mikiek
25 posts
May 08, 2014
6:50 PM
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I'm putting together my pedal board. At the moment there are 3 effects pedals, a Squeal Killer and a A/B switch. Needless to say there are a lot of patch cables.
I've had a lot of problems putting everything together mostly humming from the amp. So far I have turned up 2 bad patch cables. Everything was working tonight - at least when I shut it down.
The bad patch cables ticked me off. I bought 4 from one vendor, one of those was bad. I bought 5 from another vendor and one of those was bad. That's over 20% of what I bought don't work properly. Is that normal? Are cables really that bad? The 4 were Fender cables.
So I'm curious what type/brand of cables do you use? I have started researching the high-end cables and am considering refitting with some of those. Guitar players claim the difference is amazing. Any feedback about that?
Thanks......
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jpmcbride
51 posts
May 08, 2014
7:49 PM
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I can't tell you how many "broken" cables I've fixed for people, and how many "bad" cables people have given me that I fixed for myself.
Most of the cables I've fixed that were intermittent were caused by small strands of wire from the shield that is loose and touching the center conductor. The manufacturers just aren't careful when they make them.
When I buy cables I always buy ones without molded ends so I can open them up. I open them and re-solder the shield and look under a magnifier to make sure there are no loose strands anywhere. I use either shrink wrap or electrical tape to cover the shield and the center conductor then close it up. They last for years once you do this.
I would not invest in expensive cables. Just put a little work into regular cables and they will work fine.
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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A440
150 posts
May 09, 2014
3:32 AM
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I use cables from the German company Cordial, sold through Thomann. The quality is excellent and they last forever.
There are probably a dozen good cable brands, and I think its worthwhile paying a bit more for quality, rather than going for the cheap ones. But the ultra-expensive ones are overkill. A $20 cable is a lot better than a $5 cable, but a $90 cable is a waste of money.
I guess Fender only brands their cables and someone else makes them - just last week our guitarist was complaining about a bad Fender cable.
Last Edited by A440 on May 09, 2014 3:39 AM
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slackwater
53 posts
May 10, 2014
2:04 AM
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I make my own. Patch leads and mic leads too. I use quality ballanced mic cable, bought in bulk, and twist the two conductors together. Mic cable is nice and flexible. You can cut the length to suit and use whatever jacks you want. I like Neutrik best but on effects patch leads I'm using these really cheap pancake sort of ones at the moment- they're a bit of a bitch to get insulated right but they have a really low profile and take up bugger all room between pedals.
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FatJesus
51 posts
May 10, 2014
8:22 AM
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I've tried a bunch of cables. The best one I've tried as far as Mic > Pedals/Amp is Greg Heumann's right angle screw-on cable (for a stick mic, but works for my biscut, too--when my biscuit works, anyway).
For the patch cables, I swear by the Hosa cables with the flat ends. They're so worth it. The shorter the better, too.
From Pedals > Amp/PA, I agree totally with A440. The sweet spot is in the $20 - $30 range; anything more is probably overkill.
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rockmonkeyguitars
77 posts
May 10, 2014
10:09 AM
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My advice is learn to solder and make your own. The wire in cables is really fragile so it's going to break, it's just a matter of time.
Keeping that in mind, there is a major problem with the way they manufacturer commercial cables. The wire stripping tools compress and stretch the wire insulation in order to pull the insulation off the copper wires. This temporarily changes the length of the insulation but it does not change the length of copper. When the flexible insulation reverts back to it's original size, the fragile wires break. This can take a few months of use to happen, but it does happen. That is why using wire strippers rather than a knife when cutting instrument cables is a bad idea.
Now even when you make your own cables and strip the wire with a blade and not wire strippers you will still put a great amount of force on the wire every time you plug in and unplug your cable. This is why a high quality jack is important. A $0.50 jack isn't going to sound any better than a $5.00 jack so it's not the price or being gold plated that makes a jack high quality. Look at the way it supports the cable. Something like a neutrik PX series (I don't know how to post pics here so check the url)
http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/6/001/208/961/DV019_Jpg_Regular_336305_disassembled.jpg
has something that locks the cable in place so if you yank on it, it doesn't bust the wire. Something like this
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Trs_0.25inch_mono_plug.jpg
doesn't lock the cable in place so it breaks really easy to break the cable unplugging it
Last Edited by rockmonkeyguitars on May 10, 2014 10:12 AM
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1847
1780 posts
May 10, 2014
10:56 AM
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line 6 ga 50 wireless works really well
you will still need a cable from the receiver to the amp.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Martic
70 posts
May 11, 2014
12:13 PM
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My bassist endorses Santo Angelo cables, it's a brazilian brand of professional cables and accesories. He gave me an instrument cable and it's a great quality product. Give them a look, I'm pretty happy with mine :D
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puri
148 posts
May 11, 2014
10:53 PM
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I've broken my cable so I went buy a replacement and couldn't resist buying a Lava vintage tweed cable and I have to admit that apart from the quality I also paid for the look and feel. When I went home after unpacked it I looked at the names of their endorsers on the back of the pack and they got Kim Wilson among others. A good surprise, but I haven't seen his photo with one though.
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BigBlindRay
226 posts
May 12, 2014
12:39 AM
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Honestly, don't waste your money on pre fab cables.
Go to a good technician who knows how to solder and shrink wrap properly and uses Canare GS6 cables and Neutrik adapters. They will last you a lifetime.
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Big Blind Ray Trio Website
Big Blind Ray Trio Facebook Page
Big Blind Ray Trio on Bandcamp
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SuperBee
1973 posts
May 12, 2014
1:29 AM
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I bought mid price cables. Never had a problem.
I got two cables custom made in the USA, with screw on connectors. They're the only cables I've had regularly fail. I repaired them both within a fortnight of getting them.
Took me a few repairs to get the hang of it. The last repair lasted over a year. Hope I can remember the lurks I learnt last time.
Patch cables...I've got cheapies with molded ends. I laugh when I put them together. If they fail, I'll just lose a pedal for the night. NBD.
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mikiek
27 posts
May 14, 2014
6:04 PM
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One of the cables I was researching was from Evidence Audio. Their instrument cables are pretty expensive but the design is interesting.
I did pick up their patch cable kit - 10' of one of their cable types, 20 connectors (you choose straight, right angle, etc.) shrink sleeves - all for about $70. At $7 per cable I think that's pretty reasonable.
Put them together and hooked them up today and I have to say - WOW! Slightly louder with much more high and mid range tones. I actually had to turn down the treble on my amp.
I wish I had a scientific way to do a before and after. All I can say is there was a noticeable difference. Very nice. Makes me wonder what the instrument cables would do.
There's a couple of interesting reads on their website.
Oh yeah, I have no affiliation whatsoever with Evidence Audio. Just an impressed customer.
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didjcripey
741 posts
May 15, 2014
3:46 AM
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Last patch cables I bought were the cheapest ones I could get. 7 or so years later they still work fine. I make my own mic cables; I only made two or three cause I've never had a problem with them either.
Just lucky I guess.
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Lucky Lester
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