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Instrument cables rated and compared. A buyers' guide!

#221
About 10 years ago I was fed up with crummy cables. I had a bunch and they all had issues. I found some guy on the old G&L forums (can't remember what they were called or if they still exist) who made me two that I still use today. I'm not pro and I don't play hundreds of shows a year, but I've used these cables for at least a decade and I've never had a problem.

He used Canare GS-6 cable and Neutrik plugs. I keep threatening one day that I'm going to get a spool of cable and some jacks so I can replace all of the other cables I have for my studio equipment. One of these days.


joe
 
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#223
I've had a good handful of "nice cables", they all sound and deliver a little differently. Some are brighter than others, some are fuller sounding than others. YMMV. But after playing Canare, Mogami, Collossal Sweet Fats, Evidence Lyric and Lyric HG, Monster bass, and a few others, nothing has sounded as "good" (most coherent/integrated, cleanest and most natural) as the GHOST cable. Its a new one, and I'm not affiliated, but yeah, seriously.
 
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#224
J.Wolf said:
I've had a good handful of "nice cables", they all sound and deliver a little differently. Some are brighter than others, some are fuller sounding than others. YMMV. But after playing Canare, Mogami, Collossal Sweet Fats, Evidence Lyric and Lyric HG, Monster bass, and a few others, nothing has sounded as "good" (most coherent/integrated, cleanest and most natural) as the GHOST cable. Its a new one, and I'm not affiliated, but yeah, seriously.
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Could you provide a link? Is it really green?
 
#225
looks like its not officially launched yet but you can msg... https://www.ghostcable.com/

Not long ago there was pricing and product info on the site, but it looks like theyre revamping the website. The cable I played was outstanding, I think its around $120, and uses proprietary wire, and also some kind of high end connector (not Neutrik or Amphenol).
 
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#227
J.Wolf said:
looks like its not officially launched yet but you can msg... https://www.ghostcable.com/

Not long ago there was pricing and product info on the site, but it looks like theyre revamping the website. The cable I played was outstanding, I think its around $120, and uses proprietary wire, and also some kind of high end connector (not Neutrik or Amphenol).
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That is a ridiculous sum of money to shell out for a guitar cable. I would be wary of the alleged "high end" connector. Neutrik is high end, otherwise every sound reinforcement, broadcast and recording studio in the world wouldn't be using them.
 
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#228
byacey said:
That is a ridiculous sum of money to shell out for a guitar cable. I would be wary of the alleged "high end" connector. Neutrik is high end, otherwise every sound reinforcement, broadcast and recording studio in the world wouldn't be using them.
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I appreciate your opinion. Dozens of companies who manufacture and sell $100+ cables would probably disagree with you, as their ledgers would seem to indicate otherwise. But I agree, for many, a $20-30 cable is a great option. I have a different experience than you, that is all.

As for the connectors, its an interesting point. I for one, am happy to see other options than Neutrik and Amphenol. Not that there is anything wrong with them, just that variety and innovation are kind of good things. As for fidelity increases, I guess you'd have to try for yourself before making the judgement. Skepticism is healthy, naysaying is unfounded unless you have direct experience.

End of the day: people spend tons of money to improve their sound through improving their equipment, instrument, amplifier, cabinet etc. If you can get a noticeable increase in performance from $100 cable, I really see how that's pissing money away.
 
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#229
J.Wolf said:
I appreciate your opinion. Dozens of companies who manufacture and sell $100+ cables would probably disagree with you, as their ledgers would seem to indicate otherwise. But I agree, for many, a $20-30 cable is a great option. I have a different experience than you, that is all.

As for the connectors, its an interesting point. I for one, am happy to see other options than Neutrik and Amphenol. Not that there is anything wrong with them, just that variety and innovation are kind of good things. As for fidelity increases, I guess you'd have to try for yourself before making the judgement. Skepticism is healthy, naysaying is unfounded unless you have direct experience.

End of the day: people spend tons of money to improve their sound through improving their equipment, instrument, amplifier, cabinet etc. If you can get a noticeable increase in performance from $100 cable, I really see how that's pissing money away.
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I have had direct experience with many, many different brands of connectors over the years. With Neutrik, I haven't found any measurable or audible shortcomings, so what would surpass this quality-wise? The only complaint I have is the plastic collet gets brittle after about 25 years.
These esoteric "superior" connectors are generally just hyped marketing geared towards people that have a surplus of money to spend.

As for cable, in the comparison charts, it can be seen plainly that robust, stage duty, low capacitance cable can be had for under $2.00 a foot.
 
#230
byacey said:
I have had direct experience with many, many different brands of connectors over the years. With Neutrik, I haven't found any measurable or audible shortcomings, so what would surpass this quality-wise? The only complaint I have is the plastic collet gets brittle after about 25 years.
These esoteric "superior" connectors are generally just hyped marketing geared towards people that have a surplus of money to spend.

As for cable, in the comparison charts, it can be seen plainly that robust, stage duty, low capacitance cable can be had for under $2.00 a foot.
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Awesome, it sounds like you know exactly what you should and shouldnt buy.

I tend to trust my own ears and testing processed designed to mitigate bias and placebo. It sounds like you have your own process sorted out. Perhaps the difference is that I'm not telling you what YOU should do. I'm sharing my opinion about my own findings. You can have your own opinions, but please dont tell me about mine.
 
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#231
I'm curious, what sort of tests have you performed on cables?
I'm not trying to educate you, or sway your opinions, only dispel the belief for others that one has to spend $100+ to get a good quality guitar cable.

