Favorite Guitar Cables?

[Longways to Go]

My cables are from "hodge-podge lodge" LOL

My bass player insists that I need gold connectors on my new pedalboard. I am contemplating a pedalboard wiring kit. I'm just not quite ready to plunk down a hundred dollar bill on that project.

I have a couple of George L's and I think they sound great, however I dislike the stiff wire situation.

I also have a fairly expensive ($60ish) coiled cable that I think sounds great too.

Oh, and there's plenty of cheap stuff in the mix too.

I should probably go back to guitar-cable-amp

[KirkP]

Cable length is also a factor. For instrument cables, the key parameter affecting tone is capacitance. Each cable type has a capacitance per unit length, so a cable that sounds fine at one length might start to lose highs when you double it.

For speaker cables, the key parameter is resistance, which is also proportional to length. That's why cable gauge must increase for longer speaker cable runs. Zip chord sounds as good as anything as long as it's of adequate gauge.

I'm replying to my own post to add a thought.

For instrument cables, the capacitance only has a significant effect between your guitar and the first stage of amplification or a buffer. If your first pedal is buffered in the effect-off position, you only need low capacitance cable between the guitar and that pedal. After that, cable capacitance doesn't much matter (within reasonable limits).

On the other hand, if you have a string of "true bypass" pedals that are switched off, there will be no buffers in the signal chain. In that case, your pickups will be loaded with all the capacitance between your guitar and the amp. To eliminate this concern, it's a good idea to have a buffered pedal in the first position.

[Little Jay]

I use a very expensive cable that lets all highs go thru just to roll 'em off to get my jazz tone...

More serious: I use everything that's not utter crap... I have only once noticed a cable affecting my sound negatively when the plug came unsoldered and was only attached with the last couple thin copper strings...

I now use a $7 cable. Sounds fine.