-
Is it important to buy an expensive guitar lead (what are they called) for guitar to amp please? Any suggestions welcome all thanks Richard.
-
11-09-2023 02:49 PM
-
No, just get a $20 Ernie Ball or Fender cable. You want a name brand, but you don't need to go premium.
-
The longer the cable, the more capacitance it has, and therefor the darker it will make the sound. Some people purposely buy long (or short) cables for this reason. It isn't necessary to spend for a cable. Do you think the wiring inside the guitar or amp is $100 per wire?
-
If you're rolling off the treble anyway, I can't see why the capacitance of the cable makes any difference. If you're trying to get maximum treble, then you might hear a high capacitance long cable.
Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
Otherwise, you want a cable that doesn't make noise when you move it (most won't), with secure connections at the jacks and, if you solder at all, I'd suggest jacks that can be opened and repaired.
I also agree with the comment about name brands. That said, I have a few Monoprice cables that are performing well.
-
That's relevant information for someone to know who knows zero about the topic. That the length of the cable will affect the sound but not the marketed 'quality'. What I said is true, you don't need to spend significant money on a cable because it's marketed as more quality. If you're worried about maintenance, then get a 6 pack for $30. If one sucks then go to another one. High priced cables are subject to failure the same as cheap ones.
-
For most people and most situations, in jazz anyway, a cable is a cable. I prefer a very low capacitance cable and use George L's. I think my sound is more transparent and full than with a high capacitance cable and I have found them very durable. The thinner and thicker ones sound the same to me, and the thinner ones are definitely easier to wrap up and lay on the stage flatter, reducing tripping risk. One is 15 years old and served on many gigs, the other is about 8 years old. IMHO useful lengths for use with a 17" carved archtop guitar with a floating pickup are 15-20' to be able to stand away from the amp far enough to reduce feedback, and that's long enough to notice capacitance effects. I use a 10' cable with my Tele/Strat as feedback is not an issue.
But Hendrix usually used a very high capacitance coiled cable (coiling increases capacitance) and his clean Strat sound is highly regarded. I suspect Wes Montgomery and most other great guitarists never gave it a thought and they still sounded fantastic. Most pros value durability and reliability over cork sniffing; I am a cork sniffer and definitely not a pro... I would recommend starting with a medium priced cable which is likely to be reliable. D'Addario Custom Series cables are a safe bet and are ~US$20.
-
One thing I'd like to mention is that fabric-covered cables tend to tangle less. They're often called "braided". Ernie Ball makes an 18 foot braided cable around US$35. There are many manufacturers.
Length can be an issue. Depending on how you'll be set up, 10 foot, 15 foot, or 20 foot lengths could work. For my own use I find 10 foot cables to be a little confining, but 15 to 20 foot lengths are about right.
But you don't need to spend a lot. US$20-$40 should be sufficient.
-
I came over this site a while a go while trying to decide which cable to buy: Audio Cables Compared and Recommended
It's has a few interesting evaluations.
It has not been updated in over 10 years though, so many newer cables are not included.
One thing that's evaluated here is flexibility of cable vs ruggedness of cable. Some cables are way stiffer than others, so that might be something to think about when buying a new cable.
I have found some cables lasts a lot longer than others. I find that is the most important part to me.
Of course some very cheap cables might be microphonic or have some frequency loss, but in my experience that is very rare.
They are not in this comparison, but i have found that Boss cables are very solid and long lasting.
-
It is worth noting that most, if not all, name brand instrument cables (Fender, BOSS, Planet Waves etc.) offer lifetime warranty for their cables. In the past I have had each of the three aforementioned brands' cables replaced at no cost in store becasue they developed a problem during regular use.
-
I have always made my own. Switchcraft plugs and a good quality shielded cable, no need for coax in the audio range.
-
I make my own cables, using George L cable and Neutrik plugs. I like a 90 degree noiseless plug on one end, which goes to the guitar, and a straight high quality plug on the amp end. These Neutrik plugs are heavily built, and grip the cable tightly, so the cable will probably break before the internal connection is broken. I've never had one fail. I can't say the same for Switchcraft plugs. I also have a lot of braided tubing that I got somewhere, eBay I think, and use it on some of my cables. I just insert the cable through the braid, clamp the Neutrik plugs over the braid, and have a cable that doesn't tangle and doesn't get damaged while lying on the floor under feet, amps, or what have you. This braided tubing is dirt cheap, but it does take some work to get right, so I don't use it on every cable, but it's on the one I use daily.
I like low-capacitance cable, as low as I can reasonably get, and George L works for me. Much more expensive cable is available, but the law of diminishing returns prevents me from buying it. I really prefer zero capacitance, which is available with a wireless system, but quality wireless isn't cheap. I have a couple of cheap wireless systems, and they work, but interference can be a problem. I also have a Line6 G10 which works well, but requires external power and is becoming rather worn. I've had a couple of transmitters fail on me over the past few years, and at $100/transmitter, I think I've bought my last one. The receivers are bullet-proof, though. Since I started using the Quilter Soundblock, which is very bright, a cable makes more sense, because it cuts the highs without having to turn the treble control all the way off.
