Cable management for multi-amp setups?

  • Thread starter Thread starter MadAsAHatter
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MadAsAHatter

MadAsAHatter

Well-known member
From the front my amp shelving setup looks tidy. In the back it's a clusterfuck of cables. I've run everything as neatly as possible, but it's still not as neat as I'd like it to be. I also want to minimize interference with so may cables and power cords around each other.

Anyone have good ways or tips for keeping it all neat and tidy? If you have a multi-amp setup, how did you do your cable management?
 
MadAsAHatter said:
From the front my amp shelving setup looks tidy. In the back it's a clusterfuck of cables. I've run everything as neatly as possible, but it's still not as neat as I'd like it to be. I also want to minimize interference with so may cables and power cords around each other.

Anyone have good ways or tips for keeping it all neat and tidy? If you have a multi-amp setup, how did you do your cable management?
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I zip tie everything where it makes sense to do so .......
 
I'd say you'll probably just need to get used to it looking bad behind the shelves.

The best advice I can give you is to use shelving tight enough that you just can't see your cabling.

2Sa3exR.jpeg
 
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TheGreatGreen said:
I'd say you'll probably just need to get used to it looking bad behind the shelves.

The best advice I can give you is to use shelving tight enough that you just can't see your cabling.

2Sa3exR.jpeg
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That sofa is obviously in the way. Maybe that’s why the Randall is back there? Obviously, the wizard the suhr, and the Bogner are not blocked by the furniture.
 
I use those little velcro strips. I had a few rolls from working in IT and they work great, a little roll around a few cables to hold them together and if a cable goes bad it's not a huge chore to swap it out either.

I would say "reduce" is important too, if you can. I used to run a power cable to every single amp on my shelf, and left a pair of speaker cables running down behind them so that all I had to do to change amps was swap the speaker cables and plug in. It was a huge mess within a few days after setting it up. Now I just leave two power cables and two short speaker cables behind each 4x12 cab, then I physically move the two heads I want to play over and plug them in each time. Maybe when I get older my back/feet will hate me but it's way less cluttered this way for me.
 
Velcro strips and zip ties. If you want to
Make your life a little easier group the cables per amp and tag each end.
 
Velcro strips for cable ties over zip ties. You can reuse them as things evolve.

Color code cable ends. I keep it the same to both of my amps (live use) where red is return, white is send, yellow is input, blue is control or footswitch (MIDI), etc. I used both color electrical tape on the jacks or heat shrink tubing on the cable ends. You can buy sleeves or rings for some jacks, like the Neutrik, depending on what you have. I found colored plastic nuts online for my board that work on some of my amps.

Get expandable tubing to make snakes where multiple cables go to and from the same source. I do a snake to each amp.

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oof. I have my amp shelves on wheels, I just turn them around and plug in whatever
 
That "Snake Skin" cable management works.....but you still have at least 6 inches (no pun intended) of the cable ends hanging out
 
BeZo said:
Velcro strips for cable ties over zip ties. You can reuse them as things evolve.

Color code cable ends. I keep it the same to both of my amps (live use) where red is return, white is send, yellow is input, blue is control or footswitch (MIDI), etc. I used both color electrical tape on the jacks or heat shrink tubing on the cable ends. You can buy sleeves or rings for some jacks, like the Neutrik, depending on what you have. I found colored plastic nuts online for my board that work on some of my amps.

Get expandable tubing to make snakes where multiple cables go to and from the same source. I do a snake to each amp.

View attachment 316407
Click to expand...

This is actually a necessity if you're using a KHE or similar amp switcher and fat metal jacks. I was having an issue where the KHE wouldn't swap to certain cabs at all. Turns out if the jacket of the speaker cable jacks touch, they will ground to each other and cause some sort of interference. I wrapped mine in electrical tape and the issue resolved. Wish I color coded them like this, that's clean as heck.
 
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