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Instrument cables rated and compared. A buyers' guide!

#181
I've tried searching for the answer to this question, but can't seem to come up with it.

Should the cable from your pedalboard to amp be the same as your instrument cable to reap the benefits of that initial bass to board cable connection? I believe I have read that patch cables between pedals are too short to make much difference unless you get really crappy ones.

For my scenario, passive jazz 15ft cable to board and then 10ft cable from pedalboard to amp. Sometimes I have a hum and when I touch the metal connector housing on the cheap cable going into my bass it stops. I am planning on replacing it, so wondering if I should get a matching cable going to the amp.
 
#182
73BLow said:
I've tried searching for the answer to this question, but can't seem to come up with it.

Should the cable from your pedalboard to amp be the same as your instrument cable to reap the benefits of that initial bass to board cable connection? I believe I have read that patch cables between pedals are too short to make much difference unless you get really crappy ones.

For my scenario, passive jazz 15ft cable to board and then 10ft cable from pedalboard to amp. Sometimes I have a hum and when I touch the metal connector housing on the cheap cable going into my bass it stops. I am planning on replacing it, so wondering if I should get a matching cable going to the amp.
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If the hum stops after replacing the offending cable, I'd say you're good. :thumbsup:
 
#184
bongomania said:
I have become convinced that the only differences between cables are their capacitance and their construction quality. I do see the consumer value of reporting on capacitance and construction quality, but it's not very exciting for me to do.
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That's my conclusion as well, and I can understand that just measuring and trying to estimate build quality is not that fun -- compared to actually playing the bass...
After many years on the road and speaking to a lot of audio engineers I find that the boring detail most musicians forget about is to actually take care of their cables. Learn how to wind them up, how to store them and how to minimize the stress on the connectors, and you will have cables that last and keep sounding great.
 
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#187
Check out “Intex Cables” they are damn fine cables, all hand made, top notch materials, and life time warranty. They even have a 1/2off coupon for your first cable. They are all custom so you have your choice of cable color, length, connector shell color, connector type, I have several of they’re cables and they will probably outlast me.
 
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#188
snyderz said:
Excellent job. Just curious though as to how you determined ruggedness? Stomp a cable with your boot heel? Roll a heavy amp over it? Have a drummer trip over it?
Thanks
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Couldn't happen, the drummer was fired last week.

++++++++++++/
Haven't read all ten pages, so apologies if this has been covered:
Although this is an older post and you put some good work into it, especially in considering the ruggedness and other features, I am thinking that one of the more prominent effects is the cable capacitance vs. amp input impedance. For instance in a more recent thread, agedhorse was making an unrelated comment regarding the effectiveness of tube amp input impedances of 1meg vs. 10meg. However, recognizing that there is no real standard and that input impedances will vary from one design to another and between types such as tube vs. SS. So, how does that cable capacitance/impedance affect signal roll-off against varying amp designs? For instance, the same cable plugged into one amp with a 1meg and another that is 100K, or lower. This may underlie the varying opinions of various cables that are dependent on user application.
 
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#190
popcat said:
how does that cable capacitance/impedance affect signal roll-off against varying amp designs? For instance, the same cable plugged into one amp with a 1meg and another that is 100K, or lower. This may underlie the varying opinions of various cables that is dependent on user application.
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Capacitance is less of an issue with respect to the load impedance than it is with the source impedance. Passive pickups have an impedance of 5 kohms or more, so they can be loaded down by relatively low capacitance cables. The higher the impedance the more they're affected. Active pickups or internal pre-amps have low output impedance, usually 600 ohms or lower, so they're fairly immune to cable capacitance.
 
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#192
73BLow said:
I've tried searching for the answer to this question, but can't seem to come up with it.

Should the cable from your pedalboard to amp be the same as your instrument cable to reap the benefits of that initial bass to board cable connection? I believe I have read that patch cables between pedals are too short to make much difference unless you get really crappy ones.