The Audiofoolery cult has always been around, but since the inception of the internet it has spread like wildfire, and even into the MI industry.
 
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#232
I appreciate that. Theres never a shortage of people trying to sell others things they dont need, which dont actually do anything of value. My testing methods consist of gathering 4-5 great sounding bass player and audio engineer buds and doing double blind testing to compare cables using the same gear and settings, repeatedly. Results were consistent among the group.

And to repeat, not everyone *should spend $120 on a guitar cable. The only people who should, are the people who want to, can, and find value or benefit in it. For everyone else, there are plenty of good sounding, reliable products for a lot less. I had an experience which led me to experience noticeable sonic advantages. Would they be lost on a gig? maybe? I dunno. But, like with most things "A Mustang is a hell of a sports car, until you drive a Ferrari". Once your frame of reference is updated/challenged, its hard not to see demonstrable differences. but as always, IMMO, YMMV etc... No worries if others feel otherwise. I just thought I'd pop my findings in a thread about instrument cables.
 
#236
I wanted to chime in, as I'm reading this and the same names come up. I'm thinking of replacing my last pair of leads/cables, not because they're showing any signs of giving up, but because it feels sensible as a professional after 9 years on the faithful pair. I've been using the Lava Ultramafic, and I want to put in a vote for those leads as they don't come up often. When I got them, even my student agreed when he scoffed at me saying I could hear a difference, there was a noticeable difference in sound, not biased bass/treble, just 'more' - clarity and detail. I kind of got them as a test/joke as I was flush at the time! Anyway, they've done 4 10 month international tours, countless gigs and travelling, rock solid.
I also love the switchcraft connectors, there quite heavy and feel really solid, beautifully made. Although Neutrik are 'industry standard' and I've never had a problem with them, the switchcraft high end stuff just makes me happy when I look at how tough and beautifully made they are.

Check out Lava Ultramafic if you get a chance, you might like 'em.
 
#237
Fingerz said:
I wanted to chime in, as I'm reading this and the same names come up. I'm thinking of replacing my last pair of leads/cables, not because they're showing any signs of giving up, but because it feels sensible as a professional after 9 years on the faithful pair. I've been using the Lava Ultramafic, and I want to put in a vote for those leads as they don't come up often. When I got them, even my student agreed when he scoffed at me saying I could hear a difference, there was a noticeable difference in sound, not biased bass/treble, just 'more' - clarity and detail. I kind of got them as a test/joke as I was flush at the time! Anyway, they've done 4 10 month international tours, countless gigs and travelling, rock solid.
I also love the switchcraft connectors, there quite heavy and feel really solid, beautifully made. Although Neutrik are 'industry standard' and I've never had a problem with them, the switchcraft high end stuff just makes me happy when I look at how tough and beautifully made they are.

Check out Lava Ultramafic if you get a chance, you might like 'em.
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I am sure they are great cables. I would need a couple of them and I can't justify spending close to $200 on instrument cables. But, to each their own.
 
#239
I don't have ears good enough to tell a sonic difference between most quality cables. But I can tell quality construction when I see it.

I often play at my church and the instrument and IEM cables take a beating. We used to always have shorts in cables until the church switched to Runway Audio cables. I'm super impressed with them, and they will make just about any cable you want.

Guitar Cables Custom Made in Nashville | Runway Audio
 
#240
I bought a VOVOX Cable so you don't have to - A Review

IMG_8454.jpeg


Before I dive into the main bulk of this review, I want to make one thing crystal clear: I have A/B this cable against several instrument cables and there was no discernible difference in sound quality. It wont make your bass sound better, and it wont add any sonic characteristics to your signal. This review isn't about sound quality or the physics of electrical conduction, it's about build quality and why I was so excited to purchase this cable (and a matching 1m pedalboard to amp cable).

Build Quality and Design
The VOVOX Sonorus is by far the nicest instrument cable I have ever had my hands on. The exterior is a natural fibre that feels good in the hands and visually appealing. Spiralling up the cable, across the checkered pattern, is a thin orange strand that I find quite striking. The jacks are made by GH, but the cover is VOVOX, looks nice and plugs in as one would expect.
One of the sillier design elements of VOVOX cables is that the instrument side of the cable has black heat shrink and the pedalboard/amp side has orange heat shrink along with the stitched VOVOX tag. Apparently this is to indicate which way the cable should go in for superior sonic transmission, but we aren't tricked so easily. (Yes I did try them in reverse and I can confirm, no difference)
The cable came packaged in a very nice cotton bag with hilarious instructions on how to install the cables.

68568664513__F89F602D-74A2-4134-B2FF-3736B4B206C3.jpeg

Quality of Life
We have finally arrived at the reason I was so happy to drop $120 USD (plus shipping) for this cable. It lays like a freaking shoelace. I can walk across my living room without having to uncoil it and it will just follow me along. It doesn't try to naturally coil itself up and I don't have to do the quarter-twist to get rid of the small coils like on normal plastic exterior cables. It just lays there. I think part of this is due to the natural fibre exterior and the fact that it is a thick heavy cable.

Conclusion
I like this cable. I like how it sits on the floor and moves with me as I wander. I like the fact that it is very pretty and has excellent build quality. Do I think it is sonically better than my custom Revelation Cable Company instrument cables? No. Do I think it sounds better than a $30 Ernie Ball guitar cable? No. Is it worth the price? Depends, but probably not. But am I happy to have bought it? Yes.

IMG_8455.jpeg
 
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