George L's, Planet Waves or other patch cables...

I've found them all to be pretty much the same aside from connectors size. Just depends on how much space you want to save. Lava is the smallest, planet waves is the biggest.

 

neutrik+canare or neutrik+mogami = bombproof

 

I'm in the same spot...part of me thinks 'kit' and part of me wants to buy a decent soldering iron and do it that way. If I buy a kit, I'm thinking Lava.

 

I'm becoming less and less scared of soldering up my own cables,...but is some instances (such as a fully loaded BOSS LS-2) the smaller connectors in the George L's and Lava kits are handy.

That said I think you'll find that on bigger boards it's way cheaper to solder your own; if you don't include your time spent.

George L's plugs are about $5.50-$6.00 a piece (I forget how much the local shop charges for them).

Switchcraft and Neutrik Plugs are about $3-$5.00 a piece.

The George L's .155 cable is $1.95 a foot on the George L's site.

Instrument cable from EWI Audiopile is $.35 (cents) a foot.

I couldn't really find bulk prices on Canare and Mogami.

Suffice it to say it adds up if you need to wire up a large pedalboard.

A decent soldering iron with temperature control isn't exactly cheap either,...but I think you'd get more use out of a soldering iron than a solderless patch cable kit (DIY pedals,...electronics repairs).

That said,...my board is wired up with a mixture of George L's and Dimarzio patches from the GC accessories counter.

I'm growing more and more comfortable in my DIY skills so ultimately I'll be replacing the George L's with my own cables,...likely using the EWI cable (I know some FOH guys that are stoked on their snakes) and Switchcraft plugs.

 

I keep buying the modtone cables on amazon. small connectors, small price. Its not as nice a cable as Lava but way better than the hosa with the huge flat ends.

Amazon.com: Mod Tone Patch Cable Set: Musical Instruments

 

I've used both George L's and Planet Waves.

I prefer the George L's because of their smaller diameter cable which is a lot more convenient when snaking through tight spots on a crowded board. The right angle jacks are also slightly narrower than the Planet Waves jacks, again an asset when trying to cram a lotta boxes into a limited footprint.

 

I've been using lava solderless kit for more than a year now. It's really small. Very useful if you wanna cram all your pedals in a small board.

 

Another vote for Lava. And there is a difference is tone. Though, they will callus the side of your index finger if you assemble too many in a row!

 

+1! my fingers hurts all the time after rearranging my board! lol!

 

I'm tone deaf when it comes to cables but I do have a preference for those 'pancake' cables because you might be able to squeeze in another pedal.

 

So is everyone else, but some people imagine they're not

 

I plan on buying either some Neutrik or Switchcraft plugs and some bulk mogami or similar cable and solder up my own custom cables. Should be a fun little project.

 

My vote goes to lava. As mentioned they have the smallest plugs, and the sound quality is great. I've been using them about 6 months with no trouble.

 

i like the george l's, but i've never tried any other solderless brand. i will say that although i love the george l's, i have had a couple come loose on me. i set aside some time once a month for gear maintenance which includes changing strings, fixing tolex rips, etc. i've added tightening my george l's ends and i've had no problems since.

 

Another vote for Lava! Great quality, easy and fast to assemble.
I've never had a single one come loose, but I also use pliers covered in rubber to tighten the plugs without damaging them.

 

So yeah cables... I'm running an M9, Ernie Ball Expression, and the Aguilar Compression (should be here in a day or so) on a PT JR. I really need just a few cables not a whole kit. Do they sell anything good in single cables or smaller kits? I can't seem to find anything anywhere and I really don't want to drop almost $70 for 2-4 cables. I will be adding a wireless receiver to my board down the road for my sax mic and to run it through the M9 for some effects (think Jeff Coffin from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and the Dave Mathews Band) but I can always add more cable later. What do you guys think?

 

I've had good luck with Fender-branded cables - dead silent, flexible, and around $8 for a 12". They're not the lowest-profile head tho, but this means that a low-profile (DiMarzio, for example) can basically fit under the Fender head nicely. The heads are molded also, so there's no real way to repair them without cutting the old head off and replacing it.

 

ZAOLLA SILVERLINE!