My Bullet Coily Guitar Cable shorted recently and unfortunately I can't get a new one yet as Bullet haven't yet got any stock (They've just started up again). So I'm looking at buying a decent straight guitar cable whilst I wait as mine are all a bit pants. They get tangled easily, don't stay out of the way and some of them just don't sound nice.
So I would like to know, what cables do you guys use and which are great for stage use? I've been looking at George L's 255 cable but I'm not sure how good it is at staying out of the way.
Just get Van Damme cable and Neutric plugs and make your own.
If want them to look fancy put some braid on them.
I've been using Van Damn cable for 30 years, never a problem. My entire studio is wired with it too.
If you want to go esoteric they do a silver studio line cable of varying capacitance ,so choose to taste. The cable is very thick though so not great for live work, hence the 'studio' moniker.
Make sure you buy genuine Neutric plugs not copies. Here's one I made earlier and used copies of the neutric plugs...... they lasted about a week. I've replaced them with the real thing and they've been round the world with me since then.
Marrcus
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These have caught my eye as well. I need to price it up against making my own though. I know in the past I found a seller on ebay that would make a cable for you using Van Damme Cable and Neutrik connectors for less than I could buy the bits for.
I've been enjoying the braided cables that Reverb.com sells. They are cheap, and seem very reliable. I am not big on the mojo factor of high end cables, so if thats your thing, look elsewhere.
Make your own. The outer shield should provide at least 90% coverage. Canare GS-6 is a good example. http://www.canare.com/ProductItemDispla ... tItemID=61 There are 10 colors if you are willing to count black and white as colors. There are other brands that don't come to mind at the moment.
I recognize you are in the UK so pricing will be different. In the US this sort of cable is about $1/ft in short lengths and a couple of decent Switchcraft or Neutrik plugs will run maybe $5. So, for $15 and 15 minutes work, you can build a great cable for silly cheap money.
Ah its not quite as cheap for us in the UK. George L Cable is £4.60 per metre and the connectors are £4.55 each. So its roughly £35 to make the cable anyway. I think the Van Damme cable has a similar price on ebay.
Long time now I've been making cables for myself, and customers who use 'em in studios, clubs & international tours. Conquest USA-1 cable, Switchcraft plugs. Plenty flexible & tough enough for just about anything. Lots o' colors. Easy to strip & solder, what more could anyone ask.
A little tiny bit better but more cost & pain in the neck to wire up: star quad cable (Conquest offers it as well as Belden "Brilliance", Mogami, Canare. Pick 2 conductors as signal, other 2 as ground. Join the 2 ground conductors with shield at one connector, and do not connect the shield, only the 2 ground connectors as ground at the other end. Of course connect the signal connectors too, as normal. This setup can sometimes, not always, help beat a ground loop. Use the plug that has shield connected at the amp end - presuming the amp is definitley grounded. This way the shield carries noise to the amp's ground & doesn't mix that noise with your signal.
If you need miracle cable/connectors buy anything else, watch your money miraculously disappear & really no better results except what you "believe", an emperors-new-clothes story.
One customer now buys nothing but Monster cable. Not because it works better or sounds better. Because any cable that breaks (and they do) he can swap it for a fresh one at any Monster dealer, no questions asked. I s'pose that's sort of a solution.
George L: OY! The cable's no problem, nothing special. It's the solderless connectors that kill me. You're supposed to crank down on a couple of pointy ended bolts and "hope" they find the proper conductor in the cable. A miracle when one works and a super miracle when one stays working. Way more expensive than they deserve to be. I'm not impressed.
I like the Canare cables I made with Neutrik silent plug. The silent switch is a great feature, but bends easily if you're not careful, so doesn't qualify as road worthy in my book.
I build and repair tube amps. http://amps.monkeymatic.com
Mogami 2524, Canare GS-6 not sure how you could do better, I use Canare or Neutrik plugs, or Switchcraft if I don't feel like hunting. Neutriks are kind of bulkier than necessary. Canare is a bit softer than the Mogami, the Mogami sometimes fights me. Canare has really nice colors and a lovely smooth jacket feel, nice fetish quality, if you care. Both have copper shields!!!
I simply had good access to those two when in NYC, I'm sure nostalgic old Belden is still fine, as is Gepco. I got pissed off at Belden when it left NYS for Mexico years ago. There's a German one, Gotham? I never tried - it's German must be good, right? Sonically I can hear btwn cheap generic cables and good ones but not so much btwn good ones, a little brighter here or there. Never tried George L or Lava etc, I don't see the need to pay more than Canare and Mogami costs, and I don't really think I want any better quality, Canare and Mogami are plenty revealing for guitar/bass, anymore I think would be bad. All cables fail too, diy or bought. Sometimes you rework and rework a cable and it just keeps pissing you off and you chuck it. I'd rather chuck $15 of Canare than an $80 Lava cable. I do really want one of those coiled Lava cables though.
Canare and Mogami speaker cable is terrific stuff for the price. The Mogami again is stiffer and a bit unruly.
Sidenote: I use Canare for all things hifi - GS6 makes a fine and very cheap digital cable, Star Quad for interconnects (doubled up) is good or better than many uber expensive cables IME. Their pro speaker cable is great here too. Canare for friends' systems, otherwise Kimber PBJ and 4/ 8TC for myself - clearer.
Not sure what is the BEST, but the best I've used over many years is Mogami. I make my own cables, using whatever high-quality plugs fit the bill for size, straight vs. angled, availability.
