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Double Bass 1/4" cable recommendation?

Ben Rolston

Ben Rolston

Supporting Member
Aug 30, 2006
752
546
Brooklyn, NY
#1
Funny Question but does anyone have a 1/4" cable that they love / recommend?
I've been using a 10ft very low capacitance cable, but plugging into an old long (25ft) cable at my parents house today made me question that choice.

I think for electric bass its reasonable to assume short cable / low capacitance is a best practice, but on double bass especially with a bright pickup like the yamahiko I wonder if its "too revealing" . Of course if it sounds good, it is good, just curious about others experiences.
 
#2
If you run an active bass, cables don't really matter at all.
If you run a passive bass, I highly doubt mere mortals can hear the difference from a $20 Fender cable and a $180 Vovox when using 10' cables.

I do think "halfway decent" is good enough. I usually pick the one with Neutrik jacks and simply assume that if one picks Neutriks for their jacks, they won't cheap out on the stuff between them.
 
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#3
For me, the best cable for a double bass is no cable at all. I go wireless all the time. For $50 to $75 a piece you can get wireless dongles to replace your cables and never drag cables around or trip on them again. Works with amps or FOH.

Double basses need their freedom! :cool:
 
#5
While I'm not much for hearing differences in cables, I am very insistent about strain relief, solid solder joints, connectors, etc.

I prefer either as much Mogami cable as you can afford, or I also have had great luck with custom cables from Link Removed, where Butch makes my usual Canare cable with straight Neutrik 1/4" and a silent Neutrik angle on the instrument end, and if you want one 13foot 4inches, he'll make them, plus I never worry they're FAKE Neutriks with Butch. I only wish I could go pick them up in Baton Rouge !
 
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#7
Ben Rolston said:
I think for electric bass its reasonable to assume short cable / low capacitance is a best practice, but on double bass especially with a bright pickup like the yamahiko I wonder if its "too revealing" . Of course if it sounds good, it is good, just curious about others experiences.
Click to expand...

Does your double bass have a piezo pickup? A preamp? If it's a piezo with no preamp, it's going to sound bright and scratchy. You need a high impedance buffer stage to even out the frequency response of a piezo.
 
#10
Just buy some quality cables without buying into the marketing hype that's out there. If you take care of them they'll last you a lifetime. As others have said, no one will ever hear a difference out of different brands on the bandstand.

I have Whirlwind myself. It's what my local independent music shop was carrying as their higher end cables at the time.
 
#12
Wow, perfect TB replies :rolleyes:

I’ve got a Felix and AI amp. I’ve even got cables from bayou audio.

I guess the question really is does anyone find a “worse” or longer cable helpful in taming a bright pickup? Or in any other sonic preference?
 
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#13
I like Neutrik ends of the old style and shape because they will work with all pickups (the Fishman FC doesn't like the new "improved" end shape). I also use ProCo cable, but any reputable cable brand is fine. My 12' Neutrik/ProCo cables are still going strong 15 years into me introducing them to gig life.

I don't think trying to find a cable that will affect a pickup's tone is a great idea. That's better achieved by other means, IMO.
 
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#14
Ben Rolston said:
Wow, perfect TB replies :rolleyes:

I’ve got a Felix and AI amp. I’ve even got cables from bayou audio.

I guess the question really is does anyone find a “worse” or longer cable helpful in taming a bright pickup? Or in any other sonic preference?
Click to expand...
Between my piezo and preamp(Felix) I like cheaper (but well made) cables. I don't think there is much to be gained by a low capacitance cable at that point in the signal chain. (I've often wondered if cables account for the variance I hear between preamps with the same reported impedance. I.E. 10meg on my Felix does not sound like 10meg on my fdeck...) When I was using a Yamahiko I could hear the difference in cables not so much with the Realist I've returned to.

I do use a short, low capacitance cable between the Felix and my power amp.
 
#16
As an electrical engineer, I firmly don’t believe most of the snake oil marketing of expensive cables. I own one guitar cable that has the plugs marked as to which end should be plugged into the bass and which into the amp. It sounds the same to me if I connect it “backwards” and no different than the other generic cables I normally use.

That said, I have heard differences between cables, both guitar leads and speaker cables.

Someone left a Monster “Bass” 1/4” cable at a jam session one night, so I took it home and brought it back every week until it’s owner claimed it. While I had it, I A/Bed it against a bog-standard Belden/Switchcraft cable. The Monster did sound completely different. Actually, it sounded “hi fi” mid-scooped :whistle: Since Monster at the time was selling cables meant for guitar, bass and keyboards I can only assume that the RLC parameters of each cable was tweaked to provide particular frequency responses in each instance. Monster also sold even more expensive cables meant for recording studios that were not instrument specific. That only reinforced my belief that the designs were specifically tweaked to provide a certain sound.

I was unimpressed with Monster, especially at the price point, because the first few years these were on the market I heard from many users who told me their cables would fail mid-gig after a few weeks. They were unconcerned because of the lifetime warranty, stop into GC and get a new one. I have no idea if Monster's QC has gotten any better 20 years later :woot:

As far as speaker cables, I bought some high-end stereo speakers about 20 years ago and the dealer recommended two different cables. He said while he agreed about snake oil in his experience with a particular amp/speaker combination some cables did sound better than others…but not always the same cable! He sent me two pairs of cables and I set my receiver up to a jazz station playing in mono (so each speaker got the same signal). The lower priced cable easily beat out the zip cord I always used before. Louder, more open. Then I A/Bed that cable with the more expensive cable. They sounded similar overall but I was able to hear details of the drum stick hitting the ride cymbal with the more expensive pair that I couldn’t hear at all with the other. Considering the signal path (mike -> preamp/mixer -> recorder -> studio mixdown -> mastering/pressing -> CD player at the radio station -> radio transmitter -> my receiver -> cables -> speaker) I was amazed that such fine detail survived that path. So I kept the more expensive pair, sent back the cheaper pair and threw my zip cords into the trash.

All I can suggest is if you have a few hundred bucks to spend, buy a few different brands of cables and A/B them as best you can.
 
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