George L's .155 Patch Cable Kit.............

[Laredo]

Hi all,

Just wondering about George L's cable kits....................I have two of them sitting around from my guitard stuff, that have not been used. I was wondering if the work well for bass effect pedal boards since the cable is "skinny" @ .155? I know the quality is good, and the thinner cable works good for bending, but will it handle the bass input as well as it does the guitars? It would really make a neat appearance on my new pedalboard, but if I have to use heavier pre-made patch cables for sound, I will................

Thanks!

[bongomania]

Diameter has nothing to do with frequency. George L's are great for all shielded mono audio cable purposes, including bass.

[4StringsEnough]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Diameter has nothing to do with frequency. George L's are great for all shielded mono audio cable purposes, including bass.

+1. Arguably the best patch cables around.

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by 4StringsEnough

+1. Arguably the best patch cables around.

Agreed. I love 'em.

[fightthepower]

I order mine on the 26th... where are they damnit!

[RDUB]

Used a kit on my board. Works great, no soldering!

[Laredo]

I figured they would be good for bass too, I just did now know about the wire in the .155 kits handling the low frequencies?...................Glad it does not really have anything to do with the guage. I just wanted to be sure before I cut up two expensive kits, and found out they did not work that well!

[Jared Lash]

Not picking on the OP, but I'm always amazed that ideas like the diameter of a cable affecting the frequencies it transmits are continually being propagated. And it's one thing for one layman to tell another layman, but I've seen websites and talked to people who are viewed as or claim to be experts in field making similar claims.


The vibration of metal strings in the magnetic field of the pickups induces a current which is transmitted through the cable to the speaker where that current induces motion in the magnet in a speaker which vibrates accordingly creating sound waves.

Obviously an oversimplification of the process, but still, I don't see how there is any science that could possibly state that the diameter of the cable carrying the electric signal could have any effect on the frequencies that are heard.

Am I missing something? Or is this all just as ridiculous as it sounds?

[bassman1185]

BigO, I think it has something to do with the idea of heavier speaker cable being a better choice for bassists, which actually has some root in reality; the heavier cable is able to carry higher power loads, which we use. If you compare the 100 or so watts for a high output guitar amp to the 1000 or so watts a lot of us use, you can see why we would want heavier guage speaker cable. However, the output of a bass isn't significantly different from a guitar, so the cables between the output of an instrument and the input of an amp don't need to be different.

[JustDavid]

Dude, isn't bigger better?

I can see potential for worry on the treble end; larger diameter can allow more room between center conductor & shield, hence less capacitance, hence less treble roll-off. But capacitance per foot is a much better measurement than outside diameter.

Larger diameter also permits larger conductors with more strands that can extend total cable life. And a thicker outer jacket can prolong cable life. A pedal board has no need for either of those benefits though, unless you are clumsy when you play wearing spike heels.

Not really disagreeing with your point, more looking into plausible reasons for that bias.

[Jared Lash]

I'm not trying to argue one way or the other, just trying to understand. I used to teach high school physics, so I have a firm grasp on fundamentals of electricity especially in an abstract sense but I'm not really knowledgeable about real world electronics.

Really, I'm just looking to understand things better.

[Baird6869]

Originally Posted by 4StringsEnough

Arguably the best patch cables around.

+1.

And if they stop working? Clip off a few mm of the cable and screw it back together. I have used the pedalboard kit (not on a pedalboard) for a couple of years and have had zero issues.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by JustDavid

Dude, isn't bigger better?

I can see potential for worry on the treble end; larger diameter can allow more room between center conductor & shield, hence less capacitance, hence less treble roll-off. But capacitance per foot is a much better measurement than outside diameter.

Larger diameter also permits larger conductors with more strands that can extend total cable life. And a thicker outer jacket can prolong cable life. A pedal board has no need for either of those benefits though, unless you are clumsy when you play wearing spike heels.

Not really disagreeing with your point, more looking into plausible reasons for that bias.

I remember a 'shootout' among 30 or 40 cables in a guitar magazine a while ago, and the George L's were in the lower end of the capacitance continuum.

While I'm one who hears very little difference among cables, if any, if I was forced to describe the subtle difference in the George L's, it would be a bit more treble getting through.

Wonderful cables... I use them as my primaries. I just order the ready made 15' from Musician's Friend, with the nice 'jack support' things.

GREAT cables, if a little tangly sometimes when you first unwrap them. I love the fact that I can fit two 15' cables in my gig back in less space than one traditional 15' cable.

Nice stuff!

[KJung]

Here's the link to the 'testing' that I mentioned above. The George L's are in the low priced category, which makes them even more impressive.

http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/...s/apr-08/34729

[JustDavid]

Sticking to audio frequencies & instruments/amps/effects, I can't think of anything other than sturdiness & capacitance.

[rosstanium]

good stuff. I like 'em.

[Laredo]

Originally Posted by bassman1185

BigO, I think it has something to do with the idea of heavier speaker cable being a better choice for bassists, which actually has some root in reality; the heavier cable is able to carry higher power loads, which we use. If you compare the 100 or so watts for a high output guitar amp to the 1000 or so watts a lot of us use, you can see why we would want heavier guage speaker cable. However, the output of a bass isn't significantly different from a guitar, so the cables between the output of an instrument and the input of an amp don't need to be different.

I just was seeking advise on the George L patch cable kits. I have used them on guitar, but not bass. I was not trying to start a physics, or engineering debate, just wanted to know if they work well with bass frequencies.................. I guess I was under the preface that heavier speaker cables could possibly work better for bass (low) frequency, as you mentioned in your post. I am glad to hear the .155 guage will work fine, especially since I just found three unopened kits in my accessory drawer!

Thanks again for everyone's input!

[Jared Lash]

Yeah, I didn't mean to derail your thread, but since it seems like your question was answered pretty quickly I just wanted to take the opportunity to ask about something that was bothering me.

I've just always been curious if there's any physics behind the kinds of claims you sometimes hear.

[fishtx]

I'm really not a fan of George L's...I have replaced most of them on my board because I just found them to not be as reliable as soldered cables...just my opinion and experience...I did like being able to make them to exact required lengths, but still wound up replacing them...or most of them...

[surfingbird1]

people in car audio use thicker gauge strings b/w amp and speaker and small gauges for door speakers. Is that due to the amount of watts passing through? Thats my deduction.

so, one might want to consider thicker gauge strings b/w amp and cab, probably not so much b/w guitar and amp