George L cable

Re: George L cable

Has anybody run these cables through something which measures the actual figures for (say) frequency response curve, insertion loss, transient response characteristics etc of these cables - which are essentially little more than a very low resistance with some inherent capacitance. It would be interesting to know the actual underlying cause/effect that can give rise to comments like:-

George L - Good bright, pure tone. A little weak on the low end

George L - crisp,clean,and clear

George L - an immediate improvement in clarity and tone

George L - glassy top end messing with my overdriven tones

Canare GS6 - a bit more mids and low end than George L

Core-X - the clarity of the GLs with a little fuller bottom

Lava Cable - a bit more balanced than the George L

Monster Cable Rock - a big improvement in phase

Monster - full sounding with slightly hyped highs

Mogami - unbelievably neutral

Should be straight forwards - white noise at guitar levels in and a spectrum analyser at the other end would be a start. From the comments there are significant differences between top end cables, let alone between them and the cheap dross so many pickers use.....
 
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Re: George L cable

wahwah said:
I went through my George L's phase a couple of years ago, but I soon tired of the glassy top end messing with my overdriven tones. I switched over to Core X2 cables and it's the best my rig has ever sounded.

Cheers.................................. wahwah
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Yea, I'm starting to hear that glassy top end bite myself. I'm not quit happy about it, so as I noted early I used the GL's in the loop for Reverb, Chorus and a BBE/SS which seem to tame that high end glassy sound you mentioned. Also , I really had to kinda start all over as of getting my amp tone reset to these cables and finding new sweet spots on the pedals. I was just so excited about the difference good cables made and I'm still in search for the right cable that my ears wanna hear. The GL's has amazing clarity, but I'm finding them alittle spikey. Maybe I'll have to drop down my 59's alittle.

And hey thx for link wahwah, This was interesting to read.

" Be aware that cables will sound sweeter [more musical with less harshness or hard edges] and more dimensional over time. And, they must be broken-in considerably to achieve the documented results. "

Wow !
 
Re: George L cable

B P said:
Yea, I'm starting to hear that glassy top end bite myself. I'm not quit happy about it, so as I noted early I used the GL's in the loop for Reverb, Chorus and a BBE/SS which seem to tame that high end glassy sound you mentioned. Also , I really had to kinda start all over as of getting my amp tone reset to these cables and finding new sweet spots on the pedals. I was just so excited about the difference good cables made and I'm still in search for the right cable that my ears wanna hear. The GL's has amazing clarity, but I'm finding them alittle spikey. Maybe I'll have to drop down my 59's alittle.

And hey thx for link wahwah, This was interesting to read.

" Be aware that cables will sound sweeter [more musical with less harshness or hard edges] and more dimensional over time. And, they must be broken-in considerably to achieve the documented results. "

Wow !
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rather than lowering the entire pickups, try lowering just the coil screws first and see how you like that. it should fatten the highs some so you've still got that clarity but without as much of a spike or drop in output.
 
Re: George L cable

super rad ska said:
rather than lowering the entire pickups, try lowering just the coil screws first and see how you like that. it should fatten the highs some so you've still got that clarity but without as much of a spike or drop in output.
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Cool thx rad I'll give that a shot.
 
Re: George L cable

That is one thought provoking article there wahwah.....

Statements like "This comparison will not list specifications such as capacitance, DC resistance and inductance, as these serve to falsely lead consumers. While each is important to achieving certain results, they don’t follow the same formula and are not final determinants of performance." worried me at first.

Statements like "For jazz chording and multiple octave patterns, clarity, dimension and accuracy have priority. Country and blues players will enjoy as much clarity as they can get with a smooth feel and a sweet top end, while players who routinely work with heavy distortion will appreciate some extra midrange, punch and control in the treble region." made me think we were discussing parametric equalisers rather than cables!!!

Then I read this.....

"An identical score for two cables in the same category does not necessarily reflect that they sound exactly the same in that area, but perform on the same level. A cable’s sum performance must be considered, along with any tonal shift, strengths and weaknesses. On the graph, while two cables may have a similar curve, the taller curve will have the most overall strength and clarity, while the flatter will be more neutral in its effect."

