condensor mic's on guitar amps saying they hear a difference. Every time we did an blindfold test with a plain old SM57 they couldn't tell which is which.

[PTChristopher]

>>> can't hear it, they just want to so bad they convince themselves they do.

Uh-huh. It is the ultimate ego statement to declare oneself the measure of all things. So if the sales persona and the customer are strongly motivated to have the customer hear a difference,...

Ooooh. Now as guitar players are we willing to apply this same rational view to various PAF's, different fret sizes, nut material, capacitor technology, etc.?

And for this list, and a longer list, where there may actually be slight differences, are we willing to compare those arguable differences to a 5 degree turn of a tone knob?

In my opinion, almost anyone can hear the difference between the capacitance (and nothing else) in a 12' George L's vs. a 12' Monster Jazz. (I picked cables with capacitance per foot at the higher and lower end of the available range.)

But then if you roll off the tone sightly at either the guitar or amp, is there any practical net difference?

Oh, and how about "directional" cables for AC circuits? This is for cables that have two conductors and a shield but plug into a circuit that only has one conductor and a shield. In this case, and "in principle", the shield will be slightly more effective if grounded at only one end. So the cable maker decides that the ground-to-shield connection should be at one end or the other (guitar end or amp end), thus the arrow showing the signal "flow".

AC signals don't flow, they wiggle.

The resistance along the shield is miniscule and of no practical consequence.

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Off topic:

>>> the sales persona and the customer are strongly motivated

What is everyone's motivation in the actual sale? Would you ever actually buy a house with two brokers involved (75% of the parties do not uniquely value the deal) when you can have just one broker involved (67% of the parties attach unique value to you buying this particular house).

Chris

[jhchop]

I switched to Evidence Lyric HG recently and was amazed at how much the tone of my Sadowsky nylon improved. The change was quite dramatic. Huge fan of Evidence.

[boles]

Roger Sadowsky likes Evidence (and Tony!) a lot:

The Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno Jazz Guitar Review | Boles Blues

[balthazar]

Hi,

I've never heard significant tone difference between quality cables.
So I use Schulzkabel cables because they are extremely flexible and inexpensive.

Schulz-Kabel

The best value for money in my opinion.

GBX : - Neutrik connectors.
- 100 pF/m (30.5 pF/ft).
- 12 euros/6m (15 USD/20 ft) at my local store.

[David B]

In the UK I can recommend Mike Hill Services. MHS do pedalboards and live setups for a ton of top bands. They make their cables with Van Damme cable and a choice of Neutrik plugs. Good prices and super fast dispatch.
LEADS SHOP

[calgarc]

i use cordinated cables. custom made from NYC 65 bucks on the cheap end for a 10 ft cable but well worth the cost

[kawa]

[Pierrot]

Vovox cables. VERY expensive but worth every cent.

[JPMike]

Hey everyone,

Lately, I have been thinking quite a lot of buying a new cable, I have some lying around here, a Klotz La Grange, a PRS and some other random ones, I can't recall their names at their moment. Mostly, purchases I did on the spot without really doing any research. At the medium price range, not the most expensive but not the least either.

In any case, I got a few brands in mind of what I should go for.


First in my prio list are the Vovox cables, there are 2 models the Link A and the Sonorus. I read around forums, that the Sonorus is brighter, tight bottom end and with more clarity.

Honestly, when I think of a clean tone in my mind, is always warm, mid-rangey, somewhat mellow, type of tone. Not that crystal clear, bright , tweed, twangy kind of tone like how (no offense to anyone) a rock or metal player would use, or they mostly use.

So when I read that the Sonorus has somewhat of those qualities, I was quite hesitating if I should go for it, on the other hand what's the difference with the Link A model?? How does the Link A sound?? Most people actually prefer the Sonorus than the Link A model.

Then, there are also amazing companies, like Mogami, Monster Cable, Lava, George L. I have a few quite models in mind from those companies, but all the fuzz I hear is about the Vovox ones.

Last but not least, I was wondering is anyone using Vovox cables in here? If yes, which model?? If not, what you use? and what would you recommend?

Thank you for your time,
Mike

[jorgemg1984]

Hi Mike, I never tried Vovox but they are really expensive. I mean if I got one I would expect a major impact in my sound for that price - which I doubt it would happen.

A lot of people here sustain that as long as a cable is durable and has low capacitance you're good to go. In my case I used George Ls cables for years - both leads and patches.

