Satin necks...I can't be alone?

[ScottR]

You held them closer to your ear...duh! This class is easy.

Hey..can I cheat off of you??!! I hope there aren't any tests. I've never tested well...please tell me we don't have to take a test. (Paces the floor, wringing hands, slapping myself on the head over and over).

 

[ScottR]

Honestly I wouldn’t put it past you to hear the difference In cheap cables vs quality, or 10 ft vs 30 ft. Sounds like a you’re a man that appreciates what Paul strives for everyday with this brand.

Yeah...Les is and will always be my Tone Yoda.

 

[László]

Honestly I wouldn’t put it past you to hear the difference In cheap cables vs quality, or 10 ft vs 30 ft. Sounds like a you’re a man that appreciates what Paul strives for everyday with this brand.

Thanks! I find the main differences are due, first to capacitance, and second, to EMI/RFI rejection, elimination of handling noises, etc.

Cables with 25 pF/foot capacitance, like the Van Damme that PRS sells as premium cables, sound a little more accurate in the high frequencies than higher-capacitance cables, especially over longer runs. As an example, the Mogami cables run around 48 pF/foot, so runs under ten feet to the first buffered device work better for me with cables like the Mogami. I can run 25 feet of cable with the Van Damme with no noticeable signal loss.

I've been playing around with some recently-developed instrument cables by Sommer that have a 16 pF/foot capacitance, said to be the lowest capacitance instrument cable on the market. They sound great. The tradeoff is that they're a bit stiff compared to the Van Damme. At the level of the Sommer model I mentioned vs the Van Damme, the audible differences are very small, where they're clearer with the Van Damme vs Mogami.

There are players who want some high frequency rolloff in their cables. I've had some premium cables that sounded devoid of high frequencies (and unacceptable for me) that high-gain players have loved. The PRS sweet switch on the early models was a response to Carlos Santana's request to be able to make his guitar sound like it was connected to a very long cable (probably why I never use the sweet switch on my one guitar that has it).

You can tailor sound just that extra little bit with cable choices. And yeah, crappy cables don't sound very good at all for a variety of reasons.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Thanks! I find the main differences are due, first to capacitance, and second, to EMI/RFI rejection, elimination of handling noises, etc.

Cables with 25 pF/foot capacitance, like the Van Damme that PRS sells as premium cables, sound a little more accurate in the high frequencies than higher-capacitance cables, especially over longer runs. As an example, the Mogami cables run around 48 pF/foot, so runs under ten feet to the first buffered device work better for me with cables like the Mogami. I can run 25 feet of cable with the Van Damme with no noticeable signal loss.

I've been playing around with some recently-developed instrument cables by Sommer that have a 16 pF/foot capacitance, said to be the lowest capacitance instrument cable on the market. They sound great. The tradeoff is that they're a bit stiff compared to the Van Damme. At the level of the Sommer model I mentioned vs the Van Damme, the audible differences are very small, where they're clearer with the Van Damme vs Mogami.

There are players who want some high frequency rolloff in their cables. I've had some premium cables that sounded devoid of high frequencies (and unacceptable for me) that high-gain players have loved. The PRS sweet switch on the early models was a response to Carlos Santana's request to be able to make his guitar sound like it was connected to a very long cable (probably why I never use the sweet switch on my one guitar that has it).

You can tailor sound just that extra little bit with cable choices. And yeah, crappy cables don't sound very good at all for a variety of reasons.

Have you ever tried Rattlesnake Cables from Missoula, MT? They claim "Our Standard instrument cables are 20-25pF / foot. This is tested at 15' feet lengths. A 10' cable is probably 19-21pF, while a 20' cable is in the 22-27pF range.".

 

[László]

Have you ever tried Rattlesnake Cables from Missoula, MT? They claim "Our Standard instrument cables are 20-25pF / foot. This is tested at 15' feet lengths. A 10' cable is probably 19-21pF, while a 20' cable is in the 22-27pF range.".

I checked out their website just now. Haven't tried their cables. I wonder who makes the cable for them (they only assemble the connectors and sleeving)?

In any case, that's pretty low capacitance, and the cables might be worth a try for those looking for low-cap cabling. All things being equal (i.e., noise rejection and handling noise rejection), should be pretty good sounding stuff!

When I need standard lengths of cable, I just get the PRS/Van Damme stuff. For custom lengths, braided nylon sleeving, and special purpose cables (including heavy-duty AC and speaker cables), I've had great luck with Sinasoid cable company. They do really nice work, and offer lots of good cable, connector, and other options.

I like to use the nylon tech flex braided sleeving for cables that are going to sit on the floor where I might step on them. Protects the cable, and also looks pretty nice. I even have my AC cords covered with the stuff. Good cables are expensive, why not give them the extra protection?

 

[Moondog Wily]

I checked out their website just now. Haven't tried their cables. I wonder who makes the cable for them (they only assemble the connectors and sleeving)?

In any case, that's pretty low capacitance, and the cables might be worth a try for those looking for low-cap cabling. All things being equal (i.e., noise rejection and handling noise rejection), should be pretty good sounding stuff!

When I need standard lengths of cable, I just get the PRS/Van Damme stuff. For custom lengths, braided nylon sleeving, and special purpose cables (including heavy-duty AC and speaker cables), I've had great luck with Sinasoid cable company. They do really nice work, and offer lots of good cable, connector, and other options.

I like to use the nylon tech flex braided sleeving for cables that are going to sit on the floor where I might step on them. Protects the cable, and also looks pretty nice. I even have my AC cords covered with the stuff. Good cables are expensive, why not give them the extra protection?

Thanks Les, I appreciate your feedback and sharing your knowledge!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Hey..can I cheat off of you??!! I hope there aren't any tests. I've never tested well...please tell me we don't have to take a test. (Paces the floor, wringing hands, slapping myself on the head over and over).

He said cables, not crayons bro!!

 

[ScottR]

He said cables, not crayons bro!!

 

[Derek Neufeld]

Use 3m trizact 2000 grit sanding sponges , they are way better than scotch brights and dont make nearly as deep of scratches that the scuff pads do

 

[ScottR]

Use 3m trizact 2000 grit sanding sponges , they are way better than scotch brights and dont make nearly as deep of scratches that the scuff pads do

Good to know...thanks dude!

 

[Greywolf]

I usually break the gloss with 2000 grit wet , it makes it a lot less sticky in the Atlanta summers

 

[Sybo]

Satin all day long. I love the way it goes the “other”way…. It gets shiny. It does not bother me whatsoever!

 

[Jo-]

Another vote for natural rosewood necks here.

 

[The Bird]

Satin all the way, baby. All other neck finishes are stupid IMO. The rest of the guitar can be poly, nitro or whatever works best. But for necks satin works 60% of the time, every time.

My best neck is the satin neck on my McCarty 594 Singlecut Wood Library.

 

[vchizzle]

I prefer satin, but I’m fine with any. I ordered my PS with the nitro steel wool’d.