Guitar cables
Moderator: ned
Guitar cables
Do you have any preferences as far as manufacturers go? Does the length of the cable effect the sound?
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- Plucker
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat May 10, 2014 4:33 pm
People always say that length makes a difference. I have never heard it but then again I am always hearing new things in my tone and tinkering. Any cable will produce sound, some better than others. It's always about weighing the cost to value for you personally. I spend about $45-$70 on a cable depending on what it is. I like it good, but it doesn't have to be the best $300 cable out there.
I like to buy from this guy. Makes great stuff. http://www.deathvalleycablecompany.com
I like to buy from this guy. Makes great stuff. http://www.deathvalleycablecompany.com
Length makes a difference as the capacitance increases proportional to length. I suppose if you have sufficiently low capacitance cables you might not hear a difference, or if you're running a buffer or something like that, but it does technically make a difference.
I just use award session ones with van damme cable and neutrik jacks (they're about ?10-?15 for a 10ft one). I think it's worthwhile not using the bargain basement stuff, both from a tonal and noise point of view, but once you get above that into the decent quality ones I'm not sure it makes much difference. Or at least not anywhere near enough to justify the often massive increases in price.
EDIT: I should also say that cost doesn't necessarily mean better, either- those ones I use are cheaper than the planet waves one I replaced with them, and better.
I just use award session ones with van damme cable and neutrik jacks (they're about ?10-?15 for a 10ft one). I think it's worthwhile not using the bargain basement stuff, both from a tonal and noise point of view, but once you get above that into the decent quality ones I'm not sure it makes much difference. Or at least not anywhere near enough to justify the often massive increases in price.

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- Guitar God
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Re: Guitar cables
Klotz (the name has a nice ring to itcashcow wrote:Do you have any preferences as far as manufacturers go?

Yeah klotz is pretty nice, and not that dear in Europe (dearer in the USA). Bit rigid, though.
Van damme seems nice, too, and sommer, and neither is that expensive. I suspect they're better value in Europe as well, though.
I imagine there are people who'll custom make cables with name-brand cable in the USA (there are in Europe), obviously I'm not familiar with them, though. Maybe try some of the bigger USA-centric forums, like Harmony Central, TGP, UG and places like that?
Van damme seems nice, too, and sommer, and neither is that expensive. I suspect they're better value in Europe as well, though.
I imagine there are people who'll custom make cables with name-brand cable in the USA (there are in Europe), obviously I'm not familiar with them, though. Maybe try some of the bigger USA-centric forums, like Harmony Central, TGP, UG and places like that?
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- Guitar God
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Monster gets a bad rep, I think. Not sure there's anything wrong with them, just they get the rep of being very dear for little benefit over the bog standard stuff (I think- don't quote me on that!). I haven't tried them.
Don't much like Planet Waves, I didn't think mine sounded that good (noticed a noticeable improvement when I switched the the Van Dammes mentioned above), they were noisy and I think they have the rep on online forums of not being that reliable (though mine didn't actually break).
Haven't tried the others.
Don't much like Planet Waves, I didn't think mine sounded that good (noticed a noticeable improvement when I switched the the Van Dammes mentioned above), they were noisy and I think they have the rep on online forums of not being that reliable (though mine didn't actually break).
Haven't tried the others.
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- Guitar God
- Posts: 9125
- Joined: Thu May 22, 2003 8:48 pm
- Location: Dallas, Texas
Yeahmarcusnieman wrote:Truth be told, I'm usually playing a strat in bar gigs with neon bar signs.... any cable noise is easily devoured by the pickup racket being made by the lights...... guess it doesn't matter that much to me.

