Guitar cables

cashcow · Posted: Sun May 11, 2014 12:11 am Post subject: Guitar cables

Do you have any preferences as far as manufacturers go? Does the length of the cable effect the sound?

jacco · Posted: Sun May 11, 2014 4:19 am Post subject:

Yes, I use Vovox.
Length doesn't make an audible difference if the cable is high quality is my experience.

UmpaHimself · Plucker Joined: 10 May 2014 Posts: 4

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

Dave_Mc · Posted: Sun May 11, 2014 11:07 am Post subject:

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.

felixcatus · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 1:25 am Post subject: Re: Guitar cables

cashcow · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 7:35 am Post subject:

Klozt and Vovox are a little pricy. Any suggestions for American made? Is anything made in America anymore?

Dave_Mc · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 7:46 am Post subject:

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?

cashcow · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 8:04 am Post subject:

Sweetwater has the following

Planet Waves
Pro Co
Hosa
Fender
Monster
Mogami
Asterope

jacco · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 8:35 am Post subject:

Mogami is very good

marcusnieman · Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 6:20 pm Post subject:

Monster Cable
Planet Waves

Dave_Mc · Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 8:38 am Post subject:

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.

jacco · Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 9:33 am Post subject:

+1 on both comments

marcusnieman · Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 3:13 pm Post subject:

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.

cashcow · Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 6:58 pm Post subject:

These might be for you, as well as myself

https://reverb.com/shop/merch?utm_source=premierguitar&utm_medium=display

Dave_Mc · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 9:15 am Post subject: