darkagent71
New member
I know somewhat what to look for now cause I've been searching around for like 30 minutes but how can I really tell the difference? and is it unsafe to use an instrument cable between an amp head and cabinet?
Some one will show up with the correct info, but the answer is yes. I believe more so for a tube head. Line level shielded cable cannot handle the load that a speaker output is sending. I believe this can damage an amp. I am not educated in this, but I do know that is not a good idea.
Besides the fact that it really can't take the power, an instrument cable is shielded. Speaker cable is more like lamp cord, it's two equal conductors with no shield.
Part of the problem with using instrument cable is the shield wrapped around the single core conductor. That conductor in the middle is a little too small to take the power, so it will heat up and cause resistance to the signal. Since it is wrapped in the shield, the overheated conductor can't shed the heat. This could cause failure, which amplifiers hate.
If you were going to GC to pick up a 3 foot instrument cable, it would make more sense to just pick up a 3 foot speaker cable and do it right.