Lava. George L or something else?

[the blast]

Yes, I've read a bunch & have sort of confused myself. Now that I have a real pedalboard, I'd like to get some nice cables. They all need to be different lengths on a tight board so I'm thinking low profile as well.

I like the idea of the Lava right angle being small but it looks a little tricky to get together. I've also read that they are great. quality wire.

I had George Ls before but stopped using them because they seemed to inevitably short out, although I was constantly plugging & unplugging them.

I actually like the idea of soldered kits better than un-soldered but I can't seem to find anything as low profile as the Lava or George Ls.

HELP as I need to get this thing done!, -John

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

You might consider Evidence Audio Monorail with some right-angles terminations like G&H's.

I used to have George L's on my board. They are very practical and once you learn how to build them, it is the easiest thing to deal with. In terms of sound quality, though, I would not put them on top of my list. Later on, I switched to Vovox's which were all custom-made by Lava. However, this definitely restricts you in terms of flexibility and they are definitely on the expensive side.

Lately, I switched to Evidence Audio Monorail. I buy it in batch from Lava and buy G&H connectors from third parties. As I can do soldering at a pretty decent level, this is a very reliable and cheap method, with very good quality signal.

Best,

Alper

 

[RickenBoogie]

Planet waves have a kit, but they're solderless. Still, quite a good design, and so far for me, (over a year) without troubles. Best way to get all the different sizes you need, too.

 

[scotch]

I'm still a big fan of George L's. Smallest diameter cable, easy to install/reconfigure and they sound great! I've assembled literally hundreds of George L's over the years & haven't had a failure in over a decade! Just put the same care into assembly as you would a soldered cable & they are very reliable for pedalboard applications.

-Don't cut them with scissors or pliers. Use a utility/razor blade to avoid "squishing" cable into an oval. Roll slightly as you cut with the razor for a perfect, perpendicular slice.

-Let the 'cap' cut into the outer plastic insulation. Don't force the cable in & bend down sharply- let the cap do 50% of the bending for you to ensure a good ground connection.

-Tighten cap with pliers. Finger tight will come loose eventually. By giving mine just a little bit of extra pressure with pliers, I never have them come loose. And I travel/fly a LOT with my board!

 

[rodneyat]

I'll second the Planet Waves. I have been using them for about 2 years now..no issues. As a number have mentioned, I have heard good things on the George L's cables as well. Either way, I like the flexibility of cutting the cables to size and being about to use the connector type that I want.

 

[dkhp124]

I'm a huge fan of Lavacables. Smallest 1/4in plugs I've ever seen. The sleeve design SEEMS tricky, but it's actually really easy to handle. I'm pretty sure there's a video on YouTube or something by Mark, showing you how to get it done. And the sleeve design makes the cable feel much more sturdy than the screw system of other cables. That might just be me though.

I've heard people complain about George L's, but they seem to be pretty good as well. My friend uses them and he never had any issues with them. I personally prefer the plugs of Lavacable though, so I went with the Lavas.

 

[the blast]

Well I ordered the Lava Super Kit. Have read good reviews on the wire & like the tiny, right angle plugs. I'm hoping for the best. Thanks for the input all! -John

 

[Unrepresented]

Planet waves have a kit, but they're solderless. Still, quite a good design, and so far for me, (over a year) without troubles. Best way to get all the different sizes you need, too.

I'll chime in and note that I've used both the planet waves and the George L's and preferred the George L's because of the smaller diameter cable and the smaller connectors.

 

[nostatic]

Love the George L's. My g/f put six of them together while I was fiddling with pedal placement.

 

[ga_edwards]

I have the Planet Waves kit (got it on clearance for £20 - would have been silly not to). Whilst it is dead easy to use and put together, I do find that the plug are a little bulky and the cable is quite chunky and stiff for particularly short runs at strange angles. However, like I say, the system works very well and I've never had any actual audio problems with them.

 

[Bassnut62]

+1 on George L's - no problems at all with them

 

[SG-Jazz]

+100 on George L's! Ive been using em short of 2 years and have had zero problems!

 

[Nikoubis]

The Core X2 solderless kit is also a choice. The cable is fairly high quality and the plugs seem really sturdy (bulkier than George L's but not quite as much as the Planet Waves).

 

[gribuski]

+1 on George L's - no problems at all with them

This...I've been using them for a couple of years now because my guitar player turned me onto them. They're just so convenient...anyone I've seen that had problems with them didn't take the additional time to put them together carefully.

 

[Zerstorte Zelle]

Lava is by far the better solder-less cable. you just have to give them a once over every now and again to make sure everything is secure.

I do think that a custom SOLDERED set up including G&H ends would be the slickest set up but they will require more room than the Lava Mini ELCs

 

[lowfreq33]

I don't care for solderless cables, but then again I know how to solder, so.......

I know some people say they've never had a problem with George L's and the like. I'd just rather not take the chance.