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Fodera Cables - wow!

Justyn

Justyn

Jun 24, 2002
1,545
21
52
Richmond, VA
#1
Let me start out by saying that I don't know a tremendous amount about cables and I'm not a Fodera endorsee.

That being said, I've kind of focused on everything besides cables because, well, cables are boring in the same way that cases and power supplies and all the other things that aren't basses, amps, cabs and pedals are boring.

Things I've bought recently: cases and power supplies. That left one more boring thing to tackle and realizing that maybe it was time to look at cables I talked to a friend of mine who's a professional player and pretty tight with the Fodera guys and he let me check out some of the new cables they're coming out with.

Yowza. Okay, I get it now. The whole 'crucial link between instrument and amp' makes sense. My basses sounded fuller and clearer and the overall impression I got was one of greater dynamic response.

Now, again, I don't have much experience here, so my next step will be to check out some of the other high end cables, but I was impressed enough that I wanted to post about it. I'll pester said friend for more details.

Off to search the forums for more info on cables, which, I'm learning, are not quite as boring as I thought.

J.
 
#2
be carefull not to caught up in all the garbage high end cable companies spew. A good cable is one that is well put toghether with time and care. I think there are few better for the money than bayou cables.
 
#3
If someone wants to upsell you to a more expensive cable, do yourself a favor and use a sound pressure level meter (about $50 at Radio Shack) to make sure what you're hearing isn't just more volume - people usually perceive more volume as better sound, even when it isn't better, just louder.

I agree with XGabriel: Link Removed is a great source of cables at reasonable prices.
 
#4
Most any well-made cable (good connectors, good cable, sheilding, etc.) will give you the same result. A good cable won't add anything, though a bad cable can take away.
 
#5
After many hours of A-B'ing many expensive cables with "regular" cables I have concluded that if you start with a decent cable then move to a very expensive cable, you're really not going to hear much of a difference, if any.

That being said, I wanted to respond to Jazzdogg's comment:

Jazzdogg said:
If someone wants to upsell you to a more expensive cable, do yourself a favor and use a sound pressure level meter (about $50 at Radio Shack) to make sure what you're hearing isn't just more volume - people usually perceive more volume as better sound, even when it isn't better, just louder.
Click to expand...

If one cable resulted in more volume than another cable, I would take the "louder" one in a second! Further, if a particular cable was consistently "louder" than most other cables, I would conclude that that cable is definitely superior to the others because if it allows that much more signal to pass from your bass to your amp you can be assured that the other cables are somehow hindering your basses output and not giving you an accurate representation of how it really sounds.

However, not to say it couldn't happen, but I personally have never noticed a volume change from one cable to another of equal length and similar quality.
 
#6
Sound advice (no pun intended). I don't know if I'd call the sound louder...maybe 'more dynamically responsive' was the wrong choice of words, but I figured 'wow, this is awesome!' would have been too short a post:D

It stands to reason that a good, well-made cable would be a good start. Ideally, to my mind, the best kind would be one that doesn't color the sound at all, but it occurs to me that I have no idea what a reference for that would be, so maybe 'wow, this is awesome' is a better standard to go by for me right now.

Still learning.

J.
 
#7
IME, Making the step up from your typical 'pile-o-cables-on-a-mic-stand" brand cable to something made with better materials, that is the place where you are more likely to see that immediate "wow, this is awesome" difference. Even on a 15-foot cable you can measure less resistance end-to-end on the better cable.

Take the kind of "recipe" that I use, Butch uses... a lot of folks use:

- Canare GS-6, or Mogami W2524 cable
- Neutrik NP2C, NP2RC, or the forthcoming NP2X/RX, G&H, etc...
- Lots of care in properly dressing the cable ends, prepping the connector, making tight solder joints, testing the finished cable... = hands-on QA/QC on every cable.

What you get in the finished product is a low resistance cable, very flat over the audio spectrum, very sturdy, roadworthy, and good looking. The better cable gives you better shield coverage for less interference, better quality center conductor material for less resistance, a graphite impregnated layer beneath the shield for less handling noise, and the jacket locks up better with the Neutrik strain relief.

These threads usually end up with claims that all cables sound exactly the same, or someone's fave is better than something else... But I'd rather just say that in many/most/all cases you can do better than an off-the-rack budget cable, and often for not much $$$. You can take that as far and as expensive as you like. You liking the result is what matters.
 
#10
Gorgula said:
After many hours of A-B'ing many expensive cables with "regular" cables I have concluded that if you start with a decent cable then move to a very expensive cable, you're really not going to hear much of a difference, if any.

That being said, I wanted to respond to Jazzdogg's comment:



If one cable resulted in more volume than another cable, I would take the "louder" one in a second! Further, if a particular cable was consistently "louder" than most other cables, I would conclude that that cable is definitely superior to the others because if it allows that much more signal to pass from your bass to your amp you can be assured that the other cables are somehow hindering your basses output and not giving you an accurate representation of how it really sounds.

