The Truth About Guitar Cords

[PeteLaramee]

I can sound just as bad with a $300 cable as I can with a $30 cable, but I have more money for beer

I couldn't have said it better myself.

EDIT - BTW I am drinking tonight.

 

[nevusofota]

Evidence Audio Cable makes a noticeable difference - even over Mogami.....

 

[steve_k]

I can sound just as bad with a $300 cable as I can with a $30 cable, but I have more money for beer

......and with more beer, comes better tone. It's a fucking viscous circle

I have used the same Zaolla cables for about 4 years. I bought them because they are big, tough and won't knot up playing live. A little on the expensive side, but they have outlasted anything else. Not sure about tone reference though.

Steve

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Cabling arguments fail the weakest link tests miserably. Unscrew the cover on the back of your guitar, and take a guess at how much that wiring from your pickups to pots cost.

Same goes for home audio buffs.

Yeah I bought my HD TV/ Surround system and the douche at Best Buy talked me into an $80 HDMI cable saying it was a must have... I was at Sams club a month later and saw the same type cable for $12 bucks so I bought it to see if there was any difference.... None what soever. I use Planet Waves cables, not "cheap" but not $500. I will never be good enough to notice a difference between "good" cables and $500 cables.

 

[verderacer]

This is a good article... I also love one of the last points "Don't believe the hype about "audiophile cords." They may make a difference; they may not. If you don't hear any difference with your setup, then save your money and go with something less expensive."

I was going to do a separate write up on this as i have gone through the whole Canare, Evidence, Mogami, Belden, George L cable comparison a few weeks ago with 7 friends, but since I saw this post its a good a place as any. We did some independent blindfolded listening comparisons under the guise of a beer/BBQ jam event. I was surprised with the results as were the others.

We each took our personal axe and used a Keeley Mod TS9 and a Morley Wah on a modded 78 Marshall JMP 50 watt and a ported THD 2x12. Cables were all cut to the same lengths and all used the same connectors. Except for the George L's everything used a high quality solder. One of the guys makes cable harnesses for a living used in the Apache helicopter and has the art of soldering down. All we had to do was donate cable and pony up a few bucks for the connectors.

Each person was allowed to make their own settings on the amp and TS9 at the beginning but could not change them once listening was started and was only allowed to switch cable types between chops. In addition we kept to the same chops for each cable type to make it easier to hear differences. Each person performed for a few minutes on each cable type. The cables were 4' (head to TS9), 6" (TS9 to Wah) and 6' (Wah to guitar). The connectors chosen were Neutrik NP2C/B gold straight and NP2RX-B gold right angle.

The results were Canare and Evidence (6 out of 7 preferred), Mogami (5 out of 7 preferred), Belden & George L's (4 out of 7 preferred). Everybody had a hard time telling the difference between the Canare GS6 and Evidence LyricHG. It was tough as these 2 were very closely matched but we ended up doing just a comparison between the 2 to try pick which one was better and the Canare just edged out Evidence but only barely. The Mogami W2524 was up there too but we all could hear an audible difference when the Mogami was used. The Mogami was most noticeable when switching between active and passive pickups. The Belden 9778 and George L .225 cable were also closely matched and tied on each time we tried to discern the best of the 2.

Interesting note was the one guy who brought the George L cables swore up and down that this stuff would walk all over the others. At the end he swore them off as he never voted once for his own cables but each time made the comment that he knew they were his George L's plugged in. My only thinking on this is there is no substitute to a good chemical bond when passing signal.

 

[Bob Savage]

I went down that road with Evidence Audio Lyric cables 10 years ago, just to see what they were all about.
They sounded a little brighter compared to the cheapo cables, but the handling noise was actually horrible, and the solid core made them so awkward to use live as they weren't very flexible. There is a very slight difference in sound but that difference is absolutely gone when turned up in the mix with a band.

I'm fine with a good quality cable...could care less about the really expensive ones.

I've done some experimenting myself and found myself back to my with the $25 cables too. I forget what type the last quality cable it tried was but the darned thing made loops on the floor like python with an affection for ankles. I retired the cable before it took me down.

 

[Anonymous]

hendrix used those shitty ass gray pigtailed cords that u can literally fart near and hear it amplified through your amp. and not a one of us has ever sounded better than he, even using/with our uberspace super alien unicorn sperm wire thread technology.

so there.

find something that works for you, your budget and your ears. dont let anyone else "tell" you what you should be using or doing, and just do your thing.

 

[nevusofota]

Hendrix' tone sucked IMO

OK, I'm ready for the

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Hendrix' tone sucked IMO

OK, I'm ready for the

I agree 100% Hendrix' tone sucked!

