The guitar cable that wouldn't die!

  • Thread starter Thread starter GT
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GT

GT

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Hope that didn't scare anyone.

Anyway I'm getting tired of resoldering the jack on my guitar cable, and was wondering if anyone could recomend a really good cable.

I'm looking for one that is indestructable, and quiet. Do some cables have better signal to noise than others, or are they all the same?

Any recomendations appreciated.

GT
 
Good subject for a search using the search function. This is a bit of a Holy Grail quest. I suspect that there are so many variables; cables can change with subtle damage and so on.

I don't know about "indestructible" but some cables have rubber or plastic reinforcements over the jack plugs to keep them from getting kinked or beat up at the places where most of the abuse occurs - right at the end of the plug. And some plugs have strain reliefs built in. That helps take strain off a soldered joint.

How you handle the cable will affect its performance over time. Be careful about things like unplugging the cable. I hank cables loosely when not in use, with one velcro tie and let 'em take all the space they want. I don't like to squash cables up into a small space for convenience.

With unbalanced cables, use the shortest run you can be comfortable with. Long runs amplify the cable's tendency to pick up stray radio signals and so forth.

You may find lots of opinions about "Monster Cable" - some blind devotees (cable specs seem to pop up as The New Sex Substitute) and some who view the whole thing as hype. I suspect the truth is in between somewhere. A basic idea is a low guage cable - thicker wire - is better than a skinny cable. Another trick is to look for thin strand conductors. For instance, a 16 guage thin strand bundle of speaker wire will have more copper per inch and less air space per inch than 16 guage lamp cord. So the two have the same apparent "spec" but one will outperform the other. Same concept applies with guitar or microphone cables.

Last point, perhaps, is that noise might be getting into the line somewhere other than through the cable. Guitar circuitry grounded well?
 
George L's

They are rediculusly thin and wimpy, hardly any shielding at all. But, what you get is some DAMN GOOD SOUNDING WIRE. The plugs simply clamp on to the cable. If the connection goes bad, just snap a bit off the cable and re clamp it down. no soldering, you can do it in less than a minute with just a screwdriver. And oh yeah, the stuff sounds GOOD, it dosen't do anything but let the tone through. I wouldn't use it for mic or line runs, but for guitar you can't beat it. I'm not sure about signal to noise ratio, but hell, your plugging into an amp! (hopefully tube) Why worry about some itty bitty noise?

George L's

-jhe
 
Well, I don't know how it sounds (and im not about to buy one of the damn things) but in the AMS catalog they have "Armoured Cables" made by Samson. Basically the whole thing is enclosed by a stainless steel sheath. A 10 foot one costs 40 bucks. Seems like it wouldn't break to me.
 
Carter Simcoe said:
Well, I don't know how it sounds (and im not about to buy one of the damn things) but in the AMS catalog ...
Click to expand...

Again, who/what is "AMS" and do they have a website?

Thanks!
 
Spectraflex cables.........you know the ones that are
covered with cloth like your mom's old iron power cord.Lots of people make them,but the 'Flex people were the first.I've had some for years.The owners live in my vicinity,and they are two of the nicest people.
 
Hey Tweedville, you like those cables? I used to, but after a little while it seems they tangle up so bad, they are uncontrollable!! They never lay straight on the floor either.

I have to admit...I am a closet Monster user. Yes, even me, Hard2Hear, uses Monster guitar cables. "Why?" You ask? Well, the main thing is that I buy the cheapest Monsters, which is standard 100's, I think. There's not a big difference between the cost of those and other good cables. But the nice thing is if one starts to sound funny, or goes out, I can go back to Mars cable in hand and they will give me a brand new one no questions asked. I have done it twice. So they're not indestructable, but they are easy to replace.

It's funny because back when I bought my first Monster, the salesguy said "If you break it towing your car, we'll even replace it". ...mind you...I havent tried that one out yet ;)

H2H
 
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