However, not to say it couldn't happen, but I personally have never noticed a volume change from one cable to another of equal length and similar quality.
Click to expand...

I agree with you: expensive cables add nothing but higher cost; it's defective, inappropriate, or damaged cables that are most likley to result in audible differences.:D

The "higher volume phenomenon" is more liklely to occur, in my experience, when an unscrupulous salesman tweaks the volume or equalization without your knowledge and attempts to attribute the "difference" to the superiority of whatever he's trying to sell you, be it cables, a green marker for the edges of your CDs, or a tinfoil hat to wear while listening:rollno:
 
#11
Jazzdogg said:
The "higher volume phenomenon" is more liklely to occur, in my experience, when an unscrupulous salesman tweaks the volume or equalization without your knowledge and attempts to attribute the "difference" to the superiority of whatever he's trying to sell you, be it cables, a green marker for the edges of your CDs, or a tinfoil hat to wear while listening:rollno:
Click to expand...

Wait a minute! Are you saying that my tinfoil hat doesn't make me sound better??? You're nuts...:D
 
#13
i dont really know how much you guys in the states pay for them but i just picked a 10" EA lyric cable for £32, now when yuor average monster cable is £28 and the EA cable right away is stiffer more sturdy and better looking i thought it was worth it before i even plugged it in, and thenwhen i did i was certain it was worth it :)

i would say definetely give the EA cables a try.

(FYI thats Evindence Audio not Euphonic Audio)


Dave
 
#14
Well, constuction and durability aside, there is SOME difference between cables when driven by passive basses. But it all comes down to cable capacitance per foot, and total length. But this has little to do with the spendy audiophile huckster cables, and it's actually something the good pro companies select for when choosing what to use for "instrument" cables - as opposed to cables intended for line-level use.
 
#15
I tend to agree that there is often a lot of misleading hype regarding "high-end" cables. I also have experienced, for myself, how low-quality cables in poor repair can rob some tone. Of course durability is a big factor as well, especially considering what types of environments you play in.

I've come to the practice of not knocking the "latest" cable craze, until I try it. Most of the time I can't hear an appreciable difference between a $100 cable and a $30 one, but that's just my experience & ears. What I can distinguish between easily is durability. As I travel a lot and play in a large variety of venue types, I probably rely more heavily on resiliency.

I definitely would like to try out the Bayou Cables sometime. It seems a popular choice here in these forums. I'm also open to trying the hyper priced boutique cables, but I'm admittedly a little skeptical as to how much better they can be.

I have used Monster Cables for the last ten years, almost exclusively. I know, I know, they are very-hyped and high priced, but I think it's time someone stood up for them for one major reason: Lifetime Warranty.

I bought 6 Monster Cables ten years ago, and haven't bought another one since (besides George L's for my pedalboard)! I have 3 cables that I use all the time + 3 identical spares in case something goes bad. When a cable develops a short or gets killed, I just return it for a brand-new replacement! I've only had to replace 2 of them so far and my primary bass-to-pedalboard cable recently died after at least 8 years of heavy use! Monster even replaced one that was run-over and cut by a huge anvil case! I wish more companies had that kind of warranty!

I'm prepared for the backlash for actually liking the Monster's - but hey, I'm willing to try new things, just give me the warranty!!!

(if there's another company that has such a comparable hassle-free unlimited warranty, please let me know - come on Bayou Cables, win me over! )
 
#16
I think at least a few few brands I've gotten had lifetime warranty. But unlike Monster, I've never had to remember for sure because they haven't flatlined. Monsters had two problems for me:

1) Very inflexible which made them clumsy onstage and seemed to help them break at the connector.

2) Oversized connectors that were tough to insert, and pushed jack contacts out.
 
#18
greenboy said:
For passive basses the difference in perceptions is cable capacitance.
Click to expand...

+100 ...

if one uses low capacitance cable (<100 pF / meter) and decent connectors, there will be no perceivable difference in sound...

I try to keep my main lead cable short anyway (10 ft)... from there, my signal usually hits an effect or a preamp, so then the capacitance is not as much an issue, but I still keep that short (<1 meter, typically).
 
#19
Pete Brunelli (fretlessrock) has made several cables for me over the years, and I was completely blown away at the quality (regardless of the price). I have A/B'd them with my Monster cables, Tara Labs, and Planet Waves.
Pete's cables sounded less muddy than the Monster (these are completely subjective observations, so feel free to disregard any and all of this), more full and less noisy than the Tara Labs, and was louder and more clear than the PW.

I'd recommend to ANYONE to contact Fretlessrock to try one of his cables...mine are made with the Canare GS6 cable, and I am very happy with them.
 
#20
greenboy said:
2) Oversized connectors that were tough to insert, and pushed jack contacts out.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem with one of my Monster's. Damn near broke the input on my $ 1200 head. I carefully pulled the cable out and it was so tight it dislodged the 1/4" sleeve on the input jack. Fortunately I could just push the sleeve down. NO other cable I own has done *that*.

I won't buy them again. No need to.
 

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