For my scenario, passive jazz 15ft cable to board and then 10ft cable from pedalboard to amp. Sometimes I have a hum and when I touch the metal connector housing on the cheap cable going into my bass it stops. I am planning on replacing it, so wondering if I should get a matching cable going to the amp.
Click to expand...
Every foot of every cable, and every connection made from a cable, even every solder joint, every effects pedal, or pedal bypass takes away a tiny (often unmeasurable) bit from the quality of your signal. It's not that high quality cables "sound good" they just sound less bad, or steal away less from your original signal. That is one of the several reasons I keep my signal path as simple as possible; One cable that isn't too long.
It's likely the hum is coming from a ground loop (when two earthed points in the same circuit have different potentials) especially if it happens only in certain situations. That's a more complicated question that there are probably discussions about here somewhere.
 
#193
Anyone else here using a Colossal Sweet Fats cable? Been using one the last few months between my bass and my board and really like it. Great build quality and from what I can tell, sounds really good (when I plug straight in and AB it against a Mogami and a Lava/Canare)
 
#195
@bongomanina, great thread, thank you!

I see you compared the two "low cost" planet waves, what about the american stage series? I've switched to this cable few years ago and they have been the most reliable and noisefree/clean sounding cable I ever used as of now (!) (granted I have never spent more than $25-35 for a cable, so no ideas of how the "made in heaven by angles" hyped cables perform in comparison :cool:)
 
#196
maurilio said:
@bongomanina, great thread, thank you!

I see you compared the two "low cost" planet waves, what about the american stage series? I've switched to this cable few years ago and they have been the most reliable and noisefree/clean sounding cable I ever used as of now (!) (granted I have never spent more than $25-35 for a cable, so no ideas of how the "made in heaven by angles" hyped cables perform in comparison :cool:)
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I've had a couple of Planet Waves cables -- seem well made and reliable so far (haven't developed crackles or gone intermittent like some other inexpensive cables I've used) but hadn't heard of their American Stage series 'til you mentioned them here. Had a quick look (D'Addario Planet Waves American Stage Instrument Cable - 10' Reviews | Sweetwater) and they've got some good reviews. One mentions a slightly different tip profile for their "custom Neutrik connector" -- the reviewer speaks of it positively...

I have used many types of guitar cables ,Fulltone,Fender,ProCo etc. These are superior and the Neutrik connectors are the main reason,they are flat out the best and are really unique. The have a different tip that fits better in guitar and amp jacks, not tighter just somehow this lovely smooth "click" like the tumblers on a safe. The stay put better,dislodge less frequently yet pull out smoothly with that same lovely click. Absolutely a bargain like all Planet Waves products.
​
...and D'Addario's product page, here, mentions the cable's Geo Tip and how it's supposed to work better with varying jack tolerances. It all sounds good -- I would just want to know that the connector isn't oversized (as has been mentioned of certain Monster cables of the past). I doubt that's the case -- and I figure D'Addario would have learned from Monster's example -- but that came to mind when I read the above review.

For what it's worth, the product description mentions a capacitance of 28pF/ft.
 
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#199
maurilio said:
Cool!
No the plug is standard. I've been using these cables for few years now and everything is been super reliable!
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scotch said:
Yeah, I haven't detected any oversize issues with the American Stage cables. They work great, are reliable, sound great, and that Geotip feature actually works.
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Thanks, guys -- will have to look into them. I just wanted to be sure that I wouldn't be "stretching out" the jack on my instrument with an oversized plug, so that when I used another cable it would be loose.
 
#200
MarkA said:
Thanks, guys -- will have to look into them. I just wanted to be sure that I wouldn't be "stretching out" the jack on my instrument with an oversized plug, so that when I used another cable it would be loose.
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That was definitely a problem with first generation Monster cables! Many a guitar repair customer would come in with loose/intermittent output Jack's on their instrument. "Do you use Monster cables by chance?" They thought I was a wizard!
 

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