ston
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Let's talk cables
Do you buy 'em, or solder up your own?
I discovered recently that a bunch of (admittedly) cheap 3' link cables I'd bought were noisy rubbish so they went into the bin. I generally make up my own balanced cables, but buy guitar and link ones.
I've no interest in paying $2K for an Allesandro 'pro' cable, actually their sales blurb is hysterically funny:
"Silver is the final word in conductor material, being the most musical metal known"
Right...
Shame it has to interface with all those non-musical metals in the signal path innit ;-) They'll be saying that an electric guitar's wood makes a difference to the tone next...
Anyway, I'm going to be either buying some new cables or making my own up soon so was wondering what other people used? For example, I've found an eshop in the UK which sells George L cable and plugs which you can use to make up your own cables.
Any ideas/suggestions appreciated :-)
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tlw
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 07:42:10
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I use George L's cable but soldered Neutrik or Swithcraft jacks. The George L's right-angle jacks just aren't reliable enough in my experience. They're OK for a while but eventually start crackling or failing and need the connection remaking. The screw tops also have a habit of working loose, and if used on pedals without the plastic covers can ground out if they contact each other.
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dwardzala
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 07:51:30
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If I am after a "premium" cable, I use Mogami. They offer lifetime warranty.
DaveMain Studio- Core i5 @2.67GHz, 16Gb Ram, (2) 500Gb HDs, (1) 360 Gb HD MotU Ultralite AVB, Axiom 49 Midi Controller, Akai MPD18 Midi Controller Win10 x64 Home Sonar 2017.06 Platinum (and X3e, X2c, X1d) Mobile Studio - Sager NP8677 (i7-6700HQ @2.67MHz, 16G Ram, 250G SSD, 1T HD) M-Box Mini v. 2 Win 10 x64 Home Sonar 2016.10 Platinum Check out my original music: https://soundcloud.com/d-wardzala/sets/d-wardzala-original-music
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ston
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 08:06:06
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Cheers folks, those replies back up the suggestions I've found on other (mainly guitar-orientated) forums.
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fireberd
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 09:28:15
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I use George L's .155 cable exclusively with my pedal steel guitar. But, I only use the straight connectors, the right angles are not reliable. They came out with an improved style right angle connector but for some unknown reason they were discontinued. I've used George L's since the company started selling it in the 80's. The company, L&L sales originally was Bill Lawrence and George Lewis. Bill Lawrence sold his part to his partner, George Lewis. Thus the "George L's" brand name.
George L's is very low capacitance cable (measured 25pf per foot on a digital capacitance tester).
In the years that I've used George L's I've only had to redo one end.
As a side note, I also use George L's strings (stainless steel wound) on my Pedal Steel Guitar. Also George Lewis was a Pearl Harbor survivor. Both George and his wife have passed on. Their daughter now runs the company in Madison (Nashville) Tn.
"GCSG Productions" Franklin D-10 Pedal Steel Guitar (primary instrument). Nashville Telecaster, Bass, etc. ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero M/B, i7 6700K CPU, 16GB Ram, SSD and conventional hard drives, Win 10 Pro and Win 10 Pro Insider Pre-Release Sonar Platinum/CbB. MOTU 896MK3 Hybrid, Tranzport, X-Touch, JBL LSR308 Monitors, Ozone 5, Studio One 4.1 ISRC Registered Member of Nashville based R.O.P.E. Assn.
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batsbrew
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 10:26:08
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George L's for me....
augmented by cables i have custom made for me at a very nearby facility that does pro sound....
canare cable, with Neutrik ends.
really nice.
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ston
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 14:35:37
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batsbrew
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 14:57:49
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that's only going to work for people that want a very specific sound.
most players rely on the losses that occur with certain lengths...
and low pf's can give clarity without harsh strident highs.....
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TerraSin
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 16:40:36
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I second the Mogami. Love those cables.
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tlw
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/16 20:09:29
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ston
Anybody tried something like this:
A preamp in a cable? Interesting idea, convert the signal to low impedance as it leaves the guiter... You'd have to forget any idea of using a Fuzz Face or any of the early transistor fuzz circuits which depend heavily on the pickup and pots impedance of the guitar to produce the huge range of tones and drive available just by adjusting guitar volume though.
