Cables???

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Cables???

I went through seveal high end cables several years back and kept coming back to George L's...they sound the best to me and if you put them together correctly they will last for a long time w/o any issues plus the ability to repair a cable back stage with nothing except a pocket knife and a screwdriver is priceless...trust me!

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: Cables???

I think the George L's sound fine, but people on TGP complain bitterly about them! Maybe it is the low capacitance? I think I am actually going to order some of the Bill Lawrence stuff, seems to be the same idea as the George L, and it is very reasonable in price... I still may order 30 ft or so of mogami with 4 ends ( to make my guitar to board and board to amp cables) just to compare... those evidence stuff sounds cool, and the lava elc seems reasonable, but honestly the george L or BL stuff matches it spec wise!

 

[lex666]

Re: Cables???

I've been using Spectraflex cable for almost 10 years now.

Let me put it this way... I haven't needed nor have I wanted to try anything else. That 10 year old cable of mine is still working and sounding great and shows no signs of quitting. I can't recommend them enough. If you like braided cables with you choice of colors, gauges, striaght or rite angle connectors, silent connectors, etc, Spectraflex is the way to go.

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Cables???

I've been using Spectraflex cable for almost 10 years now.

Let me put it this way... I haven't needed nor have I wanted to try anything else. That 10 year old cable of mine is still working and sounding great and shows no signs of quitting. I can't recommend them enough. If you like braided cables with you choice of colors, gauges, striaght or rite angle connectors, silent connectors, etc, Spectraflex is the way to go.

+1 ..My new one is 10 years old I have one that is 15 years old..it is my main cable...guitar to pedalboard and it can still pass the "shake test".

 

[Bludave]

Re: Cables???

I have 3 peadlboards, setup for different amps. I used George L's to wire up all 3 and have no issues. My oldest board has been together and apart a few times, but I used the same cables all the time and I have never had any issues with the George L's. They work well and I really don't use anything else. I used the .155 to wire the pedals and I use the .225 to connect the amps to the board and my guitar to the board.

I have a couple of spare Monster cables in my Gig bag, but I only used it once thinking I had a problem with my board. Turned out to just be a loose connection.

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: Cables???

I just did some A/B tests with my cables... only the guitar to cable to amp. I had my monster cable, my George L, and some old Peavey cable. Difference really was minimal... the only audible difference I could hear was with the peavey cable there seemed to be a midrange hump... kinda cool really, and when I rolled back the volume it was a little more 'murky'. I guess I am sticking with what I have for now, as I can't fathom dropping allot of cash for .0001% difference, but if I get extra cash then I may try some lava stuff... seems kinda reasonable.

 

[baritone]

Re: Cables???

I use Monster 12' cables and 6" jumpers, Monster 3' speaker wires, and Planet Waves offset 1/4" adapters.

 

[Huntermb]

Re: Cables???

I make my own, Belden cable and Neutrik ends. They take a beating and keep on working and the Belden cable holds up great.

 

[wanmei1]

Re: Cables???

I just did some A/B tests with my cables... only the guitar to cable to amp. I had my monster cable, my George L, and some old Peavey cable. Difference really was minimal... the only audible difference I could hear was with the peavey cable there seemed to be a midrange hump... kinda cool really, and when I rolled back the volume it was a little more 'murky'. I guess I am sticking with what I have for now, as I can't fathom dropping allot of cash for .0001% difference, but if I get extra cash then I may try some lava stuff... seems kinda reasonable.

Great decision - well done.

I think for the vast majority of players your decision is the correct one.

To a small few however, that .0001% difference that you mentioned,
is the difference that is sought.

"A hairs breadth seperates Heaven and Hell."

 

[wahwah]

Re: Cables???

I replaced my George L's with Core X2 cable a few months ago, and the improvement was instant and obvious. George L's are certainly good quality cable, nice and quiet, but tonally I found them to be a little glassy in the top end with my Strat. For some things this was desirable, but the Core X2 seems to have a more balanced tone, without the high end emphasis. I particularly notice this in the way that they run the signal into overdrive pedals. I went through a couple of their pedal kits for two separate boards, and I'm also using their instrument cable, a 15' from guitar to board, and a 20' from board to amp. I recently added an MI Audio Boost'n'Buff at the end of my chain of drive pedals, and the clean signal (with all pedals bypassed) is extremely close to the sound of the 15' cable straight into the amp.

Having said all of that, I would never argue with anyone who says that they can't hear the difference between cables, because in some circumstances that is probably the case. To me, different cables can be vastly different. As always, each to their own.



Cheers........................................ wahwah

 

[andrizzle]

Re: Cables???

I always like to supply this link whenever these threads come up.... If audiophiles can't tell the difference between monster cables and a coat hanger, there's not much hope for the rest of us. I would say (IMO) that 99.999% of the "difference" that most hear is placebo... Based on this theory I get cables based on functionality... I have George L's in my pedal board and I use a Planet Waves cable between guitar/pedalboard... it's the one with the circuit breaker so if I need to disconnect in a pinch (i.e. looping the cable through the strap) I don't have to worry about muting at my board. I also use a Guitar Bug UHF wireless system a good bit of the time.................... but that's a whole different thread

 

[wahwah]

Re: Cables???