.....and realised that it was entirely subjective and qualitative, as usually these discussions are, where I (thought I) wanted empirical quantitative assessment of guitar cables to compare these very judgements to.

And then I got down to the D’Addario Planet Waves - and realised why they sound good with the SD 59 loded Sheraton but just average with my Tele and Strat guitars. And why I prefer my Klotz cables on the Fenders.

Now I am GASsing for the K & M Analog Designs Two-Rock Crystal Clear. Because no way could I justify Van de Hul Integration Hybrids. Having said that - I may actually just go with the Hosa Corporation's Zaolla Silverline, because they don't seem ridiculously expensive for what they are and what they offer.

Curse you wahwah and your evil rationality.....
.....but thank you for an excellent link to that info.
 
Re: George L cable

You're welcome for the link gentlemen, it serves to drain off some of the snake oil and bridge the gap between science and art. It corresponds with my own findings long before reading that article, and they were that the George L's were sterling on my 'clean Strat into a Fender amp' sounds (which would echo their popularity amongst the fine tone hounds in Nashville) but when I wanted to get closer to my early 70's rock roots, they were uncomfortably spanky to the point of sounding cold. (Clearly, by my descriptions, you can tell that I am not a man of science...)

Some dispute the real world difference between cables, but then some are deaf as a post, too. It would certainly be cheaper if that were the case, and we could all happily use those little multi colored molded plastic Roland patch cables and be blissfully ignorant of the substantial sonic improvements available. The article certainly points out that there is no single 'wonder cable' that will service every need. The point is that we have options, and that it is possible to find a specific cable that meets our requirements and possibly surpasses them. Personally, I'm all for it. Once I settled on the Core X cable, I was happily back into just playing guitar without listening out for a more suitable cable. I found the one that represents what I hear in my head, while meeting the rigorous requirements of my touring schedule without crapping out under battle conditions.




Cheers...................................... wahwah
 
Re: George L cable

wahwah said:
You're welcome for the link gentlemen, it serves to drain off some of the snake oil and bridge the gap between science and art. It corresponds with my own findings long before reading that article, and they were that the George L's were sterling on my 'clean Strat into a Fender amp' sounds (which would echo their popularity amongst the fine tone hounds in Nashville) but when I wanted to get closer to my early 70's rock roots, they were uncomfortably spanky to the point of sounding cold. (Clearly, by my descriptions, you can tell that I am not a man of science...)

Some dispute the real world difference between cables, but then some are deaf as a post, too. It would certainly be cheaper if that were the case, and we could all happily use those little multi colored molded plastic Roland patch cables and be blissfully ignorant of the substantial sonic improvements available. The article certainly points out that there is no single 'wonder cable' that will service every need. The point is that we have options, and that it is possible to find a specific cable that meets our requirements and possibly surpasses them. Personally, I'm all for it. Once I settled on the Core X cable, I was happily back into just playing guitar without listening out for a more suitable cable. I found the one that represents what I hear in my head, while meeting the rigorous requirements of my touring schedule without crapping out under battle conditions.

Cheers...................................... wahwah
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I can definitely identify with this. The George L's sound decent for really clean stuff, but when I got back to my 80s hard rock roots, they sounded thin and ice-picky. Overall I think Mogami sounds better than Monster, but I still use Monster for my cable due to the warranty. I can go into a Guitar Center anywhere and get a new cable no questions asked.
 
Re: George L cable

One last question wahwah ....are you using soldered connectors?

I am thinking that if I move away from GLs I may want to abandon compression type fittings altogether.
 
Re: George L cable

there's much to be said for good cables...i recently made the jump from the cheap generic rainbow bright cables...ya'll know which ones i'm talking about...to george L's and mixed them with some i soldered my self. it served to remove some of the ice picky sound and warm it up. amazingly enough i've had a problem with hums for a while and could not figure out why so i just ignored it, then i switched cables and bam...no more buzz (unless i'm at 11 and have multiple OD pedals at those volumes just about anything will hum) yeah, they may not be the best cables out there but they sure made a difference to me.
 
