convert a guitar cord to xlr?

poopchute

poopchute

New member
Probably a stupid question, but I have to ask. Can I take a standard guitar cord and convert it into a xlr mic cable?
Like I said probably stupid but I need to know...
 
No, you can not. Guitar cables are single center conductor and therefore unbalanced.
 
Mic cable has two conductors plus the shield. Guitar cable has only one conductor plus the shield/ground. They are different cables.
 
omtayslick said:
It matters not. His quest has failed.
Click to expand...

Probably yes, but the 'why' relates to why he needs the conversion, and for what purpose. A simple passive direct box can make the conversion for him, if that is what he is looking for. I am just guessing he is wondering how to get from one point to another. What point is a and b relies on his answer as to what he is trying to do.
 
I know adapters are made that go from unbalanced(1/4) to unbalanced(XLR) (Check Radio Shack and Best Buy. Musiciansfriend.com may also have some). I'm not sure if you will find an adapter in reverse.

There are several guitars out there that are equiped with both a balanced and an unbalanced jack. The only reason I can see for this is when plugging into a snake on stage that does not have standard 1/4 imputs. I know that there are a lot of church stages built like this. For some reason there was no thought about anything other than mics being plugged in.

My solution to this would be to use a DI like others have said. A DI can be had fairly reasonable, and even a cheap one will preserve your sound better than adding an adapter.
 
jimmys69 said:
Probably yes, but the 'why' relates to why he needs the conversion, and for what purpose. A simple passive direct box can make the conversion for him, if that is what he is looking for. I am just guessing he is wondering how to get from one point to another. What point is a and b relies on his answer as to what he is trying to do.
Click to expand...

Point taken:)
 
omtayslick said:
It matters not. His quest has failed.
Click to expand...

jimmys69 said:
Probably yes, but the 'why' relates to why he needs the conversion, and for what purpose. A simple passive direct box can make the conversion for him, if that is what he is looking for. I am just guessing he is wondering how to get from one point to another. What point is a and b relies on his answer as to what he is trying to do.
Click to expand...

Yeah, see for me, I just love to know the reasons behind the questions people ask sometimes. And then it bugs me when I don't :D
 
aaronaycox said:
I know adapters are made that go from unbalanced(1/4) to unbalanced(XLR) (Check Radio Shack and Best Buy. Musiciansfriend.com may also have some). I'm not sure if you will find an adapter in reverse.
Click to expand...

Passive adaptors are transformers, they are happy to work either direction.

There are several guitars out there that are equiped with both a balanced and an unbalanced jack. The only reason I can see for this is when plugging into a snake on stage that does not have standard 1/4 imputs. I know that there are a lot of church stages built like this. For some reason there was no thought about anything other than mics being plugged in.
Click to expand...

That's because it's a pretty terrible idea to send an unbalanced high-impedance signal down a 100' snake.
 
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