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I use Klotz cables and my preferred one is a Klotz Titanium. Not to heavy, not to stiff (unlike their Lagrange cable).
I also like the Neutrik Silent plug it comes with and now I have a few cables equipped with a Neutrik straight on one end and an angled Neutrik Silent on the other.
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04-08-2013 05:15 AM
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VOX cables.
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I have a couple of PRS guitars and I am using a PRS cable (made for them by Van Damme Cabling). I am quite happy with this cable.
Jim
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I bought a few monster cables about 10 years ago. If they ever break I might try something else. Or not.
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I have been using Whirlwind cables since I started playing. Made in my home town, don't seem to color the tone, and and are built very well.
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+1 for Whirlwind cables
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Re: very expensive cables: there's a reason people buy those. That's all I'm gonna say on *that* subject.
I personally avoid molded-end cables except for very light-duty use. That said, I bought three Planet Waves cable when they first came out, used them for a couple of years, then gave them to Mrs. TDD. Mrs. TDD is otherwise known as "Mrs. Death to Cables." She hasn't yet managed to kill those Planet Waves cables, so that's something...
I also won't use DIY solderless connectors. I feel somewhat vindicated by virtually everyone who has found the need to perform unexpected maintenance on those.
Low capacitance is one of those YMMV things. I strongly suggest trying a bunch of different *modestly-priced* cables; you will hear differences according to the cable capacitance.
The only other important thing is the quality of the connectors. For light use, anything will be OK. I have cables with Chinese knock-off connectors that have performed without issue for years. Name-brand connectors (Neutrik, Switchcraft, G&H) only cost a few dollars more (apiece), so you may as well go for quality.
The actual wire, depending on source, should cost somewhere in the range of 50 cents to a couple dollars per foot. Most high-quality wire is about a dollar per foot.
Add another five to twenty dollars for advertising, distribution, markup, warranty, shipping and overhead, and that's a reasonable price for a cable.
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Just received a new Spectraflex guitar cable (6'), and used it at a rehearsal the other night -- sounded great! I use their speaker cables, so this is the first guitar cable I've purchased from them.
A notice in the package -- it said "share with your friends," so here you go:
** From now until May 31, 2013, you can get 20% off all online purchases! Use the promo code: 131505 when you're checking out.
Spectraflex, Inc. | Welcome
Note: I have zero affiliation with them; just a pleased customer.
Marc
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A long time ago, I bought a spool of the skinny George L cable for my pedal board & some interconnects. I decided to make a longer cable to plug my guitar into the amp, and that's what I've been using ever since. The "tinny & bright" that others hear is really just the lack of attenuation of the higher frequencies that they are used to with other cables over the years. This skinny cable makes my Polytone sound much better. I always struggled with the settings on it, but not now.
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I have an old Monster Cable Jazz. Almost 15 years ago, I worked in a music store and a Monster Cables rep came in and gave all of the salesmen Monster Cables stuff. What he gave me was a power distributor/conditioner, an instrument cable and a speaker cable. The instrument cable was the Jazz. I still use that cable. It is a good cable and has functioned problem free since I got it. Not sure I'd get another one if it failed or went missing. I'd shop around or make my own.
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No. I have compared the George Ls to low-capacitance Sommer and Klotz cables, they introduce a brightness / harshness that is not clarity increase. To my ears of course.
Originally Posted by krusty
I can imagine the lack of lows / high end increase with a Polytone bring a good thing though.
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I ordered a 10' cable from Death Valley Cable after reading this thread just to see if I could here a difference between it and the thick type George-L that I've been using (also 10'). I don't really know anything about cable construction because I've never made it my business to look much into it. I've got some George-L stuff that's really thin (width of the cable), but I seldom use that particular cable because it's far longer than I need for my office or living room.
Well, turns out I believe I can hear a difference. Next time I host the Sunday music get together, I'll have to do a blind test and ask my friend to try and trick my ears.
As far as describing the difference, I find that somewhat challenging. I would use words like "more open" and "less compressed" for the Death Valley cable, which is not to say I find the George-L either "closed" or "compressed." Also, I certainly don't find that my particular George-L cable sounds brighter, or particularly bright compared to the major, inexpensive brands I've employed in years past. In a nutshell, I'm glad I got a new cable. Although I can certainly justify having an extra cable around, it was a completely unnecessary purchase in the end.
If chance allows and the blind test comes to pass, I will certainly update here.
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I sure wouldn't call you an 'idiot'; I think you've made a very astute observation. I don't generally swear by any given instrument cable brand (I do on occasion find myself ready to swear at a cable however). Humor aside, I've been playing for over 42 years so I've learned a few things;
#1. use the best quality cable you can afford. Now, I define 'quality' not by a brand name but by the components used to make a cable. I am a fan (for good reason) of switchcraft hardware. They make components (plugs, jacks, etc.) that meet or exceed military requirements. 'Nuff said. Use pro quality cable, not the ultra cheap stuff from the local el cheapo 'electronics are us' store.
Having said this, perhaps it's even more important to remember to...
#2. use the shortest length of cable possible.
fact; the longer the cable run (especially with high impedance gear like guitars) the more the signal will be degraded. I own a ten foot 'monster ously expensive cable' who's sale point is that with the high quality components used it delivers the best audio signal'. I compared this expensive cable to a six foot common instrument cable and guess what? The cheaper but shorter cable did BETTER than the 'monster ously' expensive cable.
#3. don't abuse your cables needlessly. running over then with heavy carts, pulling the cable out by the cable instead of grabbing the plug; things like that will cause needless problems.
Now, if you're really serious about this my suggestion is to make your own cables. Buy switchcraft plugs, and pro audio cable. You can then make a very high quality cable that you know is good (it's at least as good as your soldering ability) and make them to custom lengths so that they are exactly the length you need/want and no longer. You'll end up with the most dependable gear you could have and the best sound quality. What more could you ask for?
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George L's with long straight connectors. I've used them for most of the last 12 years. They've inexpensive, have been reliable and have sounded very good in head to head comparisons with much more expensive cables. I tried some of the "boutique" cables for a while and they were much less reliable than the GL's.
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This is timely since I just bought my first archtop and need to get a cable.
Although I know nothing about guitar audio cable I am an electrical engineer and design products and cable all the time.
At audio frequencies probably the only chrarcteristic that would effect the sound is capacitance and I see low capacitance mentioned here and when shopping for a cable. Other than that shielding for noise and durability are probably the most important things. I also read a lot about how well the connectors mates to the jack on each end. Cable and connectors are prone to failure especially when they are stressed repeated times. I think there is a lot of Voodoo and black magic when it comes to audio cables and more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better sounding. If that was the case it could be proven through measurements and not just by ear. I have never seen such measurements published but maybe they have.
Anyway, not wanting to spend excessively I think i will give the Whirlwind a whirl because of the reasonable price and their web site has some good information. Now can somebody tell me the pros and cons of a right angle vs straight connector? Is the right angle better on the guitar end?
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I prefer the right angled tip at the guitar. The right angle keeps from having the lever arm sticking from the guitar. I don't play Fender guitars much so these work best for my needs.
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Zaolla Artist 500's in 10ft. are some of the best I've owned...silver center conductor....redundant shielding...some seem to think they're pricey but they're simply not used to buying audiophile cables....Zaolla's are great and inexpensive!
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Hi Mike, I have used a number of mid range/price cables and from a sound/tone perspective I had not really noticed a significant difference in any of them. I did note that I had to buy new ones on a pretty regular basis. I decided to try Monster, it's not cheap, around $65 with taxes, but the tone was clean, no interference, plus they seem to last forever, I have been using the same cable for two years now, whereas I was replacing cheaper cables every six months. Everything I have read on cables suggest that they don't make a significant difference and that may well be the case, but the monster cable is almost twice as thick, better shielding does make a difference. Hope this helps
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I think using a quality cable is good idea, as it will be reliable and hopefully last longer. I have read articles about the capacitance of cables and how that can affect the sound of a guitar, particularly as cables get longer (increasing in capacitance) and how that can reduce the high end. I don't think this is much of an issue to most jazz player as jazz gigs rarely tend to need a long cable, and majority of jazz guitarists I know are after a darker tone anyway.
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I like George L's OK, but IMO all the cheapies are OK too. Weirdly, I happened to win a nice $70 dollar coiled USA made cable from a local shop in a drawing (sorry, I can't remember the brand . . .) It's fine too. But I'll be darned if I'm going to spend $100+ on a cable. I'm just not gonna do it! The cheap stuff sounds fine . . . chasing rainbows
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There must be a place to find it, but Guitar Player Magazine did a great review of cables.
While it's impossible to pick a perfect cable in isolation, just as it is to pick the perfect strings or picks, they did a great job. First, they ruled out any cable that wasn't constructed well enough to withstand a reasonable amount of abuse. Then they played all of them in a variety of settings and came to a consensus on which ones stood out. They picked about 10 that rose above the rest, and then provided detailed listening notes on those. Some were expensive, but some weren't. So were clearer, so were warmer, and some were unquantifiably satisfying. But it definitely pointed out that more expensive was not better, and less capacitance was not necessarily better sounded.
As a result I picked up some a George L's .225 and a Spectraflex Fatsoflex, both of which were in the top 10 of their picks, and were pretty reasonably priced, and based on the descriptions, sounded like they would fit my tonal needs.
It's pretty handy that to have both, because sometimes if the room, amp positions, etc. are making the guitar seem a bit thin or twangy, out comes the Fatso Flex, and it fattens it right up. The rest of the time, the George L's is perfect for maintaining a firm low-end.
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Well considering I've never changed pick-ups in guitar (just the guitar) and never given any thought to cables in this way (sound) at all, I think the best thing for me to do is carry on regardless.
For me, amps, rooms and guitars make the differences I need to feel happy (or not). Every other smaller variable like cables etc are too small to make any real difference (imo) when you have these other bigger variables (mentioned earlier). What I'm saying is, I think they are the little variables that don't really matter because the bigger ones will always trump them anyway.
When I started out playing jazz I hated my live sound. I could get great sounds in a room but horrible sounds live. I hated it, it put me off playing and made me improvise badly. Somehow I managed to get all this sorted out through amp and guitar combos but I learnt something on the way. I was never going to get the 100% I wanted all the time and that i should learn to be cool with that, otherwise its a road to ruin (mentally). So therefore the last thing I now want to do, is start worrying about things on this scale. I don't want to delve back, into the minutia of sound and variables.
I know this is not what you guys are discussing here but I hope my input is not entirely germane.
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I've used Planet Waves for years I find them reliable and endurable.
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I received a $25 gift card from Musician's Friend about a year ago and bought a Lava cable. So far, it has been very good - it is a little stiff at first, but definitely doesn't tangle, seems solid and sounds good (to me at least). I don't think I would spend more than this on a cable, though (and given that I couldn't hear the difference between the two cables in the Vovox video posted above, I don't think I should
).
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I always thought that the cable you are using didn't matter at all as long as it isn't broken. I have several cables that I mainly chose because of durability and sturdiness. But recently I experienced a cheap cable going bad: it started to crackle when moving or touching it (probably the outer shielding broke somewhere).
So I took a better (more expensive) cable and I clearly noticed an improvement in treble response... so that made me think again about cables. But here's the thing: I liked the sound of the cheap cable better!!
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