What good pedal board patch cables are you using ?

DogPhishHead

DogPhishHead

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I have some older pancake head Hosa cables, the problem is my Carl Martin envelope filter has rear mounted jacks that are SO close to the ac jack, I can't use them. I've got some cheap Donner slim line/flat cables too, but they twist to make connections and pull on the pedals, plus they are a tad noisy. I'd like to upgrade to some decent quality now that I've downsized my board to six pedals on my Pedaltrain junior. Carl Martin Ottawa - Walrus Deep Six Comp - Smokin Amps Klone - Xotic AC Booster - MXR Phase 95 - MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe.
 
Evidence Audio SIS ("Screw-In Solderless") with their corresponding Monorail cable. About the best quick/solderless/DIY you can find; the plugs aren't pancake-flat but they're still just about the reasonably smallest & highest quality you'll find.
 
For patch cables I either use the Evidence Audio stuff or the short Nogami ones with the flat plugs.

As far as the board itself, a piece of poplar from Home Depot - $1.89
...and now I can afford another pedal. :)

You cut and drill it for the pedals you're gonna put on it,
put the power wiring on the bottom, and end up with a
nice custom-built board. Literally made from a board.

3YUbjFu.jpg
 
Monoprice 3-foot TRS>TRS Right-Angled ¼" cable. Connects expression pedal to FM9 amp modeler.

Also a salvaged a 6-foot TS>TS ¼" Right-Angled cable and built 2 right-angled plugs with cable, that are soldered to 2 separate external stand-in switches.

The solder work is subpar, but performs well. Can't say it wasn't that bad for someone who had no soldering experience before.

Also, a home-built circuit box that houses 2 outlets that power my StroboStomp DC adapter and a direct AC connection for my FM9. Some woodworker/tech help was required there.
 
I used to make solderless cables to length myself, but for whatever reason, they weren't reliable, and I'm pretty easy on my gear, just studio use for my ad sessions. But I can't have breakdowns with clients over, and with deadlines looming. There's no time to be monkeying with cables in a session.

For the last 6-7 years I've had custom cables made with traditional G&H soldered plugs. Right now Sindasoid has been my most reliable supplier.

Sinasoid makes them up for me with Evidence Audio cable. I previously had Lava make them made with Van den Hul. I find both cables sonically comparable. There's no noise coming from my pedalboard, and the fidelity is excellent.
 
claythomas said:
George L's!!!
Click to expand...
I used them on all my boards, until I didn't.

They sound good, but I was often embarrassed/stressed by shorts and failures during sessions. Maybe I just suck at creating cables.

Haven't had a single failure since going back to soldered, traditional plugs.

Granted, I don't enjoy soldering things up. so I use Sinasoid to put together custom cables. Yes, I know, it's more expensive. But who can afford problems in mid-session?
 
Mspin said:
I solder my own using mogami 2314 with square plug SP 400 connectors. If you have not tried DIY yet I highly recommend.
Click to expand...
Mogami makes high quality cables, and my studio is completely wired with the stuff (since 1989) except for my pedalboard. Mogami has excellent EMI and RFI rejection, and the cables are sturdy because the shields are braided to high tolerance. They last forever. I've got some Mogami mic cables that have been around in my studio for 30 years.

The only issue is their capacitance, which is higher than stuff like Van Damme, Sommer, Van den Hul and Evidence.

If you use a good buffer as the first pedalboard input, of course, the capacitance is a LOT less important. Mogami has fairly high capacitance compared to some cables. This can reduce high frequency content, however a high quality buffer makes that issue far less relevant.

You probably already know this and have a good buffer, so I'm preaching to the choir.

If you're using Mogami from guitar to pedalboard, however, you'll lose some high frequencies. That might not be a bad thing, depending on what you want to hear. LOTS of players, including Carlos Santana, like high capacitance cables. On the other hand, some, like me, prefer a brighter sound.

We're all different.
 
I have a bunch of the older PRS (Mogami made???) patch cables...great length, and pretty pliable.(from 3-8 years ago)
Haven't had one fail yet, but my pedal board actually sits on a rolling table, so I can adjust pedals without bending over...gittin' old, and all that!!!

I also have a few of the newer Ernie Ball with the pancake heads, when pedals are close together. (Only cuz I like green :D )
 
Bill SAS 513 said:
I have a bunch of the older PRS (Mogami made???) patch cables...great length, and pretty pliable.(from 3-8 years ago)
Haven't had one fail yet, but my pedal board actually sits on a rolling table, so I can adjust pedals without bending over...gittin' old, and all that!!!

I also have a few of the newer Ernie Ball with the pancake heads, when pedals are close together. (Only cuz I like green :D )
Click to expand...
The PRS patch cables from a few years ago were Van Damme, a very low capacitance, flexible, great sounding cable. They have half the capacitance of Mogami, which means that you can run twice as much cable for the same amount of high frequency loss. Van Damme's capacitance on that cable is in the low 20s pF per foot. The Mogami's capacitance is well into the mid to high 40s pF per foot. The lower the better.

Abbey Road Studio in London was redone with Van Damme cabling a few years back.

You bet I've done my homework on this stuff!! ;)

However, I know nothing of the Ernie Ball cable's specs. I haven't seen them listed anywhere.
 
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