-
Over 20 years ago I was part of a large charitable music project (60 musicians, nine months preparation) and bought about a dozen instrument cables of various makes.
After that project performance, I used the cables randomly for other shows and disposed of them as they failed, which all had done by ten years ago except the two that were Mogami cables.
Those two cables from 20 years ago I continued using and still continue to use for everything I do. That tells me everything I need to know about instrument cables.
-
OTOH, I have a cheap Sam Ash house-brand cable that is still going string after about 30 years, and another one that's been going for about 10 years. Originally Posted by pauln
-
When I had my retail store in the 70s & 80s, we custom made guitar cables using Belden 8410 and Switchcraft 280 phone plugs - we guaranteed them for life and only had one come back and it had been ripped apart somehow. I'm still using some of those same cables to this day along with some George L stuff that I've got left over from my pedal steel days. All work fine. Learn to solder and you'll never be without a cable.
-
The George L plugs don't need any solder, just a small screwdriver. I have a few, both straight and 90 degree, in use on short cables, bought mostly to check them out. They mostly work, and are easy enough to repair if they lose connection, but I wouldn't trust them on a cable I had to depend on. Once a good solder joint is made on a Neutrik plug, it will last as long as the cable is still intact. I have never seen, nor heard of, one failing.
-
George L's have a bit of a reputation for coming apart, but I tend to think it's a build error. If you feed the cables in properly and really tighten them down with pliers, they can be quite reliable. Some folks put some kind of liquid in there to hold them as well. I'm not sure they like to be yanked on a lot though. I've been using them on pedalboards forever, but my main instrument to pedal and pedal to amp cords are mostly Spectraflex, braid type cables that have lasted me at least 20 years. I've only had one fail, and they would have replaced it for free. Originally Posted by sgosnell
-
I feel a little bit bad for the OP Richard1234. Here he is a newbie to the whole jazz guitar thing and we're inundating him with screeds either explicitly or implicitly about cable capacitance.
Richard1234, just get a cable that's not from the bargain bin at QuickieMart and it'll be fine. It won't last forever, but very little does. It'll do until you figure out what you like.
-
A Mogami gold is generally my favorite all around gigging cable.
I have a bunch of George L's, they are probably the most transparent sounding cable yet strangely I have a very high quality coily cable from the early 90's that was every bit as bright and transparent sounding in a head to head so go figure. Just buy something of decent quality and you're good to go.
The worst cables I ever had were Monster. Probably ruffle some feathers but those things turned your sound dark and muddy and they also weren't particularly rugged either. I had a monster speaker cable I treated with kid gloves fail on me. I threw all of them away. I even had some monster RCA cables that didn't work right too.
-
Correct! Originally Posted by dconeill
And for one more recommendation, Rattlesnake Cables have great products and stellar service!
-
I buy the premade George L cables. I prefer the thin ones in red. 100s of gigs and never a problem.
-
As with most things in life, the cheapest will likely be garbage and the most expensive will be adequate but overpriced corksniffery. Aim for the golden mean.
-
ok apologies
this is a bug of mine
the cable goes between
the guitar (the source) and
the amp (the destination)
(not the other way round)
ok i’m a pedant
I know ….
-
There is three things to take account in a guitar cable: 1. plug, 2. cable and 3. the other plug.
Or: 1. durability of the plugs and cable, 2. microphonicity of the cable and 3. the capacitance of the cable.
The lifelong guarantee does not help You when You are playing in a concert hall on a saturday night and in the middle of Your solo the cable starts buzzing and muteing. ”Sorry dear listeners, this disturbance will be over in monday morning when the music shops open!”
So I have ended to making my own cables. Neutrik plugs are forever. Cables are up to the taste, in my rock rig the cable is low capacitance Klotz La Grange -bulk and in my jazz cables some nice Sommer cable (don’t remember the code) with higher capacity.
No, I’m not a cork sniffer, how come?
-
I have used a Van Damme cable with Neutrik plugs since 1996. I also have an Ernie Ball of the same vintage, which is slightly inferior in sound quality, but still a good cable.
-
That's OK, pingu, I've been called a pedant and worse in my time. Join the club. Originally Posted by pingu
And as I used to tell my daughter, there's no need to apologize when you've done nothing wrong.
Now here's pedantic:
The cable is just the physical object that contains conductive material that runs between an electrical source and an electrical receiver.
The signal, a voltage modulated by the frequency of a plucked conductive string moving in a magnetic field, is induced from the magnetic field into the coil of wire in the pickup, and then travels FROM the guitar TO the amplifier preamp along the conductive material in the cable.
=====
I'm just showing off, have to keep my pedantic creds going ...
I can probably do better if I think on it a minute ...
I think I forgot to take my meds ...
Reply With Quote
How is the Steve Howe 175?
Today, 05:54 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos