Do cables age?

kesslari · #1 12-25-2007, 12:12 AM

Years back, I had a cable made. The cable itself was Belkin or Mogami (I forget) the ends were Neutrik and were utterly tanklike. Did 100's of gigs with it. No problems.

Tonight it died - one of the plugs is loose... I almost want to have a wake for it.

But it so completely outlasted every stock guitar store cable I've ever had (by like a factor of 10 or more) that I'm thinking of just repairing it. But then I started thinking "maybe over all those years of being played, wound up and unwound, the cable itself has deteriorated and I should just get a new one".

I love the tank-ness of this thing.
Is it worth getting a new Neutrik plug on it?
Or is it just time to sing "Auld Lang Syne"' and move on?
If so, recommendations for good value for 20' cable?

Thanks y'all, and Merry Christmas!

hbarcat · #2 12-25-2007, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kesslari

Years back, I had a cable made. The cable itself was Belkin or Mogami (I forget) the ends were Neutrik and were utterly tanklike. Did 100's of gigs with it. No problems.

Tonight it died - one of the plugs is loose... I almost want to have a wake for it.

But it so completely outlasted every stock guitar store cable I've ever had (by like a factor of 10 or more) that I'm thinking of just repairing it. But then I started thinking "maybe over all those years of being played, wound up and unwound, the cable itself has deteriorated and I should just get a new one".

I love the tank-ness of this thing.
Is it worth getting a new Neutrik plug on it?
Or is it just time to sing "Auld Lang Syne"' and move on?
If so, recommendations for good value for 20' cable?

Thanks y'all, and Merry Christmas!

Cables wear out from use (flexing, stretching and compressing) and the place where they wear out the fastest is the ends, especially where they are soldered to the connectors. It's unlikely that a high quality cable will wear out in the middle over only a few years unless it's damaged by force, so cutting off a few inches of cable from either end and resoldering the connectors is usually all that's necessary to return them to NEW condition.

Johnny Crab · #3 12-25-2007, 12:33 AM

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Agree.

Take the end off, measure continuity with a cheapo like this:

to make sure the cable to the remaining plug is ok.
If it is, just strip the wire back some & solder & install the cap.
As long as you don't elbow wrap(pet peeve) the cable forcing knots and tight bends in the wire itself at every gig, the wire should last a LONG time.

kesslari · #4 12-25-2007, 11:07 AM

Heh. Good input.
Yeah, I'm fairly fanatic about "alternate loop wrapping" as taught me by our long time road mgr. So a resolder job it is. Excellent!
Thanks guys.

kesslari · #5 12-26-2007, 11:47 PM

Thanks again. Given the input and support, I bought a soldering iron (dang, I haven't soldered anything in like 20+ years) and fixed the cord.
AND IT WORKS!!
back in gear.

BlacksHole · #6 12-28-2007, 11:45 AM

I've not heard the term "alternate loop wrapping" before - what exactly does it mean? BTW, I do take good care of my cables and some of the ones I use on stage are more than 10 years old (regular whirlwinds).

kesslari · #7 12-28-2007, 12:35 PM

Not sure what the proper term for it is, but...
Essentially, instead of looping like a continuing spiral, you create the first loop overhand (cable crosses over itself on the completion of the loop) and the next underhand (cable crosses under itself) and alternate that way. If you toss the cable out, it extends straight, rather than in a spiral.
Easier to do (once you get the hang of it) than to explain.

Hey, google is my friend, here's a better description, and they call it "Over-Under"...
http://ieba.wordpress.com/2007/09/24...apping-cables/