• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Your favorite instrument cables and why...

#82
capnsandwich said:
Just like the title says, what's your favorite cables and why do you like them so much? I was using Planet Waves with the little kill switch on it but I've had some of them die on me in the last year. I'm currently using an Elixer cable that's a good quality cable but is kind of stiff. So, I'm posting this thread to ask what others use for some insight on what's good these days. Thank you for your input.
Click to expand...
curly of course
 
  • Like
Reactions: capnsandwich
#83
capnsandwich said:
Money is the issue with that. Sure, I could save up but I need one sooner than I could save for a complete wireless system.
Click to expand...

You can get one for less than $100. But they are usually digital, which may or not matter to you. The analog ones have companders which can screw up the sound. If i were you id get a buffer and some cheap cable with a backup. Cheap if you can solder. If not something like the fender cable would work. Regardless, its not something to spend too much effort on. Just pick something and go with it. I have had a fairly cheap cable for 20 years now with only a loose solder joint or 2 to deal with.

But the buffer has definitely improved my sound.
 
  • Like
Reactions: capnsandwich
#85
kalle74 said:
I make my own. Canare, Eurocable or Cordial cable stock with Neutrik plugs (active basses, so cannot use the silent plugs). Heat-shrinks on all critical connections, and my name on a label under clear heat-shrink near the amp and of the cable. Custom lengths and colors if I feel like it.

My pedalboard is quite cramped, so I use the EBS flat cables. The connectors are extremely slim.
Click to expand...
I've been using a silent plug with an active bass for years - I didn't know there was a reason not to. What's the reason?
 
#87
JimmyM said:
What are cheapest at Sam Ash?
Click to expand...

Probably one that will die on you a couple months into use. I got one from GC and it lasted about 4 months of regular use. It was a cheap one but had a kill switch at the end of the instrument end. It just quit working. I need quality cables since I'm booked just about every week in the summer, including one tour.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Michael Schreiber
#89
capnsandwich said:
Probably one that will die on you a couple months into use. I got one from GC and it lasted about 4 months of regular use. It was a cheap one but had a kill switch at the end of the instrument end. It just quit working. I need quality cables since I'm booked just about every week in the summer, including one tour.
Click to expand...
I've got a couple cheapo 20' cables that have lasted 15 years with regular near-daily usage. I lose them sooner than I break them. I'm not sweating it.
 
#91
I use Mogami and I'm convinced that they sound better than other better quality cables. I used Pro Co cables for decades, but they were bought by Rapco Horizon a few years ago and their quality went downhill after they closed the Kalamazoo factory.
 
#93
kartiste said:
I've been using a silent plug with an active bass for years - I didn't know there was a reason not to. What's the reason?
Click to expand...

I should have said I don't use them, because paying the extra makes no point for me. From Neutrik:

"Please note that the signal isn't muted with some types of active electric guitars which are equipped with tip-ring-sleeve jacks that tap to activate the guitar power supply."
 
#95
I'm happy with the Live Wire Elites that I've gotten at GC. They seem to be well-made, have functioned well for me for over a year now and are not badly overpriced.

I generally look for as short a length and as thick a gauge of pure copper wire as possible. Stray capacitance per unit length is not a big concern to me, at bass frequencies and with the short cable lengths that I use. Given that my bass has high-impedance passive pickups, I do look for good shielding in the coaxial ground wrap.
 
#96
Monster Bass was the first cable I tried where I could hear the difference. The older ones like I have, however, have ZERO strain-relief which is OK around the house, but worrying on a gig. So now, I just go through Bayou Cables and have Butch make me whatever I want, all Canare and Neutrik.
 
#97
I've got some Monster Bass Cables I've been using for decades, but more recently I'm finding the Spectraflex and Fulltone cables to work well for me. In all honesty, I have a really hard time telling the difference between cables other than how easily they coil up, get tangled, or how noisy there are as I move around. I stay under 15 feet (usually 10-12) and simply don't hear any difference in tone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jason Hollar
#99
truth about monster cables.. the warranty works.. the cables are extremely stiff. and the 1/4 plug is over sized. it's making my bass hard to maneuver. and the jacks on the amp act funky. you can attribute it to stiff cables and loose jacks. Anyway I've had two cables and some pedal board many cables for 11 years. Now that I go my fender. I'm moving on to lava cable. I have a bunch of magma cable on a reel. and ultramafic kits. I brought for when my cable prompt me to change. And it's time for a change.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back