Cable Snobs - there has to be some here??

What's Hot
57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
...I can't wait to hear all the cable snobs pop up with their physics as to why we should only use £39.99+ cables...

Only time I change a cable is when it is damaged or need extra length...
<Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
__________________________________
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«13456

Comments

  • ESchapESchap Frets: 1428
    I always need extra length ... or so i'm told ... :(
    3reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11788

    I get them cheap from CPC, but Neutrik connectors, I like those ones that earth the signal until the jack is in

    I have one posher cable, can't see the point, it may be a tiny bit brighter, but unless I avoid the pedalboard, what's the point?

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ESchap said:
    I always need extra length ... or so i'm told ... :(
    It's all about the girth.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    edited January 2014
    The only reasons to buy an expensive cable are because it's well-made, robust, doesn't crackle, doesn't kink/tangle or because you like the look of it. I agree that tops out at around £40 for a typical 20' cable too - maybe less. My Horizon Vintage IIs fulfil all those conditions and are only about £20.

    They *do* sound different from each other - purely due to the capacitance, but you can actually get a pretty low-capacitance cable for much less than that, if that's what you want. Personally I prefer slightly more than the minimum capacitance, I think they sound better. The easiest way to a brighter, clearer tone is simply to use the shortest cables possible since capacitance is directly related to length. (I'm sure ESchap has experienced this too ;).)


    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • I could easily write you an extremely long technical explanation of why you should never buy a guitar cable for less than say £60.... if I were selling them that is.  :ar!
    My muse is not a horse and art is not a race.
    3reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • OssyrocksOssyrocks Frets: 1673
    I'll hold my hands up. I've tried all sorts of cable with varying degrees of success.

    The most disappointing cables I've used were Klotz La Grange with Neutik jacks, hated them, they had a mid range character I didn't like at all and a very hazy top end.

    The ones I liked the most and have been using for years now are George L's .155 with Master Series Jacks. I also use this cable on my pedalboard with the standard right angle jacks. On pedalboards this stuff is hard to beat as it's really easy to re-configure and make just the right length of cable needed as well as orienting the jacks correctly for the various pedals.

    Rob.


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • JookyChapJookyChap Frets: 4234
    I think there is a difference between buying quality, and buying snake oil.

    I always used the-cheapest-in-the-shop brand, and they let me down with predictable regularity and were usually quite noisy too. Then I got some from Rob at KABL, and don't ever think about them anymore. They just work, nice and quiet. Job done.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700
    I used to get Venom cables, but kept breaking connectors. I've got Fender now, as that's what the shop had when I needed some. Although if I'd had time I'd have got some from Kabl.

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9550
    Only ever had two cables break on me - one was a cheapo Stagg and the other was a Fender. Have used Venom lately with no issues. I don't have stupidly expensive guitars and amps so feel that buying high-end cables would be wasted on me.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • PW American Stage it isfor me. They're sturdy and well made. Better sounding? Doubt that. But instead of spending hundred quid on few leads I just buy one every now and then (when getting strings, or books from Amazon). I have couple spares apart from the ones I currently use. Peace of mind.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • AlanPAlanP Frets: 54
    I've had 4 Fender cables - only one of them is still working.
    I bought several Planet Waves a couple of years ago - they are all still fine...
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700
    HAL9000 said:
    Only ever had two cables break on me - one was a cheapo Stagg and the other was a Fender. Have used Venom lately with no issues.

    I've got at least 6 Venom's needing repair.....

     

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • maltingsaudiomaltingsaudio Frets: 3097
    edited January 2014
    Very cheap cables are just that, Personally real neutrik jacks are the way to go and never had much longevity from solder less leads. Not a fan of jacks with switches on them another possible source of failiure.  A quick way to test a cable is plug it into a hi gain channel and shake it if you can hear it moving get another one!
    www.maltingsaudio.co.uk
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Genuine neutrik jacks (like @tonecontrol, I like having one that grounds itself going into the guitar, the rest plain) and quality cable and done.

    The stuff George l uses is supposed to be about £7 a metre apparently. Not sure how true this is, but it gives some idea of the mark up for his 2 minutes of stripping, wrapping and soldering.

    I used to buy award session. They're a bit more expensive than they used to be, but I've only had one fail and it was my fault for stepping on it.

    I think now I'd buy instrument cable and solder my own.

    The tweed fender stuff looks well nice though.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • SkippedSkipped Frets: 2371
    Have tried a few different cables recently.
    I can't hear any difference.
    And yet.....if I move the position of my pick within my fingers by 1/32nd of an inch the difference is huge.*
    So I think I have the capability to hear difference.
    I think I will just use the cable that coils up in a pleasing and unfussy manner when I put it away. I think it's a Piranha.


    * Sorry - I am too busy just now  to be blind tested on this.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • The stuff George l uses is supposed to be about £7 a metre apparently.

    The stuff George I used probably only worked with harpsichords and lutes, and £7 in those days was 10 years' wages. (Sorry)

    I tend to make my own leads these days from something like Van Damme cable and Neutrik plugs, but I'm not sure they actually sound any better than some of the cheaper Venom etc ones I've got. Nice though. Stripping that Van Damme cable is quite fiddly with its multiple shielding layers, so I'm not surprised at what people charge for making leads up - it takes more than 2 minutes to do it carefully that's for sure. I've never had anything posher so I don't know if there's any advantage to be had in spending silly money - I doubt it though. I do quite like the look of the cloth braided stuff though...

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    when I got my free Van Dammes ( long story) I just thought ooh that's nice and started using them in preference to my bargain bin specials. There was a clearly audible difference. Cloth eared me, cheapish guitar, ratty old amp and there was a clear difference in terms of level, clarity, reduction in noise. I mean, I would live without it but it was there. And then they are more reliable.
    So, generally worth buying decent cables even if the differences between brands might be too subtle ( if there at all).  
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • EdGripEdGrip Frets: 736
    I've got an Award Session one that's still going strong (though the Neutrik silent jack has been temperamental sometimes). At the time, it was just them and our own Sporky making up reasonably-priced, Neutrik-and-Proel/Van Damme cables online. Now there are more people doing it - it's certainly the way to go, I think. I'd like a cloth-covered one.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4978
    AlanP said:
    I've had 4 Fender cables - only one of them is still working.
    I bought several Planet Waves a couple of years ago - they are all still fine...
    I've got several Fender (Whirlwind) cables and none of them have broken, ever. I've also got a couple of other Whirlwind cables which are 25+ years old and they're still fine too. I've no idea what the difference in sound is as I've never tested them against other cables, plus my ears are a bit shot so not sure I'd be the best judge. I do feel though that perhaps I'm missing out as I don't own any cables that cost as much as a decent overdrive pedal...
    250+ positive trading feedbacks: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57830/
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Col_DeckerCol_Decker Frets: 2188
    I got a box full of broken cheap leads. Bought a couple posh ones 3 years ago and they're still going strong after a bazillion gigs

    Ed Conway & The Unlawful Men - Alt Prog Folk: The FaceBook and The SoundCloud

     'Rope Or A Ladder', 'Don't Sing Love Songs', and 'Poke The Frog'  albums available now - see FaceBook page for details

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.