Fodera Cables - wow!

[scotch]

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.

I'm just curious- What amp are you using that the cable got stuck in? I've used monster connectors in hundreds of pieces of gear & never felt any different to me.
?

 

[LarryR]

I'm just curious- What amp are you using that the cable got stuck in? I've used monster connectors in hundreds of pieces of gear & never felt any different to me.
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My Acoustic Image Focus II. I have several Monster cables. One in particular (an instrument cable, not patch) doesn't fit well in most every 1/4" jack I've tried, but, in the AI input it takes an unusual amount of force.

 

[hands5]

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.

Exactly

 

[daveze]

I used this and [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] in the last cable I built.

Dead quiet, and only about $10 for 1'. The only issue I had is that the connects felt a whole lot crappier when they were actually on the ends of the cable.

Quality cable, quality connects and good soldering, everything else is just wank.

 

[fretlessrock]

I think that you are making a mistake by using balanced cable. We had a guy around here making these instrument cables out of Canare Starquad and they looked great but when A/B'd with coax they sounded positively awful. Next time get Neutrik NP2C (or the equivalent from their line) connectors and good coax designed for high impedance use, like Canare GS-6. You won't be sorry. It works better, looks better, and the strain relief is the best you can get.

 

[Justyn]

This is great, I've been getting a little worn out from obsessing over basses...I think it's time I obsessed over cable for a while, if for no other reason than because I'm curious as to what goes in to a $100+ cable. On the one hand, one can easily say 'greed' or 'marketing' but while I'm sure that can be a part of it, I'm still curious. I mean, clearly, there's already sources out there for affordable quality cable, as mentioned in the many responses to my post, so, given that, I find it difficult to believe that a small company like Fodera would spend the time on R&D if there wasn't some set design goal in mind.

I shall do some research.

J.

sidenote: I've actually had patch and speaker cables from both Fretlessrock and Bayou Cables and I'd agree, they're excellent. Why haven't I gone the same route with instrument cables? I suspect I had some sitting around that worked and didn't really think about it more than that.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I mean, clearly, there's already sources out there for affordable quality cable, as mentioned in the many responses to my post, so, given that, I find it difficult to believe that a small company like Fodera would spend the time on R&D if there wasn't some set design goal in mind.

Keep in mind that Fodera also introduced the Extended B headstock for a fair upcharge claiming that it will increase tension, which is physically impossible

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

"George L" cables should be given a fair shot.
They tested better on a sound test (with spectrum and all) than a bunch of other expensive pro audio cables including the Monster pros.
Just a thought.

 

[Justyn]

Keep in mind that Fodera also introduced the Extended B headstock for a fair upcharge claiming that it will increase tension, which is physically impossible

Good point, though I think that's a problem with the explanation rather than the result. I haven't seen the ad copy. True, you can't increase string tension without increasing the scale length (I do have that correct, yeah? Longer scale means more tension to bring the string to the same pitch?), but Gary Willis incorporated a similar idea into his signature bass, using a 2/3 tuner arrangement (two on top, three on the botrom) to move the B string peg back a bit and I trust his design instincts and can verify that the GWB1 I used to own had a great, balanced B.

Mind you, so does my 34" Warwick Streamer and a host of other 34" basses which don't seem to have a specific design aspect geared towards the B string.

And regardless, marketing something as 'increasing tension' when that's not the case is not a business practice I'd like to see anyone engage in, whether or not the design actually works for a different reason entirely.

Very interesting. Thanks for all the comment everyone. Keep 'em coming.

J.

 

[Modern Growl]

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.

be prepared to send your cable to complete strangers so they can analyze what you hear.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Good point, though I think that's a problem with the explanation rather than the result. I haven't seen the ad copy. True, you can't increase string tension without increasing the scale length (I do have that correct, yeah? Longer scale means more tension to bring the string to the same pitch?), but Gary Willis incorporated a similar idea into his signature bass, using a 2/3 tuner arrangement (two on top, three on the botrom) to move the B string peg back a bit and I trust his design instincts and can verify that the GWB1 I used to own had a great, balanced B.
J.

Gary's come up with a few crazy ways to "increase string tension" in ways that physically can't- my favorite is the attachment to put at the end of your bridge to lengthen where the B string attaches to it

 

[Justyn]

Gary's come up with a few crazy ways to "increase string tension" in ways that physically can't- my favorite is the attachment to put at the end of your bridge to lengthen where the B string attaches to it

Oh, right...what was that...it's in 101 Bass Tips...you run the string through a little metal grommet (for lack of a better word) before it goes through the bridge, that one?

Wackiness indeed.