Re: George L cable

I've been using George L's for quite some time; since I made my first pedalboard. My primary reason was so I could cut the cables to the desired length I needed I now have 3 boards & George L's are on 2 of the 3 (my third board I put together very quickly and I used some patch chords I had laying around). I also connect my amps to my board & my guitar to the board using George L cables. I use the .155 for the boards & the .225 for the guitars.

I also have Monster speaker cables connecting my head to the cab.
 
Re: George L cable

Lazarus1140 said:
One last question wahwah ....are you using soldered connectors?

I am thinking that if I move away from GLs I may want to abandon compression type fittings altogether.
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The Core X2 DIY pedal board kit is all solderless, but it is a slightly different system to the George L's. I found with the .155 that most of the right angle connectors would end up with the cable casing splitting inside the connector, eventually causing all sorts of problems. This would be much less apparent if you just left them in place, but would arise when changes were made to the board. The Core X design doesn't suffer from these problems, and I'm much happier with the overall tone. I'm using their instrument cable from guitar to board and board to amp, which don't have removable ends, but I imagine are soldered.



Cheers..................................... wahwah
 
Re: George L cable

Mcearlock said:
B P said:
My wife said since I got on this forum... that I have spent a couple of hundred dollars. LOL !

Be thankful, I've spent a couple thousand. :thanks::banghead:
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LOL !

I decided to use the GL's in the loop. It's just to spikey for my taste. It sounds wonderful there so that's where it'll stay. So yes Mcearlock I'll be spending more $$$ for 2 more cables. I'm steering towards the Mogami's because it's more on the neutral side. Would love the Core X as wahwah mentioned from his experience.

Where can I get the Core X cables?
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Re: George L cable

B P said:
Where can I get the Core X cables?
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There's some info on the Core X cables here...

Core X2

I would recommend a 12' cable from guitar to pedals, and whatever you need to get from the pedals to the amp. The shorter the better. If you want to get really fussy, you can put a good buffer pedal, like the MI Audio Boost'n'Buff, at the end of your pedal chain (it also gives you a final boost option) to drive the last cable, in which case a 20'+ cable will have virtually no audible effect on your signal. It just depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go!




Cheers................................... wahwah
 
Re: George L cable

i use monster rock 6" patch cables to connect my pedals, a 12' monster rock from the guitar to the board, and (3) 21' monster rock cables going to the amp input/fx loop..i recently decided to get a loop master "clean/dirty" box to get a few pedals out of the direct chain...i was considering goerge l's to route the 4 pedals to the loopmaster...do you think that their will be a tone difference from using both monster, and goerge l's in the same signal path?..
 
Re: George L cable

Trilogy said:
Overpriced, overhyped junk, imo.

I had three and they all went bad after a year, more or less.
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The hype is just marketing... and yes they are overpriced, but junk is going a little off the deep end... I hope you didn't just give up on Monster Cable when they broke, in which case I'd laugh at you.
 
Re: George L cable

supernosher said:
The hype is just marketing... and yes they are overpriced, but junk is going a little off the deep end... I hope you didn't just give up on Monster Cable when they broke, in which case I'd laugh at you.
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I'd have to agree. They're decent cable, and that's all I'd say. They don't live up to the hype, nor are they junk. I use them because I can replace a broken one at any Guitar Center anywhere no questions asked.
 
Re: George L cable

hendrixstrat said:
i use monster rock 6" patch cables to connect my pedals, a 12' monster rock from the guitar to the board, and (3) 21' monster rock cables going to the amp input/fx loop..i recently decided to get a loop master "clean/dirty" box to get a few pedals out of the direct chain...i was considering goerge l's to route the 4 pedals to the loopmaster...do you think that their will be a tone difference from using both monster, and goerge l's in the same signal path?..
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I'm solely going by others experience. But, I'm gonna say yup, it will. In the Wrap up section in this great article
http://www.lightningguider.com/id2.html @ the bottom will answer your question. And if that dude says don't be afraid to mix them up to get a balance that your happy with... I'll take his word for it.
 
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