Amp Cord

killerplumber · #1 09-13-2011, 07:40 PM

hi guys, dumb question here but will it hurt my amp or cabinet to use my bass cord to go from cab to head?? Or does it need to be a chord made just for that? sorry if this has been gone over before , i tried to search it but couldnt find any forums on it.

JTE · #2 09-13-2011, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killerplumber

hi guys, dumb question here but will it hurt my amp or cabinet to use my bass cord to go from cab to head?? Or does it need to be a chord made just for that? sorry if this has been gone over before , i tried to search it but couldnt find any forums on it.

Yes, it could very well hurt the amp to use a guitar cable to go from the amp to the speaker. It's a common question here...

Your guitar cord is made to pass a low level signal that's subject to lots of interference. So it's a shielded cable. That means it's got a conductive wrap all the way around it, and the hot signal is centered under that. It's made to carry low current (meaning fewer electrons).

Speaker cable is designed to carry higher current (i.e. more electrons) and you don't have to worry about interference in this context. So speaker cable is much heavier wire (even though the outer jacket of the cables might be the same). If you use a guitar cord for this, the low current wires won't pass electrons as easily, creating friction in the circuit. That friction means that less of the amp's power is getting to the speakers. It also means that the wire is made LESS conductive, which makes the problem worse. The worst case is that the amplifier could burn up the output transistors in a solid-state head, or cook the output transformer on a tube amp. Either way it releases the magic smoke that says "MONEY!!"

It's very much like using 1/2" tubing when you need 1" for the job.

John

killerplumber · #3 09-13-2011, 09:10 PM

Thanks for the reply JTE i wasn't sure and i would be really upset at myself if i messed up my amp!

darkstorm · #4 09-13-2011, 09:20 PM

It will also sound poor, since instrument cable is rediculously thin for speaker cable usage.

cubinicano · #5 09-13-2011, 11:06 PM

So where can a proper cable for head to cab?

cubinicano · #6 09-13-2011, 11:11 PM

Where online can u get a proper head to cab cable?

ehque · #7 09-14-2011, 01:05 AM

Look for "speaker" cable, with the right connectors for your head and cab.

You should be able to find it at any music store or website. For example: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/speaker-cables

**JxBass** · #8 09-14-2011, 04:07 AM

I've bought plenty from reputable eBay retailers, 12 or 14 gauge is what I use. Remember, the lower the number the thicker the cable.

Rockmusician · #9 09-14-2011, 04:32 AM

Always make sure you use a speaker cable to connect the head to the cab. There are many differences such as those stated above.

Oren Hudson · #10 09-14-2011, 05:54 AM

Once you get a proper speaker cord, take a Sharpie and label it SPKR. and label the instrument cable I or INST. so you'll not get them mixed up. I usually mark both ends for longevity. I run the PA for my band and found that doing the marking saves a lot of guessing and determining which cords are for what. Just check the label. In fact, I label all cords with length too. From mic cords to extension cords. Makes things a lot easier when loading in to know what length certain cords are without having to unroll a 50' cord and only need 20'.

Dekker · #11 09-14-2011, 06:40 AM

As mentioned before, just go to your local music store.

The racks with cables will be labelled "instrument" cables or "speaker" cable. The added bonus here is that you can just ask the sales guy to point you to the right one and then you won't have to worry about returns or anything.

+1 on the suggestion to label your cords. I use the metallic silver sharpie pen for this because it has such good contrast on black!

thumpbass1 · #12 09-14-2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dekker

As mentioned before, just go to your local music store.

The racks with cables will be labelled "instrument" cables or "speaker" cable. The added bonus here is that you can just ask the sales guy to point you to the right one and then you won't have to worry about returns or anything.

+1 on the suggestion to label your cords. I use the metallic silver sharpie pen for this because it has such good contrast on black!

Great tip! I used to flag my speaker cables with red electrical tape wrapped towards the plug ends, but a silver Sharpie pen is a great idea.

Russell L · #13 09-14-2011, 09:42 AM

So, what happens if you use a speaker cable for an instrument cable? Not that I would, but just wondering what the answer is.

will33 · #14 09-14-2011, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell L

So, what happens if you use a speaker cable for an instrument cable? Not that I would, but just wondering what the answer is.

Wouldn't really hurt anything per se, might be noisy...no shielding.

Using a speaker cable for the instrument would be like using a firehose when a garden hose would do the job. Using instrument cable for the speaker would be like trying to force a firehose amount of water through the garden hose.

Russell L · #15 09-14-2011, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by will33

Wouldn't really hurt anything per se, might be noisy...no shielding.

Using a speaker cable for the instrument would be like using a firehose when a garden hose would do the job. Using instrument cable for the speaker would be like trying to force a firehose amount of water through the garden hose.

Thanks, I just wanted to be able to explain it technically to a friend of mine who thinks it doesn't matter. I've never done it myself, nor would I ever think of it. I know better, and always label my cords, too.

JTE · #16 09-14-2011, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell L

So, what happens if you use a speaker cable for an instrument cable? Not that I would, but just wondering what the answer is.

Right, it won't hurt anything to use a speaker cable instead of a guitar cable. But, due to the lack of shielding, it'll allow a lot more stray RF interference and 60 Hz hum into the signal, probably making it useless.

John

will33 · #17 09-14-2011, 10:49 AM

We used to use this shared practice space where I'd see speaker cables plugged in the front of amps all the time cause somebody before just grabbed whatever cable, plugged it in and it worked. Doing it that way won't really damage any equipment but putting an instrument cable (guitar cord) where the speaker cable goes certainly can and will burn up an amplifier.

rockstarbassist · #18 09-14-2011, 11:04 AM

umm, yeah. you need a speaker cable to go to your "speaker". don't use your patch cable...

makohund · #19 09-14-2011, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thumpbass1

Great tip! I used to flag my speaker cables with red electrical tape wrapped towards the plug ends, but a silver Sharpie pen is a great idea.

The tape works well. I've used green for signal cables, red for speaker. Especially useful for 1/4" plugs, and the tape fits perfectly around the barrel of most ends. Many with a number written on them too... length in feet.

Kept things in different boxes... all "green 1/4" in one, all "red 1/4" in another, all XLR/XLR in another, XLR/1/4 in another, anything with a speakon in another, and so on. All the boxes fit along with the big snake into one bigger box with wheels.

Good to be a little organized when bringing/running your own PA.

BassmanPaul · #20 09-14-2011, 01:42 PM

I've used the thermal tape from a Brother printer to identify different cables. To keep it in place I use clear heat shrink tubing. Another tip, if you will, is to use different colour heat shrink on XLR cable ends. It's easy to see at a glance what cable is where. Yellow on microphone end, look for yellow at the mixer etc. Saves a lot of guessing at the gig.