Cables for pedalboard

paulaviation · #1 10-01-2011, 06:24 PM

Right, I'm new to the whole DIY cable thing. I need about 5ft of cable for my board.

What would be a fairly cheap brand to go with but still have a good tone?

Nightlyraider · #2 10-01-2011, 06:29 PM

It does not affect your tone at all unless you are crazy.

Sometimes the connectors, durability, and flexibility are different, but if the cable is working its good to go.

How many pedals do you have to connect? You could easily go with store bought connectors for a few of them.

An ebay "namebrand" DIY cable kit will set you back $70-90. For a few pedals that is isn't needed, if you want to squeeze 18 pedals into the smallest place possible, a few of them might be required.

Snakeman1066 · #3 10-01-2011, 09:49 PM

I use the Hosa Low Profile connectors

you can get them in a six pack for less than 20.00.......and with the low profile i can squeeze more stuff on my board

DannDubblewe · #4 10-02-2011, 12:09 AM

DIY cable then? Canare 22 gauge wire is thin an works really well with those low profile connectors. To save some headaches I would buy the already made Hosa ones for the pedals right next to each other and then make your own for the longer cables you require. Or, if you need practice, make them all. Yuh!

blr2 · #5 10-02-2011, 10:13 AM

I DIY my pedalboard cables. Not only I get the exact length that I need, but the quality is much better than the patch cables usually found in music stores.

Phendyr_Loon · #6 10-02-2011, 10:24 AM

I bought a Live Wire patch cable kit at GC last winter.

The feature that sold me on it was the "cut to length" option. I chose the best layout for pedal locations on my board and cut cables to patch them. No more "too long"or "too short" connections, it makes for a very clean and professional looking setup.

Althought as far as sound goes, I hear little to no difference in these compared to the colored Radio Shack patch cables which I use before.

blr2 · #7 10-02-2011, 11:25 PM

In terms of sound quality, me too cannot hear any difference between good quality patch cables and the cheap, colored ones. The main difference for me is in preventing electromagnetic interference (EMI). Cheap cables aren't shielded well. If you ever opened one of these cheap cords, you've seen the thin, anemic shield they have.

newbold · #8 10-05-2011, 11:11 AM

I bought a bunch of rock cable (by warwick) interconnects and had to cut to length...so I massacred a n extra cable a couple of times to rewire the thing. Made me feel kinda bad to have to undo the great job they did with heatshrinking the solder joint!!!!!!

This last time I got a soldering iron (no hefty gun anymore) and now I can think about making my own cables from now on. While these rock cables are great and not expensive, I can probably make a better cable for not much more. Under $20 for a 20 foot cable or more than $30 for the parts to make a better one? Here's to either of those

**bassman314** · #9 10-05-2011, 12:31 PM

I really like GeorgeL's. They are a bit pricey, but you can often buy them as-needed from a local music store that has a display.

mk197523 · #10 11-21-2011, 06:42 AM

GEORGE L'S PEDALBOARD KIT BLACK DELUXE. Deluxe George L's pedalboard kit. Enjoy the sound of your instrument without the noise and buzz that outside interference can cause. George L’s special anti-stat in the cable reduces the microphonics and allows your music to flow without the problems of hum, buzz, or microphonics while you play. Voted #1 cable for sound clarity by Guitar Player, and faithfully used by the guitar virtuoso Eric Johnson.

bongomania · #11 11-21-2011, 11:06 AM

Warning, readers, this person's posts are just copy-pasted from other sites. Bogus.