I always like to supply this link whenever these threads come up.... If audiophiles can't tell the difference between monster cables and a coat hanger, there's not much hope for the rest of us. I would say (IMO) that 99.999% of the "difference" that most hear is placebo...

Of course, the article you supplied refers to speaker cable, and we are discussing instrument cable, where differences in capacitance alone are responsible for a different point of low pass filtering resulting in a measurably different frequency response curve. But that's not to say that everyone will be capable of hearing the difference. It should also be noted that 87.463% of statistical percentages are made up on the spot.


Cheers................................... wahwah

 

[andrizzle]

Re: Cables???

Of course, the article you supplied refers to speaker cable, and we are discussing instrument cable, where differences in capacitance alone are responsible for a different point of low pass filtering resulting in a measurably different frequency response curve. But that's not to say that everyone will be capable of hearing the difference. It should also be noted that 87.463% of statistical percentages are made up on the spot.


Cheers................................... wahwah

You are correct, sir, and I had intended on putting that it was a speaker cable, not instrument... thanks!

 

[wanmei1]

Re: Cables???

I always like to supply this link whenever these threads come up.... If audiophiles can't tell the difference between monster cables and a coat hanger, there's not much hope for the rest of us. I would say (IMO) that 99.999% of the "difference" that most hear is placebo... Based on this theory I get cables based on functionality... I have George L's in my pedal board and I use a Planet Waves cable between guitar/pedalboard... it's the one with the circuit breaker so if I need to disconnect in a pinch (i.e. looping the cable through the strap) I don't have to worry about muting at my board. I also use a Guitar Bug UHF wireless system a good bit of the time.................... but that's a whole different thread

Unfortunately the link doesn't work for me but I can imagine how the story goes.
I too could arrange a test that shows that the worlds best guitar players can't tell the difference between guitars or pickups.
However.........

Truth is a relative thing.

If you personally don't hear a difference in cables, then for you there is no difference.
Most people don't hear a difference. So for them also, there is no difference.

I and a minority of people do hear a difference in cables and some of us can tell you in what frequency range that difference occurs.
The longer the cable run the greater and more apparent the difference and visa versa.

This is easily verified with a spectrum analyser and callibrated microphone recording the results of a Compact disc frequency sweep run through an amp and set of speakers.
Interconnects and speaker cables are both tested using this method by
the better recording studios and even some radio and television stations. . You can see the difference caused by the difference in capicitance and or impedance on the scope or via print out.
There is a difference but........ if you can't hear it, then you can't hear it!

My sister can't hear any difference between My Strat and my 335.
So to her there is no difference. Her reality or truth is....... " all guitars sound the same."...there is no difference.

I personally think anyone would be crazy to spend money on a tube amp or different brands of tubes, a different guitar, different pickups, Ivory nuts, different capacitors, different value pots, guitar interconnect cables , speakers and speaker cables etc, if they don't hear any difference.
What would be the point?

Only if you do hear a difference that you consider to be a difference for the better i.e. what you consider to be an improvement, would you consider change.
:kabong:

 

[Kac]

Re: Cables???

Gotta be:

got the kit for my pedal board, cut 'em to the proper lengths, they work great. Use their instrument cables as well.

 

[scottish]

Re: Cables???

i too, use planet waves cables for everything. My board, my guitar and mic cables

 

[wolf5150]

Re: Cables???

I use Vovox exclusively.

I'm a cable geek, I love the idea that they sound different.

They do.

However, it only matters in the studio, live, who the hell can hear it ?????

LOL

My reason for choosing Vovox is its reluctance to coil up in use, plus it sounds almost as good as my mega bucks Van Den Hul studio cable.

Mark from Lava cable made the cables and after 400 gigs, all's well.

The Planet waves cable has also now been replaced with Vovox, and my rack is done with it too.

 

[Fusion1]

Re: Cables???

I've been using Spectraflex cable for almost 10 years now.

Let me put it this way... I haven't needed nor have I wanted to try anything else. That 10 year old cable of mine is still working and sounding great and shows no signs of quitting. I can't recommend them enough. If you like braided cables with you choice of colors, gauges, striaght or rite angle connectors, silent connectors, etc, Spectraflex is the way to go.

One of my favorite cables. I have one that is over 10 years old and is my main guitar > amp or guitar >pedal board cable. I have other mid range-higher end stuff like Pro Co Excallibur and Sir Tweed, Whirlwind Leader (another great cable that is over 20 years old and still going strong), Planet Waves FX cables, Lava Cables fx cables and the Spectraflex is probably my favorite. Maybe a lot of the affection is due to it being around for so long but it has held up and is still sounding great.

 

[James Rock]

Re: Cables???

I notice my george l's seem to glass up the signal I bit which I don't really like but I think the BOSS buffers have more effect on this although I can say there is a noticeable different then again I use fender cables to and from my pedalboard and they tend to be considered cheap low end cables.