Guitar cables

[SeanTracey]

Haven't posted here in a while and thought this would be a good place to discuss cables!

Mike 450 should especially like this one - I've just acquired a new Elixir cable and it's bloody awesome. They may make those condom strings you don't like, but their condom cable is great! (??) It's very sturdy, superbly designed (ok it has non-serviceable patented plugs, but I doubt anything'll go wrong with it anyway) and most importantly it sounds great.

I never gave cables much thought until a few years ago when I decided to buy a Kordex/Kordstar cable from the States. It blew me away from the word go, when it replaced an old Fender cable I'd been using with my guitars. The Kordex is still my main cable and nothing (until now) has come anywhere close to sounding as good, and I've tried loads of brands. Unfortunately that company doesn't exist anymore, but if you Google them you'll find old forum threads and websites and they got nothing but praise from guitarists. Dead cheap too in comparison to Mogami, Zaolla, Evidence, etc.

Decided to splash out for an Elixir cable after reading the hype, and I'm glad I did. It's not as punchy as other cables, which is the only thing I don't particularly like about it, but it is crystal clear with great bass and midrange and doesn't muffle highs at all. Just sparkles away and is really easy to listen to.

So for our electro-acoustic members who gig regularly, have you found your perfect cable yet? Or are you using whatever cable is lying in the gig bag!

[Rick Jones]

I buy boxes of neutrik jacks, rolls of klotz cable off eBay, make my own up in whatever length I like, then make as many as I can with the leftovers, sell those and make my money back for the components......viola....high quality cables and they end up costing me nothing!
Planet waves are good for premade, affordable jobs.

[SeanTracey]

Nice one Rick, that's a great idea I think. Would love to try that myself some time - is it a soldering iron job or are the Neutrik plugs solder-free? I also love the G&H plugs, they're really sturdy. I've heard the Klotz cables sound great too, never tried one though.

[Rick Jones]

Nice one Rick, that's a great idea I think. Would love to try that myself some time - is it a soldering iron job or are the Neutrik plugs solder-free? I also love the G&H plugs, they're really sturdy. I've heard the Klotz cables sound great too, never tried one though.

Hey Sean,they do need soldering, but it's really simple, and it's not like soldering on a circuit board for instance,where you have to be super careful not to overheat it. Just tin the wire ends, tin the tabs on the socket, heat them a little and hold them in place till they cool a little....the thing about Neutrik plugs is that the strain relief is excellent, and once the plug is screwed tight,the internals can't move hardly, so the joints don't go "dry" as easily as some cables, and they are super reliable.

The Klotz cable is great, I don't like cables to be too flexible, as then people tend to coil them too tightly and break the insulation,causing them to fail.
As a tech, it causes me groans when I see people coiling around their elbow like rope!

[Pauline]

so... how should we put the cables away? I usually end to end mine and double it up etc then sort of tie it in a loose knot.

Should I be shot?!

Mine usually fail near the jacks at either end.

I was thinking of buying a solder iron and having a go at repairing them myself... is it easy enough for a gurl like me?!

Pauline

[JB]

I roll my cables in a nice round circle / loop about a foot in diameter, no tight curves or squashed ovals.

[Pauline]

The sprog is currently having lessons with Dad on how to strip back cables and solder his own jack plugs on!

Such fun to watch...lol

[singlereed]

Don't know about 'perfect' but I have a couple of Whirlwind leads. One of them is over 20 years old and when I paid rather a lot for it at the time, I thought '10 year guarantee ... oh, right!' but it has paid for itself. Can't say I have ever done A/B tests against anything else for sound but this one delivers. It also has the benefit of not being inclined to tangle. When you look at the actual plus and wiring they don't look that sturdy but they seem to last very well.

[boombox]

I have had a Whirlwind lead for about 15 years, but it's finally developed a crackle, so I have a Planet Waves one now. Excellent value indeed!