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Paul P
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/21 01:29:47
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My number one requirement for a cable (guitar, mic, etc.) is that the jacket be of the really rubbery type that always lies flat, is easy to coil and uncoil, and never has any bends or kinks. I want it to behave properly. I don't much care what's on the inside, as long as its copper. The Rapco Road Hog is cheap and fits the bill. I have no idea how it would stand up under heavy use, but for the home studio it's fine. EDIT: I haven't bought a cable in over five years so like a lot of other things, the above may no longer be true. I'm sure these cables were nothing special to begin with, but I like them.
post edited by Paul P - 2014/12/21 10:36:39
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ampfixer
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/21 18:03:24
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I've tried out many cables and not come to any insight on what's best. I do own 2 specialty cables. One is an Evidence Audio guitar cable. It is real good quality but will not last if used a lot. It's different in that it uses solid copper conductors for the signal and has an extra shield that doesn't carry signal. It's a pain to use because it wont lay flat. At $200 a pop I use it only for critical recording.
The other cable that's unusual is my speaker cable for the bass rig. Normally I just use lamp cord for speakers and never have issues. My bass rig uses a 400 watt EV power amp that can be bridged to 800 watts. That's a lot of power for lamp cord, so I bought a speaker cable from a company named solid. It's a huge cable with heavy conductors and I can really hear the difference in bass tone even at low volumes.
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kennywtelejazz
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/22 16:18:14
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I used to wire my own cables up , not anymore …
I recently bought two Gibson Memory Cables , one I use just about everyday , the other is still new in the box …
I'm very happy with the G.M.C. on both it's main features , as a low stress recording / have a recording of everything you play cable when you switch it on , and the additional function of using it as a regular heavy-duty instrument cable .
I wish I would have gotten one of these a longtime ago ….
before that I used a couple of cables I've had for a while , general duty / OK for home use and practice …
nothing special…these still see use occasionally at home .
Then I have two Planet Waves cables that cost me some bucks at the time of their purchase ….
I'm just not looking to blow a Grant every time I need a guitar cable so I keep them packed away in my Live use pedal board …
They seem pretty good , I bought them for live use and I have used them only when I play out …
Kenny
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/22 16:31:20
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I just bought my nephew a Rapco 15 foot guitar cable and a Hakko soldering iron. I wonder what he's gonna say when I grab the cable out of his hand and cut the two 1/4" connectors off? :-) I also got him a handful of solder work tools/accessories and some Switchcraft 280 connectors. It turns out the cheapest way to get him a good chunk of cable to work with was to buy a pre made cable that was on sale and came with free shipping. fixed!
post edited by mike_mccue - 2014/12/22 19:28:42
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kennywtelejazz
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/22 19:35:37
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mike_mccue
I just bought my nephew a Rapco 15 foot guitar and a Hakko soldering iron.
I wonder what he's gonna say when I grab the cable out of his hand and cut the two 1/4" connectors off?
:-)
 Hey Mike , anybody that plays a 15 foot guitar must be pretty tall . how tall is your nephew ? anyway , you won't catch me trying to grab a cable out of his hand … Kenny
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Paul P
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/22 19:35:59
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mike_mccue
I just bought my nephew a Rapco 15 foot guitar and a Hakko soldering iron.
I wonder what he's gonna say when I grab the cable out of his hand and cut the two 1/4" connectors off?
:-)
I also got him a handful of solder work tools/accessories and some Switchcraft 280 connectors. It turns out the cheapest way to get him a good chunk of cable to work with was to buy a pre made cable that was on sale and came with free shipping.
That's a big guitar ! Nice of you to encourage your nephew. I'm well equipped soldering-wise, but I always find soldering cable connectors tedious and tricky. The 1/8" plugs are pain ! Doing everything just right without melting the plastic and having it still fit back inside the case is not an easy matter. Still, I'll usually assemble my own from Switchcraft connectors and what's left of my rolls of bulk wire. The fun part is adding some heat shrink tubing over the connector. I bought a bunch of diffent colours from Mouser and sometimes also add a short band of another colour just below the connector. Handy for telling left from right. 
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re: Let's talk cables
2014/12/22 19:37:34
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:-) I better fix that. :-)
I really like your color coding work!
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