What guitar cables do you use?

[gcapel]

I think durability is what you pay for. Neutrik connectors are great because they have a nice strain relief to prevent breaks or shorts. In an instrument cable sound quality will not vary a great amount.

You can either pay out the wazoo for a monster or mogami cable already made with neutrik connectors or you can order the bulk cable and connectors and make them your self and save a great deal of $$. I use mogami and neutrik and order from Markertek.

 

[rgraves]

It seems the market is perfectly suited to a low cost alternative...do Monster guard against selling closer to cost?

Actually that's a good question...yes they do. If you have ever tried, you'll notice that although you can bargain on guitars and preamps and drum sets, it's quite unlikely you can get a bargain on the cables because Monster doesn't want their prices to fluctuate. But if you get a salesman that wants to close a sale they'll take money off the top of anything, and it's always the cabling that has the biggest mark up out of ANYTHING else in the store.

 

[Tadpui]

I have had the same ProCo 18' cable between my guitar's output and my pedals for about 16 years now. This one cable has outlived every other cable I've ever owned by a huge margin.

It's been through all of the same rigors as all of the other instrument cables that I've owned: gigs, practices, coiling and uncoiling countless times (I even coil it around my forearm every time, which seems to strike fear into some cable-o-philes), being stepped on, rolled over repeatedly by my office chair, This has definitely sold me on ProCo cable from now on.

If I want a basic, entry-level, dont-expect-it-to-last-forever cable, I always go for Horizon. It's cheap, good quality, and will do the job in a sterile home studio. But any cable that I need to ensure will survive any road rigors, ProCo gets my vote.

 

[Grilled_Cheese]

I use those $5 hot pink ones from the guitar store.

I have a few black ones that are actually good quality (no noise when moving them around) and they were only $15 (for like 20ft.).

I wouldn't, and see no reason to, pay more than that for a guitar cable.

Unless you're running a really long cable or something.

 

[Big Kenny]

Redco makes some nice ones. Or you can buy the stuff from 'em

 

[scrubs]

Anybody tried the EWI guitar cables from Audiopile? I have a couple of their quad mic cables, which are pretty darn nice...and inexpensive.

 

[Anfontan]

I make my own. Canare cable and neutrik connectors. Best cables and cheapest

I've made my own forever as well, I think its almost a requirement for a home recording situation!

 

[boingoman]

Am I the only one who fins this impossible to believe? How exactly do you know the mark up on every cable?

He's exaggerating a bit, except about Monster. I worked at a big music store for five years, and did a lot of purchasing and price structuring.

 

[goldtopchas]

SCAM-MART sells RAPCO cables and GHS BOOMERS. Pretty cheap too. I used Rapco in the past and have had good service from them.

 

[Slowrider]

In the 60's, when I was just a pup, we made cables out of anything we could find. Never had hum and feedback problems that are experienced today. Sometimes the guitar cables weren't shielded! Now, does anybody REALLY think there is such a thing as "Oxygen Free Cables", ?

All Marketing hype. Metal starts to oxidize the instant the metal is exposed to oxygen; because oxygen also has moisture. There is no such thing as oxygen free cable.

If they can do that.....let's all go out and buy "Oxygen Free Strings". Think how long they will last!?

 

[boingoman]

In the 60's, when I was just a pup, we made cables out of anything we could find. Never had hum and feedback problems that are experienced today. Sometimes the guitar cables weren't shielded! Now, does anybody REALLY think there is such a thing as "Oxygen Free Cables", ?

All Marketing hype. Metal starts to oxidize the instant the metal is exposed to oxygen; because oxygen also has moisture. There is no such thing as oxygen free cable.

Oxygen-free refers to the amount of oxygen in the copper stock used to make the wire. So there can indeed be oxygen-free cable, if you understand what it means*. But I do agree, it seems to be marketing hype.

Copper wire is already very low-oxygen, and always has been, as high-oxy copper gets brittle quickly when drawn out into a wire.

The "hype" idea is that oxygen molecules will impede your signal, and so the lower the oxygen content, the better signal can flow. It's total crap, for the most part.