 

[steve_k]

Hendrix' tone sucked IMO

OK, I'm ready for the

I agree 100% Hendrix' tone sucked!

When you use a Big Muff or whatever fuzz he used back in the day, who could about cable quality? The buzz alone from his homemade Y-cable splitter from guitar to both Marshall heads must have been a mother-fucker.

Or, drop another hit of Vitamin A and make all them troubles go away....

 

[vultures]

I guess you guys prob think I'm crazy for using 4-5 of these http://www.monoprice.com/products/produ ... 1&format=2

And 1 monster

 

[lester]

Hendrix' tone sucked IMO

OK, I'm ready for the

I agree 100% Hendrix' tone sucked!

I don't think many people would know how to handle or what to do with a strat going into 3 cranked 100 watt Marshall stacks. That volume level and his approach, you probably didn't even need acid to think this guy was from Mars. Hendrix rules still.

 

[Badronald]

Hendrix' tone sucked IMO

OK, I'm ready for the

I agree 100% Hendrix' tone sucked!

Oh man.

 

[bravedude2]

you people have balls saying hendrix tone sucks. it doesn't get any more simple guitar /amp coupla pedals. curly cord. he changed music with that. and you've done what?

 

[nevusofota]

Hendrix was an innovator, did things and made sounds on a guitar that no one else was doing (and in many cases no one has done since). His songs were spectacular and catchy, and will always be. As far as tone by what we know today? Thin, sloppy, and buzzy. For that style, time period, and genre, it was perfect.................IMO of course.

....duck.

 

[steve_k]

Hendrix was an innovator, did things and made sounds on a guitar that no one else was doing (and in many cases no one has done since). His songs were spectacular and catchy, and will always be. As far as tone by what we know today? Thin, sloppy, and buzzy. For that style, time period, and genre, it was perfect.................IMO of course.

....duck.

exactly......

 

[SBlue]

you people have balls saying hendrix tone sucks. it doesn't get any more simple guitar /amp coupla pedals. curly cord. he changed music with that. and you've done what?

Bold as Love the song - Not only the music, but the tone too. Never heard anything else close. The guitar sound so thick it's scary! Big is an understatement for the tone on that song. The fuzz during the solo is also from out of this world.
I can understand if someone only like modern high gain type of tone.
I like both tones, modern and old school. And Hendrix still reign within the top ten ever!
One thing to consider, he was using the top notch gear during his period.
Back to the cable subject, I really like the way the Evidence Lyric HG sound, and I have a pair of them. But my favorite cable has been the EVH cable. It does sound great, and it's so flexible that makes me perform better, instead of going crazy with the hard cable twisting all over the place. And they're reliable.

 

[maddnotez]

People make a huge fuss about guitar cords, but the fact of the matter is, if you're using a buffer 1st in line on your pedalboard, then the only cable that REALLY will make a difference is the one from your guitar > buffer.

Everything after that, the whole capacitance measurements are kinda negated, since the buffer is driving them with a strong, low-impedence signal. As long as it's relatively high quality and not total garbage (i.e. noisy), will work fine.

I'm not saying "go use radio shack crap cables". But I'm saying if you have a 30 foot, $200 XYZ brand cable made of titanium dipped in unicorn nutsack sweat AFTER your buffer, you've wasted your money.

This thread is great. If you see this reply write back...lol I have a question. What exactly is the "buffer"? What does that mean?

I have a pretty expensive amp, trying to maximize my sound and i am in the market for new cables?

Please explain the buffer. Is that the very first cord that goes into your input from the amp???


I use a Tube Screamer and a Wah. Eventually might get an ISP.

I want a 10 ft from amp to TS. A 1 ft mini from TS to Wah then a 10-20 ft from wah to guitar. What do you suggest?

 

[Bob Savage]

This thread is great. If you see this reply write back...lol I have a question. What exactly is the "buffer"? What does that mean?

I have a pretty expensive amp, trying to maximize my sound and i am in the market for new cables?

Please explain the buffer. Is that the very first cord that goes into your input from the amp???


I use a Tube Screamer and a Wah. Eventually might get an ISP.

I want a 10 ft from amp to TS. A 1 ft mini from TS to Wah then a 10-20 ft from wah to guitar. What do you suggest?

Here's a tube based buffer.

http://www.sfdamp.com/valvulator.html

 

[verderacer]

What exactly is the "buffer"? What does that mean?

A buffer is a powered device that lowers the output impedance and isolates interference thus reducing signal degradation.

Everything you put in your signal chain; ie: effects, cable, tone/volume pot and etc, impedes the flow of your signal.