Speaker Cable question

Re: Speaker Cable question

:bsflag:

Of course, that's more than I've ever spent on a stereo, or guitar amp, or guitar for that matter...
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

snake-oil-salesman.jpg
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

Only time I needed a shielded speaker cable was for a 25/70v line for intercoms and evac systems.
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

So...hypothetically speaking, let's say a fella just figured out from this thread and the linked article that he's been playing a Randall RG100ES through a very nice 1.5 ft instrument cord since 1996 or so because he thought it was a speaker cord. It is heavier gauge than typical guitar cable, but it definitely has the ground wound around the inner core, not two side-by-side wires. I pulled the end cover to check. I mean, the hypothetical fella hypothetically checked.
Assuming the amp has not died, what specific component may have been stressed or worn by this uninformed mistake?
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

I think the short cable length and the solid-state amp have worked in your favor. Output devices in the power section were probably most in jeopardy. Even if you've gone damage-free for this long, I'd still recommend getting a proper speaker cable.
 
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Re: Speaker Cable question

Oh, I am getting the correct cable pronto! I just wondered what parts I may have to replace sooner than later.
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

Go tip over a vintage fender or Gibson combo and look at the speaker wire. Not much to it. Look at the taps on the output transformer of your amp. See the size wire? There you go.

Years ago a friend was commenting on some latest edition of cool modern amp wiring BS and he said "I'm not sure the electrons care."
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

Little Pigbacon said:
I think the short cable length and the solid-state amp have worked in your favor. Output devices in the power section were probably most in jeopardy. Even if you've gone damage-free for this long, I'd still recommend getting getting a proper speaker cable.
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I agree. Makes sense.

Found this with a quick search. http://www.deathvalleycablecompany.com/faqs-technical.html#speakercable

Strange thing is that I could swear that I saw a cable online that the manufacturer listed as instrument or speaker cable, which struck me as odd, and wrong. Even if it was something like an 18 gauge conductor coax, you still would have issues with higher power amps and/or long runs and that's ignoring the capacitance and impedance problems. I'll post it if I find it.
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

Home Depot or Lowes sells spools of good quality speaker cable. Cheap. Solder on a connector and your gold.
 
Re: Speaker Cable question

For those of us that don't know how to Google:
http://www.realtimeaudio.ca/blog/difference-between-speaker-cable-instrument-cable/

For those of us that don't know how to click on the link I just posted:
Can I use one in place of the other?

Both instrument and speaker cables may have 1/4″ connectors on them. They can be hard to tell apart, but are very different and should not be mixed and matched. If you aren’t sure if you are dealing with an instrument cable or a speaker cable, unscrew the connector and have a look at the wires.

What happens if I use a speaker cable for my guitar?

- You will have a very noisy signal because speaker cable is not shielded.

What happens if I use an instrument cable in between my amp and my speaker?

- You can damage your amp. (Think about a powerful water pump hooked up to a tiny hose.)
- You could also melt the cable and potentially start a fire. Instrument cables are not high enough gauge to carry an amplified signal.
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Re: Speaker Cable question

I walked into a local car audio place and they gave me 2ft of three different gauges of speaker wire. Problem solved.

Although to back up Scott_F's point, the original speaker wires inside the Peavey speaker enclosure were puny! So now I have 16 gauge inside the cabinet and 14 gauge from the head to the cabinet with good-quality plugs at both ends.
Looking at the patch cord I've used all these years, it looks to be 20 or 18 gauge, so I reckon the amp didn't mind too much but if this adds a level of overkill and nothing else I am fine with that. Total cost = less than $5 for the two plug ends.
 
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