*edit- which apparently I may not have, completely. Oxygen-free is very low-oxy high-purity copper, with oxygen at no more than 10ppm

 

[Codmate]

Oxygen-free refers to the amount of oxygen in the copper stock used to make the wire. So there can indeed be oxygen-free cable, if you understand what it means. But I do agree, it seems to be marketing hype.

Copper wire is already very low-oxygen, and always has been, as high-oxy copper gets brittle quickly when drawn out into a wire.

The "hype" idea is that oxygen molecules will impede your signal, and so the lower the oxygen content, the better signal can flow. It's total crap, for the most part.

The guy who designed the Naim 250 assures me that Oxygen Free cable does make a difference...

He's much cleverer than me

 

[Big Kenny]

The guy who designed the Naim 250 assures me that Oxygen Free cable does make a difference...

He's much cleverer than me

It's cleverer than "I"!

 

[boingoman]

The guy who designed the Naim 250 assures me that Oxygen Free cable does make a difference...

I could probably find some equally notable maker who would swear that it doesn't.

My point was that really, copper wire used in any decent cable is going to be pure enough to be considered to be oxygen-free, whether it says it is or not. The use of the term is basically a marketing tactic. It's as if car makers suddenly started using the term "round tires" when selling cars. Everyone else would have to start saying their cars had round tires too.

 

[Codmate]

I could probably find some equally notable maker who would swear that it doesn't.

My point was that really, copper wire used in any decent cable is going to be pure enough to be considered to be oxygen-free, whether it says it is or not. The use of the term is basically a marketing tactic. It's as if car makers suddenly started using the term "round tires" when selling cars. Everyone else would have to start saying their cars had round tires too.

I highly sugegst you read this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_free_copper

OFC exists!

It's all about the crystals man

In a high-end system (I use Quad ESLs) you can tell the difference.
I will happily do so in a double blind test (and have done).

 

[Slowrider]

Belden, perhaps the most well respected manufacturer of wire and cable, whose products are specified in military, industrial and commercial equipment. (They make speaker cable, too.) They said that their wire and cable is not oxygen free! They specify a purity level for their copper speaker cables of 99.95% and claim that the conductivity is "comparable to oxygen free copper," but do not participate in the oxygen free frenzy. Isn't that interesting? Belden cables are used by the mile in applications much more critical than hooking up your stereo, such as medical electronics, military systems, high power gear, very low level measurement devices, and low noise systems. In my opinion as an engineer, they make the best wire and cable on the planet.

 

[Codmate]

Belden, perhaps the most well respected manufacturer of wire and cable, whose products are specified in military, industrial and commercial equipment. (They make speaker cable, too.) They said that their wire and cable is not oxygen free! They specify a purity level for their copper speaker cables of 99.95% and claim that the conductivity is "comparable to oxygen free copper," but do not participate in the oxygen free frenzy. Isn't that interesting? Belden cables are used by the mile in applications much more critical than hooking up your stereo, such as medical electronics, military systems, high power gear, very low level measurement devices, and low noise systems. In my opinion as an engineer, they make the best wire and cable on the planet.

It's the 'Oxygen Free' moniker that is confusing.
The lack of oxygen has little to do with why the oxygen free cables are better - it's the longer crystals in the copper that make the difference.
Belden simply achieve this via a different means.

Don't get me wrong - the difference is tiny - but is audible, especially on electrostatic speakers where resistance anywhere in the chain is much more noticable.

 

[scrubs]

. . :d

 

[ocnor]

. . :d

Scrubs I didn't know that you spoke "drummer".

 

[nukeitout]

Thanks for the info, guys.

I disagree with the $500 HDTV priced at $1500. I managed a Radio Shack for awhile, and the TV's are usually priced very close to cost to be competitive. The money is made on the added insurance plans, universal remote controls, adaptors, and, yes, cables. These are sold to unsuspecting customers who came in to get a good deal on the HDTV they saw in this month's newspaper insert. As a bonus, any little $4.99 stocking stuffer they grab as an impulse buy typically only cost the store $1-$2 shipped. I earned commission on store profit, so I knew all this pretty well . Actually it was common for TV's and other large items to be priced just under store cost to bring in customers.