Double Bass Best Cable for the Amplified Double Bass

[Dr McBalders]

Does anyone know if there is a cable available that is able to compensate for the dreaded Gamba Creep? Especially in the northern hemisphere summer? Im left handed, if that helps. Oh, the horror...



Apologies to all.

B.
EDIT: Or is it Lambda creep?!? I am so scared, I don't know which end is up. . .

 

[MR PC]

why not go monster bass cable? It might cost a little more but it's warranted for life, if it ever goes you get a new one free!

No, no, no., child.

You should say WHEN, not IF. Murphy's Law.

And it always "goes" in the middle of a tune.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I got a much more open, transparent sound with tweed cables and naugahyde covered cabinets. Black seems to bring out more low end than red or white.

There is no question about the black amp covering and the lows - that's just straight fact. However, on the cable front if you are willing to spend just a little more you could step up to herringbone cables, which retain the openness and transparency of the tweed while adding a more ambient sense of "3-D-ness" to the sound.

Plus, they look really wacky on TV.

 

[robobass]

 

[Eric Hochberg]

However, on the cable front if you are willing to spend just a little more you could step up to herringbone cables, which retain the openness and transparency of the tweed while adding a more ambient sense of "3-D-ness" to the sound.

Plus, they look really wacky on TV.

Speaking of which, I'm supposed to do one of those WGN news shows where we play off the segments, and the contract states that we must use herringbone cables during our performance to contrast with the paisley accented news set.

 

[Marc Piane]

Say hi to Tom Skilling for me. Maybe he's got some long drawn out explanation about the meteorological effects of herringbone cables on the frequency response of cables.

 

[tornadobass]

What we've all overlooked is the importance of tuning the precise cable length to be in harmonic resonance with the afterlength and the kind of tail gut material in use. It's well known that when a cable allows a double bassist to stand precisely twice the distance of the low E sound wave from the speaker cabinet's front edge, wolf tones will be a thing of the past, especially after that crucial 15 minute warmup period for the top plate of the bass.

 

[MR PC]

In the future, stomp box style oscilliscopes will enable double bassists to dial in sounds ranging from Blanton to Karr to Lafaro, no matter what cable they choose. Recently, our technicians in Siberia have discovered that phase alignment with virtual reality tide pools is applicable to the ever expanding egos of performing musicians. After everyone has one of these placebo units and the narcissistic fascination with electronic tone wanes, bassists won't even a bass anymore, much less a cable.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

What we've all overlooked is the importance of tuning the precise cable length to be in harmonic resonance with the afterlength and the kind of tail gut material in use.

Regardless of the length of the cable, it should be stated for the record that if one is using herringbone cable, one must use herringbone tail gut. Failure to do this can have disastrous tonal and intonational consequences. *

While this should go without saying, one can't be too careful these days.



* I am currently in negotiations with Fishman to have my Full Circle retrofitted with herringbone from the pickup wheel to the afterlength jack.

 

[drurb]

Does anyone know if there is a cable available that is able to compensate for the dreaded Gamba Creep? Especially in the northern hemisphere summer? Im left handed, if that helps. Oh, the horror...



Apologies to all.

B.
EDIT: Or is it Lambda creep?!? I am so scared, I don't know which end is up. . .

Indeed, it is Lambda creep. No, there is no cable to compensate for the effect. It is the case, however, that if the cable is connected to a properly adjusted hydrocoptic marzel vane, then some mitigation of the effect can be achieved. At least, that seems to be the case with German shop basses built before 1937.

...It's well known that when a cable allows a double bassist to stand precisely twice the distance of the low E sound wave from the speaker cabinet's front edge, wolf tones will be a thing of the past, especially after that crucial 15 minute warmup period for the top plate of the bass.

It used to be believed that it was twice the distance that would eliminate the wolf tones. More recently, however, Ezmir Nedthalohal proved that it is not twice the distance, but e times the distance.

 

[robobass]

Damn! I was going to do something with e! Maybe we should look at Planck's Constant.

 

[MR PC]

Cinching up your Johnson Rod always tightens the midrange quality of a cables frequency response.

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

Cinching up your Johnson Rod improves the quality of most things in life!

 

[Johnny Atomic]

Damn! I was going to do something with e! Maybe we should look at Planck's Constant.

that Planck, he's constantly up to something

 

[damonsmith]

Fun thread! I have black George L. bass cable I orders from their site many years ago. It has always been great, and it is stiffer than the thin ones, so no tangles. Are there newer options that people think are good or should I just stick with this?

 

[brianrost]

There are and have been "boutique" cable manufacturers that intentionally incorporated strange capacitances, etc. What they accomplished was filtering, i.e., a cable that intentionally would produce other than a flat response. Yup, they sounded different and people shelled out all kinds of $$$ for them. Cables aren't supposed to "sound."

Someone left a Monster Bass cable at a jam session one night. As I would always do, I took it home and then brought it back each week in case the owner came asking for it (he did). Anyway, I A/Bed it with a generic Belden/Switchcraft cable and it did sound a lot different. As an electrical engineer I knew it had been tweaked to sound like that, brighter and more "hi-fi" and I hated it It took all the heft out of the sound.

At the time (perhaps they still do) Monster sold Guitar, Bass, Keyboard and Vocal (XLR) cables. Ridiculous and expensive, too. I also have a Planet Waves cable that nobody claimed and it's directional, with one plug marked for the instrument and the other marked for the amp. I have yet to reverse it to see if it makes the bass play backwards

 

[rickwolff]

IF I remember correctly (always doubtful), some years back I had a problem with the input jack on a Phil Jones amp. I called him and the first question he asked me was "have you used a Monster cable with this?"

Apparently (I believe this part is a fact) the Monster cable has a larger diameter to the 1/4 inch plug (3/8 inch plug????), AND the input jack would actually be stretched out a bit such that a 'normal' 1/4 inch plug sometimes didn't make perfect contact.

Yeah, it could be my memory.

 

[Don Hergert]

IMHO...

The best cable is no cable. I use wireless TX/RC systems for both of my DB amp systems (piezo/pre-amp and mic), and there is nothing so liberating as having no cables attached to your double bass...

Well, except for having a battery operated amp, in which case then you're totally wireless.

 

[Ric Vice]

IF I remember correctly (always doubtful), some years back I had a problem with the input jack on a Phil Jones amp. I called him and the first question he asked me was "have you used a Monster cable with this?"

Apparently (I believe this part is a fact) the Monster cable has a larger diameter to the 1/4 inch plug (3/8 inch plug????), AND the input jack would actually be stretched out a bit such that a 'normal' 1/4 inch plug sometimes didn't make perfect contact.

Yeah, it could be my memory.

I had some of those Monster Cable guitar cords. They were rough on input jacks especially on older basses, on occasion they would lock up a jack

you had to be careful with those cords. I got rid of mine.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I’ve heard that about Monster cables, but I have a Planet Waves cable that will not work with either of my Lifeline pickups. The tip is just a hair too short to make contact with the hot side of the jack. It’s now walking the plank.