I suppose it stands to reason that the ratio of madcap hijinx to actual innovation is going to be fairly disparate, but I'm glad there are people trying.

J.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I don't think that the differences between cables are snake oil, but I do think you hit a point of steeply diminishing marginal returns early in the game, especially live... I've got George L and Bayou cables. Both sound noticeably better than the cheap store brand ones. Neither was exactly extravagently expensive (both were under 40 dollars).

FWIW, I find the differences more noticeable with guitar than bass. Seems like most of the action is in the top end. Also, I'm not sure that an active instrument loses as much through a crappy cable.

 

[fretlessrock]

First, thanks for the kind words from the folks who have some of my cables. My intent was to provide ultra-high-end performance for about the same price as a junky bargain cable. Same with Butch. We don't really compete, Butch and I. I refer folks to him all the time. He is in it much more deeply, while I make cables for friends, other players (brothers in arms), and initially because I had a lot of leftovers from a studio rewire job. I spec'd the GS-6 for that job (again, helping a friend upgrade his home setup) based on my experiences and some research. The only thing nicer than the upgrade to his unbalanced runs was the big grin we had from hearing the patch/instrument cables we made.

Early on I gave a 18 footer to my good friend Joe Nolan, a guiitar player. If you remember those American Tourister "Savage Baggage Handler" commercials, that the idea. He would show up at rehearsal with the whole cable scrunched into a rat's nest, yank it around until he had enough cable to reach the amp, and plug in. That cable is still in service, 3 years and counting. So I build mine (Butch's stuff is the same way) to survive the "Joe Challenge".

I have nothing against George-L's products, and I have used their pedalboard kit, in large part so I would not be talking out of my butt about them. I have handled and used one of their instrument cables as well. While I though that the audio was OK, the solderless connectors were not confidence inspiring, they had created a "whack a mole" scenario where finding the bad connectors preceeded some gigs, and the stiff cable seems to me to have exposed the weakness of the solderless connector system. I'm not saying they suck, I am saying that you should know what you are getting and the potential problems. Just like any other product, BTW.

In short, while you don't have to spend a mint on cables, don't cheap out on them either. The good stuff doesn't have to be expensive.

 

[daveze]

I think that you are making a mistake by using balanced cable. We had a guy around here making these instrument cables out of Canare Starquad and they looked great but when A/B'd with coax they sounded positively awful. Next time get Neutrik NP2C (or the equivalent from their line) connectors and good coax designed for high impedance use, like Canare GS-6. You won't be sorry. It works better, looks better, and the strain relief is the best you can get.

Nah, not really a mistake, more along the lines of either I get the Canare balanced, or I get a no-name single core. I wired it up with 1 core as the hot, the other as the ground, with the shielding grounded at the amp end (I used two different colour jacks). The only strange thing about it is that it doesn't work as the patch between the DI out and the amp in but thats alright because thats not where its supposed to be.

Next time I've gotta make a cable (other than a short patch) I'll do it properly and order in a pair of those connectors though.

 

[Carlo Tanori]

+1 for bayou cables... great guy too.

+1! Bayou is #1! DO NOT go anywhere else. This past Christmas I gave a fellow bassist/bass dealer friend of mine a Bayou Cable. The store he works at sells other ''high end'' cable. He checked out the cable I sent him and he loves it! Even more than the stuff they sell. Tell you anything?

Butch @ Bayou Cables is a great guy he is THE MAN! He rocks! Did I mention Bayou Cables is #1?

Carlo

 

[T-MOST]

I recently bought 2 Monster Bass Cables. I thought I was crazy spending $100 on 2 cables but they do make a very real difference! now I just need to figure out how to install lo-jack on them!

 

[The Penguin]

There have been double blind scientific studies on "magic" cables and "normal" decent quality ones. The results are very consistent, if people know what they are comparing between they can hear a difference, if they don't know which should be better they cant pick it out by listening.

Simply A/Bing 2 cables to get results assumes our ears are perfect and nothing else will color our perception. It is very easy to lead people into hearing what you want by gaining their trust and then telling them what they'll hear. Salesmen know this, we should too.

 

[The Penguin]

Gary's come up with a few crazy ways to "increase string tension" in ways that physically can't- my favorite is the attachment to put at the end of your bridge to lengthen where the B string attaches to it

To me this suggests we don't look to great musicians for scientific knowledge in the same way we don't have Enrico Fermi on iTunes.

IME I find musicians types generally to actually be below average in understanding science. Yet musical ability is so often taken to imply some kind of technical expertise in acoustic phenomena & physics. Sure both skills can be in the same person but one does not imply the other in any way.