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FX cable question.

Rickenmonster

Rickenmonster

Guest
Apr 5, 2013
683
122
Vancouver,B.C.
#1
I am starting by first pedal board but all the store cables are very stiff and the housings are too long for my purpose. Does anyone know of a company that supplies plugs with short housings (straight+90) and more flexible cable so I can fashion custom cables to fit my personal needs? Black housings would be a bonus.
 
#3
Baird6869 said:
George L's cables are great IMO.

You can buy a kit and make them the exact length you want. Solderless and super easy to put together. The ends are tiny as well.
Click to expand...

This is what I use. But all my friends make it a point to do as I say, not as I do.

G-Ls have a thing called Material Memory. Not your friend.

I got lucky because I fooled around with cables a bit. Work em in.
Like anything else at all related to you bass putting a bit of time in educating yourself will pay dividends.


Read reviews, Educate yourself. Trust me this is not a cheap investment. BTW it is an investment. Getting the right cable for you will pay off in that they should last for years and sound better.

But number one if reliable. Not matter how good they sound if they crap out at a gig they are no good.

The first cables for effects I had I made out a Daisy foot switch. I wish I could find more of that wire.
 
#5
BawanaRik said:
This is what I use. But all my friends make it a point to do as I say, not as I do.

G-Ls have a thing called Material Memory. Not your friend.

I got lucky because I fooled around with cables a bit. Work em in.
Like anything else at all related to you bass putting a bit of time in educating yourself will pay dividends.


Read reviews, Educate yourself. Trust me this is not a cheap investment. BTW it is an investment. Getting the right cable for you will pay off in that they should last for years and sound better.

But number one if reliable. Not matter how good they sound if they crap out at a gig they are no good.

The first cables for effects I had I made out a Daisy foot switch. I wish I could find more of that wire.
Click to expand...

Material memory? That's a new one for me. George Ls aren't much different than other brands IME .

In any case, I have had 5 or 6 George L's for about a decade in heavy use (pedalboard and other more demanding use) and have had no issues.

Most cables sound the same anyways. Buy something fairly high quality that fits with what you need to do.

YMMV
 
#9
I use George L's as well. They are awesome for me. I like the fact that they can be cut to any length and they are space savers to a certain degree as well. I can place pedals a lot closer together and that's a concern for considering I have a lot of pedals on one board. And they are very workable. The thinner gauged wire is great. I love George L's. And they look cool. Sound cool. Work great. I don't need anything more. Just wish I had the cash to get another kit right now! I need some more.
 
#10
Unless someone has a link to this "material memory" and an explanation why George Ls have it and why it's bad ... I think I have to call BS.

I use George Ls, it's just convenient to make exact lengths for a tidy pedalboard. Others like Lava, same kind of solderless cables. If you want compact cables there's for instance this ready-made kind http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-IRG-600-5-Guitar-Cables-6-Inch/dp/B0002IAJ56
 
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#12
Rickenmonster said:
I am starting by first pedal board but all the store cables are very stiff and the housings are too long for my purpose. Does anyone know of a company that supplies plugs with short housings (straight+90) and more flexible cable so I can fashion custom cables to fit my personal needs? Black housings would be a bonus.
Click to expand...

IMHO, the George L and Lava kits are ridonkulously overpriced. :rollno:

I made my own custom pedalboard cables from inexpensive stranded coax cable known as RG 58 A/U. It has nearly identical construction and tech specs to the best instrument/effect cables, but is a fraction of the price. I got 100 ft for $17. It has the added advantage of being nice and thin, like the George L cabling. And as long as you get stranded core (that's the "A" designation), it's very flexible.

The shielding in instrument cable is designed so that it doesn't induce static electrical currents when moving it around. This is less of a problem with digital network cable, so the design of the shielding here may generate noise when moving and the inner shield rubs against the jacket. I haven't had this problem, but I wouldn't use RG58 for a guitar cable. I think it's fine for this.

Inexpensive pancake head audio connectors can be had on the 'bay at about $30 for 20. Mine are branded "GLS Audio". My build isn't terribly crowded, but I like having the extra space the compact pancake heads allow.

Measure, cut, solder. :D

Top view:

8030323173_db2d3b9c65_b.jpg


Bottom view:

8030317570_026a8b2fb6_b.jpg
 
#16
Rickenmonster said:
I've spent a lot of $ on my board already-going with George L's expensive tho they be.
Click to expand...


Gawd I don't want to even figure how much money I've invested in my board. Eesh. But, to me, it was worth every penny. And I'd rather spend the little extra money on good, reliable patches. And as stated, it all depends on what your definition of expensive is. I don't think George L's are that expensive. Especially for what you're getting.
 
#17
One of my George L's crapped out last night and my pedalboard is toast.:spit:

This VERY rarely happens and when it does, snipping 1/8" of the end of the cable and screwing the connectors back on fixes the problem almost always.

I love the George L's cables, but even on a pedalboard, thinks can go bad after a while.
 
#18
They most def can go wrong good sir. Yeah, the only issue I've ever had with a George L cable is when I messed up and didn't cap a connection good enough and my board didn't work after I used that one patch. All I had to do was unscrew the cap, and as stated, cut the cord right where the cap ripped into it and screw the cap back on again. The three biggest reasons why I like George L's is because you can:
1. Cut them to length.
2. Can fit them into tight spaces and fit your pedals closer together (I think I like this the most)
3. They sound great and the wire used is thin so it's very manageable and you can weave in and out throughout your board to make mostly anything work.
 

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