What length cables do you use?

TimBosby · #1 07-27-2009, 04:57 PM

I bought some new cables the other day. I got a couple of DiMarzio cables - 6 and 10 footers - for home practice. For live practice I bought two 20-foot George L "Vintage red" cables and now I'm thinking this is probably overkill. I only need cables to run from my amp to my pedals, and my pedals to my bass. Like many TBers, I play gigs around town at clubs, and don't ever have the luxury of roaming around a gigantic arena stage. Just curious what length cables you use? I am thinking about sending the 20 footers back in favor of a couple of 10 or 15 footers. Or maybe I could use one 10 and one 15. I've heard the shorter the cable, the better the tone. In the past, I've traditionally used 21 foot "Bullet" cables, but their the "phone cord" style so they don't seem as long as they physically are. Those cables, however, are shot...so I need some new ones...my guitar player swears by George L...

ggunn · #2 07-27-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimBosby

I bought some new cables the other day. I got a couple of DiMarzio cables - 6 and 10 footers - for home practice. For live practice I bought two 20-foot George L "Vintage red" cables and now I'm thinking this is probably overkill. I only need cables to run from my amp to my pedals, and my pedals to my bass. Like many TBers, I play gigs around town at clubs, and don't ever have the luxury of roaming around a gigantic arena stage. Just curious what length cables you use? I am thinking about sending the 20 footers back in favor of a couple of 10 or 15 footers. Or maybe I could use one 10 and one 15. I've heard the shorter the cable, the better the tone. In the past, I've traditionally used 21 foot "Bullet" cables, but their the "phone cord" style so they don't seem as long as they physically are. Those cables, however, are shot...so I need some new ones...my guitar player swears by George L...

By "phone cord" cables, do you mean those curly retracting ones like the cord to a telephone handset? I didn't think you could even get those any more; they are TERRIBLE. They are noisy, they tangle up with everything else in your gig bag, and they crap out very quickly. I HATE those things.

As to tone vs. length, try some different lengths if you want, but personally I can't hear a bit of difference between my short cables and my long ones. YMMV.

PJSShearer · #3 07-27-2009, 05:32 PM

If you have a passive Bass then look to have a maximum of 30 feet cable run - from Bass to board to amp - if you go past 30 feet you'll notice a drop off in treble and volume (I defnitely did) unless you have an active bass, then it won't matter. If you have a passive Bass, and no board, then go for a 20 foot lead.

TimBosby · #4 07-27-2009, 06:03 PM

ggunn- heh heh, yeah, those are the ones, man. My old guitar player convinced me they were just too cool not to get. He had clear ones so I bought red ones. Years later, they sound...well, not that great!

I play mostly actives, but have a few passives. I'll probably go with two 15s, or a 10 and a 20.

TOOL460002 · #5 07-27-2009, 06:09 PM

got a couple thirty footers, and a couple backup cables that are in the 15-25ft range. ive also got about a hundred feet of unused cable sitting around. i could make a massive cable and then just walk off stage or go outside while playing. that would be funny. i had no idea about passive basses losing volume with longer cables; nice fun fact, though i dont see myself owning one again.

for me, longer is better. after one or two instances of jerking a cable from my pedalboard i immediately invested in longer cables.

JTE · #6 07-27-2009, 06:58 PM

Noting over 20' for me. I've got a selection from 6" to 20'. I use what the gig needs. I keep my cable runs as short as possible to reduce the possibility of damage, and to keep the extra noise opportunities as small as possible.

Right now I'm looking at the bag because I dumped them all out to sort and organize again. I've got:

20' 2
15' 3
10' 9
< 5' 13 (well, more than that- I've got a mic case full of 6" cords plus the patch cords on three pedal boards).

jte

no1likesme · #7 07-27-2009, 07:05 PM

I would never use less than 20'

TimBosby · #8 07-27-2009, 09:45 PM

Thanks for the input guys!

Jeff K · #9 07-27-2009, 10:46 PM

All 20's for me.

LM Bass · #10 07-27-2009, 10:53 PM

10 footers, usually.
20's in the bag just in case.

Jim Campbell · #11 07-27-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggunn

By "phone cord" cables, do you mean those curly retracting ones like the cord to a telephone handset? I didn't think you could even get those any more; they are TERRIBLE. They are noisy, they tangle up with everything else in your gig bag, and they crap out very quickly. I HATE those things.

As to tone vs. length, try some different lengths if you want, but personally I can't hear a bit of difference between my short cables and my long ones. YMMV.

someone mentioned in another thread that there's a company making decent quality curlies......tangles and quality issues aside i liked 'em back when...one less thing to trip over.......'course there wasn't much else available at the time

Phalex · #12 07-28-2009, 06:53 AM

I use a 10' to my volume pedal (I move it out towards the front of the stage when I play the 2 string carboard box) and a 20' cable to my bass.

I love 30' mic cables. They always seem to be long enough.

Mojo-Man · #13 07-28-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by no1likesme

I would never use less than 20'

Me to.

Richland123 · #14 07-28-2009, 09:24 AM

Minimum 18 ft. for me. I might go longer next time to 25 ft.. Since we do not use a soundman, I always go out as far as I can during our sound check. Also, I move about the stage a lot and the bigger the stage, the more mobile I become.

5StringBlues · #15 07-28-2009, 09:26 AM

10 foot on club dates,20 foot on festival stages.

TimBosby · #16 07-28-2009, 09:50 PM

I got my 20 foot George L cables today and they are super thin! Double you tee eff! Are all George L cables like this? I haven't opened them yet. But since it's Musician's Friend, I can send them back within 45 days or what have you. I also ordered a 6 and 10 foot tweed colored DiMarzio cable and they look sweet. I haven't tried them yet. But in my experience, pretty much anything DiMarzio is good...at least, I am a big fan of their pickups.

Chipsonfire · #17 07-28-2009, 10:02 PM

I went from a 6' Monster that was too short for even home use to a 25' Live Wire that my brother got me for my birthday. I like that the Live Wire has plugs that you can take apart and replace, while still having the lifetime guarantee and a good price to boot.

CamMcIntyre · #18 07-28-2009, 11:09 PM

I use mainly Monster 12 ft bass cables (I keep 1 in each of my bass bags and then have a few extra). I rarely play gigs where I need to be any further away from my amp than that. More often than not, it's right beside me. I have 1 21ft cable-I rarely use it.

The edit: The nice thing is that in about 10 years, I've only bought 4 cables. Thank you lifetime warranty.

TimBosby · #19 07-29-2009, 05:40 AM

I think I may send back my George Ls and buy a couple more DiMarzios. The DiMarzios have a lifetime warranty too.

ggunn · #20 07-29-2009, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamMcIntyre

I use mainly Monster 12 ft bass cables (I keep 1 in each of my bass bags and then have a few extra). I rarely play gigs where I need to be any further away from my amp than that. More often than not, it's right beside me. I have 1 21ft cable-I rarely use it.

The edit: The nice thing is that in about 10 years, I've only bought 4 cables. Thank you lifetime warranty.

Have you ever had to exercise that warranty? I have a raft of cables of all different makes (no Monster cables, though); in the last 10 years I can only remember having one or two that failed, and I repaired them myself. I fix cables for other folks, too, and the vast majority of failures I have encountered were easier to repair (wire breakage in the connectors) that it would have been to drive to a music store and swap it for a new cable. I don't see the lifetime warranty as that big a selling point.