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Originally Posted by strummin  Don't mean to high-jack the thread but . . . any recommendations for a good cable. The guy I bought my amp from gave me a Monster cable. Seeing your comment, I think I'll switch. Can I use my guitar cable or do I need to buy a "bass" cable as well?? How do you tell over/undersized plugs? |
I have two sources for cables: I make 'em myself or I buy them from
Bayou Cables. Butch's work is exemplary and he uses G&H and Neutrik plugs. My cables are pretty darned good too, but I don't sell 'em. I make my own when in a time crunch - like I need a cable in a matter of a hours. Otherwise, Butch gets the nod. I'm also told that Livewire cables are quite good and use Neutrik plugs, so there's a brick & mortar store alternative.
Monster Cables 1/4" plugs are, again, just a tad larger than standard. This give a nice firm connection and actually works well for this type of jack (#2 & #4):
But it wears out the deep panel jacks found in G&L L series basses, ASAT guitars, and other instruments using this style of jack (#2):
A lot of amps & stomp boxes are using jacks that aren't as strong as the ones in the top image, so wear will be an issue there eventually. So yeah - dump the Monster.
Technically, there is probably a difference between a cable made for guitar and one made for bass; the difference being the capacitance of the cable itself and the amount of profit the manufacturer makes. But I really doubt anyone is going to be able to actually hear the difference. Maybe a tech could see the difference with an oscilloscope, but I doubt that ears can pick it up. Bottom line: use a good quality instrument cable and you'll be good.
You can tell an over or under sized plug by feel. Undersized will feel obviously sloppy in the jack. Oversized will feel a bit snug on insertion. What you want is a plug that inserts easily and is held firmly in place by the spring contact. Plugging into a G&L Legacy or Fender Strat will feel similar and be a snappier "click" than an L-2000 which uses the deep panel jack.
Ken...
