How do you label your cords

[Rockin Mike]

so you don't lose them at gigs and rehearsals?

I'm sure everybody's been through this. You lend somebody a nice mic cable or power cord, and you get back a shorter flimsy one, or a broken one, or everybody forgets who had what...

Putting a piece of tape on a cord doesn't work, they get gummy when they sit in the car all day. Ink rubs off. Heat shrink, well you have to take the ends off to get it on there then solder them back together, very time-consuming.

Any better ideas?

 

[Pilgrim]

I use colored electrician's tape - one wind of red at the end of the cable. On AC cords, the red goes at the plug end.

If it comes off, it's easy to replace.

Another option - buy colored velcro cable wraps for all cables. I use them on all cables anyway, and you can get any color you want. They never melt, shrink or fall of if properly installed. Buy in bulk for better prices.

 

[jarrydee]

I don't...Not very often I loose a cord, let alone a power cord, If I did I would imagine it would not be that interesting to talk about..lol!

 

[tplyons]

I would use either two strips of colored electrical tape (red/green) for my cords, or later down the line due to the gummy factor, I used whiteout pens and put my initials in morse code. Thick stripe was "T", thin thick thin thin stripe was "L".

 

[tplyons]

I don't...Not very often I loose a cord, let alone a power cord, If I did I would imagine it would not be that interesting to talk about..lol!

At $40 to $50 for a good cord, I never want them to walk.

 

[mellowinman]

I know which cords are mine. No one is going to get them. I guarantee it.

 

[maxiegrant]

My guitarist and I share cords all the time. He has several of mine. I often have some of his. We know whose are whose. None of them are alike.

 

[BagelBruin]

Spray paint

 

[Jazzdogg]

P-Touch flexible cable labels covered with clear heat-shrink tubing.

 

[bassbrad]

All my backup/loaners have a hot pink piece of duct tape in the middle and ends. BTW my primo stuff never gets loaned.

 

[Shardik]

I tape on a label with name and address.

 

[isthimus]

hot pink ducttape is a good one. personally all my leads are bright colours anyway- a lot of the Planet Waves ones come in a coupla colours, looks good on stage an no-ones gna forget whos the bright green one is after the gig...

 

[Munjibunga]

On my mic cables, I put a half-inch-wide piece of shrink tubing on the plug at each end. Red is 30-foot, blue is 15-foot, green is 5-foot and yellow is 50-foot or 10-foot. I make my own instrument and patch cables and I know what they look like.

Never, ever, ever put duct tape on your cables. Never. If you see a roll of duct tape lying around, throw it in the trash immediately. Duct tape is the scourge of the earth. Let them use all the duct tape they want to repair the space shuttle, but keep it away from anything you value. Gaffer's tape only.

 

[Phalex]

All of my mic cables are neon yellow. I must have ten 30' long bright neon yellow XLR cables. I have lots of 1/4" instruments cables, but maybe 3 of them are black.

 

[ddnidd1]

You can also use colored/fluorescent nylon zip ties. They won't fall off and have to be cut off to remove them. I'm sure you can get a small quantity at the big box hardware stores.

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[mongo2]

Really? Huh, I've never even considered marking cables. I've been gigging over 40 years and I've never lost a cable or anything else other piece of gear.

But I once had a pre-senior moment and left my bass at home and had to go get it.

 

[BBox Bass]

I use blue nail polish to paint my initials on the ends.

 

[Munjibunga]

Really? Huh, I've never even considered marking cables. I've been gigging over 40 years and I've never lost a cable or anything else other piece of gear.

But I once had a pre-senior moment and left my bass at home and had to go get it.

Mine are color marked more for identifying their length, but it does make it a lot easier to gather mine in if someone else's cables are on the stage.

 

[TheMightyWoot1]

I know which cords are mine. No one is going to get them. I guarantee it.

+1

 

[Dave W]

I don't...

I know which cords are mine. No one is going to get them. I guarantee it.

These.

Nobody is taking my instrument or mic cables. If someone happens to gank an IEC power cable, I'll grab another from the giant box full of them at work. No biggie.