patch cables

[bluesfloyd]

hi,
I want to make up my own patch cables/ cut to suit etc. have you guys done this ???? what cables do you use etc. ????

thanks, bluesfloyd

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: patch cables

Originally, I used George L's solderless. If I did it all over is probably use Lava Cable and Switchcraft 228 jacks, with a soldering iron and station.

 

[scottcrud]

Re: patch cables

The George L's are great until the go bad. They'll last several years. I had one last 5 years. Was doing soundcheck and the soundman was like what's that noise. .. we traced it to the George Ls cable. It was making a popping sound. But ALL cables do this when they go bad.

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[chadd]

Re: patch cables

I usually make my own out of old cables that I have lying around and quality plugs.

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: patch cables

I did my old board with the Lava solderless kit. Huge pain in the ass. Every connection has about four ways to fail. Strip too much? You'll probably short the ground. Strip too little? The center won't make contact. So how much is just right? You have to figure that out yourself, based on trial and error. And there's a very narrow range that's correct. Didn't manage to keep pressure on the cable as you bent it to attach the right angle cap? It probably pulled out of the sleeve. Tested the assembled cable and it was fine, but once you installed it in your board, there's no signal? Pull it and start over. Something was Juuuuust barely working when you tested and now you've wiggled it out of sort.

Did my new board with the cheaper, and less well regarded D'addario solderless kit. You clip the cable, undo a screw, slide the Jack over the cable, and tighten the screw. One of the ten jacks in the kit seemed to have a problem (wouldn't connect to the ground shield) but compared to the trouble I had with the Lava, I'm completely sold.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: patch cables

I did my old board with the Lava solderless kit. Huge pain in the ass. Every connection has about four ways to fail. Strip too much? You'll probably short the ground. Strip too little? The center won't make contact. So how much is just right? You have to figure that out yourself, based on trial and error. And there's a very narrow range that's correct. Didn't manage to keep pressure on the cable as you bent it to attach the right angle cap? It probably pulled out of the sleeve. Tested the assembled cable and it was fine, but once you installed it in your board, there's no signal? Pull it and start over. Something was Juuuuust barely working when you tested and now you've wiggled it out of sort.

Did my new board with the cheaper, and less well regarded D'addario solderless kit. You clip the cable, undo a screw, slide the Jack over the cable, and tighten the screw. One of the ten jacks in the kit seemed to have a problem (wouldn't connect to the ground shield) but compared to the trouble I had with the Lava, I'm completely sold.

This is exactly the way George L's work
I have used them since the mid nineties
only had one or two go bad

and just as you said
unscrew the set screw
pull the cable out of the jack
clip off a half inch
shove it back into the jack and tighten the screw
and your ready again
remember not to over tighten it

I keep a pair of side cutters and a small screwdriver in my guitar case
for string changes and such
works fine with the George L's too

 

[dystrust]

Re: patch cables

I've tried George L's and thought they sounded horrible (weak, bright, & thin). From there I tried the Planet Waves solderless (maybe the same as D'Addario?) and had similar reliability issues to those described above. They'd work great for a year or longer and then would suddenly be dead. These days I solder my own from Mogami 2524 bulk cable and Neutrik connectors. They're the same cable and connectors Guitar Center uses on their high end cable and comparable to Monster for a lot less money. The icing on the cake is that they sound better than anything available at a comparable price.

 

[hydro]

Re: patch cables

I get Lava Cables pre-made with the ELC connectors, cause they are very low profile and don't take up much space. Less even than the pancake style.

I get them pre-made from Lava because I am lazy and I am an ape when it comes to building/fixing stuff. I think as long as you don't mess around with them too much they stay together OK, in my experience.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: patch cables

I use the Mogami patch leads in different lengths, had them for 4-5 years and they've never let me down. No buzzing, crackling or tone sucking. Clear, crisp tone night after night!

 

[guitarplayer100]

Re: patch cables

I use Planet Waves which I think are great cables. No notable hiss or popping, none have gone bad on my board in years. Also cheaper than George Ls, Lava etc. They aren't most space saving cables ever but if thats not a problem I'd check them out.

 

[blindedbysilence]

Re: patch cables

I'm using Mogami 2319 with Switchcraft 229 pancakes.

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[IMENATOR]

Re: patch cables

The only reason I tried the lava cables last time was the tiny connectors that to get 4 very close connections in my AMT SS-20 preamp and 3 at the side of my ISP Decimator ii, other than that I really had a bad time with the trial and error as described before. I mean, if you re-wire pedal boards very often then you may like using those and get to learn that but for once and forget wiring session like I did the learning curve was there making me scratching my head. For anything else I know how to solder so I will feel more comfortable and is way cheaper.

I have a piece of Mogami 2524 cable and looking to buy some neutrik connectors, this was a suggestion by Hermetico and that guy knows tone for sure.

Edit: If you don't know how to solder don't be afraid to learn, it is really easy and there are tons of videos out there but in my opinion this one is the best out there https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIT4ra6Mo0s

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: patch cables

As a followup on the D'adarrio/Planet Waves cables: I bought a second kit and made another four cables/ Decided to live on the edge and didn't even bother to test for continuity as I made them or installed them, including some pretty rigorous bending and twisting to fit them into spaces that already had pedals strapped in. At the end, I plugged in a guitar and...everything just worked.

Me = convert.