Guitar Instrument Cables - what do you all perfer?

tyt921

New Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2014
Messages
81
As the title states, what do you guys perfer to use? What brands? and do you guys think the quality of the cable "greatly" affects the sound of your guitar or just improve overall longevity of the cable itself.

I am thinking of either fender cables, because they are cheaper, or go with monster!

thoughts?
 
Well I use to like Mogami and I still do, but since getting a PRS one with both straight ends and the silent Nuetrek end on it in one of my "Thank You" packages, the latter is now my favorite.
Mogami has one too with one of those silent ends, but they are way more expensive than the PRS one.
http://www.prsaccessories.com/produ...straight-jack-to-straight-silent-jack-18-feet

Cable-silent-straight_LG_1_1024x1024.jpg
 
I use the Planet Waves one with the kill switch. Silent plugging in is cool. I love the Monster Rock cable but they are expensive. I truly believe tho quality improves tone. I just cant afford.
 
Custom made from Canare GS-6 cable and Neutrik connectors. On the pedal board it's George L's.
 
I make my own cables and i use belden 8410 which i think is now out of production. But i've used it since the 80's and still have some that is still good from back then ! I recently found a large stash at an electronics store and bought a bunch to last the rest of my life, which at my age shouldn't be too much of a wait. :laugh: But i like it because it's extremely durable and very low capacitance, lower than most of today's cable including mogami. I don't like cutting highs with my cable because if i have to use something else all of a sudden my tone may be harsh. I want my amp to be where i adjust tone, not with outboard things like cable. so i want as much transparency as i can get.
 
Cables do sound a bit different, mainly because of issues related to capacitance because the signal from passive pickups is very low; thus cables roll off high frequency content as they get longer. In fact, just for fun, try this - take your favorite cable in as low as a ten foot length, and plug it from your guitar directly into your amp. Play and listen.

Then take two foot version of the same cable and do the same thing. It'll be from a little to a lot brighter (yes, I'm that crazy-picky guy who's actually cut cables down to try this).

So you can definitely pick a cable that helps tailor your sound...but there's more! Cables react to EMI and RFI differently. Some pick it up more easily than others due to shielding, etc. And there are great sounding cables that are so stiff I can hardly use them because I literally trip all over them, etc.

When I got the PRS cable as part of one of those special deals, I really liked the way it sounded; I was mostly using Mogami, but in 25 years of studio work I've also got a collection of a bunch of other cables. I won't say it sounds better - that's a matter of taste - but the PRS cable has less handling noise, and was dead quiet, even compared to the Mogami, which is very good cable, and a studio standard for its ability to reject noise.

The other thing I really like about PRS cable is that it is very, very flexible. It lays flat on the studio floor, doesn't tangle, I don't trip all over the cables when I have to move back and forth to the workstation area, or to adjust a mic, etc, with a guitar strapped on. Great stuff! After I got my first cable, I went and bought more for my pedalboard and pedalboard to amp connection, and replaced everything with it. Great stuff, terminated very well (of course I took one apart to see!) and worth the investment.

Anyway, for me the keys are whether a cable tailors the sound the way I like, whether it makes or reacts to noise like EMI/RFI or handling noise, and whether it's flexible enough to not get in the way.
 
As long as the cable is of decent quality, I don't think the effect on tone is too big a concern in general. Use decent cables, keep the cable lengths as short as is practical - and consider the other factors apart from tone (which Les pointed out - great points).

If you are decent with a soldering iron, you can get GREAT cables on the cheap. Neutrik connectors seem to be well regarded, and you can pick up metres of dual-shielded low capacitance cables at fairly low prices compared to finished cables.

There's no magic in it, just metal, solder joints and isolating layers in various combinations. There are of course differences, but if you can't at least semi-reliably pick out a favourite in a true blind test, don't obsess over it - you might end up buying 500$ usb cables for "increased clarity and extended low end" ;-)

With regard to choosing a cable with extremely low capacitance in order to ensure that you won't get a harsh tone when switching cable - the opposite argument could be made as well (risk getting a slightly duller sound when switching to a higher-capacitance cable). Just a thought, and harshness is of course rarely pleasant :)
 
I definitely hear a difference in tone. I have a bunch of different cables that I have collected over the years (Mogami, George L's, ProCo, etc) and have A/B'd them at various times.
The best sounding cable I own is a Fender-branded Whirlwind that came with a Custom-Shop Strat I bought a while back. It sat in the case for years and I never tried it because it is only a 10' until one day I figured "why not" and it turned out to be the best sounding one I have. Thing is, I can't find the exact thing anywhere, and none of the current Fender or Whirlwind products are comparable, so I hope I never lose it. Gonna try one of the PRS ones I think.
 
I have a couple of Planet Waves cables. Absolutely fantastic for listening in on my neighbors cell phone and practicing dexterity skills working through the tangled mess. Switched to Monster for a chatter and tangle free connection. I do have one PRS freebie (aside from the cost of an AP P22) that I use when I bypass the pedal board. I like it very much.
 
Interesting about the PRS cables. I think it just speaks to the suspicion i've had since i just recently became a PRS covert. That being that Paul is super anal about tone and does everything possible to insure his products excel over everything else. I might just have to get me of of those ! Do they sell then alone or do you only get them when you buy a USA PRS?
 
I gave the link to them in my post earlier.
You can order them from their store site, and they come in different lengths and plug angles.
 
Back
Top