When I re-designed my rig I decided to try other cables without spending a fortune. I am now using Sommer Spirit XXL for patches and Grindycop Beast for leads and I am much happier - the George Ls sound noteciably thinner to my ears with less lows and more brittle highs. They are also very expensive, recabling my two pedalboards with the Spirit XXL (and my tech's nice prices) was 1/3 of the price of doing it with George Ls.

The Grindycop Beast is, according to my tech and lots of online reviews, a pain to solder; but it does sound great for the price of a Klotz La Grange. So, having a obviously limited experience with cables, Sommer the Spirit seems like a really nice option for the price and it's easy to buy already made or to be soldered - you can get them from Thomann. If you want to risk it go for the Grindycop Beast but be prepared to solder...

Of course you can do an entire rig of Vovox cables but I would really do the math before going that route...

[jorgemg1984]

Well a 3m Vovox cable is almost 100€. A Spirit XXL is 16€. It's really about your notion of value

[JPMike]

I know they are quite pricey, honestly, I am really thinking of it.

But, I think of it that way, if it can last for a long time and be happy with it, why don't spend that extra amount and not have to care for a cable for like let's say for another 5 years.

[jorgemg1984]

George Ls cables also last forever... and I bet the Sommer will last 5 years too!

But hey if you want it go for it! But you should have sonic reasons to do so because there are plenty of nice cheaper cables that will last for a long time.

[kris]

I use Vovox cable...very good.

[1mmpick]

I use the prs cable just for the simple fact it never tangles up! I've never tested it against other high end cords but sounds great to my ears.

[robertm2000]

Have you considered using solderless cables? I found that pickup maker Bill Lawrence sells low capacitance cable for 80 cents a foot and solderless 1/4" plugs for about $4.50 each. A couple of cables of his that I've seen were quite sturdy, and low capacitance which seems to translate to better highs.

Home Page

I played with Monster cables for some time and found they weren't worth the huge investment required.

[Bill C]

I've been using the Klotz TM Stevens cables for a while as recommended by Sadowsky and have been very pleased with them, especially as they appear to be much more affordable here in the EU!

[PTChristopher]

>>> Bill Lawrence sells

What a riot.

The original narrow diameter, low capacitance, solderless cables were from Bill Lawrence about 35 years ago. I still have a few I think.

The George L's are essentially the same thing with a bit better lateral strain relief.

You used to be able to buy the same cable from Belden for really low $$$ as electronic surplus, but that may no longer be the case. Almost certainly the general use of cable has changed over the decades.

Chris

[BillyBenBilly]

I have been using a George L for many years. I recently bought a Hofner J5, a Korean made archtop, but the seller, Alto Music, had it advertised on multiple platforms, and double sold it. Long story short, I didn't get it, but as a bit of an apology, they sent me a Mogami Gold guitar cable. It hasn't broken in yet by any means, but, so far, it has greater fullness, extension, and clarity than the George L, which, in itself, is a pretty nice cable. My other hobby is audio, and from that I have learned that cables do matter. Of course, so do talent and practice, so I better get going and practice!

[oldane]

IMHO there is much hype about cables and some people pays horrendous sums for cables with all kinds of postulated properties, some of which seems to be more measurebating and outright voodoo than relevant reality.

Cables have to be well made, so they are robust and reliable, and they need to be well shielded so they don't pick up noise. The capacitance plays a role for the tone. The higher the capacitance, the more treble roll off - and that's it. BUT - I have yet to come across a cable where the darker or brighter tone couldn't be handled by turning the tone control on the guitar no more than 30 degrees. And of course this effect is more pronouced the longer the cable is. BTW this is one of the reasons why some musicians prefer to use a short guitar cable to a small Phantom Powered preamp/preamp pedal nearby and a longer XLR cable from the preamp to the power amp or mixer which can be placed anywhere and which provides the Phantom Power to the preamp/preamp pedal via the XLR cable.

At present, I use Planet Wawes and DiMarzio cables, which work perfect for me without being too expensive. I'm shure that there are many other brands out there I haven't tried which works just as well, but since the mentioned cables work well for me, I see no need to buy others just to exeriment.

Like I have said before, strings, picks and playing technique mean far, far more to the sound than a cable.

[jekyll & hyde]

I have a Klotz cable ($80) and a few cheap Conquest Sound cables ($20). I don"t hear a difference at all. Besides, when I'm out gigging, if I forget or lose a cable, I'm only out $20!

[JPMike]

Call me stupid, I got a Vovox Sonorus and all I can say, I am really pleased.

I noticed warmer, tighter tone, plus the volume increased too.